Which powder to use for reloading?

[jbonnette]

Ok, so I'm getting close to being ready to start reloading. I'm going to be reloading 223, 9, and 40. I'm still a little lost on how to choose an appropriate powder. What do I look for? How do I know which powder to choose? Any favorites?

 

[scooterj]

This would be a good place to start. http://www.hodgdon.com/ Get yourself a good handloading manual such as the Lyman also. Read everything you can before you attempt to load anything.

 

[artabr]

This would be a good place to start. http://www.hodgdon.com/ Get yourself a good handloading manual such as the Lyman also. Read everything you can before you attempt to load anything.

+1

It may sound strange and wasteful but get at least 2 manuals so that you are able to cross check data. You'd be surprised at the different data you'll find. IMO Sierra has the best manual available. The Lyman manual is also excellent.


Art

 

[jbonnette]

+1

It may sound strange and wasteful but get at least 2 manuals so that you are able to cross check data. You'd be surprised at the different data you'll find. IMO Sierra has the best manual available. The Lyman manual is also excellent.


Art

I do plan on reading up, thanks for the book recommendations. Do the books recommend specific brands/powders?

 

[artabr]

I do plan on reading up, thanks for the book recommendations. Do the books recommend specific brands/powders?

Sierras manual does list the most accurate load that they find for each bullet that they list. Also, since they only make bullets, they don't really play favorites with powders. They will list about 10 different powders for each bullet, and about 5 different charge weigths for each powder. Lyman is the same way. They only list loads for their bullets which is a lot of bullets in most calibers. They don't list Cast bullets.
Lyman does list cast bullets

One thing thats cool about Sierra is their Tech phone line. You can call them if you are having problems and they'll help you out. Good, friendly folks to deal with. I've gotten several good loads from them over the phone.


Art

 

[jbonnette]

Sierras manual does list the most accurate load that they find for each bullet that they list. Also, since they only make bullets, they don't really play favorites with powders. They will list about 10 different powders for each bullet, and about 5 different charge weigths for each powder. Lyman is the same way. They only list loads for their bullets which is a lot of bullets in most calibers. They don't list Cast bullets.
Lyman does list cast bullets

One thing thats cool about Sierra is their Tech phone line. You can call them if you are having problems and they'll help you out. Good, friendly folks to deal with. I've gotten several good loads from them over the phone.


Art

Awesome. You guys have been really helpful!

 

[Request Dust Off]

Also you will get more specific answer if you say what your goal is. Bullet weight on .223 will matter.

1 problem right now is you need to be able to get whatever powder you decided on so have some back-up plan powders.

Similar to what Art said Lyman manual has best accuracy load in Bold and around 10 powders per bullet. You can get some load data on the powder company websites.

 

[Request Dust Off]

These are what is listed on Lyman 48th Edition Reloading Handbook for 55gr jacketed SPT in .223

IMR-4198
XMR-2015
IMR-3031
Benchmark
AA2230 *
IMR4895 *
H335 *
BL-C(2)
AA2460
Win748 *
IMR-4064
Varget
IMR-4320
*Asterisk are powder a lot of guys swear by in .223 for 55gr.

The 50gr list RX7 & the 60gr list RX15 as 2 examples where bullet weight affect powder choice.

IMR4895 is pretty versatile as is Varget so they may work for your next rifle caliber loads.

 

[jbonnette]

These are what is listed on Lyman 48th Edition Reloading Handbook for 55gr jacketed SPT in .223

IMR-4198
XMR-2015
IMR-3031
Benchmark
AA2230 *
IMR4895 *
H335 *
BL-C(2)
AA2460
Win748 *
IMR-4064
Varget
IMR-4320
*Asterisk are powder a lot of guys swear by in .223 for 55gr.

The 50gr list RX7 & the 60gr list RX15 as 2 examples where bullet weight affect powder choice.

IMR4895 is pretty versatile as is Varget so they may work for your next rifle caliber loads.

Thanks for the great info. I'm going to be using M193 55gr FMJBT projectiles. Seems like a lot of people swear by the Lyman manual... I think I'll pick that one up .

 

[goodburbon]

I'm using Alliance Power pistol for .40 right now but my last batch was a bit flashy, so I'm going to try to ease back on the powder charge. One lesson I learned a bit painfully was to test the load in several of your weapons, what worked well in my 5 inch beretta 96 throws a helluva flame in my XD Sub-compact. Start with small batches until you can find what works for you.

We tried Alliance Bullseye at first and it left the muzzle very dirty.

 

[dzelenka]

Thanks for the great info. I'm going to be using M193 55gr FMJBT projectiles. Seems like a lot of people swear by the Lyman manual... I think I'll pick that one up .

H335

 

[artabr]

Varget is a great versatile powder good in both .223 and .308. I've had very good results using it with 69gr. bullets.

Note. dzelenka has a lot more .223 experience than I do.

Art

 

[jbonnette]

Are there any powders that that work well for .223 and handgun calibers like 40 and 9mm? I'm mainly looking to make plinking rounds.

 

[scooterj]

In short, no.

 

[ABM]

I was using 6.4 grains of Power Pistol with a 155 grain 40 SW hollow point but found it a little snappy/flashy in my buddy's compact XD. My full size USP loved them though. I am cooking up another load for him hopefully this weekend and will let you know.

 

[Barney88PDC]

You could probably get one powder for 9mm and 40 S&W, and another for .223 Rem. As Dan mentioned 335 is very good for .223 and there are alot of choices for the pistol rounds. WSF is really clean, cheap and usually not hard to find.

 

[Tier1Mike]

AA #5 and AA#7 are a good, clean, consistent metering powder for 9mm. Many folks use 231 for 9mm as well.

 

[jbonnette]

I took a trip over to La Gun today. Picked up the Lyman 49th manual, 1000 9mm cast bullets, and 500 .40 cast bullets. I looked for H335 but they didn't have any in stock... I guess that I'll have to find some online.

So how do the hazmat fees work when ordering powder and primers online? Factoring in fees, is it cheaper to order online?

 

[artabr]

Buy local if you can. You won't pay the HazMat fees.

Check with Mark Waggensspack. He's a site sponsor.

http://www.bayoushooter.com/forums/forumdisplay.php?f=81

Art

 

[Richard in LA]

waggenspack has lots of powder right now. He even has primers, but will only sell primers if you buy some other components at the same time. Cabelas also has a good bit of 1lb jugs of powder, but no primers as of Thursday.