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231 POWDER for 38 special


TUCO SASS #46748

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These are from Lyman so I imagine you can find a starting place from them.

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Tuco, I use 231 and Titegroup. I actually like 231 more as it has a slower burn rate and not as snappy as Titegroup. 

 

105 gr TCFP

4.2 grains 231

Tight crimp

 

Anything less then 4 grains and I struggled with temperature sensitivity (231 does not like the cold). Hence those real light loads you saw me and my brother shooting the last coupe of years. 

 

Good luck!

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I used to load 3.8 in a 38sp brass, WSP, 125gr bullet. I loved 231, flowed like water in both my 550's or SDB's. Don't forget as you look for load data that W-231 and HP38 are the same powder.

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I use 231 exclusively and am surprised at the charges being given here. I assume you're looking for 105 lead loads? I use 158 SWC with 3.1 gr which is the minimum called out from hodgdon. Their website doesn't have a 231/HP-38 load for 105 anything, not to say some reloading manuals don't though.

 

*Edit: after looking at the hodgon website the charges do increase for the 125gr load. I thought it would have been the opposite honestly, lighter bullet and all.

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Quote

I thought it would have been the opposite, lighter bullet and all.

Light bullets need more weight of a slower powder like 231 than heavy bullets do, since at our low chamber pressures, the light bullets don't have enough inertia to build up pressure and burn powder well.

 

231 is a great powder in .38 special for a 158 grain load.  It's just OK in a 105 grain load, and incomplete combustion of powder may be why Hodgdon didn't publish a load for it.

 

good luck, GJ

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I’ve never heard of 231 being referred to as a slow burning powder, it’s just the opposite.

 I’ve used 231 in 9mm, 38 special, 38 super, 40 S&W, 45 acp , and 45 Colt for over 40 years!! I’ve used others but if I had to choose 1 powder it would be 231!!

 

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Didn't say it was a SLOW powder.   Compared to the powders used for pistol caliber cartridges, however, it's slower burning than most of the ones commonly used in cowboy shooting.  There's 28 faster pistol and shotgun powders listed on the current Hodgdon powder burn rate chart.

 

And, if I had only one powder to choose, I'd have to figure out which cartridge and type of shooting was most important to me.  Right now, I am using more Red Dot (and Red) than any other powder.   And second on my purchasing list is WST.

 

Currently, if one tries to find a powder that is really useful, there's a million or so folks also trying to buy it.

 

Fortunately, there is no reason to try to use one powder only when there are almost a hundred canister powders made for all sorts of cartridges.

 

good luck, GJ 

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15 hours ago, Dutch Nichols, SASS #6461 said:

I’ve never heard of 231 being referred to as a slow burning powder, it’s just the opposite.

 I’ve used 231 in 9mm, 38 special, 38 super, 40 S&W, 45 acp , and 45 Colt for over 40 years!! I’ve used others but if I had to choose 1 powder it would be 231!!

 

231 is only a couple notches faster,  than Unique. 

OLG 

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231 has always been my go to pistol powder for snapper loads.  However, low pressure insures that you will have unburned powder at low loading density.  Using mag primers can help but hasn't solved the problem for me.  

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