231 vs WSF

[longtooth]

I have been going through Hogdons new reloading guide. I know that many, Many, MANY out there use 231 for reloading .45 ACP. In looking at the chart for .380, .38 sp & .40 S&W it is a good powder there also. I really like that but I also like the higher velocity of the WSF in the .40 & .45.
I want some comments on the WSF please. I dont remember it being recomended earlier so if you feel it is "unrecomendable" tell me why & talk me out of it.
I may be old but I am not set in my ways when it comes to things others know more about than I do. Thanks in advance.

[Charles L. Cotton]

I've experimented with WSF in 45's, but exclusively with 200 gr. PSWC. I quit using it because of the extreme spreads I was experiencing; between 46 fps to 110 fps, with an average of about 80 fps. This compares with an average of about 35 fps with 231. I never tried it with 230 gr 45's.

Extreme spreads with WSF in .40S&W was very low, averaging about 20 fps, so in my experiments, the poor performance experienced with .45 ACP's did not carry over to .40S&W. I hope this helps.

Chas.

[longtooth]

Yes sir, & all that is probably why in the write ups from Winchester that they talk of the .40 but never give any good words on the .45 even though they have a load for it. I will stick to the 231. Thank you for confirming what I thought.

[nuparadigm]

Longtooth -
As you know, I'm a 231 guy when it comes to .45 ACP. BUT ... there was a time I experimented with Hodgden's Universal and found it can "out velocity" equal measures of 231. Velocity spread for my strings was always under 20. The advertising hype for Universal claims that it's "cleaner", but I couldn't see much difference in it. When I run out of my current 8 lb keg of 231 I'll probably buy some more Universal.

[longtooth]

Thank you sir for that. And Good morning.