Poll: One powder only

[Jr.]

So I should switch to ram shot being as it has 0 votes

[rhead]

Unique! I can build an at least effective load for anything from .32 ACP to 45/70. Something else will work better in most of them.

I lucked into a couple of the old fifteen pound fiber containers several years ago at a good price. i did not think long on whether or not to take it home with me.

[Roy Acuffff]

50+ years ago when I started reloading it was 25 cents a pound for surplus 4831 in the 03A3 then Unique in everything else because they were easy to get and CHEAP. Which means I could afford the hobby along with casting my own boolits. Unique worked excellent for my use then and now as well. I would and did chose Unique as my one only powder.

Thing about it, I am not going to get in a pi$$ing match about why you use this or that powder. I respect YOUR right to use any powder you can purchase.

Regards
Roy

[10 ga]

I read the first paragraph. I was contrary before I read it and remain unrepentant. Your selection menu doesn't work for me due to the variety of arms I shoot. BP will work in all of them. So I vote for BP.

dittos " " X2 for Dan! I voted earlier and couldn't have said it better myself. Plus it will blow stuff up. Shooting guns is nice but blowing stuff up is way more fun. If you shoot artillery ya can do both. Holy Black forever! 10

[Mal Paso]

IMR SR 4756 Just a tad slower than the mythical Unique. Not having seen Unique in years I think it exists only in load books. 4756 is now on the endangered feces list, to be terminated at the end of this year. We need a Powder Protection Act and a Component Manufacturer breeding program!

[Bonz]

After reading all of the posts, I wandered into a LGS and found a lone 1# bottle of Unique on the shelf. I'll be loading up some pistol ammo, hopefully I can agree with these posts after using it.

[hotbrew]

I am so happy that I live in a time when I have so many powders available that there are choices on this poll that I have never used. That being said of the twenty or so powders I have on the shelf Unique is probably the closest to a one powder to rule them all.

hotbrew

[bhn22]

Gee, I really didn't see Unique ending up as number one!

[btroj]

Sometimes things just nique up on you......

[MTtimberline]

Unique is the jack of all trades, master of none.

[w0fms]

Unique is the jack of all trades.. so I voted for it. but usually I use 231 as my standard because it meters better and is cleaner... But 231 is a little fast to be used in everything ideally...

[armorer59]

My vote is for good Ole' FF or FFF black powder. I can load pretty much anything with BP and lead. Best of all, I can make my own of each!

[jonp]

I should have included bp but i was thing smokeless powder that was in tight supply and black is still common

[Big_Blue]

Lyman Cast Bullet Handbook is a good place to start

Your suggestion to look in Lyman got me to studying a bit harder about using Unique in a rifle, even though Alliant doesn't list it. I'm new to reloading, so forgive the ignorance of my questions, but what does it mean to the shooter or to the gun to use a powder which is more powerful than another powder?

I compared Alliant's Reloder 19 recipe against the Lyman recipe for Unique, and I see a very large difference in the weight of powder recommended. Reloader 19 requires 62 grains of powder for a 150 gr 30-06 bullet with a velocity of 2.7k fps, but Unique requires only 9.5 gr for a 130 gr 30-06 bullet with a velocity of 1.4k fps. I couldn't find the same bullet size in both tables--this was the closest I could get.

Reloder 19 requires roughly 6X the amount of powder as Unique. Does this mean that Unique creates the same volume of gas with only 1/6th the amount of powder? Does this difference in the amount of gas translate into more kick for the shooter and more stress for the gun? Maybe not since the Unique driven bullet is only travelling about half the speed of the Reloder 19 bullet.

Since 1 pound of powder is 7000 grains, and the load data is all in grains, does this mean I can load 6X as many bullets with a pound of Unique as I can with a pound of Reloder 19?

Midway sells Reloder 19 for $24/lb and Unique for $18/lb. This means I end up spending less than 1/6th the cost per bullet using Unique.

Other than the fact that Lyman doesn't publish recipes for bullets larger than 130 grains, and the velocity being so much slower with Unique, where's the downside of using Unique instead of Reloder 19?

Similar story with .223/5.56. AR-Comp needs 25.6gr for a 55gr bullet traveling at 3.4k fps, whereas Unique needs only 6.8gr for a 55gr bullet traveling at 1.9k fps. AR-Comp costs $25.5/lb.

Looks like Unique is far superior with lighter bullets at shorter distances.

[RobS]

Herco

[Catshooter]

Big Blue,

You've nailed it. None of your thinking is flawed except for the gas volume thing. If the gas volume between those two loads were the same then the velocities would be the same or nearly so. The pistol powder won't produce nearly the pressure (gas volume) of the rifle powder. That's why the velocity is so much lower.

The only problem, really with pistol powder these days is finding it!

A pistol powder used in a rifle cartridge won't deliver the top end velocity. But that isn't always the goal. I use Red Dot in 30-30 for teaching my grandchildren to shoot. They love it, can't get enough of them.

I use Universal Clays (just a modern version of Unique) in 7.62x54 and the wonderful 45-70. A 220 grainer @ 1500 and a 500 grainer at 1250. Neither are at max for the cartridge, but both hit with authority.

You have discovered one of the secrets of reloading. Especially casting and reloading. The 30-30 load I use is cheaper by far than 22 rimfire. The other two I can assemble for about seven or eight cents each.

Too sweet.

Your not as new to reloading as you think.

Welcome to the forum.


Cat

[newmexicocrawler]

231 has data for all pistols.......I have loaded it in everything and in a crunch I have enough to last and would be alright with it. I load all my pistols with different powders but don't have a problem loading it in everything.

[Shiloh]

For pistol?? Unique works good in everything. Some rifle apps as well. For only one powder I have to go with Unique.

Shiloh

[Garyb]

Unique for me, but it's the "unique" fellow indeed that can get enough of any one powder to be satisfied with just one.

[otter5555]

greendot. i load EVERY centerfire i own with greendot. after years of developmental work every caliber i own is also wonderfully accurate with greendot.