Load Suggestions for 38 Special w/ unique powder

[Alferd Packer]

If you pick one load and shoot it all the time, you will be familiar with it and know what it will do.
4.8 grains of Unique was the accuracy load, best recoil, never felt too heavy, and is still a good one.
It makes the shells last longer than with a 5 grain load.
In a GP 100 can be shot accurately with either hand.
Good to know.

[PhatForrest]

Unique is probably getting hard to find about now.........

I found this thread because somebody just gave me a sealed 8 pound jug of Unique for free. He had gotten it from a friend who passed away, and never started to reload. Merry Christmas to me!

When this friend of a friend died, I also ended up with a heavy barreled Rem 700 243 and a Square Deal B for $650 from his estate sale.

[oldsalt444]

My most accurate load with a 158 gr. boolit is 4.3 gr. Unique. I use that for bullseye competition at 50 yards.

[jeepyj]

My most accurate load with a 158 gr. boolit is 4.3 gr. Unique. I use that for bullseye competition at 50 yards.

What are you shooting it out of? I've just reread this post that started 5 years ago. At that time I was shooting 5gr for a 158gr SWC but now I've tuned into a 4.6gr with a powder coated 150 RN out of a old Smith 66 that seems to be as accurate as most anything I've ever shot in 38spl.

[AZ Pete]

over the years the max. load of Unique has been reduced. Speer #3 (1959) listed 5.0g. More recently, I recall Alliant listing the max. 4.7g. with a 158 g. lswc. I have loaded and shot thousands of cast 158g. bullets with 4.6 g. in the past couple of years with great satisfaction.

[Murphy]

I can't recall over the decades how many shooters I've heard repeatedly stating 5.0 of Unique loaded beneath a 158 grain bullet was their go to load. Personally, I always used HP38 or Bullseye going the economic route.

Time's change and so do old habits for some. I have a couple of S&W 38's. If I were to start experimenting, I probably wouldn't hesitate to try Unique with any of my 150-160 molds. From what I have gathered from the above posts, I would probably begin with 4.3 grains and work up to 5.0. If I wanted something with a little more punch to it, I would slowly ease up from 5.0 grains to 5.5 and leave it at that.

Sitting here thinking about it, I could spend weeks (if not more) just working with my 38 Specials. Between the lightest mold dropping at 125 grains to my heaviest of 173 and several in the 150 to 160 grain weight. That's not counting the two hollow point molds.

Murphy

[oldsalt444]

What are you shooting it out of? I've just reread this post that started 5 years ago. At that time I was shooting 5gr for a 158gr SWC but now I've tuned into a 4.6gr with a powder coated 150 RN out of a old Smith 66 that seems to be as accurate as most anything I've ever shot in 38spl.

S&W K38 Targetmaster, 1954 vintage.

[ddixie884]

I really don't like to go below 4.5gr Unique under full weight bullets in .38spl. I really don't bother loading for low power in this caliber...........