Do you feel that going to the trouble of weighing every pistol load is worth it? I could see that for long range or BR rifle shooting but not for handgun loads.

A lot of people seem to like Unique, but I only recently tried it and really didn't find very much that's "unique" about it. I find I use three handgun powders more than any others, Bullseye, 2400 and SR 4756. SR 4756 will do everything Unique will do and more, plus it will equal 2400 in a lot of applications. If I ever use up the Unique I have, I probably won't buy anymore.

Thanks for the info, Gun 4 Fun. My Classic DX is a 629-3, if that narrows things down any.

Ed

The 629-3 was only made in '91 & '92. They along with the 29-5 Classic DX's are the early ones I was talking about that had tight throats.

If you bought the gun new and have never had anything done to the throats, then it should have throats that will be .428", but if you aren't the original owner, try the following-

If you don't have plug gauges, you can check throats by very carefully using a set of calipers. They aren't as precise as plug gauges, but you should be able to get an idea. If not, see if a local gunsmith or gun shop has a set that they can use to check yours.

Generally, having the throats opened to .430" is about a $50 job at most gunsmith shops, but make sure you have a good one do it if you decide to have them opened. Opening the throats will reduce pressures, and it normally helps with any leading issues. It will generally make a gun more consistantly accurate with a wider variety of bullet types.

At the moment I'm using Clays for much of my reloading needs. Partly because I like it and partly becasue I have a lot of it on hand. I'm loading 12ga, .45 ACP, .38 Special and 9mm with Clays. If I wanted to I could also load .44 Special and .45 Colt with it as well. While it may not be the "best" it is quite a versatile powder and works just fine for my paper and steel shooting target loads. Since most Clays loads require only a small charge (3-4.5 grains) , it is a very economical powder that gets you a lot of ammo out of one jug.

If I was going to change, I would probably go with HP-38/ W231.

I use Titegroup for 9mm , .38 special. If use use lead bullets for the 9mm you may get alot of smoke, just reduce the load alittle. Or use a moly coated bullet, this works great no smoke great accuracy. Any bullet in .38 works fine depending on your load. Even .357 depending on bullet and load and target shooting velocitys. My 2 cents worth.

When Im loading MAX load I weigh every one. In fact I drop my charge a little lite and THEN use the powder trickler to bring it right up on the button.

I recently began handloading 38 spl and 45 ACP again after a nearly 30 year hiatus. I started with the powders I was most familiar with -- Bullseye and Unique -- and someone suggested I give Power Pistol a try even though it is advertised as being formulated for high pressure autoloader rounds like 9X19, 40 S&W and 357 Sig. Since I lost all my old records and had to work up new loads anyways I figured wotthehell, I'll get a pound and try it out

I was impressed. It feeds consistently from my Dillon 550, burns clean, I get consistent performance in 38 spl +P and 45 ACP and it seems to generate better velocities. I mostly use Berrys or Rainer plated bullets so I'm not creating barn burners with it.

From 1960 until recently, I was stuck in a Bullseye/2400 rut...because it works well and covers a broad range of handgun reloading needs. But there are Bullseye metering problems with older drum-type measures, like the Lyman #55. Unique is also excellent, much like Bullseye, but less troublesome.

Awhile back, I tried W231 and now prefer it over Bullseye. Yesterday, picking up a new 649-5, my FFL holder friend told me there is a strange problem with parties unknown apparently manipulating the availability of Winchester 231. He has not been able to obtain any for more than one year, and keeps getting what he considers questionable explanations and implausible excuses. One year! Maybe somebody here can shed light on this. Perhaps other powders are being promoted to replace it?

I hope W231 is available when I run low.

Keep your eye open for HP-38. It's the exact same powder as 231, and is usually cheaper.

Found two one-pounders of 231 this week at Cabela's in Illinois. Other stores, maybe?

Chuck

Okay. But that's what I do for defensive and max charge loads, though. The RCBS 1500 makes it a lot easier than in the old days.

I've tried a couple different powders for light bullet .357 & .45ACP. I always seem to come back to the Bullseye. I'm told it's dirty and a double charge is very doable, but I just seem to get my best results with it.

2400 for the Big Dog magnum loads.

Mark, 1 & 2 are kinda at odds with each other.

Unique is not perfect, but it will do more than any other one powder in handguns. It won't give quite as high velocities as magnum powders, or be as economical as some of the fast ones. You can load almost every handgun caliber with it from .32 s&w to .45 colt, and load the magnums to within 200fps of max. Universal seems to be an acceptable substitute that meters better, but seems to have more of a tendency to have pressure spikes.

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dd884
JMHO-YMMV

The really good part is... we don't have to try & do everything with one powder...

Why would ya?

without a doubt unique, i load 32 long 38sp. 44sp 45acp 45 colt. i use others but unique the most. it still gets the job done.

I load 9mm, 9mm Mak, .38 Spl., .38 Super, .357 mag, .41 mag, .44 mag and .45 ACP. The four powders that I have settled on are Bullseye, Unique, Blue Dot and 2400 for all of my pistol loads, probably 80% of them are Unique. I have some W296 that I am using up for .44 mag hunting loads, but when it is gone I will use the 2400. I recently purchased an unopened 8 lb. canister of old Unique from a friend who won it at a banquet years ago. I figure that will be my lifetime supply. It's a little bit dirty and smokey, but it is just so good and does fill up the larger casings better. I have never had any metering problems from my RCBS measure. I do think that the W231 metered better than Bullseye, but I will stick with it for target loads.

Yes, and this powder is the ideal solution for the original poster's question. It's slow enough to have broad application, but fast enough to work well in loads in all calibers from 25ACP to 45 Colt and the big-cased magnum pistols. It also meters extremely well as a medium-large-granuled ball powder. (Very fine ball powders, like the Accurate line tend to be so fine that they gum up and stick in some measures, like a Lyman 55 or RCBS.) W231 even gives MAX performance in most small-capacity cases from 25ACP through 380ACP, plus rounds like 9mm, 9mm MAK, 38 Spl. and 45ACP. Only rounds it's not a max-performance powder in (but still good-performance) would be the magnums, 40S&W and 10mm.

A third powder that is a near-twin ballisticly to HP38/W231 is Ramshot ZIP. I want to test this powder to see if it is less smokey with lead bullets than SMP231. (A large part of the smoke issue is the bullet lube, but there is an aspect of gunpowder involved as well. Changing powders won't eliminate the smoke, but it could cut it down.)

Well guys, I am the original poster. :-)

It's funny to read this because I just scored a 1 lb can and an 8 lb jug of HP-38 this week! I should be set for a good while. I also ended up with the same ( 1 lb and an 8 lb) of HS-6, and 3 lbs of H-110.

I load 9mm, 38, 357, 44 spc, 44 mag, and 45 auto. With these 3 powders I should be well covered for a long time. I have tried a number of other powders in these caliber, but these are what I have settled on.

Later,
Mark in GA

unique imr or h4227 bullseye and life is good............

Unique would hangup (jam the measuring disc) in my powder measure in a Lee 1000 progressive loader. It used a Lee disc type measure. I have not had any problems with it in any other powder throwing device.
If I had only one powder it would be Unique.

2400 and Bullseye work great for me. 2400 for .357 and Bullseye for .38sp., 9mm and .45 acp. Both powders meter great.

Unique
2400
Bullseye
IMR4227
Power Pistol

That would be my order of powders if I had to pick.

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SWCA 1646

The contents of my wallet haven't improved any but the OP didn't put price in his requirements.

Vihtavuori N350 has met all of those criteria for me. I have been very happy with it in everything from 9mm to .44 Magnum.

I think Power Pistol is the new Unique. It works very well in all the cartridges you listed, but is probably not optimal for 44 Magnum. You would need a magnum pistol powder for full power loads there.

If I could only have one powder in my inventory, I would choose Power Pistol.

Mike

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NRA Certified Pistol Inst.

I just recently started using Power Pistol (in the last year) and have been quite satisfied with it in .45 colt, .357, and .45acp.

BE-86 sure looks like a good one. I've been pleased with it so far.

I have some, but have yet to try it. I have heard some say it is similar to Power Pistol but with flash suppressant added. If it is all that... I will report back and update my favorite

Mike

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NRA Certified Pistol Inst.

Unique even shoots some rifle loads.

The metering problem I get around, I use a dipper. If it doesn't look filled right, I throw it back and do it again.

The 'Dirt' people talk about cleans up with a rag with a little solvent on it. No big deal.

Unique also goes into many other calibers as well as the ones specified.

There are some powders within the burning range of Unique but I haven't used them. I don't doubt they are good for the ranges stated.

And just because a powder doesn't show in a book, doesn't mean it won't work. It usually means that other powders work some better.

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"He was kinda funny lookin'"

I have used a bunch of Unique over the years, How ever I switched to Universal Clays , It burns cleaner, meters better , and is more accurate in my guns and loads. Some say it taste better Too.

Good that you mentioned that. Well said.

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Not so Free in the Free State

Unique fills the case well, but doesn't meter well.
W231/HP38 meters well, but doesn't fill the case well.
Your choice, no powder will do it all...

If you use anything faster than Unique, you are severely limiting your magnum calibers. Anything slower than AA#7, you aren't going to get much use of in 45acp & 38sp. So any medium burner from Unique up thru AA#7 will do for all those calibers. If you don't like the way Unique meters, get some WSF. Load data is almost identical & it meters like any spherical powder. I load for all the handgun caliber but 454 & 500 mags & would be fine with Unique or equiv, but life is too short for ugly women & one powder.

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NRA Cert. Inst. IDPA CSO

I will give another vote for N340. Great powder, very versatile, burns clean, fills case, and measures well. A close second would be Vectan Ba9, about the same burn rate as Unique. It is the cleanest burning powder I have found.

How about longshot? When I couldn't buy bullseye I tried power pistol, auto comp and longshot.

LS is a bit slow for the low vel stuff, like PP, works best at higher vel/pressures.

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NRA Cert. Inst. IDPA CSO

Another vote for Unique. So versatile.

Unique and 231 are the two most universal powders I have ever used. They cover everything I need for the handgun calibers I load. If I had to choose one....
Unique would be the one.

OP listed 44mag as one caliber in the mix. So faster powders like W231 or even slower Unique will leave one lacking if they shoot a magnum. Really hard to get one powder to cover everything well from 380 thru 44mag. There will be huge compromises. I could do it all with a medium burner but once into the magnums, you will need two powder from opp ends of the burn rate chart.

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NRA Cert. Inst. IDPA CSO

When I was young(er) and dumb(er), I had the notion that a guy could get along really well with one handgun, one shotgun and one rifle. Over 60 guns later, I'm seeing the error in my thinking.

The same applies to gunpowder. Including five black powder substitutes, I have 47 different flavors on hand for handguns and rifles. One powder might work in all cartridges but it wouldn't do it well. It's kind of like the old automotive technician's saying about "universal" parts - fits everything half-assed and nothing right.

Ed

For light to medium loads in almost all of those calibers and heavy loads in 9mm Hodgen CFE (pistol). meters like a dream, fairly bulky, cool burning, and the cleanest pistol powder I have ever shot. Almost everything unique is not.

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Can my S&W Mdl 10 shoot +P

1. Unique 2. Unique 3. Unique, followed by Bullseye, 2400, Blue Dot etc.

I have never used Blue Dot but totally agree with Ole Joe Clark on the other three.

I love my Alliant, and use a fair bit of all of them, but.
BE86 does 98% of what all of these do in one powder.
But what do I know?
Everybody Clammers for the Bullseye, Unique's etc while in stock, and Recobs has had the best powder in stock(BE86) for over a month, and everyone just cruises right past it.
BE86 will do whatever Bullseye, Unique, Power Pistol, most of Bluedot, and sneaks up on 2400, but because its fairly new, people are scared of it. Use it, and don't turn back.

CFE Pistol for me. All the good attributes of Unique without the drawbacks.

After all the years I've been reloading, since 1970, and speaking of (mostly handgun loads).... Bullseye and Unique with 2400 for top 44 mag loads. But mostly I load light target loads and mostly with Bullseye. I know, it's over 100 years old, but I still love it. Some of the guns I shoot are 100 years old too!!!

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SWCA 3084, SWHF 495, PGCA 3064

If I had to pick one powder for a range of common handgun calibers it would be a medium burning pistol powder such as Unique, Universal Clays, WSF, etc. For several years now my favorite powder in that category is WSF. It meters well and is pretty clean burning. 5gr in a 9mm, 5.5gr in a .40 and 6gr in my .45acp.

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Cliff
CCSO, FPD ret, USN ret.

I used Unique for 12 years doing 45 Colt cowboy loads and 45ACP plated bullets. It metered fairly well thru my powder measure. If it needed it I just trickled a grain or two to bring it up to full load. I was using a Lee Classic Turret press and checked each load as I went.

I'm just getting back into reloading after a 15 year break. I have 6 new powders to try and found 2lbs of Unique that I had packed away 15 years ago. So I'll be having some fun developing some new loads for my 2 new Ruger 45ACP/45 Colt revolvers. I have a new Blackhawk 45ACP/45 Colt convertible and a new Redhawk 45ACP/45 Colt revolver.

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gunfighter48
NRA Life Member

Gotta be Unique. You can load just about anything with it, including shotgun and light rifle loads. May not be the best for a specific application, but it will work.

A buddy of mine who got out of handloading and IPSA shooting many years ago gave me 2 almost full kegs of both Unique and WST . The Unique is an awesome versatile powder, however like many have stated it's very metering unfriendly as it's a flake type powder. Unique meters HORRIBLY inaccurate through my LEE Pro Auto Disc powder thrower. Unique seems to flow better through my RCBS drum much better. I find myself using the WST much more as it's a ball powder, and while it may be a tad fast for some calibers, it's working extremely well for my .40 S&W, and my mild 255gr hard cast "cowboy loads" for my 460 S&W mag. And again the WST was free...