Powders Better Than Unique for Medium 357 Loads

[Buckeye357]

Accurate No. 5 is a good choice. I like 8 grains with 158 gr. lead , also like 4.5 grains 700x with 158 gr. lead .

[Treeman]

800x. It is an extremely versatile powder. If it metered with greater ease and precision it would probably be much more popular. 800X will take magnum pistols almost to the same velocities as 2400 and H110 (with lighter charges).....but it will also work at 38 special pressures and velocities.

[curioushooter]

It sort of depends on what your goal is.

Unique will deliver reduced velocities at nearly max operational pressures. I've found modern unique to be about as clean as typical and cleaner burning than some. I really like unique a great deal. It is an excellent powder for so many things, wonderfully efficient, and to me it has proven very predictable, stable, and forgiving. I particularly like it in 357 with lighter bullets like 125s, 130s, etc.
If your goal is to deliver lower velocities with lower operational pressures I personally like blue dot in that weight range a little more because in some instances the lower pressure is nice. My major power factor comp load is a 358429 with enough blue dot to get 1050 fps, which is around 8.5-9 grains in my 4" S&W 19-3. This can be done with unique; however, extraction will be stickier, the alloy will likely need to be harder, the brass will get worked slightly harder. The forcing cone, etc...all are stressed slighly more for the same external performance.

[ddixie884]

Yeah cool..............