HP 38 powder

[Rye Miles #13621]

I loaded a few .45 Colt 200 grainers with 5.2 grs of Hogdon HP38 before I looked up the loading data.

It says the minimum is 5.9 !!!!!! 

 

Should I pull those few (3) or shoot em. I'm using them in a Uberti 66 or 73  

[El Sobrante Kid]

Your only loss would be the 15.6gr of powder, vs. possibly having to get out the squib rod to push out a bullet. I might give em a try in a revolver, but if you are not going to test/use that load for anything, why mess with it, especially for 3 rounds. I will be interested to see what your results are with HP-38 in .45 Colt. I had very poor results using HP-38 in my 44-40 test loads. GL!

[Rye Miles #13621]

18 minutes ago, El Sobrante Kid said:

Your only loss would be the 15.6gr of powder, vs. possibly having to get out the squib rod to push out a bullet. I might give em a try in a revolver, but if you are not going to test/use that load for anything, why mess with it, especially for 3 rounds. I will be interested to see what your results are with HP-38 in .45 Colt. I had very poor results using HP-38 in my 44-40 test loads. GL!

I’ve used HP 38 for .38spl and it worked fine. 
Yea, I  think I’ll pull these ! I’ll let you know how it works for .45

[Seminole Sam]

34 minutes ago, Rye Miles #13621 said:

I loaded a few .45 Colt 200 grainers with 5.2 grs of Hogdon HP38 before I looked up the loading data.

It says the minimum is 5.9 !!!!!! 

 

Should I pull those few (3) or shoot em. I'm using them in a Uberti 66 or 73  

Minimum only really matters in a semiauto.  With a manual repeater be it revolver or rifle you will be fine.  I just worked out my .38 Spl load and I get a consistent 600 FPS with it.  Its 2.5 grains of powder where the manual says the minimum is 5.5.  I have fired a hundred rounds of this through a Chronograph just to be sure.  Nice consistent powder factor 75.   But your "normal" .38 Spl shooter would think they are way too light.

 

I even tried 1.75 grains and it still worked, averaging 330 FPS and being rather inaccurate, but still no squibs.  Power Factor 41, but no squibs.  Rangemaster thought I had my airgun.

[The Original Lumpy Gritz]

Hopefully, you used a FIRM roll-crimp. 

BTW, WW231 is the same powder. 

[El Sobrante Kid]

1 hour ago, Rye Miles #13621 said:

I’ve used HP 38 for .38spl and it worked fine. 
Yea, I  think I’ll pull these ! I’ll let you know how it works for .45

 

I had great luck loading 3.4gr of HP-38 in .357 cases with a very firm roll crimp. In the GP100 they were clean, accurate, and had low recoil. I had big expectations for the 44-40 loads I was testing. I hope you have success with your .45 Colt loads. Let us know how it goes.

[Choctaw Jack]

I used W231 ( as stated before, same as HP38) for several years in my 45 Colts , using as little as 4.9 grains with few problems.

In Cold weather a charge that low might give some "iffy " ignition, but in summer heat, I'd say shootem!

[Griff]

QuickLOAD sez that 5.2 grains of HP38 in a 45 Colt and a 5.5" bbl will attain 692 fps at a chamber pressure of 5,930 psi.  You should be fine.  From a 20" bbl it will yield about 952 fps.  As OLG sez, you'll want a good roll crimp for best uniformity.  

 

[Wild Eagle]

How are you guys getting HP-38 to burn clean at cowboy pressures?  I tried loading up to 3.5 grain behind a 105 grain bullet in 38 special cases and I had unburned powder everywhere.  I could see it coming out of the barrel in my pistols with every shot.  I roll crimp pretty tight, so I don't think that is my issue, but maybe I'm still not tight enough?  

 

I used this powder a lot for IDPA and USPSA loads in 9MM and 45ACP without any problems.  

[El Sobrante Kid]

Wild Eagle, I had the same experience trying to use HP-38 in 44-40 loads, unburned powder everywhere (my thread). I did get a very nice, accurate, and clean burning load in a .357 case using 3.4gr of HP-38 and a 148gr RN bullet with a tight roll crimp.

[Blackwater 53393]

I get the same results that Griff showed using 5.3gr of 231, (the same powder with a Winchester label) out of my 5.5” Remington ‘75s with a 160gr bullet in a .45 Colt cartridge.  

Shoots well out of my 1860 Henry and Hatfield’s 24” ‘66 too!

 

It’ll work fine behind a 185gr bullet as well!