When Alliant slightly altered the characteristics of Unique, it was for a cleaner burn. They stated that they have in no way altered the pressure characteristics of Unique and were very careful to avoid doing so. So, what are we now to believe. They goofed? With a powder that is over 100 years old and they have had plenty of time to get it right?
Or, more likely, the liability lawyers have gotten inside the brains of the folks at SAAMI. .41 and .44 Magnum rounds from the old days went up to 43,500 CUP. Then, SAAMI lowered them to 35,000 and 36,000 PSI respectively, or, around 33,000 CUP. Some powder makers refused to comply with this BS. Hodgdon and Accurate come readily to mind. Recently, SAAMI has backpaddled again and raised the level to 40,000 CUP.
Now, I am not advocating dismissing safety recommendations, But, if I had a safe and reliable track record of 30 years and was sure the powder pressure signature was the same as before, I'm not going to alter a pet handload for Hilary Clintons sake, or that of other unscrupulous liability lawyers, even if SAAMI wants to be politically correct. It is also one of the reasons +P was born to begin with!
This is why I feel it is good to collect as much load data (with pressure data) and even the older load manuals as you can. Of course, if you are changing components, or have reason to believe a powders chemistry has been altered you should go back to the CURRENT recommended minimum. This is common sense reloading. When the Powdermaker swears that they have not altered the burn rate of Unique, just made it cleaner, why are they altering their load data?
