Home Forums Reloading Handgun Reloading Unique lovers willing to pay $60/lb?

Powder prices have gone waaaay up. If you are clinging to your fantasies of Unique's superiority - you're going to pay dearly.

Here's an example of prices at Sportsman's Warehouse
https://www.sportsmans.com/shooting...ng-equipment-supplies/powder/c/cat100151

Yep, pretty pricey nowadays. Glad I have plenty on hand. 2400 also.

Ditto. I have enough Unique and Bullseye on hand that I should never have to buy it again. All of it either bought way back when it was dirt cheap or gifted to me by pards who hung up their reloading spurs. Bottom line: I don't even figure powder costs in my handgun loading.

But in reality if I were having to buy it at today's prices, my use of it in .38 Special for example at 4gr./shot would yield 1750 shots/pound for a cost of 3 1/2 cents per shot at $60/pound. Still pretty cheap in the whole scheme of things. Same with Bullseye for an even better cost per shot when usage dictates only 2.0-3.0 grains in the stuff I use it in.

Even if/when powder hits those heights in price it remains that primer prices are what really drives the cost of handloading traditional pistol cartridges. Just add the cost of a couple bricks of primers you'll need to ignite that pound of Unique and you'll see what I mean.

Good thing is a bottle of Unique will load a lot of ammo. That last $50 jug of IMR4350 I bought won't go nearly as far.

Unique, like so many other powders…..I’m glad that I bought in bulk years ago! memtb

I just saw Longshot yesterday for $60.99 a pound! Went to the same local chain today, and a pound of Longshot was $39.99. They also had several Alliant pistol powders with no prices on them.

Yeah, primers would be another damn thorn. Glad I don't need any of those either.

I might need some more in about 2224 , I'll worry about it then.

The alternatives are getting expensive also. True Blue is now $47.99 @ Sportsman's.

10+ years ago during one of the powder shortages I discovered that AL 20/28 to be practically a grain-for-grain replacement for Unique in the .38 Special, .44 Special and 45 ACP. I'd just as soon use it as Unique.

And FWIW, I just found Unique for $44 per lb.

Luckily a little bit of Unique goes a LONG way in my 38 Spec………..

I bought a keg of bullseye when I shot indoor pistol in the 70’s. I am pretty sure over half of it is still there. If I run out of unique, I suppose I could shoot bullseye. But I won’t run out of unique.
I don’t tend to shoot much high power pistol loads much anymore, do my 2400 will last a long time as will my H110.

There’s a few other powders I use. 5744 worked good for medium level loads if I remember correctly.

I have plenty of Unique & I just smile when I walk past the powder isle at Sportsman's & see guys buying rifle powder for $45-$60 lb. Since I don't own a rifle I don't have that problem of burning a lb. of powder with 75 to maybe 200 rounds.

Damn! You must have a room just for Unique storage. I thought I had a lot at 9.5 pounds left.

I'm not a hoarder, honest! It's just that this crap finds me - mainly from old gents who hung it up (and whom a couple were genuine hoarders) - and I'm not dumb enough to turn it down, even if I already have decent amounts in my own right. Couple months ago a fella gave me a full 3 pound can of W-231, then called a couple weeks later and said he found another one plus a couple pounds of Surplus 4831 and Unique, Bullseye, etc. - two big cardboard boxes full of powders, and would I like that too? Primers out the wazoo also. And a nifty Remington Rolling Block in 7mm Mauser.

If you can't be smart, be lucky.

What I really wish is somebody would hand me a Ferarri Dino or an XK-120, but so far no luck.....

I know what you mean. A few years ago, I assumed I'd never again get into reloading, and gave away all my old cans of powder from the 1980s and '90s. Now I wish I hadn't, since I'm back into it.

Yep, same here at Sportsman’s. I want to say it was $34.99 the last time they had it. I found LPP so I bought some. I should be good to load 2 years of hard cast 10mm loads now.

No joke. Not sure what the deal with Unique is (it is "only" $45, and has been), but a lot of other prices have really jumped in the last week. I had thought the increases came in early January? Thought wrong. Examples of Sportsman's shelf prices last week vs. yesterday:

Longshot $37-->$45
CFE Pistol $36-->$46
244 $36-->$47
HS6 $40-->$47
HP38 $38-->$45
572 $38-->$47

I wish I could find a jug of Unique and one of 2400 without paying separate hazmat fees for each one. I'd really love to add a brick of small magnum pistol primers and a brick of Winchester large pistol primers. You can find one of these in stock somewhere, but not all.

G….,

Greed is not an attractive quality!

…but then neither is envy…so, please disregard my comment above!