Power Pistol vs Unique 9mm

geddylee10002000 · Dec 4, 2013

Just finished testing loads for WW 115 gr, Missouri Bullet Co 124 cone, & MBC 147 gr. Seems the PP is edging Unique by a slight margin. Pretty flashy! PP sure seems to be better in the powder measure than Unique. Waiting on data for BE-46. I am going to try PP in several other calibers. 38/357, 45 acp. Sure like the velocity. Anyone else like to chime in?

BLUEDOT37 · Dec 4, 2013

P-P is my favorite powder in 9mm/40S&W/45ACP/45Super. All the tests I've seen have good performance figures & it measures & packs well in these small auto cases. It's flashy nature adds a nice "affect" at the range, but I'm sure isn't always desirable.

Unique is a good powder for moderate loads but meters less consistently, as you noted. It's still a favorite.

Longshot is another powder that has some good numbers. I recently bought a lb. & have loaded a few .40S&W test batches to see how it does. It's a flattened ball powder. I didn't use a powder measure, just did them all individual, so I can't say how it meters. Hope to get to the range shortly if the weather doesn't get too bad.

Warren Sear · Dec 4, 2013

I have used Unique for at least 33 years, and never had any complaint with how it meters. I wonder what I'm doing wrong??? Hmmmmmm...

jwalts27 · Dec 4, 2013

Warren Sear said:
I have used Unique for at least 33 years, and never had any complaint with how it meters. I wonder what I'm doing wrong??? Hmmmmmm...

+1 on Unique. Always spot on in my Lee AutoDisk. PP is nice but too much flash

Maximumbob54 · Dec 4, 2013

If it had to be one of the two then it's Power Pistol all the way. That powder makes all sorts of good loads. That's the only powder I still use to make .38 +P with 158gr SCWHP cast bullets. It's also the best flowing flake powder I've ever used. I think it flows even better than Bullseye. And I think Trail Boss is the only powder that flows worse than Unique.

David Sinko · Dec 4, 2013

I use Power Pistol mostly in high velocity 9mm and .45 ACP revolver loads. When used for this purpose Power Pistol has no equal.

Yes, there is a lot of flash. But I don't shoot at bullseyes in the dark so I don't care about the flash.

Dave Sinko

dla · Dec 4, 2013

geddylee10002000 said:
Just finished testing loads for WW 115 gr, Missouri Bullet Co 124 cone, & MBC 147 gr. Seems the PP is edging Unique by a slight margin. Pretty flashy! PP sure seems to be better in the powder measure than Unique. Waiting on data for BE-46. I am going to try PP in several other calibers. 38/357, 45 acp. Sure like the velocity. Anyone else like to chime in?

Comparing Power Pistol to Unique in the application is like comparing a hot turkey on a golden platter with a cold tuurd on a paper plate.

Honestly, I really don't get why people keep using Unique when so many better powders are available.

jwalts27 · Dec 4, 2013

Maximumbob54 said:
If it had to be one of the two then it's Power Pistol all the way. That powder makes all sorts of good loads. That's the only powder I still use to make .38 +P with 158gr SCWHP cast bullets. It's also the best flowing flake powder I've ever used. I think it flows even better than Bullseye. And I think Trail Boss is the only powder that flows worse than Unique.

Oh man, i fotgot about Trailboss. that stuff is aweful. You think thats bad try using IMR3031 for rifles. Its a stick powder. Yuck.

SweetMK · Dec 4, 2013

Maybe you need to try the baffle discussed in this post;

http://smith-wessonforum.com/reloading/347362-rcbs-uniflow-added-baffle-much-better.html

for metering uniformity.

Nevada Ed · Dec 4, 2013

I do not know why they put BE-46 out there if they don't have it available yet !!
Data soon..... does not get it. Not available ...does not work, either. A low flash agent would be very nice.

Power Pistol is one that I have not tried yet.......
but I may be loading 9mm soon.

Before PP came out I survived with Bullseye and Unique and never had to go to +P to get accuracy.

growr · Dec 4, 2013

dla said:
Comparing Power Pistol to Unique in the application is like comparing a hot turkey on a golden platter with a cold tuurd on a paper plate.

Honestly, I really don't get why people keep using Unique when so many better powders are available.

Because it works VERY well for many of us and has for around 100 years.....that's why.

Randy

SgtLumpy · Dec 4, 2013

Speaking of Unique...

Allient bills it as "Now Cleaner Burning".

Do any of you guys who have used unique for a long time notice any difference in clean/dirty in more recent batches? I don't know how long they've been billing it that way.

Sgt Lumpy

arjay · Dec 4, 2013

It may be a bit cleaner,but the cast bullet lube still leaves a lot of burnt crud behind.I think it changed about 10 years ago.

amazingflapjack · Dec 4, 2013

Unique is clean shooting when you get it warm enough to fly off of the paper plate.

sps282 · Dec 4, 2013

Unique is a good powder which has been around a long time. It works well for me in 9mm, .38 spl, .45 cap and favorite in .45 colt. It is not the cleanest burning powder especially in lite loads, but it cleans up when you approach maximum loads. Power Pistol is a good powder but to flashy for me!

Nevada Ed · Dec 4, 2013

I don't load a powder because it is clean..............

I load a powder because it gives me what I want or need.

Factory fps and/or good target groups comes first !

geddylee10002000 · Dec 5, 2013

Thanks for all your input. i will still use Unique, Bullseye as I have for about 30 years. My fav loads in 45 acp is still BE, 231, or WW452AA behind a 200 gr. lswc. For jacketed stuff I like Unique in the upper range. New to 9mm loading so testing is in order. Will test 231, BE , and maybe a couple other powders. Isn't that what reloading is about?

Forrest r · Dec 5, 2013

AA452 is hard to beat, they say wst is the same thing. After I finish burning up the last of my aa452 (3# left in 10# container & full 1# jug) I'll give the wst a try.

I always find it funny that everyone complains about pp being flashy. My recoil/flash/noise sensitive girlfriend's favorite load is 5.4gr of pp pushing a 158gr lead bullet in her snub nosed 38spl (2"bbl). PP is an excellent powder that delivers high velocities @ lower pressures than unique.

I quit using unique decades ago, just too dirty unless I was making full house loads with it. Switched over to universal clays & never looked back.

PP is well worth looking @ along with longshot. PP is a more versatile powder but longshot really shines when it's loaded in high pressure cases like the 9mm/40s&w/357/44mag/etc. Longshot is quickly becoming powder of choice for the 9mm.

Nevada Ed · Dec 5, 2013

Some say Silhouette and True Blue are two that work like Unique in pistol loads.

I do not know if it is flake or ball but on one post it stated that it has a nice gentle pressure curve and did not get crazy at the top pressures.

Silhouette was said to have a flash reducer in it........and may be like 231 or green dot but not having shot it, this is just a guess.

wild_weasel · Dec 30, 2013

Unique is one of my favorite powders, I use it to reload handgun, reduced cast rifle, and shotgun! I also use Power Pistol for +P 38 Special and standard 9mm. If i could have one powder it would be Unique without question.

Power Pistol vs Unique 9mm

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