cmillard
.375 Atomic
MOLON LABE
Posts: 1,997
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Post by cmillard on Feb 18, 2024 11:13:46 GMT -5
Longshot powder is the one powder I ALWAYS keep on hand. It is my most versatile powder. I have loads with it in all my handgun loads (except .454). Loads in 9mm, .32 acp, .460 Rowland,. 41 mag, .45 acp, .45 colt.
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pleadthe2nd
.327 Meteor
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Posts: 952
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Post by pleadthe2nd on Feb 18, 2024 15:43:15 GMT -5
Looks like the consensus here is the shotgun/pistol type powders, and I couldn't agree more Unique, HS6, Longshot, are all very versatile powders, I could live with any of them as a lifetime supply
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Post by jessejaymes on Feb 20, 2024 10:08:53 GMT -5
Looking at the OP,, and the basic question of just one powder,, is something I've seen often by new handloaders, or others just wanting to be a bit lazy in what they do. The lazy ones look at handloading as a chore & not an integral part of serious handgunning. If you look at the older reloading manuals,, you will find a burn rate chart with around 50 different powders. Nowadays,, you will find double that number. But look at the older manuals,, and see which powders are still heavily used today. Proven use and performance dictates if it survives. But I've loaded, tested & used a lot of different powders over the last (almost) 50 years to where I know exactly what was learned so long ago. Each gun is a different machine from another identical machine. Each one can be very different in what it uses to perform the best. Yet,, some can use a very large selection of components very very well, while others are pickier than a father studying a potential suitor for his first born daughter. As such,, I've tried to keep a selection of different powders that are the most common, (Time tested & proven) to be used in each handgun. And while many can overlap each other,, some guns just seem to perform a tad better with a different combo. All this long winded commentary is a way of saying that it's very hard to get a powder that will do it all. ESPECIALLY if you have more than 1 or 2 guns in the same caliber. I have discovered that keeping sufficient quantities of Unique, 2400, 4227, HS-6, Longshot, can do MOST of my needs. But I also keep a fair selection of many other powders to test each shooter to find what IT prefers! And those days of multiple powders being on the shelf at every trip to the store....are long gone. I've pulled the lever since I was 10 years old...which is over 40 years of it. My goal is to actually shoot and not tinker. Would like to have several hundred rounds of loaded ammo on hand to grab n go at an instant. One pistol, one load.....and laid in bulk. I have several cans of partially used powder at my disposal. My attempt is to streamline my supplies and buy larger quantities. I understand that 454 and 45LC with one powder may be a stretch...but only wanting to run the 454 at 1100-1200 I was hoping there may be some universal overlap. |
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Post by contender on Feb 20, 2024 10:38:19 GMT -5
jessejaymes,,, I do understand your thoughts. And while we've had a few years of very poor selection of powders & primers,, I do see a lot of stores getting more & more stock. I have been handloading since 1977, and I too have several partial cans of powder that I use to experiment with. Availability is there,, just the prices have increased to where many refuse to pay the price.
But if you read the part about my more narrow selection of powders of which are 6 handgun powders, you'll see that those can cover 99.9% of my needs. It's the individual guns that tell me which powder, bullet, primer combo that is the best for each one.
I decided long ago to not have hundreds of rounds of ammo pre-loaded on hand. Why? If I pass away,, reloads can't be sold,, but components can. So I switched from trying to keep all my brass loaded up, to having everything available for loading when I need some. Bullets already cast vs raw lead. Powder in sealed containers. Primers the same way. Brass cleaned, & ready to load.
And if you are dead set on just one powder,, then I suggest you try a few of the time proven best ones,, to find which one works to your acceptable levels, by letting YOUR guns tell you which one is most suitable for your purposes.
We can each have an identical gun, yet they can easily be very different in what ammo they prefer.
I'm NOT saying your quest isn't achievable. But in my experience,, often,, it just takes more than just one "do all" for very similar things.
If my post offended you in any way,, trust me in that it is NOT my intent do do so. Just trying to point out that there may not be a one size fits all. But if it's just (2) guns,, then your quest may be easier to achieve than for me,, as I own many more than just 1 or 2 in specific calibers.
Again,, absolutely NO offense was meant in any of my posting.
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pete
.30 Stingray
Posts: 293
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Post by pete on Feb 21, 2024 19:33:26 GMT -5
The #7 I recently bought, has been clean in 41 and 44 mag, at max loadings I think a certain pressure is the key to any powder burning "clean" or not leaving much residue behind. Low pressure=more residue. THIS is a major factor in reloading. Unique is too slow for target or gallery loads. For those I like Bullseye and W231 much better, and a friend swears by Red Dot, and he's loaded thousands of gallery loads without issue. |
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Post by bigbore5 on Feb 21, 2024 19:38:57 GMT -5
I don't think one would consider my red dot loads as "gallery", but it does great in my factory velocity loads
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Post by revolvercranker on Feb 21, 2024 19:39:06 GMT -5
I think a certain pressure is the key to any powder burning "clean" or not leaving much residue behind. Low pressure=more residue. THIS is a major factor in reloading. Unique is too slow for target or gallery loads. For those I like Bullseye and W231 much better, and a friend swears by Red Dot, and he's loaded thousands of gallery loads without issue. I don't feel that is so. Lyman is big into shooting cast bullets. Almost all their rifle loads use Unique for low velocity load number one. Bullseyes is not a good choice for that. For an example a load of 15 grains of Unique is suitable for a wide variety of bullet weights for the 30-06. I shoot a lot of Unique in cast rifle loads and it's not dirty. |
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Post by mhblaw on Feb 21, 2024 20:12:06 GMT -5
“One powder for the rest of your life?”
Based on the numerous responses, there isn’t one.
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Post by bigbore5 on Feb 21, 2024 20:53:28 GMT -5
I really don't get most of the responses to this thread. It plainly starts with 45 Colt- Medium loads. What do other cartridges and even rifles have to do with anything in that?
Personally I have tried to follow this thread to see what I may be missing in loading medium level 45 Colt with different powders. Seems like this is not a thread focused on the actual subject of the title.
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Post by hunter01 on Feb 21, 2024 21:14:11 GMT -5
THIS is a major factor in reloading. Unique is too slow for target or gallery loads. For those I like Bullseye and W231 much better, and a friend swears by Red Dot, and he's loaded thousands of gallery loads without issue. I don't feel that is so. Lyman is big into shooting cast bullets. Almost all their rifle loads use Unique for low velocity load number one. Bullseyes is not a good choice for that. For an example a load of 15 grains of Unique is suitable for a wide variety of bullet weights for the 30-06. I shoot a lot of Unique in cast rifle loads and it's not dirty. You can't disagree UNLESS you sent your load out for pressure testing. A powder may burn what people consider "clean" at 15k psi and be terribly sooty at 10k. Those are totally random numbers but the picture is clear. |
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Post by revolvercranker on Feb 21, 2024 21:44:23 GMT -5
I really don't get most of the responses to this thread. It plainly starts with 45 Colt- Medium loads. What do other cartridges and even rifles have to do with anything in that? Personally I have tried to follow this thread to see what I may be missing in loading medium level 45 Colt with different powders. Seems like this is not a thread focused on the actual subject of the title. Like any forum, it's the original post has been hi-jacket, but it all started with the myth that Unique is ultra dirty, then morphed into you need pressure. |
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Post by revolvercranker on Feb 21, 2024 21:54:02 GMT -5
You can't disagree UNLESS you sent your load out for pressure testing. A powder may burn what people consider "clean" at 15k psi and be terribly sooty at 10k. Those are totally random numbers but the picture is clear. Let me clear this pressure thing up with Unique for an example. That load I gave for the 30-06 produces pressures in the mid 20k range. The top loads are in the mid 30k's. If you then say well how about small pistol cartridges. As the case gets smaller so does the volume. When that happens the pressure goes up. Let's look at single digit Unique loads for the 9mm Luger. Those are some pretty high pressures. Lyman lists pressures, but not for the pipsqueak cartridges. I would want to believe none are in the real low pressures. As I've stated many times Unique burns pretty clean in all the ranges. |
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Post by jessejaymes on Feb 22, 2024 16:35:33 GMT -5
The whole concept started with me wanting to capitalize on some powders that were in stock like 2400, Unique and maybe 4227. If I am going to eat a HazMat fee and shipping I am going to buy 8-16lbs of powder. For pistols, that will probably last the rest of my life. Wanted to get it as close to Right as possbile.
Think the answers were kinda clear that Unique will do a LOT of things and probably the way I am leaning. But testing the little 2400 I had on hand was nice. I get that Unique is bulkier and takes up more empty case capacity, but 16-18 grains of 2400 was fairly filling too. Think the 2400 would roll into mild 454 Casull loads better than Unique also.
Tough choice still, but I have direction. Accuracy so far in one revovler was pretty much the same. I need to stretch out and shoot longer. 12.6 HS-6, 10.5 Unique and 16 of 2400 all grouped about the same with 280 Matt's bullets to 315 Leadheads or some variance in between. Didn't help my decision.
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Post by revolvercranker on Feb 22, 2024 16:50:21 GMT -5
The whole concept started with me wanting to capitalize on some powders that were in stock like 2400, Unique and maybe 4227. If I am going to eat a HazMat fee and shipping I am going to buy 8-16lbs of powder. For pistols, that will probably last the rest of my life. Wanted to get it as close to Right as possbile. Think the answers were kinda clear that Unique will do a LOT of things and probably the way I am leaning. But testing the little 2400 I had on hand was nice. I get that Unique is bulkier and takes up more empty case capacity, but 16-18 grains of 2400 was fairly filling too. Think the 2400 would roll into mild 454 Casull loads better than Unique also. Tough choice still, but I have direction. Accuracy so far in one revovler was pretty much the same. I need to stretch out and shoot longer. 12.6 HS-6, 10.5 Unique and 16 of 2400 all grouped about the same with 280 Matt's bullets to 315 Leadheads or some variance in between. Didn't help my decision. Think of 2400 more of a "magnum" powder for magnum revolver cartridges. Also for medium to high loads for all revolver cartridges except the little puny ones. What you're seeking Unique will handle just fine. 2400 never burns 100 percent clean, so don't worry about that. |
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Post by bigbore5 on Feb 22, 2024 19:20:51 GMT -5
Try Longshot.
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