What powder should I buy as a new guy?

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maillemaker

New member
So I'm just getting into reloading with my Lee Pro 1000 reloader. I'm going to be reloading 45 ACP.

What kind of powder do you recommend for a new guy? I'm just trying to replicate the Winchester White Box ammo I buy at Walmart for putting holes in paper.

Steve
 
S

spacecoast

New member
Titegroup is excellent. I use 4.7 grains under both a 185 LSWC and a 230 LRN for .45 ACP. I imagine it would be fine for the 200 gr. LSWC as well. Very economical.
 
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Real Gun

New member
The mil spec load is 5.0 gr of Bullseye. It works fine, measures beautifully, has good volume, is reasonably economical. I haven't found a good reason to wander off from that standard, given my preference for standard 230 gr FMJ.

Probably the most efficient with good performance is W231 with lead bullets, but that just gets too involved with shortages caused by popularity among heavy (insane) volume shooters.

Popular powders in the same general burn rate range as Bullseye include Red Dot and Titegroup.

Lots of choices work, but I will suggest what is close to standard. I am not trying to cool off the .45 or reduce recoil or any of that. I like it when it goes BOOM! with some authority.
 
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demigod

Moderator
WW 231.
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I agree. HP-38 is the same stuff in a different container.

My first loads were made with Hercules Powder. I was getting soot from the 45 ACP ammo I made. It freaked me out. Then I bought some 231 and never looked back.
 
M

maillemaker

New member
Thanks for all the responses!

The mil spec load is 5.0 gr of Bullseye. It works fine, measures beautifully, has good volume, is reasonably economical. I haven't found a good reason to wander off from that standard, given my preference for standard 230 gr FMJ.
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Sounds good to me! I'm not looking to do anything special yet - I'm just trying to get cheaper ammo for my .45 than the Winchester Whitebox I buy at Walmart.

Steve
 
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Mike Irwin

Staff
If you're trying to duplicate Winchester White Box performance, Winchester's standard powder for .45 is the non-canister version of 231.

It's as close as you'll be able to get to duplicating Winchester's load.
 
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458winshooter

New member
45 ACP powder

First welcome to the forum!What has already been suggested are all good choices.The weight and kind of bullet you plan to use may help more to get additional info to you.I would add to the list HS-6 and maybe IMR 700X.Both are good choices for a wide range of bullet weights for this round.
 
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maillemaker

New member
The weight and kind of bullet you plan to use may help more to get additional info to you.
Click to expand...

I was thinking of using 230 grain lead round nose bullets. Plain lead just for cost, as I'm assuming this is cheaper than jacketed bullets.

I normally shoot Walmart White Box Winchester 230gr FMJ.

Steve
 
M

maillemaker

New member
Thanks!

I'm trying to ballpark how much it costs to reload 45 ACP.

In quantities of 1000, I have about:

Bullet: $.116
Primer: $.031
Brass: $.159
Powder: $.012
TOTAL: $.318

Of course when you re-use your brass it gets cheaper. And if you cast your own bullets it's cheaper yet.

Steve
 
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Osageshooter

New member
I used Blue Dot when components were scarce. I found it works well for me. Unlike Bullseye, it is hard to double charge. I also like 231 and Unique.
 
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zxcvbob

New member
Herco should be really nice for hot loads, and Green Dot for light loads. They are both pretty easy to find even when the gun shop is out of most other powders.
 
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Loader9

New member
Bullseye and 231 in my experience are nasty leaving lots of trash in the gun. Unique is a little better but it's still not clean burning. AA5 in all of the 45 acps I load for is extremely clean burning and most often looks like the gun hasn't been shot after a few hundred rounds. I don't use Clays or Universal but I understand that they also are clean burning. For AA5, you'd be using 8.0 grs to get the same velocity as WW Box ammo with a 230 fmj. Bullseye is the cheapest to shoot if that all you're considering. Loading lead bullets usually means a lot of clean up after shooting as the lube from the bullets will coat the gun. I use only plated bullets as the absolute cheapest bullet but lead bullets are cheaper. Look around for brass. You might find it cheaper at a shooting range. Some ranges will let you pick up all you want, some won't. Some sell it for cheap but learn which ones to avoid. Amerc brass is worthless and is considered trash. Don't buy any of it. Obviously, avoid any aluminum cases too. I've found military brass to last the longest but a 45 acp isn't hard on brass anyway. I'm sure there are others that will chime in with their experiences. YMMV.
 
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spacecoast

New member
It'll be cheaper in the long run by far if you use range pickup brass and buy a tumbler for about $60. 5 lbs of walnut shells ($6 or so) will clean thousands of pieces of brass before it needs to be changed out.

You should be able to find 230 gr. LRN bullets for about 8 cents apiece in quantities of 1000. Try a few online bullet sources, or there may be one local to you.
 
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rtpzwms

New member
You can walnut litter from a pet store in the tumbler.

I have used BlueDot, Unique, Bulleye, RedDot. I still am looking for AA#5 and WW231. I think you can use AA#7 as well. PowerPistol might be fun also... So many options so little time!:D
 
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