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RevRich
03-03-2010, 04:07 PM
Help!!!

The other guys are giving me the hairy eyeball and all kinds of mean and nasty looks there at the indoor range. Yesterday, I noticed a barrel of feathers and a cauldron of hot tar, a rail was leaning against the wall.

It seems the angry mob is a little upset with the quality of my reloads. Whenever I fire my guns, a cloud of noxious smoke billows out of my lane obscuring the whole room. Coughing, wheezing and cursing can be heard up and down the line.
I need a new powder, one that doesn’t cause so much hate and discontent. I have been using Unique and 231. Both powders send a cloud of smoke out annoying all of the other shooters at the range. Unique is by far the worse but 231 is not much better. I reload 380, 45acp, and 9mm. I also reload 38sp and 357mag but I use trailboss for those and trailboss doesn't ssem to have the same smoking problem.

Our range allows only lead bullets due to our ancient backstop. All of the other shooters are using commercial reloads and I am the only one who loads my own so I can’t inquire as to what powder they use that does not send out a cloud of black smoke.

What powders, usefull in 380, 9 and 45, don’t have the smoking problem? Any help would be appreciated. I am afraid the tar and feathers won’t stay in their containers and I may be taking a violent ride on that rail if I can’t clean up my act. I don’t need splinters in my rear.

runfiverun
03-04-2010, 02:24 AM
titegroup, clays,or aa-#2,are fne in those pistols.
in the revolvers and pistols i like the titegroup in the target loads, up to medium power.
if you want hotter loads [which i doubt] 2400 is good in the revolvers.

versifier
03-04-2010, 03:17 AM
Or you could load black powder for a few revolver sessions. After that they'll be begging you to go back to UNQ and 231. :mrgreen:

IME UNQ burns cleaner in hotter loads, but I have never considered how much smoke it makes.

kg42
03-04-2010, 04:36 AM
Look at your lube first; is it soft, greasy (albeit that would show in the revolvers too) ......and efficient? If I remember, I had impressive clouds of smoke with bullets running out of Liquid Alox...

RevRich
03-04-2010, 06:19 PM
Thanks,
I have heard that AA powders are generally cleaner but I have not used them. I think I will try to find some Tightgroup. Shooting to me is relaxing, but not if I have to wear a hand brace after a day at the range. I prefer my target rounds to be on the light side.

I use Jakes Moly to lube all my boolits. It is a hard lube that requires a heater to flow. I don’t know if it is responsible for the smoking but I doubt it

runfiverun
03-06-2010, 04:19 AM
i doubt it also.
i have used his purple and it's allright.
but the two powders you mentioned are famous for smoke.
titegroup is superclose in burn rate to the 231 and i have heard it called the discontinued win 5 sumthin 73-72 i think powder.

spqrzilla
03-28-2010, 01:52 AM
Switching lube is more likely to address the smoke problem.