Powder advice

[Desertdoc]

For 5.56/.223 I have gotten excellent groups, consistent FPS, S-D, and E-S with RL-15 and 69Gr SMK's, 77 gr Nosler Custom Comp's with a FGM Match Primers. Very happy with that powder for MY needs.

The great thing about rolling your own, is that you get ammo catered to YOUR rifle. Do some research, use data from the powder maker ONLY to start, buy a few pounds as funds allow and see what your rifle likes. THEN buy bulk.

Each person in this thread has powder that they love and some they hate.

It is like cooking, good food starts with good ingredients. Buy the best you can afford.

If it is in your budget, buy your powder in kegs. That way it comes from the same lot, as opposed to 1LB canisters with different lot numbers.

Take your time, do not hurry, read your manuals a few times. Do not drink and reload, keep interruption in your process to zero. Ask tons of questions. If there is any doubt AT ALL about how much powder you weighed, charged, poured or whatever. Start over. Even if it means you have to pull the projectiles on 100 completed rounds.

Wear eye pro. Yes, even when seating primers.

[dwalker]

CFE Pistol and CFE223, two powders will do all you want done.

[dwalker]

why?

Because a very small mistake in charge weight has very dramatice results with those powders.

[bigdrunk92037]

god reqs for pistol. I use HP38/W231. For .223 Ramshot TAC, H335 and W748 are my go-to powders.

[mjmagee67]

Because a very small mistake in charge weight has very dramatice results with those powders.

Yes yes yes yes


Unique is a great powder a little dirty burning, but it meters like poop.

A great powder to start with is Power Pistol, CFEPistol, and/or Auto Comp. They are high volume, large charge so they are very hard to double charge. Plus those powders are very linear in there pressure build up.

[JMP]

CFE Pistol and CFE223, two powders will do all you want done.

That's what I'd recommend for simplicity.

[huckberry668]

Because a very small mistake in charge weight has very dramatice results with those powders.

Eliminating powder selection doesn't address the actions that lead to charging mistakes. Reloading is an activity that requires full & uncompromised attention and safety measures. I'd advocate a good loading process instead:

1. Use good equipment for accurate and reliable charging.
2. Develop a good routine and solid actions to reduce and eliminate mistakes.
3. Visually check every charge. It's not just double charge you should worry about. Sometimes a primed empty case will cause serious harm when you fire a charged round with a bullet lodged in the barrel.

Titegroup is a great powder that produces great accuracy results and very economical. Clays' large flakes gives good load density (hard to miss a double charge) but I wouldn't use it for 10mm.

HP38/W231, Bullseye, AA#5 have been very popular for accuracy and economy for decades. Titegroup is getting my attention nowadays. Varget is hard to beat for all kinds of rifle calibers.

Start with 1lb cans and shoot for accuracy, because any powder will do if you just plink.

[dwalker]

Eliminating powder selection doesn't address the actions that lead to charging mistakes. Reloading is an activity that requires full & uncompromised attention and safety measures. I'd advocate a good loading process instead:

1. Use good equipment for accurate and reliable charging.
2. Develop a good routine and solid actions to reduce and eliminate mistakes.
3. Visually check every charge. It's not just double charge you should worry about. Sometimes a primed empty case will cause serious harm when you fire a charged round with a bullet lodged in the barrel.

Titegroup is a great powder that produces great accuracy results and very economical. Clays' large flakes gives good load density (hard to miss a double charge) but I wouldn't use it for 10mm.

HP38/W231, Bullseye, AA#5 have been very popular for accuracy and economy for decades. Titegroup is getting my attention nowadays. Varget is hard to beat for all kinds of rifle calibers.

Start with 1lb cans and shoot for accuracy, because any powder will do if you just plink.

Titegroup is a powder where the difference between 3.2gr and 3.6gr under a 147gr 9mm can be a real issue. It is exceptionally easy to get a double charge. Clays might actually be worse, as the charge weight between fine and not fine is really tight.

Yes, good gear and good practice can help minimize the risk, but thats just more trouble than its worth to someone just starting out. Load some CFEPistol or similar where a double charge is immediately noticeable, build good habits, refine the skills, move into those powders later.

Yes, I myself used Universal Clays- which is different than Clays- when I first started. Note that they are two very different powders but a lot of people still say "Clays" when they mean Universal, which can also cause issues. I also use Clays from time to time because I find it burns a little cleaner than TG, but for the most part I use CFEPistol. Meters perfect, hard to doublecharge, and clean. I also like I dont have to scrub copper out of my barrels

[Dnele928]

Using a Lee progressive reloading system, you can't do a double charge...unless you try very hard. The press rotates to the next operation...loading the bullet. To get back the powder charging, you would have to pull the handle three times to get back to another powder charge. Not likely....

[dwalker]

Using a Lee progressive reloading system, you can't do a double charge...unless you try very hard. The press rotates to the next operation...loading the bullet. To get back the powder charging, you would have to pull the handle three times to get back to another powder charge. Not likely....

If you have a Lee Auto-disk with the spring rather than chain return it is not hard at all to double charge. If you have the charge reset disabled on the Auto-drum it is also very easy to double charge.

The OP did not mention how he was reloading, only that he is starting. I generically take that to mean a Single stage. In theory you should never be able to doublecharge using a single stage and yet it happens.

[Desertdoc]

OP, you have been given some good advice in this thread, but let me say this. If you value your life, hands, fingers, eyes, and the lives of your friends, check each and every powder charge. This is your responsibility, not the powder that you use that may take up more space in a case than a different powder.

Create good habits now, instead of trying to un-F yourself after you have developed bad habits.

This is a fun hobby. At first, slow methodical, is good. When I first learned, and I always learn something new, it was damn cool to make something work that I created. It's pretty f-ing cool to see your groups go from 3" to the size of a quarter at 200yds.

There are many opinions, some good some bad. Read them all. Seek other sources for information. If you have more than a few of them saying the same thing, ok cool, go with it. Also, do not trust what I say either. Verify. It is all my opinion based on theoretical knowledge and actual practice.

I have given you the safety brief. Now the cool shi*. Powders, I can do whatever I want with these for the calibers I reload. If one is not available or is cost prohibitive, for sure I can buy one of the others.

Pistol: Unique, Bullseye, Tightgroup.

Rifle, semi-auto .223, 5.56: Reloder 15.

Varget is fine too. Varget while very accurate, is tough to get.

[Richbutnotwealthy]

Unique or Red Dot for the handgun reloading. Bulky flake powder, hard to overcharge without having it spill all over. That's a Good thing for someone new to reloading. They're a little dirty, but so what. 700x will also do, if you can't find the others in stock.

3031 works for both 223 and 30cal varieties. But you won't make max charge listings with it in 223, it's too bulky. That's not a bad thing either, for someone starting out. Save your max-charge experiments until after you've got a good feel for things.

[dirt5track]

Thank you guys for all the advice. I am using a single stage and just picked up a turret press too.

[stilly]

Thank you guys for all the advice. I am using a single stage and just picked up a turret press too.

What Turret? The Lee Classic Turret? It is the heavier one that has a flatter base and looks kinda like an arrow.

Good for you.

[MR_X]

If that was my loading, I would do the following:

1. .45 ACP: CFE Pistol or HP-38/Win231
2. 10mm: Longshot (which can be used in 38 super as well)
3. .38 Super: HP-38/Win231 or CFE Pistol
4. .223: Win748 or BLC2, or CFE-223.

I like that CFE stuff for pistol. It gives an extra pop when I used it in .38 and 9mm.

HP-38 and others will do just about all pistol calibers. You can also load up your 10mm like a .40 if you use HP-38 instead of Longshot, but why do that to a 10mm? Longshot is the bestest for 10mm...

Pretty much this. I use CFE-Pistol for 9mm, 38 sup, 40 and 45ACP. Works great in all those. I use CFE-223 for 223 and 308