I just getting into reloading. I'm wanting to reload. 25-06, 300 wsm, (maybe 243 for my boy) and .480 and maybe .45 acp.
I know pistol powders are differnt from rifle, but how do i choose some powers with out buying 10 different ones?

quote:

Originally posted by Dannyvp:
I just getting into reloading. I'm wanting to reload. 25-06, 300 wsm, (maybe 243 for my boy) and .480 and maybe .45 acp.
I know pistol powders are differnt from rifle, but how do i choose some powers with out buying 10 different ones?

Danny,

Get the latest copy of a reloading manual. They will list the most accurate powder they found for that caliber. Thats usually a good starting point. I'd also recomend beginning with the pistol calibers and working up a pratice load for each. Practice shooting is fun and reloading for them can be a fun hobby.

Figure what weight of bullets your going to be using in which calibers . Then either look up loading

recipes or purchase a reloading manual look them up . Generally but NOT ALWAYS faster FPS with less CUP or

PSI is best , IMO . Every gun made likes a particular powder over another least it seems like that sometimes .

So suggesting a Powder for a load is very unreliable . Again IMO .

Yeah, you need a good reloading manual. I look up the powder that offers the highest vel. for the bullet wt. I want in rifle rounds. This will often give me the best accuracy over a broader vel. range. For handguns, it's sort of the same thing. Look for a powder that gives you the vel. range you want w/ a particular bullet. Then you have to try them, it's the only sure way to find a good load. Hnadgun powders are more forgiving, in that almost anything you can stuff under a pistol bullet will work reasonably well. Rifles, due to there extended range, require more tinkering to get "the best" load.

quote:

I just getting into reloading. I'm wanting to reload. 25-06, 300 wsm, (maybe 243 for my boy) and .480 and maybe .45 acp.
I know pistol powders are differnt from rifle, but how do i choose some powers with out buying 10 different ones?

The Nosler manual gives information about which powder provided the best accuracy with a given bullet weight. I've found their information fairly reliable.

You won't need 10 powders; probably no more than 4 or 5.

For the rifles,IMR-4350 will work good for all three.

I've got a lee manual, i didnt really want to buy each bullet manf. reloading manuals though. But of course Nosler wont list speer bullets and so forth. I was hopeing to only buy a few.

No need to by a manual for each bullet manufacturer. It is good to have a couple manuals to compare against. I have a speer and a nosler manual, they both give me "accuracy loads". Sierra will give you "hunting" and "accuracy" loads to. I think almost all manufacturers will give you an idea about what worked best with their bullets. However, just because IMR 4350 (example only) shot best in the test barrel that Sierra (example only) used, doesn't mean it will shoot great in your rifle. you will have to find out for yourself. Far to many variables to just say "if A then B then C unless D..."

With that said... The first powder I'd try for the rifles is H4350 because I like the powder and it is on Hodgdon's Extreme line. I guess I'm partial to Hodgon powders

If you want just 2 powders, here's some choices
rifle
blc2, rel19, h414, win 760, win 748, h380, I or H 4895

pistol? I have loaded 2% as many pistol cases as I have rifle, might not even be 1%, as I HAD tend to only load my 45LC and 38/357 ... other stuff was too cheap to load
anyway
unique, herco, 2400, power pistol?

I am using alot of H335, from 223 to 550 magnum.

quote:

Originally posted by Dannyvp:
I just getting into reloading. I'm wanting to reload. 25-06, 300 wsm, (maybe 243 for my boy) and .480 and maybe .45 acp.
I know pistol powders are differnt from rifle, but how do i choose some powers with out buying 10 different ones?

Of course, a manual is essential. But the guiding principle is to use the slowest powder that gives the MV you desire, or one close to that. Accuracy results will dictate the exact powder. Initially, you may have tor try several with similar burning rates.

Looks like im in the market for some manuals then. My sportsman warehouse was out.

You can often find used manuals on Ebay.

quote:

Originally posted by Baldhunter:
For the rifles,IMR-4350 will work good for all three.

As will RL19.

Many cartridges that work well with IMR4530
also work well with RL19, H4350 and W748.

the issue is not so much what you want to use but what your particular rifles actually like.

I tend to lean towards finding something that works then sticking with it rather than make
an endless search for something "better" in some trivial way.

quote:

Originally posted by Dannyvp:
I've got a lee manual, i didnt really want to buy each bullet manf. reloading manuals though. But of course Nosler wont list speer bullets and so forth. I was hopeing to only buy a few.

Buy the manuals for the bullets you want to shoot.

Don't cheap out here, manuals are something you only have tu buy every five ears or so, but make it a point to get the newest ones.

Speer, Nosler, Barnes & Hornady ae all between $20 an $35.

Frankly I don't consider the Lee and Hodgdon manuals worth having, they are so generic as to be nearly useless.

If someone GAVE me a sierra manual they'd better have a team of the worlds best proctologists to extract it from where I'll leave it.. (Sierra wants you to BUY the ballistic tables after shelling out for their manual? screw them!)

Choose what bullets you want to shoot

Frankly I think loading and shooting is ALL about the bullet, it is the "buisness end"
of everything you are trying to do.

Getting that bullet where it needs to be and having it do it's job EXACTLY RIGHT makes or breaks your entire hinting experience.

Specifically choosing cheap ones because they are cheap is like buying cheap whiskey... it's never a "Bargain"


AD

4831 and unique should work for you too.
the 243 might like something else better like varget.

When I'm working up a load for a new (to me) rifle, I go to the Sierra manual first assuming it contains the data for my firearm. I'll start out with the most accurate powder listed and if possible, I'll use a Sierra bullet in the weight of my choice. I've found that most of the time, the Sierra manual comes quite close to having the "accuracy load" for my rifle. Seating depth at this point is the recommended depth from the book. I'm only trying to get a baseline of accuracy/velocity at this point. I then will go and play with the bullets I intend to hunt with, adjust powder charges and seating depth. Usually, something works out from this. If the bullet weight/design isn't in the Sierra manual, I'll usually go to the Hornady manual and continue as above. Hope this helps some.
Bear in Fairbanks

quote:

Frankly I don't consider the Lee and Hodgdon manuals worth having, they are so generic as to be nearly useless.

Maybe but the Hodgdon load data is available online so is free! They do give starting load pressure as well as max load pressure. They include IMR powders as well as Winchester. But they are powder merchants so they only list powders they market. I thought their website data was very good FWIW.

Looks like reloader 19 will work with several calibers? Just from browsing my lee book.

quote:

Originally posted by Dannyvp:
Looks like reloader 19 will work with several calibers? Just from browsing my lee book.

Sure, you can load all 3 rifle cartridges with Reloder 19, or 4350 (IMR, Hodgdon, or Accurate), or any other medium slow burner from, say Accurate 2700 through H-4831. Take a look at the attached powder burning rate chart
But you really should get a newer loading manual. My favorite is the Nosler for rifles. It isn't as good for pistols because they don't offer much variety in pistol bullets. Eitehr the Hornady or Sierra manual would be better for handgun loads.
Likewise, you could load both your handguns with Unique or Universal, but if you want to maximize your .480's potential you would need a much slower burning powder than you could use in the .45 acp. I figure you will end up with a minimum of 3 powders since you could probably assemeble accurate effective loads in all 3 of your rifles with one of the 4350's or 4831, or Ramshot Hunter, or Reloder 19. But you wouild probably want some H-110 or W-296 for your .480 and then W-231, Unique, or even Tite Group for the .45 ACP. Count on at least 2 reloading manuals, one rifle centered, one handgun extensive. In time you will probably accumulate a lot more.. Good Luck

There is plenty of great advise already posted up here. so I will try to skirt the fringes a bit on what has already been said.

The major powder manufacturers all have data posted on their sites. Most of it is easily printed out in one form or another. I suggest you take a look at their data for calibers you listed. Pick out the powders which cover some or all of bullet weights your interested in loading. Some powders might not be the absolute best for each but will still give very optimum performance. This will at least help you narrow things down to only a few. Then figure out what your intended use for each caliber will be. Say for the 25-06 it might be deer out to ranges not exceeding 200yds, and for the 300 this might be for elk out to 250 - 300yds. In the latter case you would want a powder that will give you top end loads for the .300, but also something which will give you roughly 2800 - 3000fps with a 115 - 120 gr bullet or 3000 - 3200 with a 100gr bullet in the 25-06.

I can highly suggest the Extreme line of powders from Hodgdon. Something like H 4831 or H 4350 might be good choices for both. These powders are very stable in a wide variety of loads and temperature doesn't seem to be an issue with any I have dealt with.

The Reloader powders are good as well, but in the past have had issues with lot to lot variations as well as some can be rather temp sensitive on the upper end of their loads.

Ramshot powders are also good but do not cover the broader ranges that some of the others do.

For pistol powders, and the calibers you mentioned, depending on just what your load expectations are, you might be better suited getting one for each rather than one for both. Both operate at opposite ends of the power spectrum. The 460 would be better suited with the slower powders like H110, W-296 or 2400, where the 45ACP would work better with the faster powders like Unique, W231, Universal, and such.

Load manuals are a great source of info. I have found that the better ones generally cover all bullets and powders rather than one brand. One like the Lyman is great as it covers several makes of bullets and powder for each caliber, even if they are different weights. Once you get some experience under your belt you will find that there isn't a whole lot of differences in one brand bullet over the other of the same weight and general construction. However it is always best to drop your charges to the minimum and work back up just to be on the safe side.

Good luck and I hope you find the info your looking for. This is a great and satisfying hobby or addiction depending on how you approach it.

Im getting into this at a horrable time, i cant find primer or powder to get started. go figure.