I don't think you can go wrong using WW231 (aka HP38, Hodgdon says they are the same powder these days) and the coated lead bullets from Missouri Bullets Co., or Acme Bullets. I use 231 in everything from .380 to 44 mag, with bullets from wad cutters to 250 gr Keith bullets in the .44. It's fairly clean, especially when compared to Bullseye, Red Dot or Unique, and covers everything from super lite loads in 38 Special and .44 Specia to relatively heavy loads in .357 Mag and .44 Mag. I have been using the lightest loads in 38 Special and .44 Special, in the magnum cases, for well over 30 years without any problems. The case volume difference simply isn't enough to make a difference. On the light loads I use a taper crimp while heavy loads get a roll crimp.
I currently load .380 ACP, 32 ACP, 32-20, 9mm, 38 Special, 357 magnum, 44 Special, 44 mag, .45. ACP and 10mm, with a few .45 Colt tossed in for a friend using 231.
It's not the best for really heavy jacketed bullets and you'll never get maximum velocity loads out of it due to pressure but you can go from mild to wild enough to impress new shooters using it! Hard to beat as an all around powder.
For example, I load a 190 gr full wadcutter in .44 magnum cases (I no longer even own any .44 Special brass!) with as little as 5.5 gr of 231, up to 11.0 gr for the fastest wadcutter I can get. The 240 lead bullet can be loaded down to 4.9 gr. These rounds go off like popcorn farts yet can be amazingly accurate out of some pistols. These are .44 Special loads but loaded in .44 mag cases. Again, I've never had any problems shooting thousands of these rounds over the years. They are great for kids or adults that really want to shoot the big .44 but that aren't likely able to manage the recoil of a magnum round. Of course, you can also work up loads with jacketed rounds that can make the average shooters world spin, too! For that, I like Sierra 180 gr jacketed bullets loaded with up to 13.0 grains of 231 (Lyman #48). With 240 gr jacketed I usually stick with a max of 11.0 grains. These boom and roar enough to impress new shooters, although to impress an old hand, you'll need to go with either H110 or 296, which Hodgdon now says are the same powder. They may be, but some manuals still give different min & max numbers for each one, which could be variations in different lot numbers. If you're going to load anything to max velocities, ALWAYS work up carefully to a maximum load, no matter what powder you use.
If you change lots of powder, the load has to be confirmed (usually by chronograph) to give the same velocities and pressures. Care and common sense must prevail or you can hurt your gun and possibly yourself... or maybe an innocent bystander!
Cheers,
crkckr
memtb
