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Unique isn't all that dirty if you run some pressure.


It's reputation suffers because it is so good.
There are other powders that are terrible dirty at low pressures,
but they suck in those applications. So aren't used.


Folks run Unique at low pressure, and it does well.
Then they grumble about soot.


Try some hot 9mm loads with it.
Clean as a whistle.

I've messed with 244W quite a bit the last couple years. One LGS had a buttload of it fairly cheap during the lowest depths of the shortage, so I bought a few pounds to monkey with. I've gotten it to shoot pretty well with cast bullets in a few cartridges.

It does burn pretty clean, whether it's pushed hot or really mild. I haven't actually used much of it, because while it does shoot pretty good, CFEP or BE86 have worked out better for most of my applictions so far. Just loaded some test groups of 100gr XTP 32 H&R with it the other day, so we'll see how that goes.

As far as BE86 goes, one nice perk I've noticed about it is it picks up a LOT of speed through a carbine barrel vs a lot of other powders in the same ballpark. I'm getting just shy of 2000fps with 86gr bullets in 327 Federal from a 16" barrel... not bad at all for a little 8 grain pop. H110 and A#9 will outrun it by a bit, but it takes a lot more powder.

Gnoahhh, I was getting green at your stash until I looked. Now I'm only partly green.

If you're not finding data, it is because you won't look beyond your old manuals.
Skeeter and Elmer are both dead, yet load development has continued.

They still have 1 pound bottles, but they are fresh out of any larger containers of it.

Yep.

In the last 6 months, I have found Unique at Sportsman's Warehouse. In one pound and 4 pound containers.

Mostly one pounders at $40 a pound, but each shipment they get one or two of the 4 pounders.. Those were like $113 for 4 pounds, with my military discount. I went into a store 4 times within a month to 6 weeks, and each time bought the 4 pounder, sitting on the Shelf.

Same with Blue Dot. Use both powders for high volume sage rat shooting and range practice.

Unique this time last year, I was over at the range, and was ringing Steel at 300 and 400 yds off the bench. Did that over 4 or 5 month period. Shot 750 plus rounds doing that, with a charge of 8.5 to 9.5 grains, depending upon bullet weight, I went thru a little over a pound of Unique. This is in 223 cartridges.

And I had picked up 12 pounds of it, last spring.. to supplement the one 8 pounder I had left.

I'll be set for a while.