a little side rant -- not preaching, just spreading the word
Muchas gracias to every one of you. I've learned a lot from your replies. It'll be great to be able to use just one powder. That'll keep me satisfied until the bug of curiosity bites me and it itches again.
Much appreciated.
Duly noted -- now for some
BETTER advice.
Box of factory ammo... pick a caliber... just looking for an average expenditure here... let's say, $17.50? $20?
Now... pound of powder, depending on where you buy it... $18 to $24?
If you continue to handload and build your own ammo you are going to find that find the
right powder will serve you
so much better than using one that "works good enough." Especially when you start to work on some true magnum loads. So many folks roll their first magnum loads with a fast burning target powder. They do it because it's what they have on hand... it's what they've always used... they were able to find some data for it...
What they end up making are crappy rounds that run an absurdly high pressure
all the while returning crappy velocity at that high pressure. They leave themselves no room for error as the pressure peaks so quickly and the pressure curve looks not like a hill, but the craggy peak of a mountain.
.38, 9mm and .40 cal
can safely and assuredly be loaded well with the same single powder. But I just want to throw the idea out there that if you get in to the habit of picking the RIGHT powder and not simply using something you have on hand, you'll set yourself up to make much better ammo.
You'll also have a heckuva lot more flexibility at your load bench. When you keep a large stock with a lot of options, you'll have different things to try with new bullets or entirely new calibers. And also -- you won't be using up your whole supply of XXXXX simply because you've been loading it across a half dozen calibers!
It's a good idea to be able to buy your powder in 4 or 8 pound jugs to save money... and using one powder across 3 or 4 rounds helps you to be able to do that. So I'm
not saying you need to pick a different powder for each different round. Heck, I use Alliant 2400 in .30 Carb, .327 Federal, .357 Mag and .44 Mag, so it's not like I don't consolidate in some places.
But I'm just passing along the idea that if you are one of the new reloaders or cheap reloaders or novice reloaders who end up making .357 Magnum loads out of Bullseye or Titegroup because
that's what you've always used... then here's your early tip to not be so cheap!
Spend the twenty bucks. Buy a new powder. Heck... buy two new powders. Open up your eyes to the benefits of keeping a powder cache and selection of
options at your bench!
