"Flaming dirt" ?? Unique......

[ArchAngelCD]

While I know Unique has a very loyal following I use W231 instead. I just can't deal with the dirt all over everything including my hands with Unique. I know I can clean it off after I shoot buy why make things harder when I feel W231, W244 or W572 will do just as good a job without all the soot?

 

[mtgianni]

Unique can be dirty but fortunately I know how to clean a gun.

 

[rockquarry]

Lots of varied opinions here. I've yet to find a powder that left any handgun in immaculate condition after firing and required no cleaning. After more than fifty years of shooting mostly cast bullets (but some jacketed too) in a variety of handguns, I've found it takes the same amount of effort to clean a gun that's just a little dirty as it does to clean one that's real dirty.

We have these days a group of shooters extra sensitive to "dirt" and can't abide smudged fingertips, but if a load shoots well, I find the alleged "dirt" nemesis becomes pretty secondary.

 

[mikld]

BTW; every range I frequented in So. CA had restrooms with soap and water, and now when I shoot at the local "range" (a wide spot 10 miles out of town in the hills), I bring water and paper towels and rags. Another good item to take to the range is a jug of sanitary wipes. Since the covid mess I now keep a jug of wipes in my shop and in my range bag, cleans up my hands well after reloading or shooting...

If you wanna stay clean, take up knitting...

 

[ironhead7544]

I like Unique because I can generally come up with a good practice cast bullet load for rifles and handguns. That is what I shoot mostly.

It does have a fine residue but never had a gun so badly fouled that it would not function.

Unique has a "sweet" spot where accuracy is best IME. Use the start load and work up slowly.

I recently picked up a S&W M69 2.75" and was not surprised that the Skeeter load worked great in 44 Special cases. John Taffin has a preferred Unique load in 44 Magnum case with the Keith bullet that I am going to try next time at the range.

I also use Unique for various 9mm, 38 Special and 357 Magnum loads.

I could try to figure out loads for other powders, but I would rather be shooting.

 

[rosewood]

Recently loaded up some 125 HP cast boolits and some 158 SWC in 38 special. Used HP38 in both and the 125s were lighter loads than the 158s. The 158s smoked almost as bad as black powder and put a nice coating on the outside of the barrel. The 125s barely smoked at all.

I am guessing the smoke was the lube on the 158s.

Rosewood

 

[CH4]

I like Unique in 45 Colt and several other cartridges. It does burn dirty if not loaded to mid/max loads. Regardless of powder used, I still have to clean my guns.

 

[Dfish1247]

I use 240gr fn plated for the weeny loads in 44, didn’t start having much accuracy until I hit 7.7gr of unique and up. Any load under 9gr leaves the gun looking smoked, cleans up easily though and doesn’t jam the action. I use magnum brass as well.

10gr has some kick, but it’s clean and out of my 629 6”, hits bottle caps at 50yds, 8-9.5gr is a golf ball at 50yds.

If you like variety, Winchester 244 is a darn good substitute, I get same accuracy, nowhere near as dirty. Loads are a smidge different, but in the same ballpark.

 

[Mike SC Hunter]

Lots of varied opinions here. I've yet to find a powder that left any handgun in immaculate condition after firing and required no cleaning. After more than fifty years of shooting mostly cast bullets (but some jacketed too) in a variety of handguns, I've found it takes the same amount of effort to clean a gun that's just a little dirty as it does to clean one that's real dirty.

We have these days a group of shooters extra sensitive to "dirt" and can't abide smudged fingertips, but if a load shoots well, the alleged "dirt" nemesis becomes pretty secondary.

And are obsessed with scrubbing off the burn rings that are on the front of the cylinder.........That come back the very next time you pill the trigger......Life's too short to be obsessed with such trivial stuff.

 

[bmcgilvray]

I still like Unique so well for non-magnum revolver and auto pistol cartridge applications that I even put it on my corn flakes in the morning, yum!

I care not if it's dirty. I clean the guns after each use anyway. I feel that I know my way around Unique's "unique" characteristics. Unique gives me perfect satisfaction in a wide range of loads if used in medium to heavy charge weight applications. It's kind of dishwater if loaded to minimum charges in my experience with large extreme spreads and incomplete burning. It cleans right up if pressures are a little higher.

It's great at "half-throttle" in old revolver cartridges, low velocity rifle loads in old guns such as .32-20, 38-40, and 44-40, can build up a decently useful head of steam when used at full throttle charge weights in the Magnum revolvers, serves for shotgun loading and can even make good gallery loads in bottle-neck rifle cartridges.

If there hadn't always been Unique then someone would have had to invent it.

 

[TheHobbyist]

+1 for burning dirt.

 

[zeke]

If you are actually shooting your pistols, you and the pistols are gonna get dirty. Use a lot of unique, and it needs to be up to pressure to shoot cleaner. While alot of people use it for cast loads, it also does very well with jacketed. Some don't like it because it may not be as consistently thrown through some powder measures. They get caught up with statistical calculations for the weight being thrown, without applying the same measure to velocity/accuracy of the actual load.

 

[sbrmike]

I have used Unique for years with cast bullets in my 38's and 357 Magnums. It smokes a bit but most of that is the lube.

The dirtiest powder I ever used was older factory loaded Dynamit -Nobel 38 Special Geco brand. By far the dirtiest powder I ever saw!

 

[brucev]

I like Unique! It works well with my revolvers and it works well with my rifles using cast bullets. I've used Sketter Skelton's load of 5.0 gr. under a standard 158 gr. cast lead bullet since about 1980. Wonderfully accurate in my guns with more than enough power for typical shooting. Load 8-9 gr. in a .30-06 w/ a 165 gr. bevel-base flat nosed .309 bullet and you'll typically get one hole groups at 25 yds. and under 2 inches ... at 100 yds. I have won with this load firing vintage military rifle matches. It is an excellent small game load. Guess I'm just partial to it b/c it was the first powder I ever used for reloading handguns ... .38 Special loads in a six inch 28-2. Have used others, but just keep coming back to Unique. Sincerely. bruce.

 

[glenwolde]

I don't like Unique. I like Hodgdon's Universal. Close to the same burn rate, cleaner, meters better, and I find it every bit as versatile and accurate as Unique. It's really wonderful in lighter .41 Magnum loads.

 

[Muley Gil]

I still like Unique so well for non-magnum revolver and auto pistol cartridge applications that I even put it on my corn flakes in the morning, yum!

I care not if it's dirty. I clean the guns after each use anyway. I feel that I know my way around Unique's "unique" characteristics. Unique gives me perfect satisfaction in a wide range of loads if used in medium to heavy charge weight applications. It's kind of dishwater if loaded to minimum charges in my experience with large extreme spreads and incomplete burning. It cleans right up if pressures are a little higher.

It's great at "half-throttle" in old revolver cartridges, low velocity rifle loads in old guns such as .32-20, 38-40, and 44-40, can build up a decently useful head of steam when used at full throttle charge weights in the Magnum revolvers, serves for shotgun loading and can even make good gallery loads in bottle-neck rifle cartridges.

If there hadn't always been Unique then someone would have had to invent it.

A late friend of mine told me that his granddaddy would, instead using black pepper, sprinkle black powder on his eggs.

 

[ArchAngelCD]

Unique can be dirty but fortunately I know how to clean a gun.

Some people could take offense to that statement. It's like saying anyone who doesn't like the soot generated by Unique don't know how to clean a gun. After your post a whole bunch of posts piled on.

For me, I don't like the dirt and soot because in a long match there is a possibility the soot can gum up the works of a revolver or a semi-auto pistol. In the revolver it can make extraction difficult and other problems too. Losing time when there is an alternative is not a good idea IMO. It's not just the cleaning....

 

[gwpercle]

You don't want to shoot that old , nasty , dirty Unique powder ...
it will just dirty up your gun .
I have started a free service to properly dispose of that dirty old Unique ...
Send it to me and I will see that it is "properly disposed" ... Free of Charge.
Just PM me for my mailing address .

Gary ... the Disposer

 

[Skeet 028]

As for me I really like Unique. No it doesn't throw powder charges like a ball powder..sometimes a little dirty esp in lighter loadings. But it is named perfectly. It is Unique. As stated it works well in so many instances. I have used a lot of pounds...mostly in shotguns...20 and 28 ga. 15.5 gr and 13 respectively. Hercules/Alliant cleaned it up a bit...I think in the late 80'S? When I shot it in lemon hunnerts I did wipe the mag tubes off between 100s...but I had to do that using RD GD or 700X in the 12 ga too. Although I learned about 1100s starting their 1st year. I used up a few pounds in the 44 too. I didn't shoot match handgun but never had any problems with it in revolvers...4227 and 2400 were much more problematic. Most times I wiped handguns off with a rag. Cleaned when I got home. Unfortunately, I am almost out of Unique as I only have about 4 pounds left. I always had at least 1 8lb jug...usually more

 

[rosewood]

You don't want to shoot that old , nasty , dirty Unique powder ...
it will just dirty up your gun .
I have started a free service to properly dispose of that dirty old Unique ...
Send it to me and I will see that it is "properly disposed" ... Free of Charge.
Just PM me for my mailing address .

Gary ... the Disposer

And I will take those primers that you are using with that filthy powder, they are partially responsible.

Rosewood