Jump to content
SASS Wire Forum

Bullseye Powder Replacement? - I'm done with this. Thanks to all who helped with "useful" info.


Taos

Recommended Posts

My favorite pistol caliber powder for cowboy loads is Bullseye.

But it is impossible to find.

Any of you experienced loaders have a suggestion for a substitute?  I know all the DOT powders will work, the #38 powders.

 

Anyone tried VihtaVouri N310?

 

Thanks

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Traditional time tested powders like Bullseye and Unique haven’t been available in my area for several years now… I recently purchased a pound of Winchester 244 for the first time just so I could reload and shoot some 45 Colt and 44-40 .

 

I had never used 244 before and had to check its specs on my phone at the store where it was in stock to make sure it was suitable for the above calibers mentioned… It has performance specs similar to Unique but doesn’t soot up the cylinder as bad as unique so it’s a bit cleaner burning in my experience.

 

I would have certainly preferred to buy unique or bullseye because of familiarity.. But in these strange days I was happy just to find any pistol powder in stock.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Lots of suitable powders, with several currently available.  Look for powders near BE in burn rate:

 

https://loaddata.com/images/articles/burnratechartnew.pdf

Link to comment
Share on other sites

700X was marketed as a alternate to BE, and if that is the arena that you want to say, that would be my first choice. Titewad is used by many competitors in other disciplines, worth looking at IMO.. 

 

But it does come down to what you can find, doesn't it. I bought an 8# keg of 452AA and just like Franks Red Hot, I'm using that S**T in everything. Surprisingly, with a bit of primer selection and charge, it works surprisingly well. I'd first try and source some powders with a desirable burning rate and a decent VMD. Personally I wouldn't pick anything denser than BE, so as to have a fighting chance on position sensitivity. A decent VMD isn't a guarantee,  but it is a good barometer, IMHO.

 

BB

 

VMD/Powder Manufacturer
.2172 IMR TRAIL BOSS Hodgdon
.1489 ALNT E3 Alliant
.1462 CLAYS Hodgdon
.1446 IMR GREEN Hodgdon
.1423 IMR RED Hodgdon
.1413 RED DOT Alliant
.1349 A NITRO100 Western
.1343 IMR 700X Hodgdon
.1341 AMER-SELECT Alliant
.1331 SOLO 1000 Western
.1300 TITEWAD Hodgdon
.1296 WIN AA PLUS Hodgdon
.1278 R COMPETITION Western
.1266 WIN AA LITE Hodgdon
.1266 INTERNATIONAL Hodgdon
.1262 GREEN DOT Alliant
.1205 wSUPER-TAR Hodgdon
.1205 IMR PB Hodgdon
.1196 IMR TARGET Hodgdon
.1122 HERCO Alliant
.1122 WW452/Trap 100 Winchester
.1100 SR4756 Hodgdon
.1099 UNIVERSAL Hodgdon
.1099 SOLO 1500 Western
.1092 UNIQUE Alliant
.1071 IMR 800X Hodgdon
.1064 BULLSEYE

Alliant

Link to comment
Share on other sites

TiteGroup is widely available now and has a high nitroglycerin content, as does BE.   That would be my first choice as a substitute.  Excellent accuracy with it, too.

 

good luck, GJ

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Personally, I'm a big fan of FFFg black powder, even in them danged suppository guns!   But 1st, as an experienced, & prudent reloader, I have to ask, what cartridge & load are you looking to replace, (cartridge, bullet & velocity)?  2nd, what powders do you have available to you?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

6 hours ago, Taos said:

My favorite pistol caliber powder for cowboy loads is Bullseye.

But it is impossible to find.

Any of you experienced loaders have a suggestion for a substitute?  I know all the DOT powders will work, the #38 powders.

 

Anyone tried VihtaVouri N310?

 

Thanks

 

It's not quite impossible to find. You'll have to pay a bit more than you used to, but you can find it.

 

https://www.gunbroker.com/Ammunition-Reloading/search?Keywords=bullseye powder&Sort=13

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I bought 5 pounds of Shooter's World Clean Shot from Scarlett (shameless plug for a great EOT sponsor) and have used it in .38, .45, and 12ga. Not much factory info on reduced cowboy loads, but Scarlett has some shared user info on her website. I haven't used a lot of it yet, but so far it has been a good enough replacement for the Clays that I used to use.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I saw Bulleye & Unique at my LGS today. (For the first time in years) $45/lb. Seems kinda high, but it works out to a tad more than a penny per round!


they also had Fed small pistol primers. 
magnuns were 111/K, match magnums 139/K. I didn’t need any, so left them there.

 

yes component prices are high, but are coming back available. 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

+1 for Cleanshot and Scarlett. I now use it in 38/357, 9mm,44 spl/mag, 45c and 12 ga .All are reduced "cowboy" loads. It is a little dirty with reduced loads but it meters like butter, is available and goes a long way- 2258 loads per pound in cowboy 38 loads. Last I bought was $150 for 5 pounds

 

Imis

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Thanks to all of you, I know more now than I did before.

 

I don't guess anyone has tried VihtaVouri N310?

 

I am going to end/delete this post soon.

 

Thank you again.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Hi Taos.  Some folks use N310.  I'm currently using N320 for .38's.  N310 is a tad faster and uses a tad less powder.  Plenty of CAS data here:

http://merlin555.free.fr/pn/Vihtavuori_Cowboy_Data.pdf

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Taos changed the title to Bullseye Powder Replacement? - I'm done with this. Thanks to all who helped with "useful" info.

N310 will work, but as stated most use N320.  N310 is the faster of the two. 

I used both and favored 320 for a little milder recoil and more variation in loads.

From the VVihtaVuori Cowboy Load pdf of a few years ago.

 

image.png.d86b1fe9e59dc62eaa0018f67860925c.png

Link to comment
Share on other sites

FYI, Tightgroup is good but my powder measures (I tried 3) have trouble with lighter load.  So I can only use it with loads above 3.8 and preferably 4.0 grains.  Had to get bullets out of barrels in 38 and 9mm.

I also feel it is a little more "snappy" recoil as well.  But I use it a lot with 9mm (as long as it is NOT 147 grain)

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I've always used Red Dot for Shotgun.   It can also be used for many of our SASS calibers with good results, but finding Red Dot has been very difficult, read impossible, for some time now.

Same for Trail Boss, which I used for just about every cartridge that I reload.

So what have I been using of late?   I found a big jug of Win231/HP38, (they are the same) a few months ago.   It can be used for things like .44-40, .44 Special, .44 Magnum and .45 Colt.   I am not sure, but I think it can be used with the 38s and .32-20, but I have not started doing so yet.

Assuming that I can one day get some Trail Boss again, I'll keep using the HP38 for the cartridges that I can till I run out of it.

 

For 12 Gauge, I still have SOME Red Dot, and I'll keep using it till I have no more.  Hopefully I'll be able to find some more of it before that happens.  For 20 gauge, Red Dot is a no go, it generates to much pressure.   I've tried, er...  Either Green or Blue Dot, I can't remember off the top of my head.  While it worked great in my Stevens pump gun, it was a real shoulder thumper in my Parker, using Magtech all brass.   So I need to experiment with either reduced loads or a different powder for the 20. 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

2 minutes ago, H. K. Uriah, SASS #74619 said:

I've always used Red Dot for Shotgun.   It can also be used for many of our SASS calibers with good results, but finding Red Dot has been very difficult, read impossible, for some time now.

Same for Trail Boss, which I used for just about every cartridge that I reload.

So what have I been using of late?   I found a big jug of Win231/HP38, (they are the same) a few months ago.   It can be used for things like .44-40, .44 Special, .44 Magnum and .45 Colt.   I am not sure, but I think it can be used with the 38s and .32-20, but I have not started doing so yet.

Assuming that I can one day get some Trail Boss again, I'll keep using the HP38 for the cartridges that I can till I run out of it.

 

For 12 Gauge, I still have SOME Red Dot, and I'll keep using it till I have no more.  Hopefully I'll be able to find some more of it before that happens.  For 20 gauge, Red Dot is a no go, it generates to much pressure.   I've tried, er...  Either Green or Blue Dot, I can't remember off the top of my head.  While it worked great in my Stevens pump gun, it was a real shoulder thumper in my Parker, using Magtech all brass.   So I need to experiment with either reduced loads or a different powder for the 20. 

Win231/HP-28 is suitable for reloading 38 Specials.  It leaves a fine soot residue that does not interfere with the functioning of CAS firearms.  It is useful for loading 45 ACP rounds too.  It meters quite uniformly.  Some who have tried reduced loading report poor results.  For 12-gauge CAS loads my favored smokeless powder is Extra-Lite since WAALite became unavailable.  You are a wise reloader, making due with what is available.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Archived

This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.

×
×
  • Create New...

Important Information

By using this site, you agree to our Terms of Use.