What is your "go to" powder?

[Big Mac 1911]

Just curious what powders you guys use? Looking for your suggestions for pistol rounds and rifle rounds (specifically 223). There are just so many to choose from and at about $30 a lb, you really want to pick a good one. Thanks!

 

[John Galt]

Varget for rifle, Titegroup for pistol. That's not to say that there aren't other great, quality powders out there, but this was a question that I understood as asking for opinions, and these two are probably the only two I would keep if limited to just two. This will be an interesting thread!

 

[Joe Williams]

For 9mm, .38 Special, .45 ACP, and .357 I have three powders I really like:

Titegroup, W231, and Bullseye. Titegroup is my favorite, but for some loads it just doesn't work.

Years ago, I used Unique for just about everything, but it was so overwhelmingly dirty I quit using it. I understand they've reformulated so it's much cleaner, while still being just as versatile. I'm going to have to try the new stuff out.

 

[G-Niner]

If I were limited to only two powders I would choose 231 and 4895. I could reload almost anything I shoot with those.

 

[jlm223]

Varget for .223, Titegroup goes a long way, get many rounds from a pound of powder.

 

[XtremeVel]

Alliant's unique has gotten a bit cleaner and is very versatile. It flows well thru my Lee pro auto disk but a little rough thru the RCBS uniflow.

 

[red_zr24x4]

Pistol= Titegroup or AA#2
Rifle= I load for both 223 and 30-06 and I've found AA2015 works the best for me

 

[92FS]

I use Hodgdon Universal Clays for 380 and 9mm. Clean, consistent and economical.

Shotgun & Pistol Powders

 

[KingWeb50]

Varget for .223

 

[msquared]

titegroup for pistol. Cheap, versatile, meters well, works for about everything.
AA 2015 for 223.

 

[x10]

varget and 231, I can load varget on 308 down to 222, and of course 231 covers all the auto's pretty well but is a bit fast for the magnums, but If I had to

 

[boman]

I use Tac 80% of the time for rifle powder. True Blue for 9mm and 45 pistol. both are inexpensive and meter exceptionally well.

Steve

 

[Bisley Man]

I've used Unique for over 30 years in every handgun round I had. 9MM, .38,.357, .41Mag,44Spec., .44Mag,45Colt 45ACP and Auto Rim. It worked well in all of them. The best thing about Unique in a Magnum revolver cartridges is the ability to get light to medium loads. I still use it and it is cleaner than before. But since I've been using Titegroup it is my new favorite. You can use a little less of it than Unique for the same power. H-380 and 4064 are my rifle powders. A good reloading manual(several) would be a good investment.

 

[Lex Concord]

Gold Bond

 

[mike8170]

When it comes to general reloading, I use Big Game powder for most of my rifle loads, Titegroup and Commercial Powder for my handgun loads. All seem to pretty much match what I need for everyday shooting.

 

[Trickpony]

I use Hodgdon Benchmark for .223 (55 gr to 80 gr). Varget works okay too.

Pistol? N320 is my favorite for 40 S&W

 

[slow1911s]

I prefer N320 for 40 S&W and 38 Super. I've loaded much more Titgroup due to cost and availability.

 

[antsi]

+1 for Accurate powders. Their load data is excellent. My loads always chrono very close to what their data predict.

For rifle, I like 2520. This works well in the heavier bullet .223 loadings (69 gr and up). I am about to start loading .30-06, and was pleased to see that 2520 is a good powder for that. Bonus: not all powders are acceptable for M-1 Garand loads. 2520 is one of the ones that does work for Garands and can get you close to the USGI .30-06 spec.

For pistols I have used AA#9 for heavy loads. AA#5 is good for higher pressure loads - I love it for 9mm - but in lower pressure loads like .38spl it is a bit dirty/gritty. AA#2 is very well regarded for light loads but I don't have any experience with it.

I have been using 700x for .45 acp and .38 spl lately. It is very accurate. It is a bit sooty but not to the point of being a problem. It is also a great shotgun powder. It is not useable for higher pressure or higher velocity handgun loads.

 

[Redemption]

H335 or WC 844 for .223. Unique or Bullseye for pistol.

 

[PwrCruz]

Vargent for .223, titegroup for most handgun but only use Blue Dot for 10mm.