Petrol & Powder
Well-Known Member
I tend to favor the old, well-established powders. During some of the previous droughts I was forced (like many) to branch out and explore new powders. That was probably healthy, but I went right back to the old, well-known friends when that exercise was over.
While I’m happy to see innovation in the field of smokeless powder, and the only way to move forward is to explore, I’m pretty old school when it’s all said and done.
I’ve tried lots of different powders over the years and occasionally, I have found something new that works very well. However, more often than not, I find myself back with one of the old standards.
While having options is good, the perceived improvements claimed by some powders just aren’t there. For example, I’ve burned just about every type of suitable powder one can put in a 38 Special casing but always came back to either WW-231 or Bullseye. While there are lots of powders that work, none stand out as significantly better than those two old powders and several were noticeably worse. I’ve shot more 231 [AKA HP-38] than Bullseye but Bullseye has the advantage of being slightly more economical and maybe holds an accuracy edge. Bullseye is my current powder of choice for 38 Special, and it’s been with us since 1898. WW-231[HP-38] isn’t quite as old as Bullseye but it has been around as long as I can remember.
I behave the same way with rifle powders. I typically find the IMR powder best suited for the cartridge, work up the best load with that powder and never look back.
There was a time when I thought the newly introduced powders must be better. Why would someone make a new powder that wasn’t better than the existing powder? As I get older, I realize that “New and Improved” is often just “New”.
So, for all you folks that like to experiment with powders, keep up the good work; we’re all interested in what you learn. We will never move forward if we remain in our old familiar habits. All I ask is if your testing reveals results that are no better than the old standards, let us know that too.
While I’m happy to see innovation in the field of smokeless powder, and the only way to move forward is to explore, I’m pretty old school when it’s all said and done.
I’ve tried lots of different powders over the years and occasionally, I have found something new that works very well. However, more often than not, I find myself back with one of the old standards.
While having options is good, the perceived improvements claimed by some powders just aren’t there. For example, I’ve burned just about every type of suitable powder one can put in a 38 Special casing but always came back to either WW-231 or Bullseye. While there are lots of powders that work, none stand out as significantly better than those two old powders and several were noticeably worse. I’ve shot more 231 [AKA HP-38] than Bullseye but Bullseye has the advantage of being slightly more economical and maybe holds an accuracy edge. Bullseye is my current powder of choice for 38 Special, and it’s been with us since 1898. WW-231[HP-38] isn’t quite as old as Bullseye but it has been around as long as I can remember.
I behave the same way with rifle powders. I typically find the IMR powder best suited for the cartridge, work up the best load with that powder and never look back.
There was a time when I thought the newly introduced powders must be better. Why would someone make a new powder that wasn’t better than the existing powder? As I get older, I realize that “New and Improved” is often just “New”.
So, for all you folks that like to experiment with powders, keep up the good work; we’re all interested in what you learn. We will never move forward if we remain in our old familiar habits. All I ask is if your testing reveals results that are no better than the old standards, let us know that too.