Taos Posted December 6, 2022 Share Posted December 6, 2022 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 More sharing options...
WM. Brocious Posted December 6, 2022 Share Posted December 6, 2022 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 More sharing options...
The Original Lumpy Gritz Posted December 6, 2022 Share Posted December 6, 2022 Look for WW231/HP38 Never a fan of BE because of temperature sensitivity and lot to lot variation. All my SASS ammo is loaded with Unique, including SG. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Randy Saint Eagle, SASS # 64903 Posted December 6, 2022 Share Posted December 6, 2022 Clays, Clay Dot, Red Dot will all work for .38 and 12 gauge. Randy Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Abilene, SASS # 27489 Posted December 6, 2022 Share Posted December 6, 2022 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 More sharing options...
"Big Boston" Posted December 6, 2022 Share Posted December 6, 2022 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 More sharing options...
Old School SASS 111982 Posted December 6, 2022 Share Posted December 6, 2022 I found Tite Wad to load the same as Bulls Eye. It seems to be a little more consistent in a large case also. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Laramie Posted December 6, 2022 Share Posted December 6, 2022 I started using 244 when I ran out of Trailboss. I’m not sure that I’d go back. Laramie Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Garrison Joe, SASS #60708 Posted December 6, 2022 Share Posted December 6, 2022 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 More sharing options...
Griff Posted December 6, 2022 Share Posted December 6, 2022 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 More sharing options...
Cypress Sun Posted December 7, 2022 Share Posted December 7, 2022 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 More sharing options...
Cpt Dan Blodgett, SASS #75655 Posted December 7, 2022 Share Posted December 7, 2022 Red Dot, Nitro 100 AA2 is what I have used for years more AA2 than the others but they are similar burnrates. Look up data as non work as grain for grain replacements. Start low work up as always Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rattlesnake Slim Posted December 7, 2022 Share Posted December 7, 2022 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 More sharing options...
Hoss Posted December 7, 2022 Share Posted December 7, 2022 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 More sharing options...
Imis Twohofon,SASS # 46646 Posted December 7, 2022 Share Posted December 7, 2022 +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 More sharing options...
Taos Posted December 8, 2022 Author Share Posted December 8, 2022 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 More sharing options...
Abilene, SASS # 27489 Posted December 8, 2022 Share Posted December 8, 2022 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 More sharing options...
J-BAR #18287 Posted December 8, 2022 Share Posted December 8, 2022 … Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marauder SASS #13056 Posted December 9, 2022 Share Posted December 9, 2022 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. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bailey Creek,5759 Posted December 11, 2022 Share Posted December 11, 2022 Titegroup, use it for 38 to 44-40. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marauder SASS #13056 Posted December 12, 2022 Share Posted December 12, 2022 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 More sharing options...
H. K. Uriah, SASS #74619 Posted December 13, 2022 Share Posted December 13, 2022 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 More sharing options...
Edward R S Canby, SASS#59971 Posted December 13, 2022 Share Posted December 13, 2022 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 More sharing options...
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