Home Forums Reloading Handgun Reloading Unique

Several venders have Unique back in stock. Picked up three pounds this morning. Now if they could get some more 2400, I would really be pleased.

online or local?

Doesn't Unique burn dirtier than Universal it's next door cousin ?

I run Universal in lever guns.........semi pistols.......and it's available

I haven't looked today, but Midway had Unique, Bullseye, and a few other Alliant powders in stock yesterday.

I bought from Natchez Shooter's Supply. Got free hazmat as well.

Been buying most of my primers and a bit of my powder from them the last few years now. The occasional free hazmat or free shipping deals they run help. They've seemed to consistently have the most primers in stock of any of the major online players over the past 12-18 months.

Universal is not on the shelf anywhere and is not expected to ship until maybe next year and maybe the year after that.

Have a 4# jug......I'm set

Dirtier? Yeah, maybe, but "they" cleaned up Unique in recent years - it's not as dirty as the Unique of old. I too like Hodgdon's shotgun powders in pistol loads, having made that discovery after giving up shotgun sports and re-employing the leftover jugs of Clays and Univeral Clays. But that's coincidental, a matter of expediency and accuracy, not because it's cleaner. I still have, and shoot with, a stash of the old Unique and don't mind its "dirtiness" - after all one cleans one's guns after a day of shooting anyway, right? As for schmeck left in the barrel after each shot, it gets blown out along with the next shot and matters not a whit.

Seems to be a trend, Accurate 2 and Green Dot are both a bit cleaner shooting than they were back in the day.

Nitro 100 is night and day, but I think think it's an entirely new powder they just slapped the name on, so I don't count it. The N100NF looks nothing like the old stuff. That's about the cleanest shooting fast powder I've encountered in my loading, though.

Cleanliness isn't a big deal to me, either. The brass goes in the tumbler and the guns get cleaned as soon as I get home from shooting, so burning dirty isn't really a concern. That's what brushes, patches, and swabs are for 😁

I use Unique in 12 gauge loads, 9 mm, 38 special, 45 auto. It's taking me a while but I am getting my 8#er down to the last couple of pounds. It takes a while at 4.6g loads in the 9 mm's.

Are there cleaner burning powders, probably. But Unique can sure be used in a wide variety of loads.

I have always heard about how dirty Unique is. I bet I’ve burned twice as much of it as all other pistol powders combined since I’ve been loading. It simply gives the results I want with the most easily found data available and has always been a mainstay anywhere powders were found, at least until recently.

Curiously, I happened onto a big jug of PowerPistol when not much else was available and have been using it. It produces more soot and smoke than Unique from the 60 year old 8# keg I also have under my bench. Both shoot great so I don’t worry about the “dirtiness”.

If I could only have one pistol powder from now on it would be Unique. I have more or less standardized on loads that use it in 9mm, 38, 357, 44 Special and Mag, and 45 auto. I’m sure it wouldn’t take much tinkering to come up with a good load for the 32 either. In all these cartridges it produces all of the accuracy and velocity I require with the bullet weights I like. No fussing, not magic tricks.

Yep , Unique just gets it done. I'm on my last 8# jug. I hope I can find some more soon.

Unique shoots great in both 32 S&WL and 32 H&R for me... only so-so from 327 Fed, but 2 outta 3 ain't bad 😁 At 3-4 grains a pop an 8 pounder goes a long way, too.

Titegroup has been a favorite for years. That said, when my LGS had this 8# jug of Bullseye a bit ago I had to grab it. It's been a while since I have seen it for sale and I was out.

Unique and #2400 are mainstays on my bench and have been for a long time.

Clean your guns. Unique works for me in a lot of scenarios.

Love it for .44 magnum, .480Ruger and .45-70 !

Organizing and storing loads using each of eight powders for my revolvers is way more than I'd recommend.

Staying within pressure limits and extensive chrongraphing...after awhile don't need to refer to a load manual.

Unique only burns dirty if you run powder puff loads. Load it up and it burns clean and is exceptionally accurate. I put in a supply of universal but haven't had an opportunity to see if it is as versatile or accurate as unique.

I've never understood the "dirty" thing about Unique! My hands get dirty & I wash them and now that I'm powder coating & run a decent load of Unique I seldom have to clean my "dirty" gun. I could never be without 2400 or Unique.

Dick