Best Powder for 9mm?

Marco Califo said:
I have used CFE Pistol. I read some complaints that it leaves soot on cartridge cases (does not puff and seal as it should) and some recommend magnum primers for it. I am shopping for mag primers.
Click to expand...
I i have been using small rifle with cfe pistol, still has those issues even at max charge. Still runs fine, just a bit dirty.

I have been on the lookout for some Hodgdon's universal. I have not used it in years. It was one of the firstly powders i ever used. To my memory it is the cleanest powder i every used. But that was 15yrs ago now and i was new to reloading.
 
Last edited:
I haven’t seen Universal since their fire, what 10 years ago? It was a great 9mm powder.

Bullseye or W231 for my 124 and 115 grain loads in pistol and carbine. N340 is a good one too.
 
According to ADI in a 2021 news release, they had trouble achieving adequate quality in their shotgun and pistol powders at the new plant. They said they'd invested 4 years and thousands of man-hours and still weren't there, and they found the effort was cutting into their ability to deliver rifle powders, so they made a conscious decision to stop trying with pistol and shotgun powders until they have more time to put into it. I don't know if that situation has changed now or not since 2021 was their last release on the topic. You could try writing them, I suppose.
 
I don't know if its the best,but, Red Dot works for me. I keep a couple of 8lber's on hand just in case. I have a recipe for several rifle and most handgun.
 
Unclenick said:
According to ADI in a 2021 news release, they had trouble achieving adequate quality in their shotgun and pistol powders at the new plant. They said they'd invested 4 years and thousands of man-hours and still weren't there, and they found the effort was cutting into their ability to deliver rifle powders, so they made a conscious decision to stop trying with pistol and shotgun powders until they have more time to put into it. I don't know if that situation has changed now or not since 2021 was their last release on the topic. You could try writing them, I suppose.
Click to expand...
Now you have me worried about Universal. I stocked up back when prices were affordable (I'll have to check the date.) Should I trust my powder? Or is it inconsistent?
 
I don't know if its the best,but, Red Dot works for me.
Click to expand...

Red Dot works for me, too. A full charge will get you a 124gr at 1100fps from a 4" barrel, and I have about a dozen pounds of it, and don't care if there are cleaner, smoother metering powders out there. What I've got is long paid for, not buying any new in the foreseeable future.

My 9mms are essentially plinkers, and I see no point to using high performance powders in 9mm Luger when I get more benefit from using them in other cartridges I load for.
 
I've used a lot of Red Dot over the years, mainly in shotgun.

I tried it in .38 Special back in the 1980s.

Two things were apparent...

First, the rounds I loaded were extremely accurate. Very very accurate.

Second, they were the nastiest, dirtiest rounds I had ever fired. Part of it likely was the powder residue combining with the bullet lube, but still factors of magnitude worse than the same bullets/lube fired with WW 231.
 
My two favorites for 9mm have been Titegroup and BE-86. They are both very accurate in the pistols and rifles I have shot these 9mm loads in.
I like Power Pistol for low power .357 Mag loads, it downloads well, stays clean, and seems very accurate to me.
 
"IF you think Red Dot is dirty, try FFFg. "

I've fired black powder cartridges that were likely cleaner than those Red Dot loads, or at least equal to them in the amount of crap left behind.
 
A friend and I found ourselves with part of a can of Red Dot after we decided we did not like it in 12 gauge as well as 700X or W452. We used it up in pistols. It was erratic at .38 wadcutter and .45 midrange level but did fine in ball ammo.
 
This series of opinions sounds like the advice I read when looking for a recommendation for trout flies. The most successful fly is the one that you use most often.
 
I used to use Unique, until covid and i couldn't find it anymore. The I switched to Titegroup, but it seems to heat up my barrels more - great hand warmer in the winter. I like Universal, but now it is also hard to find. Now I am using W231 and CFEP. They work fine, are available, and require less than HS-6.
 
Have 8 or 10 9mm powder's on hand but the only 2 one needs are Sport Pistol for target and Ramshot Silhouette for serious business!
 
I've tried a bunch but one of the most consistent in 40 and 9 is Universal Clays. Better than 231 in these cartridges and very economical. AA7 is designed for carbine 9 but flashy and requires a heavier charge. I believe the BE powder was designed for NATO 9. Unique is also a good one for 9.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top