New Reloader Question

Folks,

I finally convinced my better half that I will not blow up the house, if I start reloading. I know that it is not a great time to get into reloading due to scarcity of equipment and components. However, I am taking the plunge.
I have ordered a Lee-based setup and am now trying to figure out where and how to get bullets, powder and primers.
I know that the following load has performed very well for me:

Zero Lead Semiwadcutter Hollow point bullets 185Gr
3.8 Gr of Bullseye Powder
.918"-.915" from the base of the case to the shoulder
.465" crimp diameter

I don't seem to be able to find Bullseye Powder anywhere in stock. However, I see that Brownells has the following powders that I can purchase:
Hodgdon TiteGroup
Winchester 231
VihtaVuori N310

My question is: can I use any of the above three powders as a substitute for Bullseye? If so, what should be the weight of the charge to be the equivalent of 3.8Gr of Bullseye?

I will be calling Zero to see if I can get the bullets - none shown on the website but I know that you need to call them to get the current availability.
If I can't get bullets from Zero, I think that I can order the bullets from Brazos. Can you tell me which Brazos bullets will give me some sort of equivalency to the load above.

I am not out to spend my spare time discovering the next great load - I would much rather load what I know shoots well and spend my spare time dry firing. But since the components are so scarce, I am asking these questions to explore the art of the possible.

The bigggest challenge appear to be the large pistol primers. So far I can only see them for ridiculous prices on Gunbroker. But I will be looking online and at my local stores...

Wish me luck!

I know for sure that N310 would work.  Range of charges would be from 3.9 to 4.2 grains, but you'll need to test with your pistol.  For that matter I ordered 8 lbs of N310 from Midway USA today, and posted availability here on the forum.

AP

Thanks, Alex. This helps a lot. I will order N310 then.

Good luck! Definitely a tough time to start out. But you already got the nod from your wife. Sometimes that's the hardest part haha. If you find some Winchester lpp I'll trade you some BE and Zeros haha. Hard to get everything right now. Crazy times.

All 3 powders will work, but I would definitely choose N310 over the other two. 4grs N310 is the classic load. A little more or less might work better in your guns.

Titegroup is a classic bullseye powder and there are a lot of loads for it, but it is very dense so it is more suited to higher power loads. The light loads we use barely fill 1/4 of the case. Powder position in the case can significantly affect velocity (though not a lot on target even at 50 yards). Double or even triple loads are possible without over-flowing the case. It is dirtier than N310.

W231 is another old-school classic powder that has largely been replaced with other powders. FWIW I could never get it to work as well as Bullseye, N310 or WST, but lots of people have used it for decades with success. It is also dirtier than N310.

Your starting load info looks good. Many people have been using less crimp in the last decade or two. I doubt that heavy of a crimp will hurt much, but many people just straighten the case or put a slight crimp of 0.001". I tested crimps once and didn't see a difference in accuracy.

Steve, thanks a lot for a detailed answer. You have given me more confidence.

Best Regards,
Oleg.

N310 is a good choice. Meters well, clean burning, great powder for 45 and 32. Only issue is that it is somewhat temperature or climate sensitive. You might need one or two tenths of a grain more in winter/spring.

Brazos make great bullets and are very, very good value. I really like the 160lswc hi tec. Great for the short line over 3.8 N310. My primary training recipe this past summer, about 5000 rounds, all good in my SARO. But some 1911's don't like those short stubby bullets. I strongly suggest buying a Brazos sample pack. If your gun likes the 160's, perfect, cheapest and best ever short line load. Try some 180lswc and 200lswc too. See what works best with your gun. Then order a good stash.

PhotoEscape wrote:I know for sure that N310 would work.  Range of charges would be from 3.9 to 4.2 grains, but you'll need to test with your pistol.  For that matter I ordered 8 lbs of N310 from Midway USA today, and posted availability here on the forum.

AP

+1 for VV N310!

Val

And if you find primers anywhere, let me know! 

Val

Will do, Val!

I will be calling Zero to see if I can get the bullets - none shown on the website but I know that you need to call them to get the current availability.
If I can't get bullets from Zero, I think that I can order the bullets from Brazos. Can you tell me which Brazos bullets will give me some sort of equivalency to the load above.

Brazos 185s will work just fine for you. Their 160s are excellent also but may not be the best to start with until you have a little more experience. 
Cast will likely not have as soft of felt recoil to you like the swaged from Zero/Rose but it is not that big of difference IMHO.   The big upside to using Brazos bullets is they are as accurate as the Zero bullets but you have no lube mess to deal with.