Home Forums Reloading Handgun Reloading Has Unique become unobtanium?

I spread the word around at the gunshow this Saturday and one of the guys had stopped using Unique, he had a 1# and an 8#. I took the 1#, he sold it to me for $25.00 and I was more than happy to get it.

If anyone is near West Point Lake in GA and needs a pound of Unique. I have one. I just never used it. I am sure we can find something to trade.

I consider Universal interchangeable.
Not exactly, but close enough in my handgun/shotgun uses.

No idea in cast rifle use.

This morning, I loaded up 100 .44 Mag Starline brass with a hardcast 240 grain LSWC bullet and a stiff charge of my dwindling supply of Unique. Almost felt guilty.

More position sensitive

For me, a bottle of "rare" Unique is more valuable than a bottle of rare wine or brandy.

It's been out of stock everywhere here locally. I finally found an 8# jug of Longshot which works pretty well in both the 9mm and 44 Mag which are the only 2 pistol cartridges I reload now. I'll probably just keep using it if I can build up a stock of it.

I picked up a 22 adapter kit for the pistol I shoot the most and having been shooting that a bunch lately. Damn thing is more reliable than my 22/45 with the same ammo. I'd be out of pistol primers by summertime otherwise.

I'm no chemist

But Universal is side x side with Unique

I use Universal in a lot of stuff

https://hodgdon.com/wp-content/uploads/2023-burn-rate-chart.pdf

Where are you finding Universal?

Powder Valley some time ago

Along with the jug I previously had

Good stuff

Titegroup used much too

No idea. I got enough to last four lifetimes if I were a young man, which I ain't. Last time I bought unique it was $84.00 for an 8 pounder.

Hoarding components for future use. Very American.

Is Universal bulky like Unique gnohhh?

My 223s have just burnt up a pound of Unique in the past 4 months or so.... 750+ rounds out of a pound of it...

I/m not getting low, but want to stock up on an alternative, if the day comes that the democRATS stay in office the next election..

figure my shooting life has about one or two more administrations left in it... so I have a lot of rifle barrels and bullets to shoot up before that day comes...

I'll give ya $85 for a couple of them... EACH... talking the 8 pounders...

When I was running low on Unique a few years ago I tried AM Select, e3, and a few other powders primarily reloading 38 Special with cast bullets. I have Unique now, but I am still loading American Select in it's place.
I have discovered that most shotgun and non magnum handgun powder will work reasonably well in the non magnum cartridges that I reload. ( The ones I load the most of: 38 Special, 45acp & 45GAP) Note: I do not load 9mm.
I worked with the 45GAP a couple years ago. I worked up loads for it using pretty much every available non magnum handgun powder as well as pretty much every shotgun powder I could lay hands on. I was not impressed with HS6 or 800X. All the rest performed reasonably well. I was pretty surprised at how many powders performed well during my testing.

Bob R

I've stocked up with reloading components in the 'good years'

Have plenty to use now with the high priced shortages

Never considered it hoarding

Do the same with food & other necessary items

Bulkiness is similar, possibly a little finer than Unique. I'd have to dig the two out and compare, and I'm not home and likely to forget when I do get home!

Could all be a moot point as I heard that the overseas manufacture of the Clays-series of powders is on hiatus for a while into the future. Anyone have the definitive skinny on that or is it yet another Internet fallacy?

When taking a physical inventory of my powder I discovered my stash of Clays isn't as healthy as I thought it was, Universal Clays is sufficient though. No biggie, I have a lot more of Bullseye than I thought I had, and the Unique jugs still gather dust. If push comes to shove there's the keg of Red Dot waiting in the wings. My stash of SP primers will be exhausted before the Clays/B'eye/Red Dot is used up - 10,000 isn't all that many, and they're used to feed an assortment of .22 Hornets too in addition to the handguns. LP primers on the other hand will see me through 'til the Second Coming.

I have some Unique, but have tried HS6 in my .38 loads. Works fine for my use. But I have been picking up some small pistol primers from time to time. Got some at Sportsman's at a reasonable price but 200 or 2 bx was the limit. Never got back .. They are showing up.

I am at the point where I have literally multi thousands of my handgun loads already loaded. .38, .357, .44 Mag and .45 Colt. I have components on hand to load as many more. I don't shoot that much these days. "Running out" is not in my future, particularly at my advanced age.

Hoping you can define "woman".