What makes a powder your "favorite" ??

[Point&Shoot]

All of my handguns are more accurate than I am so how do you assess the accuracy of any given hand-load? I can build 9mm and .45s with any style bullet or my own castings and pretty much any powder on my shelf from W231, WST, Titegroup, Unique etcetera and once function is solid they are more accurate than i am. So what criteria do you use to determine your favorite? Some days I shoot great and some days the mojo is missing. So one day I say 4.?grn of W231 is great and the next day I say it's a lousy load but that's based on my shooting and not so much the reload. So how do I eliminate the weak link(which is me) without investing in a Ransom. This wasn't meant to be so long winded. I'm really just trying to thin out the number of powders I use to just 1 or 2 and focus on casting more and buying less. I guess I'd be happy with something that is as accurate as I am but doesn't throw out smoke like I'm using Trail Boss. Have a good work week and make sure you take the time to go shooting

 

[mac1911]

I basically judge a powder on wide range of use. for a lot of pistol I use Clays and for my shotgun stuff also. I load low to mid range loads and Im not looking to push anything past enough velocity to reach the paper.
pistol im not good at at all I judge my pistol accuracy by shooting at the NRA/CMP service rifle 50 yard targets which the black bull is about 10 moa. If im clustering in the black somewhere powder is good!

 

[NavelOfficer]

For me, it's mostly what is available at a modest price. Ample load data is key and a fairly wide spectrum of calibers is also a plus. Granted, you won't get this with a specialty powder such as W296 or H50BMG, but if one powder can handle 9mm, .38 Special, .44 Special and .45 ACP, that keeps it simple. Another that covers most bullet weights in 5.56, .308, 7.5 Swiss, .303 British, 8mm Mauser, .30-06 does likewise.
Powder metering isn't problematic with any type of powder for me, so that isn't a real factor.

 

[EC1]

powders that leave no unburned powder behind.

 

[EddieCoyle]

For pistols, I look for something that's versatile, meters well, and gives me fairly consistent velocity. My "go to" has always been Power Pistol, but I've been using a lot of CFE Pistol lately.

For rifles, my powder selection is much more application specific. For example, I use five different powders to load .223 depend on what I'm doing with it.

 

[38ExtraSpecial]

For general plinking I like a powder that’s versatile and efficient.
Some will argue against using 3 grains to bullseye when you could use 5 grains of unique and not be able to fit a double charge in a case.
If I can get 40% more loads out of a pound I see that as a good thing.

If I’m going for a specific use like super light loads then I’ll look for the fastest cleaning burning powder for the application which usually has a lighter for caliber Bullet. Hodgdon clays.

If I want more of a magnum or heavy bullet load then I’ll look for a specific powder that fits those needs instead of pushing one of my other powders that fast.

I guess I’m lookin at it more as application than some guys that will try out 6 powders in the same burn range to see which one they like best.
So I guess I have a few powders one for each application and I arrived at which ones I liked the best mainly by historical use like 2400 and Unique which are known for great performance in a specific cartridge.
I guess if it worked well for the past 75 years or more I figured I didn’t need to try the new fancy magnum powder to keep a little cleaner and maybe get another 50 FPS all at a premium price.

 

[DW357]

For pistols, I look for something that's versatile, meters well, and gives me fairly consistent velocity.

Yup. I only use one powder for 9mm (N320) but for magnum calibers like 357 and 44 mag, I use 4 different powders. Bullseye for light magnum loads, Power Pistol for midrange magnum loads, and 2400 and W296 for full house magnum loads. Though once I run out of Bullseye, I'll probably just use N320 since I have so much of it and is fast burning like Bullseye.

So I guess I don't really have a favorite single powder.

 

[76Too]

for pistol powder I like something that works for more than one caliber...231 has become a new favorite of mine because of this. it's not the best powder for any job, but it works in damn near everything, it's easy to source, and it's relatively cheap.

 

[Golddiggie]

I went to Winchester 231 for .45 ACP back when I was shooting IPSC (in FL, back in the mid-90's) for a few reasons. First, it was easy to develop a load that made my pistol function 100% with the projectile weight (255gr). Second, the recoil was actually softer, with less muzzle rise, than other powders. Third, it metered really well for me. Plus it was easy to hit major power factor without using too much powder. Granted, using the 255gr projectile meant it wasn't moving all that fast. People I was shooting with used to joke about seeing the rounds going down range when I shot.
Now, I'm also looking to use it when I start reloading .357 Magnum/.38 Special for my GP100 (don't have the press setup yet. but hope to this year).
For rifle powders, I've also been looking to see what can be used for more than one caliber (whenever possible). Right now, that's .223, .300 Blackout and .308 Winchester. I have two powders that cover all three. Not sure if I'll add more rifle calibers later, but I hope those same two powders will work in there too.
I have a few pounds of Bullseye powder on hand too. Mostly because of the round my father used in his 1911 race gun (which is mine now). I'll have to test with the projectiles I bought since they are not what he used before (he used lead SWC in his).

IF you really want to test load accuracy, you need to use some kind of gun press setup to hold the pistol in the same position each time. That eliminates YOU being an issue in the process.

 

[TrashcanDan]

Application dependent I guess.
While 1 works in all, depending on what I'm trying to do, theres other stuff better suited for it.
Titegroup burns a little too hot for me, 700X works better than titegroup for me in my .45 loads for the 1911 and 625, 231 works pretty good and has less felt recoil in my .38 spl loads than unique and 700X.
Its a costly experiment.

 

[Rugerfan]

For a powder to be a favorite, it needs to be versatile. When I first started loading for .45 ACP, .38 SPL and .357 magnum i used W231. Granted not optimum for .357, but they went bang, and I hit what I was aiming at. W296 and 2400 have since replaced 231 for magnum loads.

CFE pistol has replaced 213 for me now in .38, 9 mm. and .45 ACP.

For rifle, CFE 223 has become a very useful powder for .223 and .30-30 loads.

 

[gerrycaruso]

I look for versatility. I load for about 2 dozen calibers and don't want to stock 2 dozen powders. I used Unique for most of my handgun loads until Titegroup came along. Now I'm thinking of switching to BE-86. If you don't shoot a lot, you'll never be good enough to know when you find a good load.

 

[Point&Shoot]

With five or six 9mm handguns my goal is having one reload that functions in all of them. I think that for me COL is more important than what kind of powder I'm burning. Most of my "accuracy" testing is done at 6 or 7 yards and on the right day and if I bear down i expect to be able to put 8 out of 10 shots in a four inch group with a couple flyers in there due to human error. I can make that happen with anything from AC to Titegroup to WST. The biggest problem I have is poor record keeping. My reloading room walls are covered with notes written on painters tape so I've lost a lot of load information wandering from powder to powder. I've started keeping more detailed records but I'm not sure I need or want to develop load data on 10 different powders so I'm trying to reduce the variety. When powder was in short supply a few years ago I bought a few pounds of anything I could find just to have something to load with. Now I either have to burn through a whole bunch of random powders or pick a couple and relegate the rest to the cupboard. I'm casting my own bullets now but I reserve them mainly for outdoor shooting simply due to the smoke. What powders are known for not being Smokey with LRN bullets. That would sure help me pick a favorite. Most of my shooting is at 1/3 scale IDPA targets and it's always two to the body and one to the head as quickly as i can get back on target. Punching out the 10 spot is fine but nowhere near as much fun as two center mass and one to the head. Over and over and over again. Makes me want to hit the range now but it's 1am and bed sounds pretty good too.

 

[gerrycaruso]

If your accuracy requirement is 4" at 7 yards, any powder will work. I'd choose according to economy and availability. If you're shooting a lubed lead bullet, you won't get rid of the smoke by changing powder.

 

[meh]

I dunno. Even though I don't shoot handguns from rests, generally, I try to evaluate handgun loads for accuracy by shooting from a rest at 10 yards or so. Unfortunately, my vision could be a lot better. After a dozen groups, it's hard for me to focus well enough at the rest to be confident that the observed variation is due to the load. But seems like a lot of it is. I've been using Titegroup, Universal, HS-6, and H110 for different purposes. The H110 I only use for 357 and 44 magnum loads in my rifles. HS-6 is what I use for moderate loads in 44 magnum and 45 Colt Ruger-Only. Universal is my main powder for target loads in 357 magnum and 44 magnum. I like Universal a lot, though the flat flakes occasionally seem to bind somehow in my Hornady powder drop, I guess by one of the flakes sliding into the works or something. I use Titegroup for 38 special. I have the impression that it tends to be a little bit more consistent in 38 special than Universal. I might be wrong. Conversely, I've tried using Titegroup for target loads in 357 magnum and 44 magnum, but the relationship reversed: it didn't group quite as well as Universal (though it's close).

I've been thinking about branching out a bit, but I've been relying on Cabelas for powder and primers so far. They have other powders in stock (including BE-86), but I'm just so tired of working up loads that I'd like to load and shoot for awhile. There's an online dealer trying to tempt me right now with free hazmat if I order 4 pounds of Shooter's World powder (Lovex). Yes, they have my license on file. But I'm still resisting. Every powder is at least one range trip spent on load evaluation. It's a little bit fun, but not my favorite thing.

 

[Point&Shoot]

I hit the range pretty frequently usually twice a week but sometimes only once. One of the things I find is that in general is that I'm more accurate then most of the people shooting. I'm afraid that there are those people who shoot much more poorly at the range than they do on the internet. Personally I'm comfortable shooting groups like the one in the picture but I would prefer to shoot larger groups more quickly. I dont consider the cost of powders much as I should but I do like my powder in one pound cans. I guess I think it's like milk. I don't like it sitting around opened for to long and like a fresh unopened pound. I guess I'd better go shooting tonight. Thanks for the input guys.

 

[meh]

Well, my purpose was to minimize the variability due to ammo so that misses are “all me” if possible. Obviously one of those loads in that particular gun accomplishes that. The others possibly do as well, but to varying lesser degrees.

 

[gerrycaruso]

You shoot better than most because you shoot more than most. I also shoot twice a week. Most people can't or won't spend the time and ammunition required to become proficient.

 

[Point&Shoot]

Well said Meh. Minimize the variability due to ammo so that the misses are "all me". I like it! Gerry it's surprising how many people don't shoot their firearms. I do like to shoot a couple of times a week and it's odd how often I have the place to myself. My accuracy certainly goes downhill when there are a handful of folks there. If I used a sandbag more often I could probably access the accuracy of a given load but I shoot off hand which sure adds to the human error. I can make the powders last but buying plated bullets adds up quickly so I've got a couple 100 pounds of range lead muffins I'm turning into Lee 124 gr RN bullets so I can save the money for other things. I did cast a couple thousand only to find they needed to be resized AND cast bullets can produce a smoke show which I wish I could reduce. I'll just keep plugging along but having fun and I'll look up to those who produce a ragged hole. That's not me and it never will be and that's why I focus on drills that require a few fast shots on target because center mass is as good as a bullseye.

 

[OutdoorFanatic]

I'm a newbe so my powders have come from research on the web. Right now they are HP-38 for 45acp and Power Pistol for 9mm and 40sw. For my creedmoor I plan on using the powder everyone says is the best, which is H-4350 and for my levers I'll use Hodgdon Lever until and if I find something better. I did so much research at first that I got confused. Seemed like everyone had a different favorite so I just went with the majority. Man, the friggin notes* I wrote down than tossed, than wrote down more, then tossed.
Plan on doing my own testing when this blasted snow and ice go away.

 

[OutdoorFanatic]

I'm afraid that there are those people who shoot much more poorly at the range than they do on the internet.

LoL! Tha'd be me.

 

[BigMoby]

I tend to stick with powders I am familiar with or see here on the threads. I find myself looking at the powders in Bass Pro and saying I want them all. I love seeing recipes right on the front label gives me at least the idea that I can use it in my application. Love IMR powders but never anything on the labels giving you any idea what applications its best for. Wish they would do that more or have some guide books there with popular/possible uses.