OK........Tell me how you really feel.
On this we will have to agree.......to disagree, respectfully, as my perspective is different.
Seriously though, I think you may have read into my post more than what was actually there. I did not mean to infer that Winchesters loading practices were substandard or less safe. As for surplus powder, that does not mean OLD powder. Surplus is what's left over when all main orders and Cannister sales have been made for a given time period. It is typically Auctioned Powder from Primex, but sometimes production. W231 does not enjoy the sales that it used to command these days and it is cheaper to make than some of the better/newer ball powders. Cleanliness is a matter of perspective, and to me, it's dirtier than it should be. Your experience may differ, depending upon your loads. I used it for a time in my .45 reloads and abandoned it for reasons of excessive muzzle flash for an even dirtier powder at the time, Alliant Red Dot, as I was also using it to feed my 12 guage trap loads. The newer production Red Dot is much improved as far as cleanliness. Another problem W231 has is excessive cold temp sensitivity.
I do like Winchester components for my reloading, such as their primers, brass, and bullets. For Winchester Powders I use WST, W748, and W760. I use other makes of powder I find suitable, as well.
You can usually tell what powder you have in WinUSA Ammo, by it's flash signature or by pulling a bullet and looking at the color of the ball powder, and it looks and behaves as W231, most of the time.
I've also had the experience of picking .40 S&W ammo out of WinUSA bulk packed .45 ACP and .380 ACP, .32 ACP out of WinUSA bulk 9mm, so it does bear some watching! Quality seems to vary from lot to lot. I've bought it and have no trouble buying it, for the Brass and when I've run out of time to Reload. I also like CCI Blazer Brass loadings, but am wondering about the quality of the CCI Blazer brass for reloading. I've used some of the CCI Blazer Brass for .45's without problems so far, but only 2 loadings so far. Winchester Brass has usually been of good quality and I'm hoping it stays that way!