[tonyparson]

I just started reloading and I'm having a hard time finding powder. The gun shop near me only has Bullseye powder in stock and said he doesnt know when he will have another brand in stock. I was told to stay away from Bullseye powder with me just starting out. The guy at the gun shop said it really doesnt matter powder is powder. Is this stuff really that dangerous for beginners? I'm reloading .40 caliber 180gr bullet for a G-23. If its that dangerous I guess I will have to make a long drive to find other powder..

[XDRoX]

Originally Posted by tonyparson

I just started reloading and I'm having a hard time finding powder. The gun shop near me only has Bullseye powder in stock and said he doesnt know when he will have another brand in stock. I was told to stay away from Bullseye powder with me just starting out. The guy at the gun shop said it really doesnt matter powder is powder. Is this stuff really that dangerous for beginners? I'm reloading .40 caliber 180gr bullet for a G-23. If its that dangerous I guess I will have to make a long drive to find other powder..

BE has very little volume and a very fast powder. Because of this you easily fit 2 or 3 times the needed amount into a case. So as long as you are really careful not to double charge a load, then it will work fine.

I find it to be very accurate and low recoil. But it's pretty dirty.

[ANeat]

Bullseye is fine but there are slower burning powders that will fill the case more and make the possibility of a double charge less likely.

Reloading can be dangerous, if youre carefull and look in every case, know what a proper charge looks like and know what a double charge looks like and you will be fine.

[ANeat]

Here is an example in 45acp, the difference will be even more obvious in 40

This is 4.0 grains of Bullseye, the thing to notice is the distance from the top of the case, down to the powder


This is a double charge, 8 grains of bullseye

[GioaJack]

Well hell, since you're just learning you might as well learn right. For handgun rounds a loader can go through his entire career with only three powders on his bench; Bullseye, Unique and 2400.

I have a full cup of coffee and half a pack of cigarettes... let the flaming begin.


Jack

[tonyparson]

OK so just take my time double check everything and I will be fine. Thanks for the info. I just want to start reloading and to be honest didn't think it would of been as hard as it was to find everything to start reloading with.

[fredj338]

Originally Posted by tonyparson

I just started reloading and I'm having a hard time finding powder. The gun shop near me only has Bullseye powder in stock and said he doesnt know when he will have another brand in stock. I was told to stay away from Bullseye powder with me just starting out. The guy at the gun shop said it really doesnt matter powder is powder. Is this stuff really that dangerous for beginners? I'm reloading .40 caliber 180gr bullet for a G-23. If its that dangerous I guess I will have to make a long drive to find other powder..

Well, that guy is an idiot, but then again, most gunshop geeks are. While reloading in itself is dangerous, using the fastest burning powder available in a high pressures/small volumn round like the 40 is NOT giving you any margin of error. Add to that 180gr bullets, you are just not helping yourself.
There are at least a dozen better choices for the 40 & a newb reloader. I would think yo ucould find one of them. WSF, Unique, Universal, PowerPistol, HS6, Longshot, AA#7 & a couple of VV come to mind. As a newb, the fastest powder I would look to load would be W231/HP38, even then, you are going to have to really pay attention to details like OAL, crimp/neck tension & of course charge wts.

[noylj]

I find Bullseye a lot more "forgiving" of minor errors than some of the powders recommended.
I would be concerned if the OP was going to use N310 or Clays as his first powder.
NO powder is a danger, provided you start with the starting load and work up.
Mistake I keep seeing are new handloaders who start with a "recommended" rather than a starting load.

[dudel]

I find Bullseye a great powder. I started with it and continue to use it. I like it for it's economy. Only need a few grains. Now, that's a double edged sword. A small charge makes it easy to double charge anything but the smallest case.

You didn't mention what you were going to reload on. If it's a single stage, you should be fine. That's because you'll charge all the cases, and get a chance to look at them all in the tray. Anyone with a double charge will be obvious.

If you're starting out with a progressive, then another powder might be more forgiving. I agree with what Jack said; Bullseye, Unique and 2400 are the holy trinity of powders. Of the three, Unique would be a better choice for a starter with a progressive.

[tonyparson]

Originally Posted by dudel

I find Bullseye a great powder. I started with it and continue to use it. I like it for it's economy. Only need a few grains. Now, that's a double edged sword. A small charge makes it easy to double charge anything but the smallest case.

You didn't mention what you were going to reload on. If it's a single stage, you should be fine. That's because you'll charge all the cases, and get a chance to look at them all in the tray. Anyone with a double charge will be obvious.

If you're starting out with a progressive, then another powder might be more forgiving. I agree with what Jack said; Bullseye, Unique and 2400 are the holy trinity of powders. Of the three, Unique would be a better choice for a starter with a progressive.

I'm using a new Lee four hole turret, but I have it set up like a single stage press. I'm disabled so all I have is time so I'm not looking to pump out hundreds of rounds an hour.

[sellersm]

I'm using a new Lee four hole turret, but I have it set up like a single stage press. I'm disabled so all I have is time so I'm not looking to pump out hundreds of rounds an hour.

You'll be fine. Be sure to fill all the cases in one 'step' so you can have them altogether in the loading tray: that way you can see that they're all filled to the same level with powder. It makes the double-charges a little more obvious.

Enjoy your new addiction, er I mean, hobby.

[Gunnut 45/454]

Agreed take your time and check your charge wt's and you'll be fine! Start at the starting load - load 20 rounds go to the range an see if they fuction well in your firearm! If they do and accuracy is good load up a bunch an have fun!

Jack you know you are a trouble maker right!!!

[dudel]

Originally Posted by Gunnut 45/454

Agreed take your time and check your charge wt's and you'll be fine! Start at the starting load - load 20 rounds go to the range an see if they fuction well in your firearm! If they do and accuracy is good load up a bunch an have fun!

Jack you know you are a trouble maker right!!!

Good advice. Don't get discourgage is you find light Bullseye loads to be a bit "dirty". They clean up (as does Unique) when you get into the midrange and above loadings.

[dudel]

Originally Posted by sellersm

You'll be fine. Be sure to fill all the cases in one 'step' so you can have them altogether in the loading tray: that way you can see that they're all filled to the same level with powder. It makes the double-charges a little more obvious.

Enjoy your new addiction, er I mean, hobby.

Bingo. Take your time, and enjoy the process. For many years I loaded all the ammo I needed on a single stage. Kept the press busy; but enjoyed every minute of it. Good part on the SS, is that I could pretty much stop and restart any time I wanted to.

Best.

[dbarry]

I load bullseye more than any other powder. Great stuff. Charge your cases & visually check them. I use this powder in 9mm, 38S&W, 38spl, 357, 45GAP, 45ACP. Not dirty if, as dudel points out, you load toward the upper end.

[tjpet]

Originally Posted by GioaJack

Well hell, since you're just learning you might as well learn right. For handgun rounds a loader can go through his entire career with only three powders on his bench; Bullseye, Unique and 2400.

I have a full cup of coffee and half a pack of cigarettes... let the flaming begin.


Jack

Great advice - circa 1970.

I cut my eye teeth on all three starting in the late 60s. But the truth of the matter is there are better powders available today, especially in terms of overall cleanliness. And if you say cleanliness isn't that big a deal you just don't shoot enough where it makes a difference.

[dudel]

Originally Posted by tjpet

Great advice - circa 1970.

I cut my eye teeth on all three starting in the late 60s. But the truth of the matter is there are better powders available today, especially in terms of overall cleanliness. And if you say cleanliness isn't that big a deal you just don't shoot enough where it makes a difference.

It's not that there aren't better powders; it's that those three will cover a wider range of calibers better than any other three powders. The versatility of those three powders keep you from having shelves full of different powders. And if you say versatility isn't that big a deal you just don't load enough calibers.

Cleanliness is important; but since I clean after every range session; it's not a major consideration. But then, I normally take several different guns to the range. If I shot them all to the point where they got too dirty; it'd be sore for weeks.

An issue last year of Handloader still put those three powders as the ones to stock up on. May be old news; but it's still valid.

[ANeat]

Originally Posted by tjpet

And if you say cleanliness isn't that big a deal you just don't shoot enough where it makes a difference.

So what is shooting "enough" where it makes a difference??

I think I shoot enough using Bullseye, and really like it.

Just curious??

[Colorado4Wheel]

I get a kick out of Glock Shooters complaining about powder being dirty. How dirty could it possibly be. When I am done shooting lead I need to use a wood stick to scrape the gunk off my barrel. I shoot well over 1K rounds or dirty lead bullets before cleaning. I just don't see how bullseye is a big deal. I started with Bullseye. It seemed fine to me when I was shooting jackted and plated.

[tjpet]

Originally Posted by ANeat

So what is shooting "enough" where it makes a difference??

I think I shoot enough using Bullseye, and really like it.

Just curious??

At least a couple of hundred per range trip. If you think BE isn't dirty - throughout the entire gun - you haven't used many other or any other powders.

[tjpet]

Originally Posted by Colorado4Wheel

I get a kick out of Glock Shooters complaining about powder being dirty. How dirty could it possibly be. When I am done shooting lead I need to use a wood stick to scrape the gunk off my barrel. I shoot well over 1K rounds or dirty lead bullets before cleaning. I just don't see how bullseye is a big deal. I started with Bullseye. It seemed fine to me when I was shooting jackted and plated.

You like cleaning dirty guns it seems, regardless of the time involved. Good, everybody needs a hobby.

Me, I try to minimize cleanup time. More shooting time that way.

[fredj338]

Originally Posted by tjpet

Great advice - circa 1970.

I cut my eye teeth on all three starting in the late 60s. But the truth of the matter is there are better powders available today, especially in terms of overall cleanliness. And if you say cleanliness isn't that big a deal you just don't shoot enough where it makes a difference.

TJ is right. While you certainyl can load everything w/ those three, there are slightly better powders today IMO. WST equals BE for accuracy but is cleaner w/ softer recoil & more loft. WSF is nearly a direct replacement for Unique, meters better too. I haven't really found a "better" powder than the new formula 2400. H110 will get you higher vel but not as versatile, maybe AA#9.

And if you say versatility isn't that big a deal you just don't load enough calibers.

If you load a lot of calibers, you'll find that trying to limit yourself to those three will mean compromises. When you get to rounds like the 40, 10mm & 357sig, they are tweeners & need something slower than Unqiue & faster than 2400 for optimal performance. Really, if you get down to it, you could us Unique in every handgun caliber w/ some success. It or WSF would be what I would stash an 8# away for SHTF.

[ANeat]

Originally Posted by tjpet

At least a couple of hundred per range trip. If you think BE isn't dirty - throughout the entire gun - you haven't used many other or any other powders.

Well I shoot a "bullseye" wadcutter gun, very accurate, very tight fitted. Over the years Ive shot a little of everything thru it from the cleanest burning, stuff like Clays and VV310. To stuff like Bullseye.

You also said

And if you say cleanliness isn't that big a deal you just don't shoot enough where it makes a difference.

When the shooting season starts I clean it once a month, usually 1000 plus rounds between cleanings, (3 matches and several practice range trips) and from the dirtiest to the cleanest the powder shouldnt matter in the function of the gun, I know it doesent in mine.

If the powder is "clean" or not isnt a concern of mine. At the end of the day its where the bullet goes thru the target that counts (to me anyway) Everybody in the match doesent get together to see who has the cleanest gun to declare a winner.


Ive never claimed bullseye is "clean" but it isnt black powder either. .

Bullseye does leave a little more "residue" in the gun but it is very soft and doesent effect the function of the gun (at least mine and many others)
And it cleans up very easy.

Bullseye has a very specific recoil feel that I tend to shoot better. I dont have to clean my gun any more often that I ever have, yea the rag has a little more gunk on it that when I was shooting VV310, big deal

[El_Ron1]

Bullseye love me long time.

[WiskyT]

Originally Posted by tjpet

Great advice - circa 1970.

I cut my eye teeth on all three starting in the late 60s. But the truth of the matter is there are better powders available today, especially in terms of overall cleanliness. And if you say cleanliness isn't that big a deal you just don't shoot enough where it makes a difference.

There is just so much fail in there i don't know where to start.

Jack,

Some day when you are all grown up, you really should shoot more so you can see what a dirty gun looks like