Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Handguns Are any of the new pistol powders better than Unique?

I load a bunch of medium loads in 9mm, .38 Special, .357, .44 Special/Magnum and .45 ACP/Colt. Need to replenish the powder magazine and wonder if there is anything better than my old standby Unique. I use mostly hand cast lead.

Power Pistol burns much cleaner and close to same burn rate

Better for more limited applications, or more versatile?

I don't think you'll find a more versatile powder, but there are many that will work a bit better for a given chambering.

The other thing is accuracy. I have found Unique to produce some of my most accurate handgun loads, accurate as in one ragged hole at 25 yds for guns that are capable.

Most versatile. I have too many different powders as it is.

I doubt any powder is more versatile then Unique.

The Hodgdon reloading site publishes data for all those rounds using Titegroup.

Is Titegroup better than Unique? I have no idea. I like it well enough. You don't use very much, so you get more rounds loaded per pound of powder. Try a pound and see what you think.

Cartridges that Alliant shows load data


10mm Auto

32 Auto

327 Federal Magnum

357 Magnum

357 Sig.

38 Special

38 Special +P

380 Auto

40 S&W

44 Rem. Magnum

44 S&W Special

45 Colt

45 Auto

45 G.A.P

454 Casull

460 S&W Magnum

480 Ruger

500 S&W Magnum

9mm Luger

32-20 Win. (Cowboy Action)

http://www.alliantpowder.com/reloaders/Powder.aspx?powderid=8

In my opinion Power Pistol can do snything Unique can and do it cleaner.

I switched to Universal 20 years ago and I've used it in all your listed applications except 9mm- and then only because I don't own one. I also use it in the 40 S&W and I've gotten good accuracy and velocities, with both cast and jacketed bullets, in every handgun cartridge I've tried it in. Universal is an excellent powder and I'll use it as long as it's available.

Fully agree. Universal has replaced Unique for me. That said, I am a huge fan of TiteGroup.

I've used Unique for over 40 years. Tried a lot of other powders during that time, but I still have a can of Unique on the shelf. Several powders have proved very useful for certain cartridge/bullet combinations, but none with the same versatility.

Power Pistol comes closer than anything IMO.

But there are a lot of pistol cartridges I don't load for and I don't load shotgun at all.




Dave

"Better" is a bit subjective.

Finding something in place of it is not hard.

Universal, CFE Pistol, TiteGroup, Herco and others will most certainly fill the bill; might not be as good in some, perhaps better in others, but are close on the burn chart.

Bullseye seems to have far greater reach than even Unique if judged in the realm of popular handgun cartridges; it also requires a bit more attention when loading.

+1. I keep Unique around for some "unique" purposes; like reduced and cast-bullet loads in rifles. I've replaced it with Power Pistol for all my mid-range revolver loadings.

Along with Unique, I use a lot of AA#5 and HS-6. They are just a little slower, and will work well for the cartridges you listed.

Don

I switched to Universal decades ago and was very happy until the jug went dry just when there was none of the stuff to be found anywhere. Fire at the factory, shipping limits imposed by New Zealand, Obama panic, whatever - I couldn't find any. Switched to Power Pistol and like it just as well as long as shotguns aren't in the mix.

Having tried dang near everything in the last 20 years, I hit on an outside the box option a few years ago and it has now become my No 1 most used pistol powder for 9mm, 38 Special, 357 Mag, 40 S&W, 44 Special, 44 Mag, and 45 Auto loads.

Its Ramshot True Blue. It flows through a powder measure better (more consistently) than anything I've ever seen. Burns clean, delivers nice velocity, best/lowest velocity spreads (single digits), doesn't seem to be position sensitve, can run with standard primers, and is useful from mild loads to full power (speed) in everything except the magnums. In those it will still give within 50-100 fps of what the true slow burners (296, H110, 200, No.9) give in 6" or under barrels. True Blue does excellent with both jacketed and cast bullets, and even downloads well in low pressure 38 Special and 44 Special loads. It doesn't appear to have unusual pressure spikes either when working up loads. Good to great accuracy too.

From a versatility standpoint, Unique wins if you consider there is shotgun and some old reduced rifle data, but if we are talking strictly handgun loads, True Blue is WAY better in all combinations!!!

Ping me if you would like to see some of my extensive test results.

By the way Power Pistol is pretty good, better than Unique, but is has a LOT of flash in case that matters to you.

Mark in GA

I still load or have loaded for all the cartridges you mentioned. I'm not looking for a universal powder, just the most accurate in each caliber. I'd feel incomplete if I didn't have at least one container of Power Pistol, Bullseye, Titegroup HS-6 and H110. Unique is the most versatile and has shown good to great accuracy in some applications, surprisingly though, not for my FA 97 44 Special.

Universal and WSF both are excellent direct substitutes for Unique. The discontinued SR7625 is as well; all three powders meter better than Unique and can be used for all of the same loads.

Power Pistol is a great powder and works in a lot of applications, but is not a direct substitute for Unique. Burn rate and performance is a little different, and it does make more flash.

BE-86

It is the "new and improved Power Pistol". Burn rate is between Unique and Power pistol, right there where Universal is.

Lights up very well. It is a Bullseye Formulation. Bullseye is BE-84. Was a OEM powder for Federal and others years before it was offered as a canister powder for the general public. Meters well.

I have tried it. I like it.

But. A big but. Alliant's load data sucks.

Gibby, is BE-86 a flake powder?