The New Cleaner Burning Unique - Page 2

pgdion · January 19, 2012, 10:22 AM

Never used the 'old' Unique but I use a lot of the 'New Cleaner Burning' Unique and I have no complaints. I have to agree with dacaur, it burns at least as clean as any of the factory loads. And I really like the performance. It has a nice push, good report, and the groups are nice and tight.

serf 'rett · January 19, 2012, 11:14 AM

No experience with the old Unique, but have found the new stuff didn't leave great gobs of gunk in my pistols. Having said that, I'll admit I'm using W-231 and Powder Pistol in my 9mm and 40S&W because:

1. They meter much more consistently for me.

2. Put the holes closer together through my pistols.

Blind Dog Jake · January 19, 2012, 11:52 AM

Hi folks

Thanks for all of the info.
I have shot 5.9 gr of Unique and 158 lswc out of that ol' King Cobra for quit a few years. If I step up the (old) powder a bit (6.2) it may burn a little cleaner. I hope.

Thanks all
And I will find some info on all of the powders you folks mentioned.

rclark · January 19, 2012, 12:26 PM

FYI, I just did some chronograph tests with Unique shooting 158g SWCs a week or two ago now. Don't have my data in front of me, but the extreme spread (and Standard Deviation) kept getting better as I approached 6.5g and at 7.0g (highest I tested) it started to spread again. My tests were in 0.5g increments. When I load with Unique it will be 6.0g or 6.5g under 158g SWC.... Haven't decided which yet.... more testing to be done.... Anyway .... FWIW

GWS · January 19, 2012, 12:45 PM

Quote:

Unique is a powder that I don't understand.

I've heard that the new formulation is cleaner but considering that the old formulation made my gun look like I dragged it through a charcoal pit, "cleaner" doesn't mean much.

Given it's L-O-N-G standing reputation for being a dirty powder and considering that there are dozens of other powders that will do the same thing but cleaner and actually flow through a dispenser, I just don't get why I'd want to use Unique.

I mean, if I want a powder that won't flow through a dispenser I can use 800x. At least it burns clean.

Or, I can use Power Pistol... it meters great AND burns clean, with only slightly (10% or so) larger charges than Unique.

Or W231, which meters like water, uses less per charge than Unique AND burns clean....
__________________

Valid question, Peetzakilla.

Historically, Unique has been used by more reloaders than any other pistol powder. Yes, there are "cleaner" powders, but people ought to clean their pistols after a shoot no matter what powder they use. I started using Unique some 40 years ago. It's accurate, slow burning enough to have a pleasant smooth recoil, and fills a .45 ACP case just about right. (that means there are no questions whether a case has a charge and a dbl. charge spills. It also means a case turned sideways in the chamber is going to have powder against the primer when it fires.)

As for metering....granted it doesn't meter as well as some, but it meters in my Uniflow plenty well enough, to make my reloads more accurate than most factory ammo. In other words it isn't that sensitive to that kind of perfection.

I should really try some of the new kids on the block, but I haven't found a pressing need to do so. When it was hard to find anything on the shelves back Obama January, I could still buy Unique. Even Walmart in Alamosa Colorado carries Unique. I dare say the it is the easiest powder to find, period.

One last thing. Its one of the most versatile powders there is....good to go for many calibers and even shotgun.

And BTW......I didn't know it was "dirty" until I read it on the gun forums! When I use any tool....it gets dirty.....soooo....

rclark · January 19, 2012, 02:46 PM

Quote:

I could still buy Unique

Not around here, Unique was hard to find during the Osama scare. One of the main reasons I started doing a bunch of testing on other powders to find good loads. Also have stocked up a bit, so I 'should' have enough to get through the next one....

Here is my .357 Ruger BH 6 1/2" barrel test data for Unique:

5.0g Unique, 158g SWC, CCI-500, _958 avg, 28 SD, 80 ES, 13 shots
5.5g Unique, 158g SWC, CCI-500, 1027 avg, 19 SD, 64 ES, 13 shots
6.0g Unique, 158g SWC, CCI-500, 1082 avg, 14 SD, 48 ES, 13 shots, Accurate
6.5g Unique, 158g SWC, CCI-500, 1152 avg, 10 SD, 36 ES, 19 shots, Accurate
7.0g Unique, 158g SWC, CCI-500, 1191 avg, 14 SD, 50 ES, 18 shots

Someone might find the numbers useful, no significant leading for above loads.... Bullets were from Rimrock.

drail · January 19, 2012, 07:51 PM

You guys crack me up. If you think Unique is dirty you need to shoot some black powder revolvers. THAT will make your hands look like you've been working on a Harley. Just stuff a rag in your back pocket and wipe the thing down every once in a while. As someone else posted the fouling will come off without doing any damage. Is gun. Is dirty. Is FUN!

Brian Pfleuger · January 19, 2012, 07:58 PM

Yeah.... I don't do BP either....
Dirty guns aren't fun. Clean guns that made as much noise as dirty guns are fun.

I have to detail strip my Glock to clean it's entire innards after a few magazines of (Old) Unique. I can shoot a whole bottle of Power Pistol without making it's guts that dirty.

Slamfire · January 19, 2012, 08:37 PM

Just wipe the fouling off.

I wipe my pistols down, then apply GI bore cleaner (bought when it was $5.00 a gallon), wipe that off, and guess what, the pistol is clean.

Of course I put a brush with bore cleaner down the cylinders and barrel. If I have leading I run a bristle brush on the cylinder face.

So, are the reasons people object to powder residue because they don't want to clean their guns?

3kgt2nv · January 19, 2012, 08:44 PM

clean or dirty i always clean my guns after a trip to the range or out for a hunt.

rclark · January 20, 2012, 09:32 AM

Quote:

Dirty guns aren't fun.

Actually they are once in awhile. Just last weekend I shot some BP .45 Colt. Lots of fun and smoke. Sure there is some cleanup (cases plus gun) but no big deal

. Clean guns after every session anyway.

floydster · January 20, 2012, 08:00 PM

I love Unique

Brian Pfleuger · January 20, 2012, 08:12 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by rclark

Actually they are once in awhile. Just last weekend I shot some BP .45 Colt. Lots of fun and smoke. Sure there is some cleanup (cases plus gun) but no big deal . Clean guns after every session anyway.

To each his own. I have just as much fun without the smoke and dirt and, yes, I clean the gun after I shoot it... it's just a matter of running a patch down the barrel and wiping it down with some oil or fully-disassembling the entire gun to blow out/wipe out every nook and cranny and clean and re-oil all the friction points after removing all the gunk.

I like shooting. I hate cleaning. If you like Unique (or BP), more power to you (actually less power

) but it's not for me.

Sergeant · January 21, 2012, 02:09 AM

The wife says the hotter Unique rounds do not smoke as bad as the reduced recoil loads. I cannot notice. But she is more tuned to that than me.

After shooting 300 factory rounds or my Unique reloads, clean up seems to be about the same in our revolvers. Semi's may be different. Never reloaded for semi's.

I never used the older Unique.

FrankenMauser · January 21, 2012, 03:15 AM

Quote:

Thanks for all of the info.
I have shot 5.9 gr of Unique and 158 lswc out of that ol' King Cobra for quit a few years. If I step up the (old) powder a bit (6.2) it may burn a little cleaner. I hope.

That was going to be my suggestion, as well.
Alliant Unique burns cleanest in hotter loads.
But, even in mild loads, I've never seen anything like the photo you provided. How many rounds had you fired?

I run Unique in many loads, from .32 S&W Long, to .44 Mag. I don't have the issues with "filth", like some people. Overall, I like it.

And, I seem to be one of the "freaks" that has excellent luck with Unique metering well. In my Dillon powder measures (550, original measures and "fail-safe" measures), it meters better than even W231/HP38.

grubbylabs · January 21, 2012, 09:45 AM

Quote:

And, I seem to be one of the "freaks" that has excellent luck with Unique metering well.

Don't worry, you are not alone. I use an older Uniflow and it meters really well through mine as well.

Blind Dog Jake · January 21, 2012, 03:51 PM

Hi All

FrankenMausar

That was something like 100 rounds.

Just loaded the end of the old powder, stepped up the loads a little.

I have 20 rds at 6.1gr -- 20 at 6.4gr and 20 at 6.7gr. Will test them Monday.

I'm thinkin' the 6.7gr load may be a bit much for the 158 LSWC, never know till I try it.

Bigdog57 · January 21, 2012, 05:41 PM

I actually dumped more than half a pound of Unique on the garden. Tried the 'flammable dirt' in my Ruger Security Six and my Colt M1991A1. Both got gummed uo within just a few magazines & cylinders to the point of failure.
The Unique just didn't work for me.

I switched to Bullseye and never looked back. Much better performance, and much cleaner.

llwsgn · January 21, 2012, 11:07 PM

great comments. great propellant.

dacaur · January 22, 2012, 02:16 AM

I run 4.5gr of unique with 124gr berrys plated... it works great... I'm not shooting groups, but for plinking with my PF-9, ruger p89, and kel-tec sub 2000, it works great, and I wouldn't call it overly dirty, but again, I dont run it in revolvers........ It also seems to meter just fine with my lee auto disk... all charges are within .1gr whenever I randomly pick one to measure.... I have been thinking of switching to power pistol, but only because so many people say they dont like unique, not because of any problems I have had.....

January 19, 2012, 10:22 AM	#26
pgdion Senior Member Join Date: April 22, 2010 Location: MPLS, MN Posts: 1,214	Never used the 'old' Unique but I use a lot of the 'New Cleaner Burning' Unique and I have no complaints. I have to agree with dacaur, it burns at least as clean as any of the factory loads. And I really like the performance. It has a nice push, good report, and the groups are nice and tight. __________________ 597 VTR, because there's so many cans and so little time!

January 19, 2012, 11:14 AM	#27
serf 'rett Senior Member Join Date: June 25, 2009 Location: Stuttgart, AR Posts: 1,569	No experience with the old Unique, but have found the new stuff didn't leave great gobs of gunk in my pistols. Having said that, I'll admit I'm using W-231 and Powder Pistol in my 9mm and 40S&W because: 1. They meter much more consistently for me. 2. Put the holes closer together through my pistols. __________________ A lack of planning on your part does not necessarily constitute an emergency on my part.

January 19, 2012, 12:26 PM	#29
rclark Senior Member Join Date: February 12, 2009 Location: Butte, MT Posts: 2,622	FYI, I just did some chronograph tests with Unique shooting 158g SWCs a week or two ago now. Don't have my data in front of me, but the extreme spread (and Standard Deviation) kept getting better as I approached 6.5g and at 7.0g (highest I tested) it started to spread again. My tests were in 0.5g increments. When I load with Unique it will be 6.0g or 6.5g under 158g SWC.... Haven't decided which yet.... more testing to be done.... Anyway .... FWIW __________________ A clinger and deplorable, MAGA, and life NRA member. When guns are outlawed, only outlaws will have guns. Single Action .45 Colt (Sometimes colloquially referred to by its alias as the .45 'Long' Colt or .45LC). Don't leave home without it. That said, the .44Spec is right up their too... but the .45 Colt is still the king.

January 19, 2012, 08:37 PM	#34
Slamfire Senior Member Join Date: May 27, 2007 Posts: 5,261	Just wipe the fouling off. I wipe my pistols down, then apply GI bore cleaner (bought when it was $5.00 a gallon), wipe that off, and guess what, the pistol is clean. Of course I put a brush with bore cleaner down the cylinders and barrel. If I have leading I run a bristle brush on the cylinder face. So, are the reasons people object to powder residue because they don't want to clean their guns? __________________ If I'm not shooting, I'm reloading.

January 19, 2012, 11:52 AM	#28
Blind Dog Jake Member Join Date: November 26, 2011 Location: N.W. Ohio Posts: 41	Hi folks Thanks for all of the info. I have shot 5.9 gr of Unique and 158 lswc out of that ol' King Cobra for quit a few years. If I step up the (old) powder a bit (6.2) it may burn a little cleaner. I hope. Thanks all And I will find some info on all of the powders you folks mentioned.

January 19, 2012, 07:51 PM	#32
drail Junior member Join Date: February 2, 2008 Posts: 3,150	You guys crack me up. If you think Unique is dirty you need to shoot some black powder revolvers. THAT will make your hands look like you've been working on a Harley. Just stuff a rag in your back pocket and wipe the thing down every once in a while. As someone else posted the fouling will come off without doing any damage. Is gun. Is dirty. Is FUN!

January 19, 2012, 07:58 PM	#33
Brian Pfleuger Moderator Emeritus Join Date: June 25, 2008 Location: Austin, CO Posts: 19,578	Yeah.... I don't do BP either.... Dirty guns aren't fun. Clean guns that made as much noise as dirty guns are fun. I have to detail strip my Glock to clean it's entire innards after a few magazines of (Old) Unique. I can shoot a whole bottle of Power Pistol without making it's guts that dirty.

January 19, 2012, 08:44 PM	#35
3kgt2nv Senior Member Join Date: January 7, 2012 Location: hudson valley NY Posts: 517	clean or dirty i always clean my guns after a trip to the range or out for a hunt.

January 20, 2012, 08:00 PM	#37
floydster Senior Member Join Date: May 26, 2008 Posts: 472	I love Unique

January 21, 2012, 02:09 AM	#39
Sergeant Senior Member Join Date: July 17, 2011 Posts: 124	The wife says the hotter Unique rounds do not smoke as bad as the reduced recoil loads. I cannot notice. But she is more tuned to that than me. After shooting 300 factory rounds or my Unique reloads, clean up seems to be about the same in our revolvers. Semi's may be different. Never reloaded for semi's. I never used the older Unique.

January 21, 2012, 03:51 PM	#42
Blind Dog Jake Member Join Date: November 26, 2011 Location: N.W. Ohio Posts: 41	Hi All FrankenMausar That was something like 100 rounds. Just loaded the end of the old powder, stepped up the loads a little. I have 20 rds at 6.1gr -- 20 at 6.4gr and 20 at 6.7gr. Will test them Monday. I'm thinkin' the 6.7gr load may be a bit much for the 158 LSWC, never know till I try it.

January 21, 2012, 05:41 PM	#43
Bigdog57 Senior Member Join Date: December 2, 2006 Posts: 122	I actually dumped more than half a pound of Unique on the garden. Tried the 'flammable dirt' in my Ruger Security Six and my Colt M1991A1. Both got gummed uo within just a few magazines & cylinders to the point of failure. The Unique just didn't work for me. I switched to Bullseye and never looked back. Much better performance, and much cleaner.

January 21, 2012, 11:07 PM	#44
llwsgn Junior Member Join Date: May 28, 2011 Location: rural colorado Posts: 4	great comments. great propellant.

January 22, 2012, 02:16 AM	#45
dacaur Senior Member Join Date: March 16, 2010 Posts: 733	I run 4.5gr of unique with 124gr berrys plated... it works great... I'm not shooting groups, but for plinking with my PF-9, ruger p89, and kel-tec sub 2000, it works great, and I wouldn't call it overly dirty, but again, I dont run it in revolvers........ It also seems to meter just fine with my lee auto disk... all charges are within .1gr whenever I randomly pick one to measure.... I have been thinking of switching to power pistol, but only because so many people say they dont like unique, not because of any problems I have had.....