Unique replacement?

[kornax]

Hi folks,

I have mentioned in some other posts, but I am relatively new to reloading. I have only been doing so for about 1.5 years.

So far, I have reloaded in .44 Special, 9mm, and 357 Magnum.

I have been using strictly Unique powder. When starting to reload, i found that Unique seems to be an extremely versatile powder. It is found in so many rounds in the Lyman book. And I never have trouble finding comments or suggestions with it.

It seems to be harder to come by lately, and I am looking for another powder that is versatile. I see many others in the manual, and am interested in trying, however I figured I would ask others where best to start?

I have set myself up currently to reload, .44 special/magnum, 9mm, .38 special/.357 magnum, 45 ACP, and 32/20 WCF.

Looking for feedback. Thanks!

 

[OKFC05]

Universal, Power Pistol,HP38 and several other medium powders will get you pretty much everything but true full power magnum loads, but Unique won't do full mag power either. For that you need a slow powder such as 2400 or WIN296.

 

[SLT223]

Add Alliant BE86 and Hodgdon CFE Pistol to OKF's list above.

I just shot you a PM.

 

[at_liberty]

Hi folks,

I have mentioned in some other posts, but I am relatively new to reloading. I have only been doing so for about 1.5 years.

So far, I have reloaded in .44 Special, 9mm, and 357 Magnum.

I have been using strictly Unique powder. When starting to reload, i found that Unique seems to be an extremely versatile powder. It is found in so many rounds in the Lyman book. And I never have trouble finding comments or suggestions with it.

It seems to be harder to come by lately, and I am looking for another powder that is versatile. I see many others in the manual, and am interested in trying, however I figured I would ask others where best to start?

I have set myself up currently to reload, .44 special/magnum, 9mm, .38 special/.357 magnum, 45 ACP, and 32/20 WCF.

Looking for feedback. Thanks!

That would be BE-86. Measures great, and Alliant has provided plenty of load data for it. It is new enough that you would need to rely on load data from the Alliant website.

Note that you can also order an 8-pound jug of Unique from Reloading Unlimited. You will need to look beyond what you find in your local gun shops.

 

[elpac3]

All your "specials", .38, 9mm, .44 special, .45 you can (I do) use HP-38/w231 or Bullseye. When loading pretty much anything other than 9mm, be VERY CAREFUL not to double charge as these powders are higher density and do not fill a case,

For the mag loads in .357 and .44 my personal preference is 2400. Great versatility without some of the issue you will find with some of the other mag powders like W296 / H110

 

[cowboy4evr]

When the " great powder crunch " came and Unique , among others became unavailable I switched to Winchester Super Field . I has not disappointed . In fact I don't look/ buy unique anymore . It's just a touch slower burn rate than unique , but only a little . It meters much better , was usually available and shoots very clean . I found load data a little thin so I started using unique load data to start . I find I'm adding about .5 of a grain more and sometimes a little less than that depending on the size / caliber of the cartridge in the final analysis .
In 38 , 5-5.3grs / 158 gr cast bullet , 44 spl -240 gr cast bullet I use 7.5 grs . I have read that in 9mm it is considered a " premier " powder . In the 357 mag --158 gr cast bullet gets 7.5 grs . 44 mag - 240 gr cast bullet gets 9.5 grs . In my S&W 25-5 ( 45 Colt ) -255 gr cast bullet I use 9.5 grs . I like it so much I buy 8#'s at a time . It gets a lot , I mean a lot of useage on my reloading table .

 

[gwpercle]

I have found Accurate Arms #5 to be a good substitute for Unique .
For a faster powder more like Bullseye Accurate Arms #2 can be used .

I also found no Unique on the shelves but Discovered one dealer with a good supply of Accurate (Western ) powders. #5 works well and is accurate ....I am likeing it a lot !
Accurate powders are listed in the Lyman Cast Bullet Handbook and Accurate has a good amount of data on their site.
Gary

 

[Nevada Ed]

+1 with post #4;

per my 9mm test on April 24th on the reloading thread.

I will do the 38 2", 6" and 357 magnum....soon.

 

[reddog81]

Unique has been easier to find for the last couple of months than at any point in time over the last 5 years. If you want to stick with Unique I'd try calling all the sporting good stores in the area.

Unique is a great powder I use it in everything from 32 ACP to .30-06.

 

[epj]

Universal Clays, or Universal as many call it is an almost direct replacement for Unique. You can ALMOST substitute load data. The Universal is somewhat cleaner burning than Unique.

 

[mikld]

When Unique became hard to find I tried Universal. I appreciated the easy metering and almost direct comparison to Unique, so I bought 8 lbs. and use it in my 9mm, 38 Special, 357 Mag, 44 Special, 44 Mag. and 45 ACP. Fairly consistent over my chrony...

 

[fredj338]

Any of the medium burn rate powders will do as well as Unique. WSF is nearly identical in performance, maybe a tiny bit slower, based on my own chrono testing. It also offers good lead bullet performance, something a powder like Universal seems to lack for me. It also meters better than Unique.

 

[DWalt]

Although a little faster, I believe 700-X, Green Dot, or AA#5 would be acceptable for most people vs. Unique. AA#5 has a very high bulk density and is good for getting maximum performance from smaller-capacity cases. Probably THE best powder for maximum .38 Super loads.

Fortunately, I think I have about 7 lbs of Unique left so I don't need to worry about running out. Not the best for magnum loads but it will get close to them.

 

[M E Morrison]

Hi folks,

I have mentioned in some other posts, but I am relatively new to reloading. I have only been doing so for about 1.5 years.

So far, I have reloaded in .44 Special, 9mm, and 357 Magnum.

I have been using strictly Unique powder. When starting to reload, i found that Unique seems to be an extremely versatile powder. It is found in so many rounds in the Lyman book. And I never have trouble finding comments or suggestions with it.

It seems to be harder to come by lately, and I am looking for another powder that is versatile. I see many others in the manual, and am interested in trying, however I figured I would ask others where best to start?

I have set myself up currently to reload, .44 special/magnum, 9mm, .38 special/.357 magnum, 45 ACP, and 32/20 WCF.

Looking for feedback. Thanks!

Well, the legend goes that's how it got it's name.

 

[BuckeyeS&W]

As mentioned already Accurate #5 is a good choice and Accurate #2 is a faster powder both are great metering and clean burners.
Don't overlook 700X it's a great powder and is always on the shelf when other powders are unavailable. Don't let all the bad metering threads scare you off give it a chance. I've never had problems when using my Lyman 55's, give 700X a try.

 

[scattershot]

Universal Clays, or Universal as many call it is an almost direct replacement for Unique. You can ALMOST substitute load data. The Universal is somewhat cleaner burning than Unique.

Yep, it's pretty close. You still need to work up your load, of course, but it's nearly identical.

 

[BlackTalonJHP]

Hodgdon Universal is good but these days I'm really liking Hodgdon CFE pistol because it's readiliy available and leaves my bore with no copper in it.

 

[Wise_A]

Unique can be loaded in many cartridges adequately, but it doesn't perform as well in specific applications as a more specialized powder.

.38, .45 ACP, etc, I would suggest a faster powder, like Bullseye or WST.

WSF is popular for moderate loads in .45 ACP or above (but I haven't found any of it).

I've had hit-or-miss results with Universal, but I suspect the pound I bought might be bad or at least substandard. I get better results with plated loads than lead.

Don't overlook 700X it's a great powder and is always on the shelf when other powders are unavailable. Don't let all the bad metering threads scare you off give it a chance. I've never had problems when using my Lyman 55's, give 700X a try.

I found 700-X meters just fine in larger charges, but is unreliable in small, light loadings. I'm about to give it a whirl in 9mm, which is easy to eyeball and a sufficiently-large charge in my experience.

 

[muddocktor]

If you want some Unique instead of hunting down a replacement, Lohman Arms has both 1 lb and a few 8 lb bottles in stock. I bought some 2400 (8 lb bottle) from them a few months ago with no real problems. Here is a link to their Unique page for you to look at.

<<<LINK>>>

 

[IAhunter]

BE86 is very close to Unique and measures much better. I use 4.7 grains of Unique or 4.6 grains of BE86 with 158 SWC in .38 specials. Both are very accurate and hit the same POI at 25 yards. I have noticed that BE86 seems a little "snappier".