Powder questions for a newb

S

SARuger

New member
My equipment is here, and I'm getting set up. My cousin is going to walk me through(been reloading for 20+ years)

I'm shopping for powders/primers today, my bullets are on the way.

For primers I will need;

CCI 550, 500, 300, 350, 200

Remington 7.5, 9.5

Winchester WLR

I know that using one powder for different loads is the best solution but it is economical for me right now.

SO......

For my handgun reloads I'm looking at 2400 or Unique for my .38spcl/.357mag(158g JSP) and .44spcl/.44mag(240g JSP)(LYMAN doesn't have Unique listed for the .44mag though)

For my rifle reloads I'm looking at RX-15(Reloader 15) or IMR 4895 for the .223/.243/30-30/30-06(LYMAN doesn't list IMR 4895 for the .243 but it will be a while before I reload .243)

So my question is, for a newb on a budget, is this a good route to go to start out with? I will add different powders later as I figure out what loads my handguns and rifles like.

And I might add, some powder is hard to find around here. 2400 is almost non existent.
 
Figger out which bullet you're gonna use then look up the load data in your manual. Make a list of the powders recommended for loading that particular bullet and take it with you. Stick with your list, and don't let a gun counter clerk talk you into anything not on your list.

For a new reloader, just about any primer, of the correct size/power will do fine (some will tell you about the characteristics of each manufacturer, but for now you just want primers that go bang).

Finding components these day is often impossible so be flexible but stay safe...:D
 
You already said "not the best" plan for one powder for several calibers. You have duplicates on primers CCI 200, RP 9 1/2, and Win LR. That could be cut to only one LR brand. Switching primers involves reworking loads spending powder, primers, and bullets in the process. Your calibers that you shoot a lot like maybe .223/5.56 I'd pick the most recommended powder and you'll go through it faster than even the larger rifles that take 3 times more powder. I know you said you're watching the budget but any pound of powder for rifles cost about the same so picking a couple different powders isn't going to ruin your budget. 2400 and Unique will fill your needs for your pistol calibers. So I recommend at least a couple different rifle powders and your 2 pistol powders. Favorites for .223 is Hodgdon H335 for bullets up to 62 grains. Reloder 15 is great for 69-80 grain .223 loads. Favorite powder for .243 and 30-06 is IMR 4350. Reloder 15 would also work well in 30-30. Reloder 15 is scarce too. Good luck, have fun, be safe.
 
Why the large variety of primers? Would suggest, just to simplify, starting with one brand, like the CCIs, for all four of the primer requirements. Not that the CCIs, with limited exceptions, are better than the others. The 4895 will initially suffice for the rifle calibers. Double check your Lyman, it does show some .243 loads with 4895. And of course the versatile Unique is good with the handgun calibers. So I would think you are in good shape to start with. Just cut down on the primer selections.
 
I was going by the LYMAN 49th ed.

For the 38/357 I'm using 158g JSP

For the 44spcl/44 mag I'm using 240/265g respectivly

My .223 is a 1/8 twist and it likes 62-69g

My 243 likes 93g

My 30-30 bolt gun is still an uncertainty. I just got it and I'm searching, honestly, its the reason I decided to reload. I want ballistic tip bullets in the 30-30 caliber. I couldnt buy it in a box, so that pushed me into re-loading.

My 30-06 likes 170g

I feel confident with the RL-15(RX-15 in the LYMAN manual, why do they do that?) until I get more knowledge about each rifle and refine my loads.

The hand gun loads will be fine on unique or 2400 but the LYMAN manual doesn't list Unique for 265g loads but does for 240g?

The LYMAN manual recommends the Win WLR primer for the 30-06 but you all say I will be fine with CCI 200?
Thanks for being patient with me.......
 
You don't need every brand of primer known to man. You don't need the exact list of components in your manual either. From your list of cartridges, you need large and small pistol and rifle. Nor do you need magnum and non-magnum primers. Magnum primers are about the powder used, not the cartridge name. You don't need CCI, Remington and Winchester brands either.
Your rifle list shows 1 cartridge(.223) that uses small rifle. The rest use large rifle. Handguns it's large(both .44's) and small(.38/.357).
"...My 243 likes 93g..." 90 grain bullets? Been using IMR4350 for 'em for eons, but my Lyman book gives 330.0(2758fps) to 37.5(3106fps) of IMR4895 if you'd prefer to use that.
"...For the 44spcl/44 mag..." Unless you have a revolver in each it's best to load Mag cases to Special velocities. You can do the same thing with .38 and .357. Otherwise, you'll have to clean the cylinders before shooting .357 after shooting .38. Not really a big deal, a .45 cal brush cleans 'em right out. Wouldn't use a 265 in the Mag(increases felt recoil) myself, but would use a different bullet shape to keep the loads separate. Mind you a cast in the Special and jacketed in the Mag(gets expensive quickly) will do that.
"...want ballistic tip bullets..." No$ler makes a 150, 165 and 158 BT. .30-30 in a bolt gun does not require RN's.
 
CCI Primers
- Std Large rifle (the 243, 30-30 & `06)
- Std Small rifle (the 223)
- Std Large Pistol (The 44Sp and 44Mag*)
- Std Small Pistol (38Sp and .357Mag*)

Powders:
- Unique (38Sp/44Sp)
- 2400 (357Mag/44Mag
- IMR 4895 (223, 30-30, and 30-06)

These are central cast of characters that will handle 90% of all requiremnts.

*None of these powders require Mag primers.
 
It took some driving, about 65 miles total today, but I was able to round up 2lbs of Unique, 2lbs of RL-15, all 4 primer sizes in Winchester and even found a few deals on the bullets I needed. I stayed under budget so I'm happy.

No 2400 anywhere.......or H110. I found the last 2lbs of Unique two counties over in a small, obscure gun shop that just started handling re-loading supplies and equipment. Made new friends though, they handle LEE so I'm excited!

Our local gun shop and Sportsman Warehouse had plenty of rifle powders for a great price.
 
Handgun and rifle powders will be different. I don't have a lot of rifle reloading experience so I don't want to offer suggestions there. For handgun I like Unique the best. It is easy to use, there are several recipies for just about every caliber and bullet weight made. The thing I like the most about Unique, especially for a newer reloader, is it is big flakes which takes upp more room in the case. That makes it close to impossible to double charge a load which could be a very dangerous mistake.
 
Our local gun shop and Sportsman Warehouse had plenty of rifle powders for a great price.
Click to expand...

If you buy in 1# bottles, you will pay a great price.
Once you find the powder/bullet combo your gun likes, buy powder in 8# jugs (2/case) and 5-10K primers for one hazmat shipping price.
If you can double the powder buy $$-wise, even better for the one hazmat/shipping fee.
 
I'll add to Mehavey's advice that CCI has confirmed that their 400 and 550 primers (standard small rifle and magnum small pistol, respectively) are the same primer in different packaging, so just buy whichever is less expensive and it will suit for both.

You suggested that either 2400 or Unique will work for loads like .38 and .44 Special. Well, kinda/sorta. The problem is that 2400 is slow burning enough that it is really pretty dirty burning at the lower Special pressures. You have to put more in the case and blow it out of the muzzle unburned, so it's not economically sound. When I was a relative novice reloader, I once loaded a bunch of very light .44 Special target loads using 2400. Big mistake. It seems to me I shot about two or three cylinders full before the unburned flakes blowing out of the barrel/cylinder gap completely jammed the rotation of the cylinder. Bottom line, this is really a magnum load powder and is not well-suited to the Special loads, even though you can get away with it in a pinch.

For a 265 grain bullet, you'll find about 9.2 grains of Unique gives you the same pressure as Alliant's 10.3 grain load under a 240 grain JHP does. Just bear in mind that the Alliant listed loads are what they consider maximum, so, especially using a different primer and a powder that is hard to meter uniformly, I would borrow Western's rule of thumb to back down the maximum charge in a handgun load by 15%. This means starting at 7.8 grains and working up in roughly 0.2 grain steps while watching for pressure signs. But as the others said, you'll be down to velocities where cast bullets can save you serious money.
 
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