Shooters will appreciate Alliant’s Reloder 26 smokeless magnum rifle powder, which is specifically designed for magnum cartridges. Its EI technology produces extremely high velocities, and the shape and form of the powder allows for high-density loading so that cartridges can be loaded with larger charges of powder. The formula is also stabilized across temperature extremes and includes a de-coppering agent. It does not contain dinitrotoluene (DNT) or dibutyl phthalate (DBP), which slow burn rates. (http://www.alliantpowder.com; 800-379-1732)
For handgun reloading, Accurate No. 2 is specifically designed for use in shorter barrels to meet the needs of concealed carry and self-defense with a muzzle flash and recoil reducing formulation. This is a very fast burning spherical powder with a double base for reliable ignition, which will meet the needs of reloaders over a wide range of caliber options. The result is a great powder that will meet your needs.(http://www.accuratepowder.com; 406-234-0422)
Accurate 5744 powder has a very high burn rate and is ideal for a very wide range of calibers. The extruded double-base powder offers a high level of consistency for reliability and excellent ignition. This powder’s low-density formula allows reloaders to produce reduced loads for lower recoil if desired, and it is an excellent stand-in for large-capacity blackpowder cartridges like the .45-70 Government and larger.(http://www.accuratepowder.com; 406-234-0422)
Shotshell reloading is popular due to the high volume of skeet, trap and sporting clays shooting out there as well as the straightforward ease of the process. Accurate’s Nitro 100 New Formulation (NF) is specifically designed for 12-gauge reloaders and uses a flattened spherical-shaped, double- base powder with an improved flow for easier reloading and better ignition characteristics for optimized reliability.(http://www.accuratepowder.com; 406-234-0422)
For rifle-shooters, Alliant offers its Reloder 23 smokeless magnum rifle powder specifically designed for maximum accuracy results with superior consistency lot to lot. What sets this powder apart is the TZ technology, which chemically controls the powder burn to compensate for the tendency to generate higher pressure when the temperature rises and lower pressure when it is cold outside. (http://www.alliantpowder.com; 800-379-1732)
Hodgdon has developed a new powder formula specifically designed to defeat copper fouling in barrels. The company’s Copper Fouling Eraser (CFE) was originally developed for the U.S. military and is now available to civilian rifle reloaders in CFE 223. The spherical-shaped powder also allows for extremely accurate metering of your loads, producing outstanding shot-to-shot consistency and improved velocity. (http://www.hodgdon.com; 913-362-9455)
Hodgdon’s CFE Pistol powder has the same copper-fouling-fighting features of the CFE 223 powder but adds flash reduction, a desirable trait for self-defense and low-light shooting situations. Hodgdon’s CFE Pistol powder is designed for a wide array for pistol calibers and loads, but is optimized for popular defensive and competition cartridges, such as the 9mm Luger, .38 Super, .40 S&W and .45 ACP. (http://www.hodgdon.com; 913-362-9455)
Improved Military Rifle (IMR) is part of Hodgdon but makes its own line of reloading powders with Enduron Technology. This process starts with an extruded powder that uses small-sized grains for easier and more accurate loading and features a copper-fouling eliminator as well as resistance to temperature extremes. It is available in three new rifle loadings. The IMR 4166 is ideal for 7.62mm/.308 Winchester loads and offers match-grade performance. IMR 4451 is designed with a mid-range burn speed most commonly found in established cartridges, such as the .30-06 and .270 Winchester. Finally, IMR 7977 has the slowest burn rate of the three and is designed for magnum cartridges, such as the .300 Winchester Magnum, 7mm Remington Magnum and .338 Lapua. (http://www.imrpowder.com; 913-362-9455)
Tactical training and competitions like 3-Gun matches have really increased demand for .223 Remington rifle ammunition, making it much more cost effective to reload in large quantities. Winchester’s 748 powder is specially formulated for the .223 Remington round and delivers high velocities with a low flame temperature mixture that extends barrel life, something high-volume shooters are sure to appreciate. For high-speed pistol competition shooters, Winchester’s AutoComp powder is designed to optimize performance in pistols with compensators for faster cycling. The formula also reduces muzzle flash and works best in .38 Super, 9mm, .45 ACP and .40 S&W. (http://www.wwpowder.com; 913-362-9455)
At its most basic level, reloading is simply putting powder, primer and ball back into a cartridge case, and while all of the components are necessary, powder is arguably one of the most important. It is also the one of the steps in the process that, if you mess up, you won’t find out until it’s too late. Too much powder or the wrong kind can lead to overpressure; forget the powder entirely and you have a squib load. Either way, the results can be very bad. Modern reloading powders have been fine-tuned to give shooters exacting performance and can be tailored to produce lower recoil, higher velocities and less muzzle flash. They can also be specific to rifles, pistols or shotguns, so choose wisely and follow the loading manuals.
