If you could have only one powder?

[jonp]

Let me put it this way.

Since reading about Harris's "the Load" and finding out that fast powders like Red Dot could be used across shotguns, rifles, pistols. I started looking for load data for every single caliber I had.

And I started buying Red Dot. That was 3 years ago.

After getting my latest 8 lb jug of Red Dot that puts my stash up to 23 lbs of Red Dot and 8 of Promo which is getting used in shotguns.

I have yet to find a rifle caliber with which a simple effective load with Red Dot can not be found which is both safe, effective, and thrifty.

For lower powered loads, from .223 to .357 mag 4.6 grains is my first choice. I do not know why, but this load is accurate in everything in which I have tried it.

In .357 mag at 50 yards it put 3 boolits in one ragged hole. Not a cloverleaf, tighter than that.

In the Mosin Nagant I like 10-13 grains behind the Lee .312 beagled or leemented out to .314 gas checked and sized to .314 lubed with BLL.

In the .444 Marlin I use the .430 310 gr wide meplat round nose gas checked over 13 grains of Red Dot.

No chrony so strickly WAG but I would say 1500 -1650 speed wise.
I suspect these would go lengthwise through any critter on North America.

Whats more the 4.6 grains load costs me about 1.6 cents per shot including shipping and hazmat.
And it will make a LOT of shots for a pound. Over 1500 in fact. Thats thrifty.

I use Red Dot in my pistols, from little 7.62x25 to .45 acp, lots of 9mm from 3 grains to blue whistlers over 4.5 grains in my Hipoint Carbine.

It runs everything. One powder yeah, I live it. I do use a little bit of IMR 4895 now and then for my Yugo SKS.

Red Dot works in it also, but it turns it into a Yugo version of a K-31 swiss straight pull bolt.

You do have to take extra precautions to guard against double charges. Fact of life, be careful or pay the price.

I've got 4 8lb jugs of Promo on my shelf because of what you just described. That and the Unique I have loads everything I load if I want it too

[fiberoptik]

Easy!! Swiss BP! =8:^)
Covers squirrel guns to gages to 50-140's! Keeps my .50's happy

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[TES]

smp 735/rifle or smp 350/pistol

[GhostHawk]

I've got 4 8lb jugs of Promo on my shelf because of what you just described. That and the Unique I have loads everything I load if I want it too

It may not be the best powder at every job. But it does work with every caliber I have tried it in.
And it has surprised me some times on just how accurate a slower load can be some times.

I think if you have a lot of semi-auto's it might be a tougher sell.

[rosewood]

Unique if only one powder. I just bought my first lb a few months back and have used it in 45-70 and 45 colt. I only recently realized how versatile it is. I have to say though, Unique is hard to find around here.

If I could have only 1 rifle powder, I would go for RL15. So far, I have used it in everything from .223 to 30-06 with good results.

Rosewood

[mdi]

I just scanned the posts so far, didn't read them all. But if I had to use just one powder I might get some Fg black powder. For some uses I would grind Fg up a bit finer to mebbe FFg or for some handgun use FFFg...

[adam_mac84]

watching answers here... id like to find an emergency pistol/rifle powder

[cjensen]

Swiss black. Since only 1, I would have to say 2 F. Better would be 1 1/2 & 3 F. I could do just fine with this.

[sparkyv]

Varget.

Shoots very well in all my rifle calibers, 223Rem to 308Win. And in this theoretical world, I'd give up my handguns. If I could also keep my handguns, then I pick Universal to keep them fed.

But it sounds like I need to try Unique.

[oldblinddog]

watching answers here... id like to find an emergency pistol/rifle powder

That would be Unique. It is a rifle powder that also works well in pistol and shotgun applications.

[Kosh75287]

That would be Unique. It is a rifle powder that also works well in pistol and shotgun applications.

I'm not sure I believe that Unique started as a rifle powder, unless it's for use in carbines chambered for pistol rounds. Perhaps this was offered as a wry jest, the beginnings of which, I am not aware.

I would have ZERO trouble believing Unique started life as a shotgun powder found to have great versatility in pistol rounds, or the converse. Unique appears to have great versatility for powering sub-par-performance cast bullet loads in almost ANY small or medium capacity rifle rounds, and some large capacity black-powder rifle calibers. Trying to get jacketed-bullet velocities with Unique and cast bullets sounds like an engraved invitation to disaster.

I have 6-7 pounds of alliant promo with which I can reload all pistol calibers (except 7.62x25, for which I don't even have dies), and get max or near-max performance. I have a little bit of Unique & Herco + a pound of BE-86, for medium-serious rounds in my .357 and .45 Colt. I also have a half-pound or more of Alliant 2400 + some IMR4227, if they need to use "ROMP & STOMP" loads.

I have WW748, IMR-4895, AA-2460, IMR-4064, and a few others which don't come to mind, all in 1 lb partial bottles. If I had none of this and wanted to be sure I had powders for all likely uses, I'd want an 8-lb jug of Alliant Unique, or Alliant Herco, and an 8-lb. jug of Varget, H4895, IMR-4895, or IMR-4064. As I use up the others, I'll probably resupply with 2 of the six I just listed. If I could stand the logisitical slings & arrows of a 3rd powder, I'd want something like Alliant 2400 or maybe IMR-4227.

But it sounds like I need to try Unique.

I kinda wish every pistol of shotgun reloader could be started out with a half-pound of Unique, so they can see how it behaves for them. If they absolutely cannot stand its use, it's only a half-pound & will be used up soon. If they DO like it, then so much this better. My BOILER-PLATE endorsement of Unique is that it is not the cleanest-burning, nor easiest-metering, nor most economical of all pistol powders but it is, without doubt, the most versatile propellant I've yet used. There ARE many propellants I have never used over the years, but of the ones I have, only Herco gets close to the characteristics of Alliant Unique. AA#5 comes in a distant 3rd. It works well in small and large capacity rounds with chamber-pressures above ~12,000 p.s.i., but seems a little erratic, below this level.

With charge weights at or above 4.0gr., 3 of us could discern no accuracy difference between ammo charged with a powder measure, and ammo trickle-charged individually into the cases. We saw what we thought were measurable differences in .38 Spl ammo loaded with 3.5/Unique/158LSWC, when shot at 35 yards, but we were measuring in 1/16" to 1/8" differences. Differences between measure-thrown and hand-trickled 3.5/Unique/158LSWC measured in the 1/4" to 3/8", when fired in a scoped Marlin lever carbine from a bench at 50 yards. Interestingly, we experienced no keyholes nor other indications of tumbling, which we were prepared to see with so light a load.
Okay, end of dissertation...

Sorry.

[308Jeff]

Nice writeup, Kosh.

I don't remember why Unique was my first selection for pistol powder when I started reloading, but I'd wager it was seeing it listed over and over in the manuals I read as my primer to reloading.

I've never had any negative experiences with the often mentioned complaints (dirty/doesn't meter well), and that's probably why I ended up with so much of it. Matter of fact, I just loaded up some 40 S&W test rounds today in anticipation of moving that caliber over from Titegroup. Titegroup is certainly more economical, but I've never liked that it was snappy in an already snappy round.

We'll see how it goes.

[John Boy]

If you could only have one powder?

Other ... FFg black powder!

[Kestrel4k]

I initially voted for Red Dot, but may have to change to 'Other' - Blue Dot.

Hunting season is just about to start here (deer & elk for me this yr).
IME, one of the best 'pistol' powders for bottleneck rifle cartridges is BD.

It can do everything from heavy-bullet .38Spl, all the way up to obtaining useful (if not optimal) velocities in .223Rem, .308, and .350RM.

[oldblinddog]

I'm not sure I believe that Unique started as a rifle powder...

It did. It is not a joke. And I learned this fact here on this forum. It has been around since the nineteenth century, back when all bullets were lead.

"Hercules and now, Alliant Unique is one of our oldest staple reloading powders having been in continuous production since the late 19th century. Introduced primarily for mid-range rifle loads, Unique quickly became a standard for shotgun and handgun shooters as well."

https://www.thefreelibrary.com/Hercu...y.-a0183552859

Also: http://www.castpics.net/subsite2/Gen...-Smokeless.pdf see pages 33, 37 and 40, 42, 44 and 46.

In the 30-40 Krag, 7 to 9 grains of Unique was good from 100 to 200 yards with a 150 grain lead bullet for practice.

Looks like "the load" of (almost) ten grains of Unique has been around for a long time.

I am using it in several loads right now in .308, .30-06, and .338-06 that are shooting very well. I especially like what I'm seeing with the Lyman 33889 250 gr bullet over 20 grs. at ~1690 fps in the .338-06.

[KenT7021]

For only one powder I would go with Unique.It may have been the first powder I ever used.When started reloading I used only Unique,Bullseye,and 4895.I started reloading with cast bullets rather than jacketed.

[3006guns]

That would be Unique. It is a rifle powder that also works well in pistol and shotgun applications.

Correction: Unique was originally a shotgun powder from the dim, dark passages of time. Like most shotgun powders it burns relatively fast, so it makes a good cast boolit powder for just about anything. It would be my choice if I were restricted to just one powder. Of course, since I have a couple of 8lb. containers of the stuff, I'm a little prejudiced.

Ironically, it's difficult to find any current shotgun loading info on Unique, but plenty on just about everything else!

[oldblinddog]

Correction: Unique was originally a shotgun powder from the dim, dark passages of time.

No, it wasn't. Try reading the links in post #135.

[ulav8r]

Read the links. Infallible was introduced as a shotgun powder. About 6 years later Unique was introduced as a rifle powder. Both were the same composition, but Unique flakes were about 1/3 thicker, .008 thick vs .006 thick..

[oldblinddog]

And Bullseye is the same formula as well. Introduced as a pistol powder.