I recently came into ownership of a batch of reloading supplies, included was a very old can of Unique powder. It's a cardboard can sealed with a plastic cup stopper. Opening it up, the powder looked fine. No odd smell. So anyway, being the hoader that I am I decided to load a few rounds (30) of 44 mags with it, using my go-to target recipe of 9 grains under a 240 gr lead flatnose to see how this old stuff holds up. I'll use a Taurus Tracker as the test mule. If it seems OK, I'll try and chronograph them to see what if any difference there is/was. This load is a "middle of the road" load that yeilds 1000 fps out of my 5.5 inch barreled Rugers.
Good OLD Unique........................
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I don't load handgun anymore, but when I did I always had a keg or two of Unique on hand.
As you noted, a great mid range powder for a variety of the handguns I owned and could be used in some shotgun loads in a pinch.
Interested to see how it turns out for you.
Good luck and all the best.
As you noted, a great mid range powder for a variety of the handguns I owned and could be used in some shotgun loads in a pinch.
Interested to see how it turns out for you.
Good luck and all the best.
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Unique is one of my " go to" bulk buys, it works in all my pistols for light and medium loadings, (I only need to find a good loading for my 460 Rowland.)
I don't reload shotgun yet but from what I've read, Unique is good for all of shotgun. 10ga only has 2 listings, 28ga has 5 and 16 has 3, but 12 and 20... many listings.
I don't reload shotgun yet but from what I've read, Unique is good for all of shotgun. 10ga only has 2 listings, 28ga has 5 and 16 has 3, but 12 and 20... many listings.
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about 35 years ago, a co-worker and I split an 8 pound keg of unique. I had saved several old metal 1 pound cans and spray painted them gold and wrote Unique on the side of the can. Two of these cans ended up being stored away for about 20 years. That batch of Unique was still as good as the day it was stored. I finished the last of that batch a year or so ago. As long as powder is stored in a dry and fairly stable place it does quite well. It is a good all around pistol powder.
Ditto the use of Unique for handgun loads. That is my "go-to" for the ones I reload for. Don't have a .44 Mag anymore, but used 2400 for it. Sounds like the powder you've acquired is still in good shape. Hope things work out well for you.
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I too use Unique for handgun calibers, however, most of my ammo is loaded up for my leverguns. In my .357mag Rossis, Unique is my go to for both my 125grn and 158grn mid level plinking loads while Lil'Gun is for full power.
In my .45 Colt Ubertis, I use Unique for all the loads as I only load them to standard level (14,000psi) max due to their toggle link action designs. Still, with my 255grn near max loads out of my 24" Special Sporting Rifle, I get an honest 1,209fps.
For my 2 Cattleman pistols, a SA Cav model in .357mag shooting 125grn plated and a SA Army model in .45 Colt shooting 255grn lead, I've found that a nice light weight charge of Unique gives great all around shooting loads.
In my .45 Colt Ubertis, I use Unique for all the loads as I only load them to standard level (14,000psi) max due to their toggle link action designs. Still, with my 255grn near max loads out of my 24" Special Sporting Rifle, I get an honest 1,209fps.
For my 2 Cattleman pistols, a SA Cav model in .357mag shooting 125grn plated and a SA Army model in .45 Colt shooting 255grn lead, I've found that a nice light weight charge of Unique gives great all around shooting loads.
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My Dad stored up a bunch of "paper bag" 4831 in the old metal coffee cans that you needed a key to open. He bought a 50 lb keg from Glenn Slades in Houston some time in the 60's.
The reason your reply struck me was that he also spray painted them gold. He taped the seal around the edge so he knew which had been opened. I ran out of that powder about 15 years ago and wish I had a bunch more. I don't think I ever had a rifle that I couldn't figure out at least a couple of loads that shot well.
Didn't mean to hi-jack this thread but the gold spray painted coffee cans brought back some really good memories as I lost my Dad in 1973. I still have a few sets of reloading dies and his reloading journal from back then too. I don't really rely on his old loads as he had "velocity sickness" and I tend to stay below max when I find something that shoots goos.
This looks like the can I inherited, but the price on yours ? Mine's got a tag on it for $5.96 ! So obviously older I think than this one pictured.
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I purchased my first Unique in 1973 for my NMBH in .45 LC. I didn’t say “can” of Unique because I got it bulk in a paper bag from a small gunstore. The owner had a huge drum of it and sold it in small bags cheap to good customers. I don’t remember the price exactly but probably around $4 a pound.
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I've used a lot of different powders in my 50 odd years of putting ammunition together.
My powder has been purchased in 8 pound containers since I found the powders that work best for me.
I don't have any odd powders laying around and certainly no 1 pound "cans" of it. I have gone through a lot of powder between drills, practice, plinking, competitions and hunting that I only have five powders in my powder magazine.
I've used powders that were dirty, inexpensive, flaked, cylindrical and ball. Through it all I have kept the powders that burn clean and measure consistently with my gear. Unique was one that I quit using shortly after I tried it in my 45. It was just too dirty for me. It does measure well and it allows a wide range of loads.
My powder has been purchased in 8 pound containers since I found the powders that work best for me.
I don't have any odd powders laying around and certainly no 1 pound "cans" of it. I have gone through a lot of powder between drills, practice, plinking, competitions and hunting that I only have five powders in my powder magazine.
I've used powders that were dirty, inexpensive, flaked, cylindrical and ball. Through it all I have kept the powders that burn clean and measure consistently with my gear. Unique was one that I quit using shortly after I tried it in my 45. It was just too dirty for me. It does measure well and it allows a wide range of loads.
Well, that "old" Unique lost none of it's potency. I lit off ten rounds this afternoon, murdered a 1 gallon paint can. My ears are still ringing from the first 5 rounds in the Tracker (I forgot about the ported barrel) Just to be safe, I'm only gonna use this batch to load my target 44 rounds. I load 32 mag, 45 acp and 44 spls with Unique, but those are max loads in those rounds, so I'm not gonna temp fate using the old batch. Next week I'll try and bring my chronograph and see just where they're at in comparison to the new stuff I've got on hand.
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I have some 2400 that came in that style of can.
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Unique used to be my go to powder for target loads in 38/357, 9mm and 44 mag, have not used any for about 20 years, I found it to be dirty and got tired of the flakes of unburned powder. I now use Tite group, A#5 and True blue for my target loads.
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I don't hunt anymore, but I have fun range time with 10gr of Unique, pushing a 300gr coated boolit out of my CVA Scout V2 45-70. One pound of Unique yields almost 700 reloads. I also use it for reduced loads in my Win 94 SRC 32 Spcl.
I'll go against the grain here and say I never liked Unique, I have the original can I bought in 1982, after a couple hundred rounds my stainless smith 357 revolvers were filthy and one would bind up, I used 5gr. with a 158 cast bullet out of 38spcl cases. It does work with light cast bullet loads in a rifle with grex as a filler.
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