I've been playing with blue dot and IMR4227. I liked blue dot but decided I was lazy and didn't like the flake powders.

I've really got no complaints with the loads I have, but I keep hearing all this jazz about unique. I know that were it really shines is in target loads...and that you can get some upper level loads, but you gotta watch for double charges (read: gun blowing up in your face) which doesn't excite me at all. Also, is it temperature sensitive and does it still behave at the higher pressures?

I'm not trying to get Jet-Fueled Frankenloads out of unique. More like a 240-280gr lead at about 1300 in a 44mag 7.5" SBH.

Anyone use unique like this?

I've been playing with blue dot and IMR4227. I liked blue dot but decided I was lazy and didn't like the flake powders.

I've really got no complaints with the loads I have, but I keep hearing all this jazz about unique. I know that were it really shines is in target loads...and that you can get some upper level loads, but you gotta watch for double charges (read: gun blowing up in your face) which doesn't excite me at all. Also, is it temperature sensitive and does it still behave at the higher pressures?

I'm not trying to get Jet-Fueled Frankenloads out of unique. More like a 240-280gr lead at about 1300 in a 44mag 7.5" SBH.

Anyone use unique like this?

I'd have to go back to the load manuals to see if safe unique loads will get that velocity. I'm probably typical of most Unique loaders in that I use it for practice loads in the 800 to 1000 fps range. Not a plinking load, but a load with some recoil that is accurate for practice when I don't shoot full loads.

By the way, several years ago, I tested nine different powders with over 5000 rounds with a S&W .44 and was surprised to find Blue Dot to be the most accurate and consistent for that particular revolver.

Dan

I don't have a chrony, but I have worked up loads as far as 10.5 gr of Unique, CCI LP primers, starline brass, 250RNFP in .45LC. I guesstimate I was somewhere around 1100-1150fps in this maximum load in my gun. I've also touched offf some 300 gr WFN with 9 gr of Unique. Plenty of power for what walks around my neck of the woods. One reason I use Unique is because it is a powder that my local gun shop always has in stock.

The Lyman manual shows 13.0 grains of Unique with a 250 Kieth bullet at 1150 fps from a 4 inch barrel. I get 1060 fps from 10.0 grains in a 4 5/8 inch Ruger Vaquero.

Not quite sure what being lazy and not liking the flakes of Blue Dot have to do with loading. If you don't like Blue Dot flakes you won't like Unique as it is also a large flake powder.
All of my shooting with Unique has been at the mid-range level - .44 Magnum at 1000-1100 fps. If in doubt, check out the Alliant Powder web site for loads. You can also do a good comparison of the powders and potential velocities, as recommended by the powder manufacturer.

I've been playing with blue dot and IMR4227. I liked blue dot but decided I was lazy and didn't like the flake powders.

I've really got no complaints with the loads I have, but I keep hearing all this jazz about unique. I know that were it really shines is in target loads...and that you can get some upper level loads, but you gotta watch for double charges (read: gun blowing up in your face) which doesn't excite me at all. Also, is it temperature sensitive and does it still behave at the higher pressures?

I'm not trying to get Jet-Fueled Frankenloads out of unique. More like a 240-280gr lead at about 1300 in a 44mag 7.5" SBH.

Anyone use unique like this?

I use 9.4grs of Unique in my Ruger Vaquero (.45 Colt) with a 255 Lead round Flat Nose bullet, It has killed everything from White tail deer to wild pigs. The recoil is not bad at all, I cast my own bullets useing the Lee model 452-255-RF to cast the bullets. The same load also works very well in my Marlin Model 1895 Cowboy (.45 Colt) for hunting as well.

I've been looking at that exact bullet. Could you tell me what the meplat diameter is? All of the pictures I've seen are not to scale, but it looks larger than most RFN bullets. How many cavities do you have in your mold? Any complaints about Lee moulds in general?

God Bless,

Patrick

I use 9.4grs of Unique in my Ruger Vaquero (.45 Colt) with a 255 Lead round Flat Nose bullet, It has killed everything from White tail deer to wild pigs. The recoil is not bad at all, I cast my own bullets useing the Lee model 452-255-RF to cast the bullets. The same load also works very well in my Marlin Model 1895 Cowboy (.45 Colt) for hunting as well.

I've been looking at that exact bullet. Could you tell me what the meplat diameter is? All of the pictures I've seen are not to scale, but it looks larger than most RFN bullets. How many cavities do you have in your mold? Any complaints about Lee moulds in general?

God Bless,

Patrick
I'm not sure right off hand what the meplat diameter is, Yes you are right it is a bit bigger then most RFN bullets, I have never taken the time to check it, but it does leave a very nice wound channel in a critter. The mold has two cavities I can put out 500 bullets in a few hours A good friend and I will have bullet casting nights and we have cast upwards of 1000 in one night. We only use LEE molds for few reasons one the are very easy to take care of, the price is not going to kill you, and we have a few molds that are 15+ years old that are still kicking out bullets just as good as the day we pulled them out of the box. I'm sorry I did not have the meplat info for you but I can say I have never had a white tail deer get back up after getting hit by one and I wild pigs did not go to far after getting hit by it. I hope this helped.

I've been playing with blue dot and IMR4227. I liked blue dot but decided I was lazy and didn't like the flake powders.

As mentioned by some of the others, Unique is a flake powder that measures just as well (or unwell) as Blue Dot. Your loads with 4227 should be just fine in the power/accuracy department, cannot be double-charged and measure very well indeed. I always recommend a 4227 load for new or inexperienced revolver handloaders, just for those reasons. BTW, you might experiment with magnum primers in 4227 loads, it sometimes helps. A very firm crimp is about mandatory, too.

If you simply MUST experiment with other powders, the classic ones for the .44 are Alliant 2400 (small flake), W296/H110 (ball) or Accurate AA-9 (ball). Oddly enough, the very fine ball powders like AA-9 can sometimes be more of a PITA than flake powders, as they can can jam up powder measure drums.