What handgun powder should I buy?

[302w 83]

I'm currently using Bullseye for 45, I've loaded and not shot 9mm, and I will be getting into 38 at some point.

 

I dislike bullseye. I find it staticy and sticky, it doesn't meter well, and a bunch of it glued itself to the tube in my Lyman powder thrower. My extruded 4895 meters much better, but I use a Hornady/pacific for that.

 

How's Unique? It seems extremely popular.

[louu 399]

TiteGroup should do what you want.

[TheWind 17]

I have Unique, but right now it is what you can find

[FishHunter 0]

For 9mm try Tire group or CFE pistol.

For 45, Bullseye is one of the best.

It is a bad idea to leave powder in a plastic powder drop. Drop a piece of dryer sheet into the powder reservoir to reduce static.

[carl_g 568]

Cfe pistol works well for 45 also.

[T Bill 649]

45ACP likes just about any powder given the short wide cartridge.  Works great with fast burning powders for light loads and slower burning powder for heavy weight hardball loads.  I prefer to use a ball powder for loading.  I switched from Bullseye to W231 years ago and then on to AA#2.  There were those who used Unique then, who found it just like Bullseye, a little dirty.  Supply is the biggest problem with pistol powders.  As stated, many are using what they can find, even though not their first choice.  I would stick to a ball powder if possible for loading ease.  Then burn rate would be my next qualifier.  

[302w 83]

I should add that I want ONE powder. I have some Blue Dot that I don't even want to use because I can't load all of my handguns with it. 

 

I may have some AA2 and/or AA9. My next buy may be 231 or Titegroup if they meter well and I see what my cookbooks say about them.

[Jon 264]

If you can find it, W231 does every handgun caliber for me. Unique meters like crap in my experience.

[T Bill 649]

I would give Hodgdon CFE Pistol a try then.  I have some but no time to load right now  My great plan to shoot more this year unfortunately has been trashed by other demands.

[sof 0]

I have used Titegroup for 9, 38 and 45 and like it a lot. Meters very, very well and at 4.3 grains for 9 and 45, you get a lot of rounds. It seems to be available regularly too.

[MidwestPX 172]

I've used a lot of Unique. I've switched to Blue Dot though. I like it for 10mm but it also works decently in my experience for .45 and 9mm. The only thing I didn't like about Unique was I thought it was pretty dirty.

[lunker 274]

I've used a lot of Unique. I've switched to Blue Dot though. I like it for 10mm but it also works decently in my experience for .45 and 9mm. The only thing I didn't like about Unique was I thought it was pretty dirty.

Blue Dot + 10mm = Fireball!

I loved loading blue dot for 10mm.

 

 

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[Tunaman 549]

I second 231 for most handgun calibers.  I do like Longshot for 10mm.

[BullzeyeNJ 104]

VV N320 for the win!

[JayWilling 33]

I load 9mm, 45mm, 38, and  357 and my favorite for all is Titegroup. I have used Bullseye and I like it for 45.

Having trouble finding powder I bought a few pounds of Hogdon Universal. I'm trying it now in my 9 and then in 45. So far it seems to work pretty well. It's odd looking though...looks like it has sand in it or something.

[Shocker 150]

I'll just throw in that Titegroup will do target loads for .40 also, if you ever get one of those. That's what I used until I found VV N320

[Vlad G 345]

Titegroup, N320, Clays, Zip, etc are powders that I've liked for most semi-auto pistol rounds. Some are better then others for various applications. TG is probably the most flexible, but also because of its very small charge volume it is also the one most likely to get you in trouble.

[kirk2022 43]

Loading 9mm, 38, 40. I fell for the BE 86 craze, But I dont like it.

I pretty much stick with Tite Group and HP38 (w231 is the same)

as said above Titegroup is A small fill powder, So extra attention is needed while getting used to it.

I have also used 700X for 38 with good results.

[average joe 5]

Loading 9mm, 38, 40. I fell for the BE 86 craze, But I dont like it.

I pretty much stick with Tite Group and HP38 (w231 is the same)

as said above Titegroup is A small fill powder, So extra attention is needed while getting used to it.

I have also used 700X for 38 with good results.

I wanted to try BE 86 but I can't find any.   What don't you like about it,  its suppose to be great for all pistol loads, including magnums.  

[JackDaWack 2,895]

Titegroup will have the same problems your experiencing. But coat your powder drop with graphite and make sure you get all the powder out after your done and all those issues dissaprear. I have a lot of titegroup for 9 and 45 I love the stuff.

[kirk2022 43]

It just seems to be A bit finicky, There are A lot of guys trying it on the THR reloading forum. Some are likeing i some are not.

 I did find one load that worked ok with my Sig P226 9mm, Couldnt find A happy recipe for my Shield or SP2022.

Where as with the TiteGroup I have good loads for my 3 9MMs and 38 SPL.

And luckily I have plenty of TiteGroup and HP38 that I use for my 40 S&W.

The BE86 will go away for emergency use along with the Bullseye that I have.

[Parker 213]

Because I find other uses for some pistol powders (I.E. some serve well for shotgun,) I have on hand and use the following: W231, WSF, WST, Clays, HS7, HS6, Blue Dot, Unique, Red Dot, Bullseye, & Int. Clays. I like Bullseye, Unique, W231 and Blue Dot for the .45ACP. 

 

Blue Dot & Unique also work well in reduced rifle loads (I use them in big bore straight-wall cartridges.) I have this thing for versatility. 

[average joe 5]

I use a lot of Red Dot for shot shells,  lately I have been experimenting with it for handguns,  it seems pretty good for non magnums, and even mid range magnums are not all that bad.  This may be my one size fits all powder.   It meters OK in my  RCBS Uniflow too .

[Rob0115 1,105]

N320 or W231. I use both for the several non-magnum calipers. 9, 40, 10, 38, 45.