Is Hodgdon Titegroup Dirty????

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I fired some reloaded titegroup 230gr from my HK USP45, and the cartridges seem dirtier than the factory federal 230gr. Is that always the case with reloads or just titegroup?:(
 
I was told that Titegroup was "clean", but imo it is definitely dirtier than WSF powder that I'd used previously for a few years. AFAIC, the only advantage of Titegroup over WSF is less is required for the same velocity.
 
I've used Titegroup in all my stuff for the last few years and I have noticed that it seems dirtier in 45 than 9mm or any of my shotgun loads. I have found it to be cleaner than Winchester.
 
I would not call Titegroup dirty. I would use that term for Unique and older Bullseye and W231 to some extent.

I find the gun is very clean after using Titegroup, but it leaves an unusual stain on one side of the case which is easily cleaned by tumbling.

Overall, I like it alot. Very small deviation in load velocity, cheap to buy, very very versatile and you don't use as much as some other powders.
 
I've used Titegroup in my .45ACP and of the powders I have tried (W231, Bullseye, Red Dot, Clays) it was far and away the dirtiest. HOWEVER, I was trying to develop light bullseye loads and that was my problem. All powders will combust poorly if the pressures aren't high enough. The lower the pressure, the poorer the combustion and the more residue is left. The .45ACP is a low-pressure round to begin with, and loading it light is going to create issues. My experience is that Titegroup is particularly sensitive to this. Under "proper" pressures it actually burns quite cleanly (i.e. full power loads), but under low pressures it produced this thick gunk in the chamber that fouled the gun so much that it would no longer cycle after as few as 15-20 rounds. This was compared to say, W231, where under light loads it simply blew a lot of unburned powder out of the barrel and chamber, but didn't leave a lot of fouling.

So, if you are shooting "regular" loads Titegroup will be fine. It meters well and gives consistent results. If you want a powder for lighter loads, Hodgdon Clays (just Clays, not Universal Clays, not International Clays) is remarkably clean and is now my standard for bullseye (3.8 grains behind a 200 gr LSWC).
 
EdGCNM said:
I've used Titegroup in my .45ACP and of the powders I have tried (W231, Bullseye, Red Dot, Clays) it was far and away the dirtiest. HOWEVER, I was trying to develop light bullseye loads and that was my problem. All powders will combust poorly if the pressures aren't high enough. The lower the pressure, the poorer the combustion and the more residue is left. The .45ACP is a low-pressure round to begin with, and loading it light is going to create issues. My experience is that Titegroup is particularly sensitive to this. Under "proper" pressures it actually burns quite cleanly (i.e. full power loads), but under low pressures it produced this thick gunk in the chamber that fouled the gun so much that it would no longer cycle after as few as 15-20 rounds. This was compared to say, W231, where under light loads it simply blew a lot of unburned powder out of the barrel and chamber, but didn't leave a lot of fouling.

So, if you are shooting "regular" loads Titegroup will be fine. It meters well and gives consistent results. If you want a powder for lighter loads, Hodgdon Clays (just Clays, not Universal Clays, not International Clays) is remarkably clean and is now my standard for bullseye (3.8 grains behind a 200 gr LSWC).
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Thanks for your input. All my equipment is on its way now, so I am about ready to get powder. You mention that Titegroup meters well. Is Clays a problem in a progressive loader? (Lee Pro 1000)
 
OK, which powder is clean then?
I use Titegroup myself for .45ACP, and yes I noticed the brass is bit dirty and try to use dishwasher as I write this to see how it cleans inside of the case.

Peter
 
I use Clays in my Dillon 550 all the time and have no issues with either bullseye or IPSC loads. It is now one of the most popular powders for bullseye shooting with the .45ACP in the US and Canada. I don't know if there are issues specific to the Lee 1000 that you are referring to, but it is certainly a perfectly acceptable powder in most progressive presses. Expect about +/- .5 grain.
 
Any of the flake powders, and certainly the clays line, are prone to bridge in the Lee Adjustable Charge Bar at low charge weights. Might be better in the round-holed disk system with moderate to large charge weights... why take the chance? It only takes one to ruin your day.
 
Titegroup is a medium burning powder in .45acp which is a low pressure round it doesn't burn clean. I use it only for the higher pressure loads like 40 and 9mm it works especially well with the 40
 
dan belisle said:
It is dirty, a dirty, dirty girl. Oh wait, what were we discussing? oops. - dan
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We were talking about your sister :p




Anyway, titegroup is much cleaner in higher pressure loads. This is one of the reasons why 'reduced loads' also usually move up to a faster-burning powder - keep pressures in the 'optimal' range.
 
EdGCNM said:
Another reason I'm glad I've got a Dillon!
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I walked into that one! Of course, for the pain of foregoing certain flake powders, I saved hundreds of dollars, and save more everytime I add a new calibre ;)

I'll be trying Titegroup in .357 and .38 shortly. Should be interesting to see how it works given the pressure differences between them.
 
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