What's the most versatile powder for CAS?

[Roland Thunder]

Is there any powder that is an all around powder other than TB that works well for our game?

[Tyrel Cody]

Black Powder; I prefer Schuetzen FFFg, but usually buy Graf’s it’s a little cheaper.

 

 

 

 

[Cholla]

Unique or Bullseye. Red Dot. 

[Roland Thunder]

700x?

[El Sobrante Kid]

I keep seeing the same recommendations for older powders that are virtually impossible to find any more. So, one modifier, 

Is there any commonly available powder that is an all around powder other than TB that works well for our game?

[Tyrel Cody]

8 minutes ago, El Sobrante Kid said:

I keep seeing the same recommendations for older powders that are virtually impossible to find any more. So, one modifier, 

Is there any commonly available powder that is an all around powder other than TB that works well for our game?

well you’re modifier probably needs to also specify Smokeless; because Black Powder is readily available and works great in all guns!

[Cholla]

Take a photo of the page in the reloading manual for your cartridge and go into Cal Ranch, Sportsman’s Warehouse, Scheels, BassPro, etc and see what they have. That’s what I do when I’m reloading for a new cartridge. 

[Cholla]

http://www.survivorlibrary.com/library/hodgdon_2002_blackpowder_reloaders_manual.pdf
 

HP-38 and Titegroup are common on this list. I see them available at many places I buy powder. 

[Three Foot Johnson]

Accurate #2 works as well as W231, Bullseye, or Titegroup, and is often on the shelf.

[Abilene, SASS # 27489]

WST.  Shotgun, .38's, Wild Bunch, available.  Maybe Clean Shot too, though I haven't used it.

[Leroy Luck]

Titegroup can be used in shotshell as well as the rifle/pistols. Really universal powder if you get to looking. Has been available throughout the last of the pandemic (I wasn’t reloading until the last year or so of it) and the price has been about the cheapest per pound out there. 

[H. K. Uriah, SASS #74619]

Be careful with Win321/HP38 (They the same.)  

[Beartrap SASS#57175]

Titegroup is my "go to" powder. Use it for everything from .32 s&w to .44mag. A little goes a long way, it meters very well and can usually be found easily. 

[Rooster Ron Wayne]

APP  The Best BP Sub !

Unique or Universal if you can find any .

Unique is a very old Smokeless powder and will do just about anything good including shotgun. 

APP and Unique are my go too powders for everything. 

Rooster 

Edited April 5 by Rooster Ron Wayne
Pic

[Assassin]

Titegroup, Clay's, Promo

[Kid Rich]

My favorite is 700X. I've used it in everything from 32 acp to sg.

kR

Edited April 18 by Kid Rich

[Cholla]

1 hour ago, H. K. Uriah, SASS #74619 said:

Be careful with Win321/HP38 (They the same.)  

Do you mean W231?

[High Spade Mikey Wilson]

IMHO the most versatile powder for our game is Unique. However finding any these days if pretty futile.

[Edward R S Canby, SASS#59971]

I would recommend some Alliant products but will not as they are unavailable.  APP is a versatile sub for metallic cartridges and shotgun shells.  I have loaded with most of the powders mentioned in this thread and got good results.

[The Original Lumpy Gritz]

Unique, you can load every cartridge(including shotgun)used in SASS with it.

WW231/HP38(same powder)works well, not for SG loads.

[Bison Bud]

Unique is probably the most versatile powder available anywhere!  It may be difficult to find at times, but I have seen it available and it can load just about anything you may want to load.  My personal favorite for CAS type, target loads was Clays, primarily because it was the cleanest burning in lighter loads of any powder I have used.  However, it doesn't seem to be available, at least not consistently, and hasn't been for quite some time.  I have since moved to ClayDot, which is similar, but not exactly the same, but you will find no handgun load data for it.  I have worked up good target loads with ClayDot for .38 Special, .357 Mag., .44 Special, and .44 Mag. and found it to be an acceptable alternative.  However, if Clays ever makes a real comeback, I would move back to it in a heartbeat!  All in all, there are many suitable powders available for the target type loads we generally use and these days one has to make do with what is available when needed.  Bullseye, 700X, Tightgroup, Red Dot, American Select, HP-38/Winchester 231 are all examples of good handgun powders for our purposes and do seem to be available from time to time.  All in all, the propellant availability situation is thankfully improving.  Good luck and good shooting to all.  

[H. K. Uriah, SASS #74619]

55 minutes ago, Cholla said:

Do you mean W231?

Yes.   Sorry about that.  Mr. Typo is my enemy.

[Hoss]

Unique if you can find it. It’s occasionally available. I got lucky, basically have a lifetime supply! You can load any cowboy gun with it, from 32SW to 45-70. Plus shotgun. 
I also use a lot of Bullseye, and Red Dot. These “older” powders are very versatile. 

[Lucky R. K.]

If you have read the entire thread, then you know there are many to choose from. I would suggest you find one that is available and works for pistol, rifle and shotgun.  Buy all you can afford and hopefully that will set you up for life. That is what I did, bought 8 pounds of Red Dot and that will probably do me for life.

Lucky 

[Buffalo gus]

11 hours ago, Tyrel Cody said:

Black Powder; I prefer Schuetzen FFFg, but usually buy Graf’s it’s a little cheaper.

 

 

 

 

To my understanding grafs is rebranded schuetzen. 
 

Black powder is the real universal powder for our game. If you want to use smokeless titegroup is a decent option due to availability and cost. 

[Tequila Shooter]

BP has many advantages for CAS, one powder can be used for all guns, working up loads is easy, and BP is readily available.  Cleaning guns is basic and “how to” is well documented.  

 

There are 2 additional benefits  1: the smile it puts on your face;  2: keeps the skeeters away 😁

[Cinch]

I am trying Perfect Pattern now. It doesn’t seem to be position sensitive and has a good recoil impulse. 
 

Just loaded 500 pistol and 100 shot shells to try. Hoping it isn’t temperature sensitive as CFE pistol. CFE also seems to get lost in cases bigger than 9mm.
 

There was a big jug of Perfect Pattern and I bought it so will see. I still have TB and some clays but don’t like the hard carbon of TB and the clays on the table on cold days. Great shotshells though.
 

The local hardware store had a big supply of bullseye and a few cans made it onto my shelf. I do know that colt clones do not like a double charge of that so I don’t load it for the family, just in case. 
 

Black powder works great. Pushes 520’s nice and is the only way to go for flinters. 

[Colorado Coffinmaker]

 

It's SO Simple!!

 

The perfect powder for our game is, Hands Down, APP.  American Pioneer Powder is flat superb.  Works in ALL cartridges including Shotgun as well as perfect in Percussion Pistols.  Has the simplest of recipes regardless of caliber or bullet choice and it's super easy to clean-up after shooting a match or . . . . . .                    TRY IT YULE LIKE IT

[Whitey James]

Echoing what others have said, W231(HP-38) and Titegroup are very versatile and easy to find. 

[Blackwater 53393]

I’m trying Cleanshot right now. Several of my cohorts have used it with great results.

 

If I had my druthers, I would stay with Solo 1000, but it has become unobtainium, so I’m using what I have left sparingly in certain known loads that I don’t want to experiment with for now.

 

W231 has also worked very well.

[irish ike, SASS #43615]

Did you het an answer...........?  Here's my $.02 worth. If its on the shelf, it goes bang, buy it when you can.

[Nawlins Kid SASS #36107]

 I use ClayDot for all the cowboy guns and also my 1911. All you have to do is look at the Clays reloading data and add .02 -.03 grains. I also found that ClayDot is not cold sensitive as Clays.   Years ago the NY Wild Bunch match was in April and it  had temps below normal. When my rounds were tested the PF was lower. So I went to the range in mid Nov  where the temps was around 40 degrees. Set up the chrono. and tested Clays vs ClayDot.    The interesting thing was the Claydot had a smaller spread of speed . I loaded three different power load for each powder loads and ClayDot had more duplicate speeds than Clay's. I did the testing in 2015 and have used the ClayDot since then. ClayDot is a shotgun powder it may be easier to find.

 

Nawlins

[Rye Miles #13621]

TiteGroup, HP38 and Clays 

[Doc Moses]

I used Red Dot when I started but ran out during the covid thing. Found some VV n320 and tried it. It seems to be a little bit cleaner than Red Dot. I like it but am about out so I got some w231 to try because it is cheaper than n320 and easier to find. I will try it this summer and see...I do like cleaner guns so if 231 is too dirty I may go back to n320

[Blackwater 53393]

I also swear by real Black Powder!  It’ll even work for Wild Bunch!!

 

Don’t believe it??  Ask Bill Carson!!  He was asked what category he was shooting at the WB  match at The Midwest Classic and he replied, Frontier Cartridge! Then he proceeded to smoke his way through the match!!