I haven't reloaded in years, life got in the way. Fortunately, I saw it coming, and loaded a LOT of handgun ammo in preparation. Coincidentally, my shooting time was reduced also. At any rate, I am down to only having a quantity of Bullseye on hand. It's good powder, but is dirty and stinks. I'd like something cleaner and less stinky for 9mm and .38 Spec. Any recommendation? Thanks!

For my 9mm I jump between CFE Pistol and Universal.
Tried HP-38 but none of my autos like it.
For my .38 Spl. I use HP-38.

PC

Winchester 244. Love it in .38 Special and .357 Magnum. It also has uses in 9mm but I have not yet used it in 9mm because Autocomp has been stealing the show for me lately in that caliber.

Excellent. Thanks, guys. It's been so long since I loaded, it was all about 231, Red Dot, etc back then. I'm just now coming up to the end of the stuff I loaded, and about done with the factory stuff I bought when Clinton was elected. Still have components, though.

Unique will get the job done for you, but some don't like how it feeds through some powder measures......I haven't had a problem with it for the last 40+ years.

Don’t overlook Hodgdon Titegroup powder, especially for mid power 9mm & 38 spcl loads.

People mention the fast burn rate, it’s slower than bullseye on most any list.

The other thing, there are often better options than what we’re the mainstays of the 1970’s. Is H-335 a hot seller today? No.

Yes, I have old types I use, 4227, whatever, but I’m also open to trying newer offerings. The 4227 was just random, not an option for what you are looking for.

Ramshot has good options for a faster pistol powder also.

HS-6 works well for me in the mid size cases and meters well.

I use Hodgdon CFE-P in all my 9mm loads, from 124-135-147 grain bullets. Works great with coated lead and doesn’t stink like Tightgroup. It seems to be pretty available as well and I can buy it in 8lb kegs. Lot to lot has been good as well.

It’s too hot for me in .40, min charge gets 180gr bullet over 1,000fps. I like to stay in the low to mid 900fps but I’ll probably use in it 10mm.

I've always liked Power Pistol in 9mm.

I like HS-6 for 9mm. It's great in the smaller cases, burns clean, and you can't really double-charge it.

Unfortunately, HS-6 has not worked well for me in larger cases like .38 spcl. I get incomplete burn and inconsistent velocities. I'm currently working through an 8lb jug of HP-38, but have had some unburned powder issues with it as well and my powder measures hate it. I prefer Unique and would just switch to that for all the bigger stuff, if I could find any.

Good old Unique is hard to beat. Alliant says it is cleaner now, too, although I always thought is was fine before.

quote:

Originally posted by jhe888:
Good old Unique is hard to beat. Alliant says it is cleaner now, too, although I always thought is was fine before.

Yep, I've never had a complaint about it's cleanliness. It seems to burn very completely and consistently, even without filling the case to capacity. I even have some cast bullet loads for milsurp rifles that work very well with it. Definitely much more versatile than HP-38!

CFE Pistol
Win 231/HP38
Win 244
HS-6
Shooters World Clean Shot

Those are my go to.
I haven't seen any unique around me in at least four years so I gave up on it.

quote:

Originally posted by Fredward:
I'd like something cleaner and less stinky for 9mm and .38 Spec. Any recommendation? Thanks!

In 9mm I lean toward the VV powders as they burn clean, meter well, and aren't very temperature sensitive.
1. For 124gr bullets, I like N320...but have also had good luck with Alliant Sport Pistol and e3
2. For 147gr bullets, I like N310 as something a bit faster.

For .38Spl, I'm sort of old school and use Clays exclusively with 158-170gr coated bullets

I use WST in my .38 spec. and it's very clean. Idk about 9mm.

For 9mm plinking loads I have been happy with Alliant Sport Pistol. Burns clean, meters well and is economical.

As far as mimicking Federal HST 9MM/40SW/45ACP ammunition, Alliant BE-86 works nicely.

I do not shoot 38 Special, so I have nothing to offer.

quote:

Originally posted by jeff423:
I use WST in my .38 spec. and it's very clean. Idk about 9mm.

WST is too fast for 9mm. WSF, on the other hand, is my go-to. 3.8gr with a 147gr bullet over it does a decent approximation of my carry ammo's recoil for training.

If you'd like a powder with less flash than Power Pistol, meters better than Unique, and has a wider operating window than Titegroup, you should seriously look into BE-86.

Meters really well and is very flexible

Another vote for Tite-group. I also use a lot 231. But for 9 and .38, it is Tite-group. I use it for some of my 45 Colt loads.

I have heard good things about BE86. I haven't seen any where I am at. I would like to try it.

Lots of suitable choices, it’s good to have alternatives when shopping.

I was at a shop a year ago, a guy came in looking for his favorite powder for 223 loads. As one could expect, his preferred powder was out of stock. I mentioned there was plenty of H-322 on the shelf. He did some quick research & walked out with 2 pounds. He planned light bullets for prairie dogging.

https://hodgdon.com/wp-content...-burn-rate-chart.pdf