Titegroup Replacement

[Sniffer]

To date I have used Titegroup exclusively for 9mm and I am almost out.

I have found a load thats works well in my gun and would consider just buying more Titegroup but as it is a flake type powder it is easy to spill out of the case when loading (if I pull the handle too aggressively a flake or two seem to spill out from the inertia). Not a massive deal but its got me wondering of there are any better alternatives out there.

A quick search suggests Winchester 231 or Vihtavuori N320. Are these good bets for 9mm?

I think Winchester 231 is ball powder but some say it is dirty. Vihtavuori N320 by contrast has a lot of reviews saying how clean it is. I think it is a stick style powder so I wonder if it meters well? It does seems quite a bit more pricey than Titegroup too.

If anyone has used Winchester 231 or Vihtavuori N320 I` like to hear your opinions. If it make a difference my current Titegroup load is 3.3grs with a 147gr bullet.

 

[OkayShooter]

I don't find W231 that dirty.

 

[Evanguy]

Win231 with the 9mm is great. I personally really like tight group though. I have both in my cupboard

 

[Paul_T]

As long as you are not competing with it W231/HP38 is a very good powder for 9mm.

FYI HP38 is the same powder under a different brand and can usually be found cheaper than W231. Hodgdon makes the HP38 and packages it as W231 for Winchester....

I use either for 9 and 45ACP. Load it light and it will be dirty. Otherwise I don't find it bad at all.

 

[Sniffer]

As long as you are not competing with it W231/HP38 is a very good powder for 9mm.

I use it for 9 and 45ACP

Why's that?

I do plan to compete with it

 

[Paul_T]

Why's that?

I do plan to compete with it

Can be hard to make PF (depends on your bullet type and weight)

 

[Sniffer]

Can be hard to make PF (depends on your bullet type and weight)

Good to know. So I assume this means that even at the maximum published loads PF isn't achievable? Bullet is 147gr Campro.

No such issues with Titegroup.

 

[Paul_T]

Looking at Lyman 50th a 147 TMJ at max 4.1gr 231 is 957fps

That gets you to minor in Open, Standard and Modified but not Semi Open or Semi Standard

I'd chrono my loads to be sure.

Using this calc https://www.jbmballistics.com/cgi-bin/jbmpf-5.1.cgi

 

[carsmovies]

N320 is the best but not cheap.

 

[Ganderite]

N320 is clean and meters very well. It is a fast powder, like TightGroup.

231 is a bit slower, meters very well and gets about 50fps more velocity than TiteGroup.

231 should make PF for you.

if you need more power, PowerPistol and 3N37 are excellent. (And meter perfectly)

 

[Sniffer]

N320 is clean and meters very well. It is a fast powder, like TightGroup.

231 is a bit slower, meters very well and gets about 50fps more velocity than TiteGroup.

231 should make PF for you.

if you need more power, PowerPistol and 3N37 are excellent. (And meter perfectly)

I can get 3N37 and N320 for the same price. If N320 is like Titegroup then it'll work well for my gun / load.

So are they ball powders?

 

[adamg]

I'm a little dubious of your implication that other powders, basically all of which will require more powder to make the same velocity, are somehow going to spill less in your press. Can you explain the rationale here?

 

[Ganderite]

I can get 3N37 and N320 for the same price. If N320 is like Titegroup then it'll work well for my gun / load.

So are they ball powders?

I use N320 for my accuracy loads in 9mm. 3.4gr. No idea of the velocity, but accurate in a number of my 9mm pistols.

I use 3N37 for jacketed bullets at high velocity. Different powders for different things.

 

[Sniffer]

I'm a little dubious of your implication that other powders, basically all of which will require more powder to make the same velocity, are somehow going to spill less in your press. Can you explain the rationale here?

My logic is that the Titegroup flakes are extremely light and a stick or ball powder will be more dense and less susceptible.

To be fair this phenomenon isn't horrible and has caused zero issues but my OCD would like to experiment to see if there are better offerings out there.

I also like the sound of how clean the Vihtavuori powders run.

 

[Sniffer]

I use N320 for my accuracy loads in 9mm. 3.4gr. No idea of the velocity, but accurate in a number of my 9mm pistols.

I use 3N37 for jacketed bullets at high velocity. Different powders for different things.

Sounds like N320 is what I desire. Is it ball? Or stick?

 

[Pr589]

Sounds like N320 is what I desire. Is it ball? Or stick?

N320 is a short stick powder. It meters very well and for min PF loads in 9 mm it burns very clean.

 

[snooker]

What press do you have?

 

[VanMan]

I switched from Titegroup to N320 and found it meters very accurately and burns very clean. My loads are 3.4gr under a 147gr Campro, and 4.1gr under a 124gr Campro. Both are 131-132 PF.

Another benefit of N320 is that it's much less dense than Titegroup, so it's much easier to spot a double charge. In the pic below is a single and double charge of N320, and a single, double, and triple charge of Titegroup.

 

[Sniffer]

What press do you have?

Dillon 650

 

[Sniffer]

I switched from Titegroup to N320 and found it meters very accurately and burns very clean. My loads are 3.4gr under a 147gr Campro, and 4.1gr under a 124gr Campro. Both are 131-132 PF.

Another benefit of N320 is that it's much less dense than Titegroup, so it's much easier to spot a double charge. In the pic below is a single and double charge of N320, and a single, double, and triple charge of Titegroup.
View attachment 341505

Thats an advantage for sure!