HP-38 ???

I have been reloading for about 10 years now, fairly regularly. Last time I was at the store buying gun powder, I bought some HP-38. Normally I like HS-6 or H110 for handgun calibers, like 38 and 327 etc. And Unique for 45 Colt.

But none of my books seem to list HP38 for these. For example 41 Magnum, which I'm loading right now. I had to go online to the Hodgdon Reloading site to find HP38 loads for the 41.

Is it not a popular powder? Or favorite powder?

I have my notes from past reloads, 7.6 grains in HP-38 is accurate in my Blackhawk, but it just seems odd.

I guess I need to go buy another reloading manual (Yes, I already have 4.)

HP-38 is my favorite for .38 Special.

Thanks!
Yes, I do remember reading about the HP-38 and Win231 being the same, I had forgotten about it though.

I'll look up Linebaugh's article as well.

The only difference between HP38 & W231 is the price, HP38 is almost always a bit cheaper. They are exactly the same powder & come out of the same spout & into a different can. Great powder in a lot of different calibers. And as mentioned HS6 works great in many also. I like it in my Ruger 480 among others.

Dick

sixshot said:

The only difference between HP38 & W231 is the price, HP38 is almost always a bit cheaper. They are exactly the same powder & come out of the same spout & into a different can. Great powder in a lot of different calibers. And as mentioned HS6 works great in many also. I like it in my Ruger 480 among others.

Dick

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We always have to keep in mind that Hodgdon is a packager, not a manufacturer of powder.

Hodgdon pays a royalty to use the WIN231 product name and that's what makes it more expensive than the identical powder, HP38. You can see the two products sharing the same batch number at times.

Why is Hodgdon still supplying WIN231? Because there are folks who swear by it and would never use HP38. And maybe because they're afraid someone else would pick up the license on the product name

So ... why don't they just put both names on the bottle HP-38/W-231 . Then we wouldn't keep having these conversations! FWIW, the powder does work fine with .38s, .44s, and .45s.

Rclark said:

FWIW, the powder does work fine with .38s, .44s, and .45s.

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Yes it does. And 9mm. Great for moderate pressure loads, too fast for the big magnums.

Rclark said:

So ... why don't they just put both names on the bottle HP-38/W-231 . Then we wouldn't keep having these conversations! FWIW, the powder does work fine with .38s, .44s, and .45s.

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And more than double the royalties lol?

Eventually people may stop paying more by buying WIN231. Until then, whatever they buy yields Hodgdon the same profit.

"So ... why don't they just put both names on the bottle HP-38/W-231"

For pretty much the same reason you can't buy a Chevy-Buick, a Dodge-Chrysler or a Honda-Acura automobile. Producers have long taken advantage of brand names and the ability to sell the same stuff at inflated prices for those who need bragging rights. lol

Anybody want to buy a nice 1873 Miroku lever action rifle? Or would you rather own a Winchester? - lol

FWIW and just a thought; if your manuals don;t have HP 38 data, perhaps you should purchase other manuals. Also some powders are not "appropriate" for some calibers and the labs don't bother testing such powder/caliber combinations...

I only have my Lyman 49th on my desk and it lists HP 38 for 45 ACP, which is appropriate, but not for 44 Magnum, which HP 38 is not recommended (too fast for a normal Magnum reload)...

But if you are like me, I don't shoot magnum loads very often in my .44 Magnum revolvers (been there ... done that...) ... W-231 works just fine for 1000fps loads. One of the best things about reloading is you can shoot mild to wild (up to SAAMI that is) in whatever cartridge you may be reloading. Whatever turns one's wheels .

Well , the 41s that I`ve loaded for is 2 a contender barrel & a Blackhawk & both liked the gas to the floor!

As mentioned hp-38 is a fast powder , comparable to clays which I have a lot of experience with hp-38 is a couple of notches slower soooo

GP100man.

I was blissfully unaware that HP-38 was not ideal in .44 magnum. I've used it for some time to put together moderate loads in that caliber. With good results.

Well, I'm going to swim upstream and say I've never been much impressed with HP38. I've used it for 9mm and .38 and just never could warm up to it. I moved on to Universal and never looked back. For cast or coated, Trail Boss is my go to.

Maybe I just never had the right combo for HP38.

I just finished testing some .45 Colt starting level 200 gr. cast bullet loads
Using HP-38 and Hodgdons data. 200 gr. Lee RNFP over 5.9 HP-38 , WLP
Primer. A very accurate soft shooting but DIRTY load. This is a very good load for use in my Uberti 1858 Remington with Howell conversion cylinder.