I have been using Unique for .38 special, and 9mm for quite a while now. I have been thinking of going over to W231/ Hp 38.
The loads I use are on the light side, for target use only. I use hard cast bullets, and don't notice any leading in any of my guns. Its a little smokey, but I suspect that's the bullet lube. My question is this, will I notice any difference if I switch ? Will I gain anything in accuracy ? Comments please .

You won't find a better powder than Unique for cast loads.

Since I started reloading in 1976, I've experimented with lots of powders
but I've always come back to Unique for cast loads.

I use a lot of Unique for cast loads. Sometimes I use HERCO . They both work well. Plus they work in cast loads for the 06.
I've thought of trying 231 myself. I hear good things about it.

The 231 is probably a superior powder for light loads. You get better burning at lower pressures. Unique excels at mid-range levels.

I keep both on the shelves knowing that 99% of my handgun shooting can be covered with one or the other.

I have been loading for 40 years for a myriad of handgun calibers. 2400, Bullseye and Unique cover all my bases.

I use two powders, Unique and 2400. I can never get them confused. I use Unique at mid-range to high mid-range loadings and it does just fine. I have heard that it gets dirty at the low end of loads. I have loaded my .38 Special and .38 +P 158 grain LSWC and JHP at 10% below low end of published data for my J-Frame. Yup I notice more black 'Soot' on the cases with those loads than with mid-range loads in my 627. If there is a velocity change, there will be an accuracy change. Will you notice it ? I don't know. You can always try it. Are you unhappy with the Unique ?

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Hook686

Ah, the holy trinity. Not only do these cover all of my handgun loads, and have for years, but I also use 2400 and Unique, at 16gr and 10gr respectively, in my cast bullet rifle loads for my 30.06, 30-30 and 7X57.

It really wasn't until the shortages hit that I started experimenting with other powders.

And by the way, I love HP38/W231.

I was in bpro this weekend and they had 6 cans of unique on the shelf. I considered buying it all and flipping it for a profit, but I just don't do that. I use a little unique, so I picked up one to go with my current stock. If it had been 296/110/pp300/lil gun, I would have bought it all.

Most competition shooters prefer 231 over Unique simply because they can use less powder for their target loads. When you are shooting 10,000 rounds per year, saving a grain or two of powder really helps stretch the shooting budget. Depending on your current load, you may see an improvement in accuracy. As others have noted, Unique is a great mid-range powder, however if you are loading down to low level target loads, Unique may not be providing the best accuracy. I should point out that it is currently very difficult, if not impossible to purchase 231, as the Hodgdon plant that produces 231 had a fire some time back. The word on the grapevine, is that it should become available again sometime this summer.

In my opinion 231 is far better for the lighter loads you prefer than
Unique. Lower charge weights, cleaner burning and much better
metering. For light loads in the 38 spl and 9mm you could go farther
up the list to faster burning powders than 231. Bullseye is excellent
in the 38 and 9mm with cast bullets. Lyman's new Cast Bullet Manual
shows many loads with Titegroup at low charge weights for good
economy.

I use 231 for 9, 38 and 45acp and Unique for 41, 44 and 45 Colt.

Depends on how you meter (measure) your powder. Unique for some does not meter as well as HP38

Depending on your powder charges no, I do not think you will "notice" any difference, You can make both do the same thing.

HP38/W 231 is one of my "trinity" of powders. Others like Unique

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Still Running Against the Wind

I can't find any Unique, 2400 or 231 in my area. I am now using Trail Boss for .38 Special and it seems to be very accurate at the lower levels. Has anyone else used Trail Boss?

If you're loading on the light side,try Bullseye when it reappears.

You will be fine with 231. It is cleaner burning. I used to use it for 38 Special match loads and also 9mm blasting loads. I am back to Unique for cast loads of 38 Sp and 44 Mag midrange. I like the smoke

I look on Gunbroker and don't even see 231 listed there!! It must be in short supply! I have a couple of pounds of Unique to start loading some .38 wadcutters with, just for target shooting- would Bullseye be a better choice for me? Starting off with Missouri Bullets- their 158 Grain SWC's in a Model 14-3 revolver.
Wes

Unique doesn't meter that well for me, and Bullseye does very well in the meter. I started with HP-38 for .38 and .45, but now I load Unique, Bullseye and 2400 in .357.

sound familiar?

Another convert.

Moe Mentum's original question- and mine- was re. .38's, not .357...
Wes

Can you or someone else explain low pressure and mid range levels.

I use unique for my 38 special, 357 magnum, 41 magnum, 44 special, 44 magnum & 45 acp leadcast loads. Remember you don't need a magnum primer. Using a magnum primer in a load that doesn't require it raises the pressure. I use 2400 powder in my 357 magnum, 41 magnum and 44 magnum jacketed bullet loads. Again work up slowly to magnum charges. Kcheck the primers for flatness on the higher charges. The magnum primer does raise the chamber pressure.

Unique is a great powder for medium to +P loads in the 9mm.

W231 does just as good a job for light target to almost factory FPS in the 9mm............... depending on the bullet types and oal. used.

W231 fills the case less than Bullseye , so you do need to make sure that the cases are correct in charge weights with 45 to 55% of the case being full with light loads.

1070 fps is a nice target load with a 115 or 124 plated RN bullet in my 4" pistol.

Good shooting.

These days, I am pressed into using what i can get.
I have been fortunate enought o secure a small supply of Bullseye and Unique. I like 231 as well. And 296 for magnums.

Zippo Guy, I use 7 grains of Trail Boss as a target load in .44 mag. I works get for me.

I tried it last weekend in .38 Spl. My Model 10 didn't like it on the upper end and the velocity wasn't that consistent according to my chronograph..............
That was my gun only - yours may like it.

My usual loading is with HP-38 but havn't seen any in a year.

wyo-man

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Live free or die

The definition of low or mid range pressure level is somewhat
dependent on the cartridge involved. In the 38 spl low
pressure might be at target wadcutter level, 10,000-12,000
psi, midrange might be up to near std pressure max, 16,500
psi and high might be up to +P max 20,000 psi. In the .44
magnum low might be 20,000 or less, mid range might be
28,000 or less and high up to 36,000 or more. Low, mid range
and high are general terms related to the standard and +P
limits of any cartridge. But when used to rate powder
suitability for different cartridges the meaning of low or mid
range changes a bit because some powders burn cleanly at
low pressure and others require more pressure to burn well
and not leave unburned flakes everywhere. Some like the
slower ball powders W296/H110 don't burn well until pressure
is near magnum level, 35,000 psi. In general the burn rate
of the powder is significant with the fastest powders like
Bullseye much more clean burning at low pressure target load
levels. Powders like Unique that are slower than Bullseye
are poor choices for light target loads down around 10,000
simply because Unique requires more pressure to burn well.

I received about 20 canisters of powder from two estates, including a four-pound drum of Unique. I use it primarily for mid-range cast loads in my .44 Magnum and 6.5 grains of the stuff gives me 825 FPS behind a 230 grain FMJ in my .45 ACP., virtually duplicating the traditional ball load.

Considering powder costs, it's getting more difficult to justify buying three or four powders in developing a load. I like Unique because it is versatile and works in all my handgun loads.

Has Unique changed it's formula from Unique of the past?

It became a little cleaner burning several years ago,but other than that it's the same old Unique.

Unique & cast bullets lie pb&j. If a gun won't shoot lead bullets w/ unique, probably won't shoot. Unique is best run above midrange for best combustion, why it gets a bum wrap for being dirty. It's a better 9mm powder than 231 for most apps. In 38sp, just depends on the vel levels you want to achieve.

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NRA Cert. Inst. IDPA CSO

At this point I will use anything I can find . Going to a gun show this week to see if I can find any pistol powder, last time I picked up some Rifle powder there along with primers.

Same here, but I haven't seen Bulleye or Unique around for 15 months now.

Don't quite know what you are asking LT. Any data table gives a minimum and maximum loads of powder allowable. The low end is usually most suited for target loads and are nearly always well below subsonic. You can use soft lead bullets for these. The weight of the bullet plays a key role in the development of pressure as well as whether the bullets are soft lead, hard lead, plated or jacketed along with their weight. The heaviest, hardest bullet will build the most pressure with the same amount of powder as opposed to a soft, light bullet.

Light .38 loads range from about 700-900 fps

.38 medium loads run about 900-1000 and heavy loads run above 1000. AGAIN, THE PRESSURE DEVELOPED Is based on powder charge, weight of bullet and type of bullet (hardness)

Am I confusing you or does this help???

Ah, one more thing. Bullets are available in slightly different diameters and of course a bigger bullet acts more like a stopper in a bottle and builds more pressure.

RW,
LGS in my area just got a big load of pistol powder in last week. BE, Unique, Power Pistol and others. It may be coming available. Haven't seen any 231 around in a bit.

Lucky you. That's why I only bought 1 lb of Red Dot today. I can FEEL the Alliant powders coming.!