Could you limit all your reloading to 2 powders?
Dave H.
[subject]
Tuesday, November 30, 2021, 20:28 (1710 days ago)
Ok, let me limit this to powders for handgun calibers ….. if you *could* limit your powders to 2, which would you choose and why?
Unique?
2400?
H110?
WW296?
WW231?
IMR 4227?
AA#5?
AA#9?
I’d love to limit all my *handgun* reloading to just two powders that would suit all needs from plinking to full-tilt thermonuclear loads.
What say you?
I could shoot .25 ACP to .50 BMG using only Unique
WB
[subject]
Tuesday, November 30, 2021, 21:19 (1710 days ago) @ Dave H.
but it would be tricky at both ends. You'd need something faster, perhaps Unique for handgun, shotgun, and cast light rifle loads. Rifle loading is a bit more complex for the medium to magnum rifle range. Maybe 4064 or 4895. Little too slow on one end and too fast on the other, but you asked.
Honestly Unique is a great burn rate range for small capacity, high energy, up to something like .510 GNR. You can't load maximum levels but about 75%. I've even shot cast .500 Nitro with it honestly. 2400 I can do some Voodoo (better for cast rifle bullets) but it's out for anything smaller than .357 or .327 Fed. You can't load 9mm or .45 ACP with it.
Unique and H-110
Alcorn
[subject]
Wednesday, December 01, 2021, 05:56 (1709 days ago) @ WB
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I would agree with Alcorn, those two have
jthomson
[subject]
Wednesday, December 01, 2021, 06:27 (1709 days ago) @ Alcorn
been my go to's for years although 4227 is slowly starting to replace the H110
To simplify I agree between those two
WB
[subject]
Wednesday, December 01, 2021, 06:53 (1709 days ago) @ jthomson
For a “magnum” level pistol powder as good as H110/296 is, if I could only have one of those two, it would be 4227. It only gives up a little and it’s so much more stable and predictable. (I find the rifle powder 4895 to have a similar character for it’s center fire rifle/specialty handgun role) Too bulky for less than .38 special but it is fantastic for cast bullet rifle loads. Oddly I do not remember any shotshell 4227 loads, I could be wrong. H110 is a good .410 shotgun powder.
the closest I could come to just 2 powders
Gary Reeder
[subject]
Wednesday, December 01, 2021, 13:50 (1709 days ago) @ WB
would be 296 or H-110 (basically the same powder) and Unique. I go thru a couple of 8 lb kegs of 296 a year and about 6 or 7 lbs of Unique. In some of my larger capacity calibers like 378 GNR, 416 GNR, 450 GNR and such these wouldn't do at all. So somewhere along the line I would have to throw in a third brand of powder. Probably 3031.
A very good Tri-fecta!
WB
[subject]
Wednesday, December 01, 2021, 19:30 (1709 days ago) @ Gary Reeder
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2 handgun
Ed
[subject]
Thursday, December 02, 2021, 07:26 (1708 days ago) @ WB
IMR 4227 and TrailBoss or VV Tinstar. One for hunting and one for play.
Don’t forget the Dot powders
Dave H.
[subject]
Wednesday, December 01, 2021, 06:07 (1709 days ago) @ WB
I use a lot of Blue Dot in my 222, and then there is Red Dot, Green Dot….
I wonder the best, most sensible choice for magnum hot loads…357 to 500 GNR and everything in between. WW296? H110? Unique would be tricky, like you say.
FFFg Black and Unique/Universal
JT
[subject]
Tuesday, November 30, 2021, 21:37 (1710 days ago) @ Dave H.
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John wins!
steve todd
[subject]
Wednesday, December 01, 2021, 00:25 (1710 days ago) @ JT
Unique works for all the cartridges i shoot, FFFg works for all the cartridges i shoot, plus the muzzlestuffers and the cap and ball pistols
Make it 3 Dave & you've got a deal...
backroads rambler
[subject]
Wednesday, December 01, 2021, 03:59 (1709 days ago) @ Dave H.
Not perfect but do-able.
Unique and AA#5 out of that list. Only reason
ChrisG
[subject]
Wednesday, December 01, 2021, 05:48 (1709 days ago) @ Dave H.
I use those 2 more than the others.
My list wasn’t meant to be the only choices,
Dave H.
[subject]
Wednesday, December 01, 2021, 06:04 (1709 days ago) @ ChrisG
Rather the more or less popular choices we see most often. There are other powders to consider. I’m just trying to narrow the choices to what most would chose, and why.
Unique and Titegroup then.
ChrisG
[subject]
Wednesday, December 01, 2021, 13:08 (1709 days ago) @ Dave H.
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loading well over 100 cartridges it would be really
Gary Reeder
[subject]
Wednesday, December 01, 2021, 11:28 (1709 days ago) @ Dave H.
hard to limit myself to 2 powders. This pic is at least 15 years old and there are easily twice that many calibers that I load now, so I doubt I could get away with 2 powders.
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![[image]](images/uploaded/2021120118214961a7bd3dd96cd.jpg)
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wow, what is that, 10 Dillons and some RCBS presses?
Ed Taylor
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Wednesday, December 01, 2021, 11:37 (1709 days ago) @ Gary Reeder
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not quite. I have 8 Dillon presses, two RCBS
Gary Reeder
[subject]
Wednesday, December 01, 2021, 12:12 (1709 days ago) @ Ed Taylor
turret presses, an RCBS Ammo Master press and a Lyman lubri-sizer. I think there is a Redding turret press in the pics but I sold it. I can buy 2 RCBS turrets for what one Redding costs and the RCBS is just as good.
I have all the Dillons and the others as I have to reload just about every night for ammo for test firing the next day. With the Dillons I just sit down and crank out 100 to 200 in an hour and the Turrets are almost as fast. I use the turret presses for the necked down cartridges like the 41 GNR, 410 GNR, 356 GNR and such. They do better on a solid shell holder set up than the Dillon spring loaded shell plate that gives slightly. The solid shell holder set up puts the shoulder where it has to be to fit in a cylinder.
I use the big Ammo Master for the large stuff like 500 Jeffrey, 470 Nitro, 500 Nitro and such. I have an RCBS Rock Chucker here at the shop for when I need to load a cartridge for head spacing and such.
800X --H110
Lynn
[subject]
Wednesday, December 01, 2021, 16:28 (1709 days ago) @ Dave H.
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I could probably get along with 231 and Longshot. I seem to
Drdougrx
[subject]
Thursday, December 02, 2021, 05:43 (1708 days ago) @ Dave H.
use these the most these days. 2400 could replace Longshot and power pistol could replace 231…but unique IF I could get it…