Powder is starting to show up in my area. I have only been reloading since October of 2022. I have never seen Unique in my area. Is it popping up anywhere at all?

Thank you

Unless someone lives near you there is no way to answer your question. You are just going to have to keep checking the shops. You can always use Universal instead since that seems to be available.

Good luck.

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Freedom is never free!!
SWCA #3437

One of the big powder dealers finally had some a couple of weeks ago...it was over $300 for an 8# jug... First time I have seen it in a while...

Yes, Hodgdon Universal is a good substitute for Unique and may be more easily found.

The manufacturing facility that makes the Clays series of powders for Hodgdon has been changed over to making powders for 155mm Artillery Shells. As a result Clays, Universal, and International will not be available for at least 3 years per a press release from Hodgdon.

Concerning Unique I suspect the same situation applies to that powder. However it has always been so popular that there is still some inventory in a warehouse somewhere. As a result there is a limited amount available on the Commodities Market but prices are rather high. Last time I saw an 8 lbs. keg of Unique was few months back at Ballistic Products and it lasted less than a week. Though about picking one up but the price was 338.00 before Hazmat and Shipping so the delivered cost would have been roughly 400 bucks, to rich for this penny pincher.

If you want a viable alternate to Unique there is one that is currently available with much better metering properties than Unique. That alternate is Vihtavouri 3N37. Very similar burn rate and it has zero position sensitivity so it works very well in 38 special or 357 Magnum loads. As for the cost, inflation has not effected the costs for Vihtavouri powders nearly as much as the Major brands so it's currently cost competitive with powders from Alliant or Hodgdon. I'll also note that I've been using this powder for 38 caliber and 9mm loads since about 2015 and it is a truly fantastic powder for these calibers.

Final note, there are currently just two classes of smokeless powders at present. The first class is those that are available. The second class is the Unobtanium powders. I would suggest that everyone stop suggesting the Unobtanium because it's a total waste of time looking for them. Instead concentrate your effort on those powders that are available.

I have lots of Unique on hand, but would be happy to lay in some more. I'd be tickled to find an 8 lb. jug.

If you are using Unique powder for a 9mm;

I have found that a good back up powder is BE-86
if you can find it.

Since it is fine grained, more can be dropped in the small 9mm case
for the large 147 gr bullet and get higher fps.

I agree with Universal for the 38 & 357 loads, if you see it.

I have been looking for both Unique and Bullseye for some time. I have not seen in my area ( western Mass and act). The same goes for 2400 which I use for .44 Mag and .351 Winchester.

When I ran out I went back to my 3 reloading manuals which are Speer, Hornady and Lyman Cast Bullet Handbook. I checked the tables for what also can be used against what my LGS and nearest Cabela’s had in stock. I found several alternatives to both powders that are working out well so far. When both powders show up again I will restock. In the meantime I can keep shooting for now.

Same here. However, I haven’t seen any since 20/21, same with Bullseye. 231 is easy find - saw some yesterday at $35/pound.

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213th FBINA

This is not correct. Hodgdon's principal manufacturer is General Dynamics at the St. Marks Powder Inc. facility in St. Marks, Florida. Unique and other Alliant propellants are manufactured by Alliant Tech Systems (ATK)

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Gunsmithing since 1961

VN340 will replace Unique and use close to the same grains. I use both. Around $35lb here.

Just as an aside to this conversation, I recently loaded some 380 rounds using Unique under a 95 gr. Small ball . As usual I cleaned my Sig 238 after firing 50 rounds at the range, and I could not believe how filthy the gun was when I removed the slide. All the internals were covered with heavy cabin soot..
in the past I’ve always used TiteGroup as my 380 go to and I must say it is much cleaner than Unique for these 380 loads

Titegroup is a lot faster than Unique. In something as small as the 380 Auto Unique is probably a poor choice due to its burn rate. you'd likely run out of case capacity before you get it up to the pressure it needs to burn cleanly.

I had been looking for some Bullseye for a while and have been able to trade into some BE but this week I found a 8# jug of Clays at my gun/pawn shop. I use it in my .45acp, cas and shotgun loads. Very clean powder. Was tagged at 299.00 but I got it for 250.00 plus 17.00 tax. I had thought about driving to Raleigh next weekend for the Dixie Gunshow but I won’t bother now. Figuring in the cost of my gas and show entry I’m down to about 27.00 a pound. Happy birthday to me.

I pretty much gave up on all things Alliant until such time as things pretend to get back to normal.
Hodgdon has been making a lot of headway in getting goods to the shelves.

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it just needs more voltage

I was in a semi-local shop this morning and they had more powder than I have seen in the last 4 years combined. I saw at least 2 lbs of Unique. I was looking for IMR 4227 and they had several pounds of it. I asked the price.

$54

I'll keep loading with the choices in my cabinet for now.

Edited to add:
Apparently that is going rate for IMR powders on line as well.

If we have to be shorted sporting powder right now so the companies can supply the Ukraine, I'm fine. I have ~ two pounds of Unique I bought two years ago during a lucky email link from an internet seller. I'm fine for the moment, and I want the war to end soon.

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Heavily armed old man.

Look for Herco at gun shows etc. Not as popular or as well known as Unique...and almost as versatile. When I load 20/28 ga I use just a tiny bit more than my usual unique load...in my 44 mag load I use a 1/2 grain more than I would use Unique. I bought 2 8 lb kegs of Herco for 40 bucks a piece.

Good luck finding any that won’t require financial embarrassment. Alliant availability on about anything they make has been atrocious the last three years.

If you loading straight wall, try Winchester 244 or Accurate #5. Seems to be a good alternative from what I’ve seen.

In my garage? Bought an 8 lb jug years ago.

Seriously, they make a lot of powders that do different jobs. Get something close until what you are looking for is available.

I used to use two powders for pistols until I went magnum, then I used three and one for rifle. Now I've had a chance to use all kinds of powders because I was forced to buy what was avalable.

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"He was kinda funny lookin'"

I’ve had good luck with 244 but be aware that it’s quite a bit faster than Unique. So far I’ve shot 244 in 9mm, 38 Special, and 44 Mag. Good “target” powder for all three. Burns clean as well.

Yup, same here. I've had good luck using W244 as an alternate to W231.

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Never fly the "A" model

You forgot the General Dynamics plant in Canada, where I've been told the Clays series of powders are made. St. Marks makes H110 and other powders for Hodgdon. What is made in Canada is currently not available and won't be for at least 3 years. BTW, I shoot 4 gun Skeet and Clays and Universal were my goto powders for 12, 20, and 28 gauge loads. Now the 12 is getting Titewad and the 20 and 28 get made with Longshot. While these powders do work well these alternates have a higher density and cause stack height issues. BTW, Unique is another wonderfully bulky powder that was superb for the 20 and 28 but that is also MIA. While I have no clue as to where Unique was being made I sort of suspect it may be another Canadian product.

Alliant powders have always been more difficult for me to find locally. Seems most retailers in my part of the state keep mostly the Hodgdon brands.

As others have said, I’ve been seeing Unique, 2400, and a few others show up at a couple of places, but I can buy VV powders for less. I can’t make myself pay $50 for burning dirt when I can get VV340 for around $42.

Hodgdon is doing the same with IMR4831, IMR4350, IMR4064, and other long time favorite powders. Luckily I have a good supply of most.

I’ve recently picked up a few pounds of RAMSHOT brand powders that were recently on sale for testing.

I don’t like the chokehold Hodgdon can put on smokeless powders. Lack of competition is never good for the end users.

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GOA
USA Shooting Supporter

All of Alliant's manufacturing capacity has been dedicated to defense contracts. Better find VV and Hodgdon substitutes for your favorite Alliant powders, maybe permanently.

Even after Ukraine is turned into a smoking wasteland, it will be a decade or more before NATO nations rebuild their stockpiles.

People say Unique is sooty and smoky like it's a bad thing.

HODGDON POWDER AND ADI; THE AUSTRALIAN CONNECTION


I don't know what powders are made by GD for Hodgdon but you can bet they're making a lot of it for military contracts these days and forsaking the commercial ammo and reloading market. That's pure speculation on my part but I do know there's a WW1 artillery style war going on in Europe and that takes a lot of powder to fling those 155 mm projectiles.

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That's just somebody talkin.

As long as the Russians and Ukrainians are banging away at each other, we are going to have limited availability and high prices on a lot of stuff that we use. It doesn't matter what factory is making the powder. If it's a gov't contract factory or a factory dedicated to the commercial market, they are all sourcing the same raw materials from the same places. If the war continues for a long time, what will probably happen is that manufacturing capacity will expand to fill the demand. At any rate, our sporting use shortages will continue until the military demand is met.

Was a handy feature when I ran traditionally lubed cast lead.
The lube plus the soot made a tenacious slurry in the bore that denied access to any form of metal fowling.
Pumpin' sludge means no brushing lead

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it just needs more voltage

Like I said above, including the powders mentioned above Universal is an even better replacement for Unique since it was specifically formulated to directly compete with Unique.

Add W231 and Zip to the list too if you consider W244 or AA#5.

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Freedom is never free!!
SWCA #3437

I like powders that give higher density loads. I'm a tight wad about many things but I want to see some powder in those cavernous .45 cases. I don't even consider the cost of lower yields per pound.

I have an ample supply of Universal, Accurate #5, W572, VV-3N37, VV-340 and other powders that do a respectable job in cases like .38 Special, .45-ACP and .45 Colt. W244 has drawn my attention. I will likely pick up a pound soon just to satisfy my curiosity.

My goal for the majority of my non magnum range loads are lower velocity, high density, low pressure, and of course good accuracy.

There are several powders with many of these attributes that play well with a wide variety of cartridges.

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GOA
USA Shooting Supporter

I'm sure you remember the other powders Hodgdon marketed during the last Alliant drought: Universal, Target, Red, Blue, and Green. They discontinued them all after only two years except for Universal, though I haven't seen that one on shelves in a while. It was ironically bad timing to discontinue them when they did. Right before the pandemic and right before Alliant dropped off the map.

I remember Hodgdon coming out with the Clays line. Clays International Clays and Universal Clays. All shotgun powders. I continued to use the red & Green Dots in the 12 ga and 20 ga respectively. Unique in the 28. Then with new pressure testing it was found Green Dot had some real pressure spikes in the 20 causing cracked tubes in small ga(20 ga) tubes. I even had one in my Briley tubes. So I changed to Unique in the 20 ga too. Then International clays was kinda discontinued and Universal sseemed to disappear. I don't think it was made to compete with Unique specifically...and to b honest I still don't think it compares to the uses of Unique...hense the name ...it still is Unique. And for those who complain about Unique not being a consistent dropping powder...It's mostly powder measures and technique generally in measure throws in my opinion. ...but it is still a pretty consistent shooting powder. Yeah I have used Universal...but mostly for handgun loads. Luckily I have a fair amount of Unique...and it's sister powder Herco which will do most things Unique will at the cost of another 1/2 grain or so of powder. I just got another couple pounds of powder...in the steel square cans. One Number 7 and one pound of Unique...15 dollars each. The guy had a couple cans of 2400 and Reloader 11 too. I did not buy them though. Weren't the Target Red Green and Blue IMR powders?? I have been lead to believe Alliant is supplying a lot of powder to Ukraine. We'll see how things shape up after the end(hopefully soon)of that conflict

While looking for available powders this morning I found W231 @ Powder valley in 1, 4 and 8# jugs available, so, I ordered a 4 lb jug.
I have used 231 and the Hodgon version (HD38) with very good results in most pistol categories. I have not been shooting as much as years past so 4 lbs should last longer than I will.

Well after that buy...I won't be able to borrow a 10 till next week

W231 has stayed more available through this shortage than most of the powders I normally use. It also meters really well. I've switched a number of my standard loads to W231/HP38.

I've had good fortune as well in obtaining W231, albeit at stratospheric prices. I personally like the powder. I wish, though, I could obtain primers without taking out a second mortgage. I know I'm in good company there.

Funny thing is, Hodgdon was threatening to discontinue W231/HP38 for many years and yet here it is one of the most commonly available powders.

That was a fiasco. Three very different powders and the consumer couldn't tell the difference between them. They have since rationalized the names to just Clays, Universal, and International but the damage is done. It's interesting that of the Clays line, only International has no handgun application. In fact Hodgdon is quite adamant on the point, though I am sure someone has experimented with it.

I never saw a real use for international Clays...unless it was intended for International/Olympic style loads in the 12 ga...24 grams shot at 1400 ft per for Intl Skeet and trap. I shot some International skeet. Didn't do too bad but those loads kick. Do they still make the middle powder??

Funny thing about the Clays series of powders. For some reason some reloaders were confused but back a while when IMR had the SR line of powders no one confused the powders in that line? Were we smarter back then or just paid better attention? I don't the answer.

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Freedom is never free!!
SWCA #3437

I have about 4 lbs of Unique but have been using Accurate #5 in it's place for some time now and the results are good. It's not a direct replacement for Unique but the burn rate is pretty close. Works in my 45 acp and Colt loads fine and runs through a powder measure with excellent repeatability. It burns clean (NOT bashing Unique) and works with a std primer just fine. Plus--I can actually find it.

AA#5 is an acceptable substitute for Unique but not a twin to it. No idea about AA#5's current availability. Meanwhile I have a nearly full 8# jug of Universal so I don't need any Unique or AA#5. My main use for the latter is for hotter .38 Super and 9x23 loads, for which it is singularly the best suited propellant made due to its high bulk density.

Unique has been available around here. Midway USA had it in stock three weeks ago for $42 a pound which is the same price they get for most of the Hodgdon stuff. I have close to 5 pounds of Unique so I didn't buy any. I got a pound ech of Green Dot and Herco from them.

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S&WHF #946
S&WCA #3824

Discussions like this make me glad I stocked up on Bullseye when I did. Seems like the last 10 years has been shortage after shortage.

The first time I've seen primers on the shelf in a while was at Fleet Farm this summer, sold in 100 count trays (no bricks) from $8.00 to $11.00 per. I think that is high even for today.

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Common sense isn't so common.

Midway USA has Herco in stock again. It's a little slower than Unique but a great substitute.

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S&WHF #946
S&WCA #3824

I haven't seen Unique in years. I found Vihtavuori N32C (Tin Star) a viable alternative for .45 Colt, if you can find it and are willing to pay the price. Woe...... I read it's being or has been discontinued. Once I use up the remainder of my supply, I'll have to go to my remaining Unique. When that's gone and Unique is still a rarity, it'll be time to work up with something else.

Ok...I'll throw this out to the brain trust. I too normally use Unique, but I'm down the last scrapings in the can. Guy at the shop recommended 244, so I've got that. Looks like it will work in 38/357, and 44 sp/44 mag OK. I don't load anything "hot" I'm more of a starting load guy.

Problem is I can find no information for 244 with the 41 mag, (220 grain Berry's). Anyone ever used it?

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John 3:16 .

I'm kind of surprised no one has mentioned CFE Pistol as a good all around powder. I get really good accurate loads in 9mm, 38 Sp., 45 ACP, and 44 Sp. It meters really well. Plus it's cheap! Powder Valley has it in stock right now for $28.79 a pound, or $233 per 8#. These days I'd say that's a smokin' deal, except it's smokeless powder

In terms of finding the hard to find. You have to check your favorite online sites every day, and swing by your LGS as much as you can. Out of nowhere they occasionally show up, but you have to act fast because they sell out quickly. Back at the height of the COVID madness, in summer of 2021, I found Bullseye and 2400 on Powder Valley's site when there was no powder of any kind at the LGS and all the online sites were out. In the meantime, you have to make do with what's available.

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What could possibly go wrong?

I used Unique for many years, despite the fact it doesn't flow through a measure well. Nowadays, I've gotten away from it altogether. I tried Universal years ago and never could quite get it to equal the accuracy of Unique loads, but it may have been fairly close.

I only load 9mm ,.38 Special, .357 Magnum, .44 Special, .45 ACP and Auto Rim these days. They all do very well using full power loads with either Bullseye or 231, with the exception of the .357 for which I use #2400. Cast bullets for all handgun chamberings.

I agree. I think I'm done buying Unique. The disadvantages of poor metering and sooty casings and barrels outweigh the advantages, at least for me.

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What could possibly go wrong?