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Thread: Cleaner Powder than Unique for .44 Mag

  1. #21
    Boolit Master

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    IMR 700X, clays , hp-38, 231 all are clean in the mid range, nuttins clean in bunny poot loads
    i got a bottle of (new) red dot , gonna try it in 357 cases 5grs. under a 358477 & see what happens????
    i use only glenns carnauba red & it`s as clean a loobe as comes around !!!!!

    GP100man
    Last edited by GP100man; 01-07-2009 at 11:39 PM. Reason: addition&spelun

  2. #22
    Boolit Master
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    I enjoyed watching what other members have used in place of Unique for mid-range loads. I have used most of the powders that they have listed and liked them all. BUT! The best kept secret out there has to be PB! It is approximately the same burn rate as Unique but measures as well as the best ball powder and is probably the cleanest burning powder that I have used in a plstol. At this time I have replaced most of my Unique pistol loads with it but have not tried it in any rifle loads other than 25.20. It is fairly cheap and the last time that I checked was available in eight pound canisters. Give it a try. Neil

  3. #23
    Boolit Grand Master

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    I dearly love 10.0 Unique under a 429421 or 503. Accurate in all
    my .44s.

    However - 9.0 gr of Power Pistol is a very close second place, and very
    accurate and meters much better than Unique.

    But - Unique is U-N-I-Q-U-E ! Really.

    Bill
    If it was easy, anybody could do it.

  4. #24
    Boolit Master

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    Gp100 man, I had some Red Dot left over from my trap shooting days. Trying to fine a good load to use it up, I loaded 5 gr RD under 358477. Shoots like a dream in my GP100. It`s my favorite mid range 357 load. Chronys out at about 1000fps. Even bought another lb of RD ---dale

  5. #25
    Boolit Master
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    What with power surges and lights blinking around here .......... WIND!! ........ I have been "hiding".

    Though I agree with the assertion that Ball powders light a little more pernacoiusly .... I have found HS-6 with magnum primers to be a VERY good .44 mag powder for upper medium field loads.

    In runs over the chrono, I found the velocity in my Mountain gun to run at 1066 fps and the standard deviation to run at just a measley ........ 7 fps ...... but the recoil for the power derived was most impressive and the accuracy was tops.

    I have used HS-6 with jacketed and cast from 180 to 250 weight slugs in the .44 but the particular load referenced above was with RCBS 250K's, Federal magnum primers, Starline .44 mag brass and a load right out of Hodgon's #26 manual.

    11.8 gr. ................. (According to Hodgon's 12.0 gr. runs pressures @ 26,000 psi) So with that in mind and the fact that SAMMI is considerably higher ...... you've got quite a safety cushion what with HS-6's drop dead reliability for consistent charge dropping.

    Also, I have had women fire this load and LIKE IT! ........ out of the Mountain Gun ...... no less.

    It won't be Mr. Clean but by starting at a published start charge and carefully working up ...... I note that just as this powder "cleans up" ...... it really starts SHINING.

    Out of my Ruger DA's ........ the Redhawk with it's 7.5" barrel runs out at 1176 fps and the SD was still agreeable at 15 fps ..........

    ........... and with a bushy holosight on board .......... you can regularily POP golf balls at 35 yds while resting over the front tire of my John Deere ...........

    While your mileage might vary ........ here's where the moaning and groaning starts that with any revolver load .........

    ....... there is NO substitute for consistency ....... with your brass ...... as soon as I get a batch of brass ...... it gets trimmed to a length that's appropriate ...... and gets inside flashhole deburred ...... (a habit from varmint shooting) and reinforced by a "foraay" into Red Dot in the .44 mag! (I inside debur the flashholes on ALL of my metalic cases)

    The loads get worked up after this treatment ....... not before ........ because the ignition is much better and doing the reverse would be unwise.

    Thank you for the endorsement on Three 44s ....... but I am no expert ....... just another student of the .44 .....amongst others..........

    .......... It's a GREAT school!

    You mentioned a .40 and HS-6 ...... I don't own any 9mm, 40 or .45 presently ......... I have a CZ52 (7.62X25) and really like HS-6 in that gun ....... and as much as it is a full case in 9mm .........

    ........ I would certainly investigate it for the .40!


    Three 44s
    Last edited by Three44s; 01-08-2009 at 10:24 AM.

  6. #26
    Boolit Grand Master
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    3 44's, you'd better hope that Hodgdon continues distributing it.

    Winchester discontinued W571, and stopped supplying HS7 to Hodgdon as it was the same powder. Took a little while for supplies to dry up and for Hodgdon to stop listing it.

    Winchester discontinued 540 (HS 6 is the same thing) so an inquiry to Hodgdon as to their future plans for this powder is probably a good idea.

    Winchester currently manufactures a powder that covers its range similarly - WSF.

    Given that HS 6 isn't often mentioned it may not be a big seller for Hodgdon anymore, if it ever was.

    I don't know if HS 6 is destined for the powder scrap heap or not, but a phone call may have you stocking up.

    Or not. It would be good to know if you like it that much. I'm curious myself, having used it some over the years, but you probably have more invested in it as irreplaceable than I do.

  7. #27
    Boolit Mold
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    I used 10 grs of Unique for years in my S&W 44 mag, but it was too dirty, so I've switched to 18.5 gr of 2400 & a 245 gr Lyman #429667. It's very accurate & super clean burning.

  8. #28
    Boolit Master
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    I really like HS-7. Know where there is 3 lbs, but ain't gonna persue it cause they are real proud of it; $32/lb.
    "What makes you think I care" ........High Plains Drifter

    Rick C.

  9. #29
    Boolit Buddy trickg's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by shooting on a shoestring View Post
    Trickg...Sorry about losing your Dad. They're good for lots of this stuff.
    I appreciate that, but he's been gone now for 12 years now, so it's nothing new. I only started to shoot and reload when I finally was allowed to have some of his guns about a year ago. One of these days I hope to obtain his reloading ledgers - over 50 years of records for every round he ever pulled a handle on. If mom ever decides to send me those, I'll have reloading data out the wazoo for just about everything from .25 auto to .45-90 and a lot of everything in between.
    --- Patrick G.

  10. #30
    Boolit Master
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    trickg,

    You better get those loading records of your Dad's ......... ASAP ........

    Things like that have a way of ending up in unspeakable places and lost for all time!

    35remington,

    You are so right about powders disappearing ........ and some time ago ....... I e-mailed Hodgon's about that very fear .......... losing HS-6 .......

    They profusely assured me that HS-6 was PLENTY popular ............ and that they had NO intentions of dropping it ...... this was pre-take over by Hodgon's of the Winchester line of smokeless ...... and they said that Winchester dropping 540 lifted their HS-6 sales to even better levels. I have a good supply of HS-6 ...... even bought a can of HS-7 for cheap! ...... but the way I like "6" ..... even in the shotguns ......... a big jug of it could not hurt .......

    I still worry ........ but I now have a reasonable supply of WSF and have been thinking that the way the world works ...... I should start to play with it in the revos .......

    Heck ........ it might even be BETTER???

    Three 44s

  11. #31
    Boolit Buddy trickg's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Three44s View Post
    trickg,

    You better get those loading records of your Dad's ......... ASAP ........

    Things like that have a way of ending up in unspeakable places and lost for all time!

    Three 44s
    That's not all she's supposed to send to me - there are a bunch of other things of indeterminate worth - books and that sort of thing - that I would like to obtain before she has a chance to sell them to the first person who shows an interest. I mainly want the reloading records though, considering that most of the other things that were his are now lost - sold at the auction that was held last February. Don't even get me started.

    Thanks for all of the posts in this thread - it gives me lots of stuff to think about. I was going to try to pick up some powder and primers at a gun show this weekend, but it ended up being a bust - NO ONE had anything. I guess that's what I get for living in Maryland. Fortunately there is a big show coming up nearby in Virginia in about a month and I should have better luck there. By then I'll have had the chance to really sift through this thread and glean the nuggets of information I'm looking for.
    --- Patrick G.

  12. #32
    Boolit Master

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    Well I will put in 2 cents. I shoot 44mag 45 acp 40s&w 45colt all with cast and Lee TL I dont have a problem with TightGroup. I do use mag primer in all but the 40. I do use unique in some, it is a little cleaner than it was but not like TG.

  13. #33
    Boolit Master
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    Shotman,

    TG is a good powder ...... and for the range of cartridges you mention ..... pretty good.

    But I like a whole range of opperating regimes and TG is not good on the lighter end for me ...... Clays is better there ......... nor up the ladder in the .44 either.

    I notice with TG that if you soften it up too much .... you get sooted cases. And it's just not very clean in the first place.

    When I want a clean plinker, it's Clays ...... if I want to turn the heat up a little ...... it's TG ..... a bit more ........ Unique ........ and on the heals of that ....... my over the top favorite ... HS-6 ......

    ....... 2400 is next and the top spots are reserved for H110 and WW 296 ......

    I have noted that in the .41 mag ........ AA9 is grand ....... and I would suspect that upon trying it in the .44 ..... it may be a very versatile propellant.

    Regards

    Three 44s

  14. #34
    Boolit Buddy trickg's Avatar
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    It's been a while since I've been around this thread - been pretty busy.

    Again, great stuff guys. I've been on the fence about trying HS-6, but it must be your over the top favorite for a reason.

    I've also acquired a fair amount of .357 brass, so I'm going to want a good powder for that too, but I'll start with the HS-6 for .44 mag.

    As for the cleanliness of Unique...while I realize that it all cleans up, my Dad and his friend used to call Unique "creeping crud" for a reason and even the new Unique is dirty - I wind up with black all over my hands when I take my .44 to the range - something I took note of just a few days ago.
    --- Patrick G.

  15. #35
    Boolit Buddy Swampman's Avatar
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    The new Unique is much cleaner than the old Unique. Nothing is as good as Unique IMO.

  16. #36
    Boolit Grand Master

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    9.0 gr Power Pistol is a very good substitute for 10.0 gr Unique, works well under
    a 250 gr boolit, makes about 1050 fps and is a very accurate load in my guns.

    Bill
    If it was easy, anybody could do it.

  17. #37
    Boolit Master

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    A+++ for Tightgroup ! ive been useing it since it came out , it has replaced BE that I had been usesing for years previously for loads in the 700 to 1100 fps range for handguns calibers with excellent accuracy with cast bullets in calibers such as , 380 acp, 9mm , 38 special / 357 mag,
    44 mag , 45 acp and 454 casull. ive used over 20 lbs so far and just bought two more 8 lb jugs this mounth.
    I also use HS6 for med heavy loads , with excellent results ,. I bought a 8 pounder two years ago.
    Last edited by bobthenailer; 11-18-2011 at 09:19 AM.

  18. #38
    Boolit Master
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    Quote Originally Posted by MtGun44 View Post
    9.0 gr Power Pistol is a very good substitute for 10.0 gr Unique, works well under
    a 250 gr boolit, makes about 1050 fps and is a very accurate load in my guns.

    Bill
    9.0g of Green Dot with a 250g cast also works well as a substitute for 10g of Unique in the .44 mag. I get the same velocity range and just as good accuracy;plus it's cheaper to shoot!

    However, I've found that 8.6g of Green Dot is more accurate in all my .44's than 9.0g. Velocity is still slightly greater than 1000 fps for 4" guns and slightly higher for longer bbl'd guns.
    It's all chicken, even the beak!

  19. #39
    Boolit Master Ole's Avatar
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    I like Unique because it meters well in my Hornady progressive machine, is too bulky to have a double charge go unnoticed in magnum cases, and is plenty accurate if I do my part.

    Little soot/dirt on the gun just reminds me to wipe down my revolvers when I get home.

  20. #40
    Boolit Buddy Swampman's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Bill Weddle View Post
    I do not understand this fixation with CLEAN burning powder and getting your hands or cylinder dirty.
    I want accuracy.
    Unique, Bullseye , 2400, 4759, 3031, 4350, usually do that for me.
    I agree....

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Abbreviations used in Reloading

BP Bronze Point IMR Improved Military Rifle PTD Pointed
BR Bench Rest M Magnum RN Round Nose
BT Boat Tail PL Power-Lokt SP Soft Point
C Compressed Charge PR Primer SPCL Soft Point "Core-Lokt"
HP Hollow Point PSPCL Pointed Soft Point "Core Lokt" C.O.L. Cartridge Overall Length
PSP Pointed Soft Point Spz Spitzer Point SBT Spitzer Boat Tail
LRN Lead Round Nose LWC Lead Wad Cutter LSWC Lead Semi Wad Cutter
GC Gas Check