Powder Help - Where to start...

[ExtremeX]

With that vast assortment of reloading powders out there, im not really sure what to get. I see a lot of people mention Varget and Ramshot TAC.

I would really like to stick with one type of powder for 9mm and .45 ACP so I don't have to keep changing whats in the powder measure.

Same for .223 and .308 loads.

I just want something decent and something that meters well out of the powder measure that comes with my RCBS Pro 2000.

Im just guessing the answer is NO, but would I be lucky enough to find a powder that's universal for pistol and rifle loads?

I am still in the learning phase so powders with good published data for typical loads is a must. I really need to get a reloading book or two... any recommendations?

[G-forceJunkie]

231 is excelent for most pistol rounds. Clean and meters well. Powedr for .308 and .22 is going to be tougher. Many will work for both, but one is going to be a compromise. Varget, BLc2 and R-15 come to mind that will work for both.

[mls204]

i like 231 and titegroup for 9 & 45.

[lpspinner]

For 9mm and .45 I use Titegroup. A fast burning powder that is clean and efficient. This powder is designed for accuracy and efficiency. It will constantly ignite no matter what position it lays inside the case. Because it uses very little powder, a bottle can go a long way. The downside is that because it uses so little powder...it's easy to double charge if you're not paying attention. This powder meters well with my Dillon and Lee powder measures.

For .223 and .308...There's the old stand by, Winchester 748. It works great in the .223 and the .308 as well. It's a ball powder so you shouldn't having any metering issues.

[troysland]

Different powders for different applications. Varget and TAC are common with .223. Even the grain of the projectiles behave different with different powders.

Get the Lymans 49th edition manual to get familiar with powders and projectiles. Handloading is so specialized, I'm curious to know if there's anything close to a universal powder. Maybe Blackpowder?

[FLIGHT762]

For .223 Remington and .308 Winchester, I've found that IMR 8208 XBR works very well. It measures very accurately out of the RCBS powder hopper. The other plus is it's a temperature stable powder made by ADI in Australia.

Two very accurate loads for the .308 in two of my L/R rifles are : 43.0 grains of 8208 with a 168 bullet and 42.0 with a 175 grain bullet. 5 shot groups hover between .50 -.75 MOA.

I've been hit and miss with Varget in my .308 rifles, but in my Sig 516, I get great accuracy with Varget and 75 Grain Hornady OTM bullets. The negative with Varget is it meters poorly out of a powder hopper.

Try some 8208 XBR. Might work for you too.

[skibuff]

W231 for pistols is the best way to learn. I would stay away from fast burning powders until you have a few thousand rounds under your belt.

If you make a small mistake (a couple tenths of a grain) with a fast burning powder it can cause big problems. W231 is clean and forgiving with tons of load data.

[XDRoX]

If forced you could make certain pistol powders work in rifle but for the most part you'll want different powders.

It's very easy to find a powder that will work for both 9mm and 45. Same goes for 223 and 308. Varget never metered all that great for me. 748 and TAC meter extremely well in any measure and also yield great results.

[ExtremeX]

W231 for pistols is the best way to learn. I would stay away from fast burning powders until you have a few thousand rounds under your belt.

If you make a small mistake (a couple tenths of a grain) with a fast burning powder it can cause big problems. W231 is clean and forgiving with tons of load data.

thank you, thats the type of info I was looking for.

[ExtremeX]

I think I will try Winchester 231 for pistol and Ramshot TAC for my rifle rounds.

Hopefully I can find these locally. I might not save much money but it would be nice to try before going nuts buying in bulk.

[Javi]

thank you, thats the type of info I was looking for.

That helped me too haha. Think I'll try that and "Titegroup" 1,000 rounds later or so.

[NiteQwill]

I use 231 for pistol rounds.

Varget and H335 for 223. Honestly, H355 meters better for me. I use Varget mostly for shooting 69 gr and higher. H335 is great for 55 gr rounds.

[CalTeacher]

Unique would also work well for 9 and 45.

Ill second the blc-2 recommendation for 223 and 308.

[ejhc11]

I'd say get a reloading manual or two, go thru the calibers you want to load and look at the recommended powders. Match the manuals recommendations to others that posted and buy the powder that meets your requirements.

I enjoy my Hornady Reloading Manual, now 8th ed., because it was one that had a lot of C&R loads offered plus everything else including ARs/M1As. Its worked very well for me. Accurate and reliable and the components I use are readily available.

[rjh4758]

Pistol - W231
223 and 308 - Varget, TAC, WC844, WC846, are some options. The last 2 are surplus powders.