Unique in 357 Mag

[FerricOxide]

It seems to me that 20+ years of heavy use is not a high price to pay for a high performance, low-recoiling load. I used Unique for many hundreds of loads with a 125-grain GC and enjoyed every shot. Didn’t notice any abnormal erosion, but it might have been there. So what?



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Exactly my thoughts. If it lasted 20 years of heavy use? I think you get your moneys worth at that point.

I've used unique with 110, 125, 148 and 158gr bullets with no noticeable damage in my blackhawk. Up untill recently it was the only powder I used in 38/357 for all my loads, thought it was smart to stick with a single, moderate powder while learning how to reload.

[Greg S]

Just shot some Lyman 358665s over 6.0 of Unique with a Fed SP primer in new SL 357 brass yesturday. It's running right around 1050 for me. It was going to be my goto 357 plicker load but due to forcing cone wear, I guess I find another powder.

[dverna]

Throat erosion from prolonged use of heavy loads of Unique in the .357 is a fact! A very good friend had to send his M27 back to S&W to have his barrel replaced due to forcing cone erosion. This was after 20+ years of cast bullet shooting, almost exclusively with heavy charges of Unique! Not inexpensive!

Number of years is irrelevant...number of rounds is what matters.

Did he shoot 500 per year or 5,000? 10,000 rounds or 100,000 over 20 years.

[centershot]

While lamenting have to replace that barrel he told me he was shooting between 100 and 200 rounds per week for most of that time. It was his only handgun for much of that time. So, some where between 7-10,000 rounds per year. That's a lot of shooting, but he was/is a poor country boy, coughing up the funds for that new barrel was painful!

[dverna]

While lamenting have to replace that barrel he told me he was shooting between 100 and 200 rounds per week for most of that time. It was his only handgun for much of that time. So, some where between 7-10,000 rounds per year. That's a lot of shooting, but he was/is a poor country boy, coughing up the funds for that new barrel was painful!

Thanks for the follow up. Having to replace a barrel after 140,000-200,000 rounds would not be a factor for me. One advantage to being old...lol.