A clean burning pistol powder?

[KirkD]

Gents, I use Unique for my pistol loading but a friend of mine wants something cleaner burning so I told him I would look into it. What would y'all recommend for a clean burning pistol powder?

[Sixgun]

Unique

You still have to clean the gun. People who make complaints about a powder "not burning clean" have little to no experience about burn rates and the cartridges that are adapted to "this or that" powder.-----6

[KirkD]

He'll clean his gun. He is a retired LEO and told me he cleans his guns every time he uses them, but he's never reloaded before and wants to get a clean burning powder.

[Hobie]

Swiss 2F, after that he'll LOVE Unique.

[Chuck 100 yd]

What Hobie said +1.

One of my all time favorite pistol powders was Alcan AL-7.
I just found a 6 lb. keg today that belonged to my best friend who passed in November. I will think of him every time I see that keg and every time I shoot a .357 loaded with it.

[Griff]

It can depend on both what caliber and what load level he's intending to load to... If he's loadin' 38Spl., I kinda like PB. But, he may experience some unburned powder left behind, again, depending on what level you load it to. For CAS loads, it probably will... but, for heavier loads you might not. For larger calibers I like Clays or RedDot. Neither is particularly "clean", but both are relatively clean when compared to Unique!

[KirkD]

I should have mentioned the caliber. He will be loading 40 S&W.

[Blaine]

The guy at Cabela's said Power Pistol is not a bad burning powder, but, it's probably not for light loads....

[KirkD]

Upon thinking about this, and since I'll probably have to be the one reloading them, I'm thinking that how nicely it meters would be a high priority. Looking at my Hornady charts, I can use Blue Dot, AA No.5 and AA No. 7. Which one of those three would meter the nicest?

[Blaine]

Blue Dot measured out of my Lee Perfect with zero problems, but, I always tap on it....I do that with all the powders.....

[jnyork]

I have used Blue Dot for years, meters just fine, clean as any other IMHO.

[TedH]

Blue Dot is a flake powder similar in appearance to Unique. AA#5 is a much finer grain powder, so theoretically it would meter more consistently. I don't have any #7 on hand at the moment to compare, but I believe it's similar in appearance to #5. I've been using #5 quite a bit lately in handguns and shotgun slug loads. It's quite versatile, and it does burn very clean.

[CowboyTutt]

I was also going to say Blue Dot but half a dozen guys beat me to it. Its also pretty insensitive to case position in a large empty case but it does need low moderate pressure otherwise the velocities will very too much. I know from using it in my 485 grain 11mm Mauser loads. -Tutt

[jdad]

The cleanest burning powder I have ever used is the Vihtavuori line. Expensive, but it's clean, very low flash & blast, and is the least temperature sensitive powder available.


VV is owned by Lapua. http://www.lapua.com/en/products/reload ... ri-powders


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[Catshooter]

Kirk,

I replaced Unique with Universal Clays. Burns at just about the same rate. Forgiving, like Unique is. Flash suppressed if it matters.

Much cleaner than Unique. The first time I used it I fired 100 rounds through my 1911. When I broke the pistol down to clean it after the range session (I always clean 'em right after I use 'em) I was very surprised at how easy the cleaning was.

The powder's performance is much more important to me than how clean it burns, but it was a nice side effect.

Meters like a dream. Very small round flakes. I use it for 380, 9mm, 40 and all my 45s including 45-70. It's incredibly consistent in the 45-70.

Of course the biggest problem down here with picking a powder for most people is finding one. How's it going up there?


Cat

[horsesoldier03]

I have found W231 and Titegroup fit most of my needs. I dont reload for the .40 S&W but I still see decent load data for that caliber with those powders. IMO, they are about as clean as they come If he isnt satisfied with that, it leads us back to HOBIES comment for Swiss 2F!

[Griff]

For the 40S&W I'm using TiteGroup. Very clean, meters very consistently... Are you loading lead or jacketed projectiles?

[KirkD]

I think the fellow will be wanting jacketed bullets, since he is a retired LEO and it was always drilled into their heads never to use cast bullets in their Sigs (some fellows in his dept reloaded). Lots of very helpful information here. Makes me wish I didn't have so much Unique stockpiled of my own, so I could justify getting more of these new powders I've never tried. I do have Blue Dot, however, and have been pleased with it.

[M. M. Wright]

I like WW231 or HP-38 for the 40 and 45. 231 is the cleaner of the two and meters real good.

[Neumann]

It's hard to beat Unique as a forgiving, all-around pistol powder. Unique likes to burn hot, and burns dirtly mainly in light loads. The trick seems to be loading hotter than the mid-range given in tables like Lyman 59th Ed. As usual, work up carefully, looking for signs of pressure.

Light loads with Unique have another problem - obduration of the case and possibly the bullet. I find this particularly objectionable in .45 Colt, where loads of 7 grains or less of Unique leave the outside of the case black, and can emit smoke from the chamber in a lever gun. If you want a low recoil or target load, look to Bullseye

I've used W231 and WSF in .40 S&W and .45 ACP pistol loads, but not in larger cases (yet). It meters well and burns cleanly. I haven't found anything I like better than Alliant 2400 for .357 Magnum and .44 Magnum.

[mikld]

Here's a FWIW post:

I believe new reloaders are somehow convinced they need certain items, mostly from listening to reloading "experts". "Hard Cast" is one and "harder is better" seems to be the type of thinking, and "clean burning powder" is another. They're convinced the only powder worth using is "clean burning".

I use a powder I think preforms the best in my application, and worry about "clean burning" day after tomorrow (like never). I've found many powders aren't very "clean burning" at low pressure loads, they need a bit more ummmph to leave no residue in/on the gun. I have never had a gun fail to function from shooting "dirty" ammo (the longer sessions are mebbe 350+ rounds in my 1911, and 200 rounds in my .44 Magnums [ouch!]. I even shot 200+ rounds of light loaded Unique in my .38 snubby.).

I don't wear my white tux and white lamb skin gloves when shooting and the indoor ranges all have a rest room to wash up afterwards. I have small hand towels to wipe my hands during a session, if necessary. I take water and shop/paper towels when I shoot outdoors and rinse my face and hands when done. My guns are cleaned soon after I get home. GSR on my old sweat shirt just lends to the shooting experience, and fun.

I'd be happy to find any powder, clean, dirty, whatever about now...

[Blaine]

FWIW Dept: I can't really prove this, but, I "feel" that a good hard crimp with a Lee Factory Crimp Die will make the powder burn mo betta....

[Catshooter]

Actually yes, a good heavy crimp does help burning.

I don't recall the source but I've read that a good crimp adds about 10% or so. The grip that case has on the bullet seems to provide the other 90 or so. It all helps.

I do agree with mikld though, the most important factor isn't cleanliness. Although cleaner is nice!


Cat

[crs]

Jdad,
I prefer VV also for the reasons you stated and a few others. However, their powder has been in short supply while the ownership of their plant was being changed around year end 2013. As of January 2014, they announce that Nammo (parent of Lapua) had assumed operation of the powder plant and that it is in full operation now. It will likely take a while to catch up on backorders as all my regular sources of VV powder are still out of stock. Link to information on the status of VV powder plant:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KKFapz6_f_c