clean powders for 45 acp

G

georgiacatweazle

New member
it's been a few months since i've reloaded for 45 acp.
main recipe has been a 230gr plated RN from xtreme over 6.1gr of unique.
less than that it's been kinda dirty, i shoot during work hours so don't like going back to the office covered in soot, 6.1 i think mostly works, but i'm not too impressed with accuracy at 7-10 yards, it's like maybe 1-2" groups.

is it worth cranking up the amps a little on unique or should i look at a different powder ? i have for pistol just unique and bullseye. was thinking of IMR-4227 for 44 mag or Alliant 2400 ? maybe power pistol ?

basspro locally has all the popular powders on the shelf.

POU right now is 15-20 yard target pistol with maybe option later to enter basic competitions.

pistol is a 5" Girsan sport model.

so should i persist with unique or get a dedicated 45 powder ?

thanks
 
I have shot (and still do) many different powders in the 45 ACP....Unique being one of the mix.

I have accuracy loads with 7 powders....mainly to fight the shortages.

By far, the cleanest powder that I have used is VV N340. HS6 with upper end loads and heavy bullets is also clean.

I have not tested this in the 45, but night shooting a 9mm in the dark leaves no sign of muzzle flash.

VV N 340 also gives a good case fill.
 
I have a "no frills" Kimber and all the following loads have been very accurate, and I can't really tell any differences:

Using both a Rainier 230gr FMJ and a 230gr Lasercast with a CCI 300 primer and 4.0gr of Hodgdon's Clays powder.

Both of the above bullets with 5.0gr Red Dot or 8.0gr Blue Dot
 
Do you wash your face and hands after shooting--as firmly recommended?
I have never noticed any more soot o me from Unique than other powders.
Cleaner powders: N310, Solo1000, N320, AA2 and several others.
For .45 Auto, I like 232/HP38, Bullseye, Red Dot, AA2, and Unique. I have always only loaded for accuracy, though.
 
I like TiteGroup for 230gr jacketed or plated bullets in .45acp ....or most any other handgun caliber.

But it may be the ventilation system at your range that is the culprit here too...

But I do think Unique is dirtier than TiteGroup.
 
The cleanest powder I've ever used was American Select. I loaded some .38 Specials using it and Berry's plated bullets, and after shooting a box of them the gun looked *unfired*.
 
Clean Burning .45acp Powder

HS6 burns very cleanly. Silhouette does as well. Minimal clean up after a range session. Very pleased with both.
 
I also am returning to load development for my 45 ACP after about 13 years.

I am one to pursue accuracy in my loads and might of just found one. Although it isn't the cleanest of powders. I'm still using powders that are often 13-30 years old for my 45.

Caution: Work up your loads from starting loads.

I found a batch of 45s that I loaded earlier this month to be the most accurate I have ever had.
Bullets are from a unknown source. 200gr. JSWC. 4.0gr. BE with ww cases and ww primers.

I shot them at about 20 Yds. from resting my wrists on a bench. I noticed a small amount of un burnt powder on the bench. Also the muzzle on the 1911 was some what dirty.

I have been trying some other powders such as 700X, red dot, green dot, unique and Tight Group. Tight Group was by far snappier than I like. I do need to try some of the newer powders but I am finding it hard to beat Bulls Eye at this point.
 
WW 231 has been my go-to powder for rounds like the .45 for over 30 years now.

Don't see that changing... ever. Unless 231 is discontinued.
 
When I used to load 45 ACP cartridges with Unique, I always thought they burned much more dirty than with W231. Nowadays, I load only W231 for both 9 mm and .45 ACP. W231 is very accurate and very clean. Shot 85 rounds through a Walther PPQ the other day and hardly noticed anything to clean when I took the gun apart.
 
I have used many different powders over the years for loading 45acp and 9mm and always come back to Unique.
When loaded properly it is clean, readily available and cost effective compared to other powders.
Around my parts I can get Unique much easier and can get it in bulk. Other powders are a bit more costly and harder to find especially in bulk.
 
Why does anyone care about "clean"? Makes zero sense.
Click to expand...

I clean my guns after every shoot - usually about 200-ish rounds in most cases. Cleaning a gun is cleaning a gun. Hoppes #9 will take a lot of filth off just as easy as it will take a little filth off. So I'm pickin' up what you're layin' down. But it's more than just the gun getting sooty and filthy.

A load recipe running clean is important to me because it tells me that it's a round that is properly loaded. Pretty much all powders will run clean when they're loaded properly (except maybe Bullseye :p). That's what I look for and that's why it's important to me. I want to load good ammo. A clean burn is indicative of such.
 
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