whats your recommendation for a pistol powder?

[texasgunhand]

If you had to pick one powder for .45 AND 9mm what would you use??

[weggy]

If you had to pick one powder for .45 AND 9mm what would you use??
Good luck finding any pistol powder. But I like 231 or Titegroup for those calibers.

[m1a_scoutguy]

Good luck finding any pistol powder. But I like 231 or Titegroup for those calibers.

I agree,,with finding Pistol Powder. But in the best of times I use Titegroup for my 45acp loads and Universal for my 9mm stuff. Titegroup would be fine for BOTH if ya can find it, as Universal would be. There are other good choices but I like to maxamize my powders,,I use 4.8 of titegroup for 45s and 4.2 or so for 9mms. There are other powders that give you higher velocity but then your using 6/7/8grns,,:( With Universal I get close to 1700 rds per pound in 9mm,thats good in my world. Tite group is close but I am using more in the 45. look around and get what ya can get.

[Onyx Z]

I love Power Pistol. It might be just a little flashy though:D

[jstone]

Win 231, power pistol, unique, bullseye, and vv3n38. Some are used for both some are used for one only, and 3n38 is a powder I only use for 147 grain 9mm loads. The most versatile for me is 231, I use it for 40, 9, 38spcl, and 45 acp. I could never pick just one. Win 231 for practice loads. Power pistol for full power loads. Unique, and bullseye was used a lot when I loaded lead for my 1911. The 1911 is gone, but I still have plenty left. Vv3n38 is used for 147 grain xtp 9mm loads that are clocking 1150 average. If I could only find some 3n38 locally. A couple pounds lasts a while.

[LoboTBL]

It kinda depends. Are you shooting jacketed or cast? FMJ or some type of HP? Do you want max velocity? Do you want lower recoil? Do you want the most loads/lb? Do you want a powder that meters really well? Are you punching holes in paper or knocking down steel? There isn't one powder that is the ideal for all of these requirements yet. Some come close.

Titegroup and 231 each fill the bill for a few of the same categories but you're not going to get max velocity with either. You'll get higher velocities with slower powders like Power Pistol,#5 or HS-6 at the expense of using more powder.

[T2C]

Win 231 and TiteGroup have been scarce in my area. Lately I have been using WST for 9mm and .45 ACP with good results, but I am almost out.

I recently picked up an 8 lb. container of HS-6, because that was all the pistol powder that was available. The jury is still out on whether or not I can reload accurate ammunition with it.

Anyone have any HS-6 pet loads they want to share?

[markm]

Wow... I wonder what the deal is on pistol powder? I use whatever I can find. WST, Tightgroup, HP38/W231.

I never really shoot pistol anymore, so I hadn't noticed the powder was hard to find.

[cwgibson]

Currently BE-86 and E3 are what I am using for both.


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[LoboTBL]

A buddy of mine used to use HS-6 almost exclusively in 38 Super. It should work well for 9mm and possibly for 45 ACP.

[ROK]

Widener's recently had most Alliant powders in stock. I replenished my stock quite well with a few orders. I'll retire in a few months, and want to have, on hand, enough powder, brass and primers to carry me through retirement. Bullseye and Unique will make anything work.

My retirement plan->
Shoot more.

[nate89]

I like Titegroup, but I wouldn't use it with lead bullets--lots of smoke. I am loading pistol ammo as practice ammo, so as long as it's acceptable accurate and more importantly reliable, I don't really care what powder I use. Like some have mentioned, pistol powder can be hard to find, although it seems to be coming back. I ahve used Clays, HS-6, True Blue, and a few others in both calibers.

[bullitt]

I have used W231 for a number of years for 45ACP and 38Spl. I like it because it's a very versatile powder and I don't have to stock a bunch of different powders.

[Tigereye]

I use W231 for 45 and 9 for USPSA and IDPA. The folks I know who use HS-6 are the Open shooters in USPSA and generally shooting 38 Super.

[Eurodriver]

I'm new, but I've been using HP38 with great success. It's about $25/1lb here and ubiquitous.

What shortage?

[Pilot1]

I have used Clays for years with .45 ACP with good success. Lately I have been using Titegroup for 9MM, and even .45 ACP when I ran out of Clays. It works well for target loads at moderate velocities. I usually load to about midrange between min and max. I shoot a mix of lead cast, plated, and FMJ. Titegroup is very economical powder. A little goes a long way, but be careful of double charges as it doesn't fill the case as much as some others. I have also used HP-38/W231 with success.

[Colt guy]

CFE pistol would be my choice.

Meters well, load data for lead and jacketed bullets, used in 45acp and 9mm Luger.

Hodgdon is back to shipping large amounts of pistol powder and should be back on the shelves soon.