W231 / HP38 Powder

[kynardsj]

I do all my cast bullet, playing around loads with Unique. No problem there, it ain't broke so I'm not gonna fix it and will keep on. A friend of mine gave me an almost full can of W231 and it has sat in my reloading room for a year or so until recently. With the problems finding reloading components lately I got to thinking about it and searched some loads for my 45 LC with 250 gr cast bullets. Also ended up with some swagged Magtech 250 gr bullets in a trade. I put a few together over 7.5 gr of the W231 and just got thru testing them in my Vaquero. Accurate with mild recoil. As I said before, I'll stay with my Unique but figgured I'd burn the W231 and the Magtech's up for goofing around loads. Anyone else here have much experience with W231 or it's identical twin, HP38 ?

[30063030223357]

I load my ruger bisley 45 colt with missouri 255 gr. swc and 9.2 gr. of w 231 ( a ruger only load ) and it  is very accurate and clean!! Getting 1030 fps and like i said, very accurate and still pleasant to shoot. The only problem is that my supply ran out and there is none to be found in my area. I liked it in my 45 acp also. Still have rounds loaded up, but my have to try some other powders. Which i did stock up on so i at least have something to use. Everything in short supply and only going to get worse from what i hear. Cherish that pound you have!!!

[kynardsj]

Yeah, when things first started getting crazy last year I rounded up some extra Unique, Lilgun, primers, cast and jacketed bullets. Remembering this can of W231 is just a pleasant bonus. I'll load it until it's gone then go back to the Unique.

[Ranch13]

When the grand devils were still in grade school and came around every summer for an extended visit, I loaded 200 gr bullets with 8 grs of 231 for the 45 colt trapper. There was hardly any recoil, yet there was accuracy enough they could whack coffee cans,pop cans etc and ring the snot out of small gongs to about 50 yds. I'ld have to have a couple hundred of those on hand for an afternoons entertainment.

[KansasPaul]

I use W231 as my primary pistol powder - .380, 38 spl., light 357 loads, .40 S&W and 45ACP.  It was my first powder when I started reloading and I've stuck with it as my primary "go to" powder. I've used it with swaged lead bullets, plated and jacketed. 

Blessings

Paul

[mauser98us]

While Unique is a good powder, I find it burn extremely dirty. I switched to 231 about 20-25 years ago and will use nothing else in what it's designed for. Much like WW296.

[drdougrx]

Yeah....I'm using 231 in 45LC, 40SW and 9mm.  I'm liking it allot.

[hornady]

Over the past 40 years I pretty much ran the gauntlet with pistol powder, About 10 years ago a friend gave me a gallon jug of W-231 from his club. I started loading my cast bullets with it. Now 231 or hp-38 are my go to powder for cast bullets, in 380, 9MM, 38 SPL, 357, 40S&W, 45ACP, and 45colt.  At this stage of the game I prefer the lighter loads. I was a little worried the election was not going to be good on shooters and stocked up. After what happened in Connecticut glad I was a little paranoid.     

[Goldstar225]

W231 has been my primary powder for .38 Special and .45 ACP for thirty years.  Like you, I prefer Unique for .45 Colt although I have been playing with Power Pistol for the .45 Colt lately. 

[Luckyducker]

kynardsj, I wish I had a bunch of Unique and you had good supply of W231, as I would trade you 2 for 1!  Though Unique makes good loads it is the dirtiest gd'ed stuff that I ever fired, and I have found W231 to be even more versatile than Unique.  I digress though, if Unique was all that could be had I would probably shoot the crap.

[kynardsj]

Unique supposedly has been somewhat reformulated to burn cleaner. It's still a bit dirty but I depend on it a lot and have loaded it in many calibers- 38's, 357's, 44's, 45 ACP's, 45 LC's, 308's and 500 S&W Mag. I started with it back in 76' when I learned to reload and have never been without it. These I loaded recently with the W231 do shoot well though. That got me searching for other powders folks swear by in the 45 LC in case I have to take what I can get when I need powder again. Red Dot, Titegroup and Trailboss were mentioned a lot. Some folks liked Bullseye but I've always stayed away from it. I guess because a little goes a very long way with Bullseye.

[cwlongshot]

Growing up, in my early days loading we had like three powders... Unique, 4895 and red dot...  Pistol, rifle and shotgun all nice!!

 Well after say 5-6 pounds I run out and head to the shop to get another pound... none availble.... BUT Winchester is making powders and they have 231, is just like unique the counter guy tells me...  I have been using it ever since!

Never bought a pound of HP-38 as I keep Unique and 231 in ''stock'' all the time. 

CW

[kynardsj]

It's my understanding that Winchester makes both W231 and HP38 and they are the same powder. The HP38 is just under the Hodgdon brand so it gets a different name.

[mauser98us]

It's my understanding that Winchester makes both W231 and HP38 and they are the same powder. The HP38 is just under the Hodgdon brand so it gets a different name.

This is correct. N110 and WW296 are the same as well.