Powder Types for 40 S&W

[King31]

With the shortage of powder types, what is one that is good for 40 S&W but can still be found? Right now I know of a place that I can get some Clays, Universal, or WST. Does anyone have any experience with these in 40 S&W? I'd love to find some Power Pistol or Unique since a lot of loading manuals have those as top of the line.

Also what kind of price should I be happy with? If my memory serves me right the Universal and WST was around $27 and I think the Clays was $21. My next handgun loads will be for a 9mm or 45acp. I've read that Clays does awesome in 45acp so that will also factor in my decision.

Thanks a lot everyone!
TK

 

[papa6x]

I bought some Clays to load 40's with, but haven't shot very much yet. What I have though seem to be decent enough. I can't help you very much, sorry.

papa6x

 

[TBone3006]

I picked up a 4lb jug of WSF at Applied Ballistics about 10 days ago for 100 dollars. According to my manuals it will work in the calibers you have listed. I am going to use it for my 9mm with 124 grain lead bullets.

 

[Grelber]

I've shot a few thousand 180 Bayou & 3.2 Clays rounds loaded long (1.18 oal).

I really like that load for plinking and IDPA, low recoil but enough oomph to take steels down well, but I would not use Clays for any medium or hot loads in any pistol caliber. It meters just ok in my opinion (Dillon 550).

Power pistol has been around in your area, I use it for major power factor loads in the 40 but have not found a plinking load I like with it so far.

Bullseye worked better for me than Clays in 45 for what it is worth and I have seen some around recently.

I've also seen titegroup around recently, am thinking of making that my #1 reduced power load powder for 9 & 45 & 40. I did not like the charge sensitivity of the stuff in the reloading manuals so I steered away at first, but I bought a couple pounds when things got scarce and the stuff meters so well that it makes up for the reasonably high charge sensitivity.

Good luck on price, it is a sellers market round here .
If you overpay by $5.00 though and get 1000 rounds per lb that is still only $0.25 per box of 50.

 

[partyboy6686]

My go to powder for the past year was WST. But it got a little hard to find so I switched to W231/HP-38. I was using 4.8gr of WST with 180gr bullet at 1.135 COL. Its what a majority of my friends use also. Some of them run the COL a little longer then me but my mags wont let my COL be any longer. I recently switched to W231/HP-38 powder since I found 40 pounds of it. I use 5.0gr of W231/HP-38 with 180gr bullet at 1.135 COL now. Both my loads made major power factor for USPSA.

 

[AmmoManAaron]

Where are you in southern Indiana? Traildust in Bloomington just got in some LongShot and 700-x pistol powder. The Hodgdon on-line reloading data center has a bunch of different loads for 40 S&W using these two powders.

 

[jwh20]

I know it's been pretty scarce but I've done most of my .40 S&W using TiteGroup.

 

[King31]

Where are you in southern Indiana? Traildust in Bloomington just got in some LongShot and 700-x pistol powder. The Hodgdon on-line reloading data center has a bunch of different loads for 40 S&W using these two powders.

I am around Tell City. I went ahead and bought some Clays and some Universal to get started. Aces Guns across the river in Hawesville has a decent supply of powder but definitely not much else.

 

[AmmoManAaron]

I am around Tell City. I went ahead and bought some Clays and some Universal to get started. Aces Guns across the river in Hawesville has a decent supply of powder but definitely not much else.

You scored big time with your powder find. Both of those powders, but especially Clays, is in very high demand. I haven't seen either one on the shelf in over two years. Do you mind letting us know how much the Clays was? If I or a family member are in the area, it might be worth swinging by and getting some.

 

[King31]

You scored big time with your powder find. Both of those powders, but especially Clays, is in very high demand. I haven't seen either one on the shelf in over two years. Do you mind letting us know how much the Clays was? If I or a family member are in the area, it might be worth swinging by and getting some.

The Clays was $20.99 plus tax but I bought the last 1lb container they had. I also bought a 1lb container of Universal Clays for $26.99 plus tax. They had roughly 10lbs left of it along with some other powders. Everything looked to be reasonably priced. Whittakers Guns outside of Owensboro has a lot of powder in stock as well. I messaged them and they had titegroup, h110, hs6, hp38, wst, and bullseye all from 20.99 to 26.99. Hope this helps and good luck.

 

[Grelber]

The Clays was $20.99 plus tax but I bought the last 1lb container they had. I also bought a 1lb container of Universal Clays for $26.99 plus tax. They had roughly 10lbs left of it along with some other powders. Everything looked to be reasonably priced. Whittakers Guns outside of Owensboro has a lot of powder in stock as well. I messaged them and they had titegroup, h110, hs6, hp38, wst, and bullseye all from 20.99 to 26.99. Hope this helps and good luck.

They also still had some remmington small pistol primers @ $80.00/5000 (both 1 1/2 and 5 1/2).
Took away 2lbs of titegroup but I think they had about 12 cans on the shelf and similar for bullseye, didn't look at the other powders.

 

[AmmoManAaron]

The Clays was $20.99 plus tax but I bought the last 1lb container they had. I also bought a 1lb container of Universal Clays for $26.99 plus tax. They had roughly 10lbs left of it along with some other powders. Everything looked to be reasonably priced. Whittakers Guns outside of Owensboro has a lot of powder in stock as well. I messaged them and they had titegroup, h110, hs6, hp38, wst, and bullseye all from 20.99 to 26.99. Hope this helps and good luck.

Thanks! That Clays was a good deal, everyone I know would have jumped on it for that. I've mentioned to my folks and a couple of friends that someone needs to check in a Whittakers if they are in the area because of the deal they had on Remington primers. Any pistol powder they have at $20.99 a pound plus tax is a good deal these days, so I'll make sure to mention that in addition to the primers.

 

[AmmoManAaron]

They also still had some remmington small pistol primers @ $80.00/5000 (both 1 1/2 and 5 1/2).
Took away 2lbs of titegroup but I think they had about 12 cans on the shelf and similar for bullseye, didn't look at the other powders.

Thanks, I'm glad to hear they still have the Remington primers in-stock. Hopefully someone in my circle will be down that way soon.

 

[kludge]

My experience:

Bullseye brings teh suck for the .40 and is filthy. Clays is a lot like Bullseye. Universal is excellent and super clean. Likewise No.7. Both are low flash. But not as low as SR4756.

If you shoot lead bullets get No.7. It's my most accurate load. Otherwise I would recommend Universal -- Hodgdon won't publish lead loads for Universal.

 

[AmmoManAaron]

My experience:

Bullseye brings teh suck for the .40 and is filthy. Clays is a lot like Bullseye. Universal is excellent and super clean. Likewise No.7. Both are low flash. But not as low as SR4756.

If you shoot lead bullets get No.7. It's my most accurate load. Otherwise I would recommend Universal -- Hodgdon won't publish lead loads for Universal.

That's the first I've heard of Clays being dirty, but I don't shoot .40 S&W. It is exceptionally clean in the calibers I shoot.

Sadly, Hodgdon has discontinued the SR series of powders and PB as well. I'm sure we will still find these 4 powders floating around, but darnit, each powder in the SR series had at least one unique application that is unmatched by any other powder.

 

[Grelber]

That's the first I've heard of Clays being dirty, but I don't shoot .40 S&W. It is exceptionally clean in the calibers I shoot..

I think sometimes it is the whole recipe that is dirty.
My experience has been the exact opposite of kludge's, but if I was shooting the bullets he shoots at the same power factor / length / etc I expect that it might have been the same.

 

[JStang314]

I've only used titegroup in .40 but really like it. 4.2gr with a 180gr berrys is light and accurate for me. At least as accurate as I am which isn't saying a lot.

 

[King31]

My experience:

Bullseye brings teh suck for the .40 and is filthy. Clays is a lot like Bullseye. Universal is excellent and super clean. Likewise No.7. Both are low flash. But not as low as SR4756.

If you shoot lead bullets get No.7. It's my most accurate load. Otherwise I would recommend Universal -- Hodgdon won't publish lead loads for Universal.

The only downfall I have found so far for Universal is finding somewhere that actually includes it in the reloading data. Besides Hodgdon's online everything else is for 175 gr or 180 gr bullets. I am going to be shooting Xtreme 165 gr RNFP out of a Glock 23 if anyone else has any advice. I'll be shooting the Clays out of a .45 when I start that.

 

[Gluemanz28]

My experience:

Bullseye brings teh suck for the .40 and is filthy. Clays is a lot like Bullseye. Universal is excellent and super clean. Likewise No.7. Both are low flash. But not as low as SR4756.

If you shoot lead bullets get No.7. It's my most accurate load. Otherwise I would recommend Universal -- Hodgdon won't publish lead loads for Universal.

I also agree that the recipe determines a lot in the dirty factor. I shoot Bullseye in .380, 9mm, 40, and 45 acp. I don't experience the dirty issues.

 

[Leo]

Clays or powders of that burn rate is not the best for higher pressure cartridges like the .40. Those fast burn powders get unstable pressure peaks in that range. Like already mentioned, something slightly slower like universal clays, AA#7, WAP, even Titegroup works more consistantly at the 20,000 lb and higher pressure ranges. I have not used bullseye since the old Hercules company bullseye formula, multiple people I personally believe have told me the formula has improved greatly since then.