A load I never see any more?

[Blackwater]

Some years back, a regular and oft recommended load for .357 was 8 gr. Unique with most any J or cast 158 gr. bullet. It was as common as dirt to see it recommended, and I and friends shot thousands and thousands of them. I quit taking the glossy mags long ago now, and haven't kept up with new developments because of that. So can anyone tell me why I never see Unique in any of the manuals any more, except the really old ones I used way back when? What have I missed?

Got my Security Six slicked up and want to take it out for a spin, and that's one of the loads I want to try in it. I see in Lyman 47th that they recommend 7 gr. of BULLSEYE but nothing with Unique! They also show only 7.5 gr. of Herco with 158's, which is notably slower than Unique in all uses I've seen. If 7 gr. Bullseye is OK, why would 8 gr. Unique NOT be????? This doesn't make sense to me. Can anyone help me here? Has piezo pressure testing revealed it has some sort of dangerous secondary pressure spike, as I've read about with some other loads? What gives? Seriously, I need some help here, and thanks for any explanation/info you can provide.

[DougGuy]

Straight from Alliant's site:

357 Magnum

158gr Speer LSWC 1.57" COA, CCI 500, 6.0gr Unique, 1034fps

158gr Speer GDHP 1.575" COA, CCI 500, 7.7gr Unique, 1040fps

The only load data they list for 8.0gr Unique is with a 140gr Speer UCHP at 1.6" COA for 1185fps.

[AZ Pete]

Straight from Alliant's site:

357 Magnum

158gr Speer LSWC 1.57" COA, CCI 500, 6.0gr Unique, 1034fps

158gr Speer GDHP 1.575" COA, CCI 500, 7.7gr Unique, 1040fps

The only load data they list for 8.0gr Unique is with a 140gr Speer UCHP at 1.6" COA for 1185fps.

Kind of looks like using over 6g is a waste of powder.


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[telebasher]

I used to have a 4-5/8 Ruger Blackhawk that just loved 9 gr Unique over a 125 gr Hornady or Sierra bullet. Was prariedog accurate well past 100 yds if I had a rest and the wind cooperated. Sold that gun to a friend and to this day he won't sell it back for twice what he paid me for it !!

[RedHawk357Mag]

It's in the older books. One says 1250fps and the other says 1350. No personal experience with it though. Neither of those were taken from the "Book of Spells" although pretty sure it's in there as well.

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[Artful]

One thing is that most of the newer reloaders I've talked too don't like that "dirty" old unique.

[DougGuy]

It's not dirty "old" Unique anymore, the newer Unique burns cleaner from what I read, smokes a lot less in my present experience over the Unique I used 30yrs ago.

[rond]

I use 7.5 grains of Unique with the 158 RNFP, for a little more power I use H 110.

[leadman]

With all the new powders that have been released in the last few years the older powders are getting less attention. The powder and bullet companies have to make a choice of what to publish. A call will usually get you data for the older powders, as well as the latest powders.

[Scharfschuetze]

I've always liked to shoot my 357s with a 150 to 158 grain boolit right at 1,000 fps for plinking and small game hunting. That Unique load was perfect for that.

During the great powder shortage a few years ago, I ran out of Unique. I substituted 231 and found that powder to also produce good results in achieving my goal of 1,000 fps. I might add though, that with 231, muzzle flash was much more noticeable than with Unique.

[james nicholson]

I love Unique, its not nearly as dirty if you keep the pressure up. I typically use 7.5 gr in my Dan Wesson pistol with the 4" barrel, switch to H110 for the 10" barrel. But if you really want to see something awesome fire a full house load of H110 thru the 2" barrel at dusk.

[WebMonkey]

I'm using 8gn unique under the lee 158 rf in a Blackhawk convertible 6.5"
came up from 6.8gn and ended up with 1235fps average.

i'll use it for deer this season.

[mdi]

The only time Unique burned "dirty" for me was when a faster powder would do a better job (light Unique loads). But I don't go shooting in my white tux, nor wear my white kidskin gloves. The indoor ranges I went to all had restrooms with soap and water and when I go up in the hills I take water and rags/paper towels with me. Besides I have rags in my shooting bag so if I'm afraid someone will think I'm a slob, I can wipe some of the soot off my guns. I clean my gins when I get home from shooting and I've never had a gun fail due to being "dirty"...

[John Boy]

158-160 grain JHP or JSP (Jacketed Hollow or Soft Point)
Unique 7.7 gr. 1,040
Unique 7.8 gr. 1,280 max

[Blackwater]

As to Unique burning "dirty," ANY powder will burn dirty when it's used at a pressure level below its optimum burn pressure. Unique, in warmish to max. loads always was fairly clean burning for me. I was just wondering if I'd missed some reason why it no longer seems to be in favor. I and friends shot thousands of that load with narry a problem, and I'm sure millions of that load have been shot in various guns, and I've never heard one problem from so doing.

The only bad part of no longer getting the glossy mags is that I DO sometimes miss some "new info" that's published. And knowing piezo pressure barrels reveal a lot more about a load's pressure curve, I just had to ask, since that has been aleged (no proof I know of) to cause "problems" with loads. Maybe I need to subscribe to at least one, other than the American Rifleman? I just HATE reading "evals" by what is now effectively "company salesmen." And the lawyer induced PC evals of loads and data just aren't very helpful. It seems writers assume you're an irresponsible first time reloader, and I realize the necessity of that, but I just don't want to pay for those kinds of reviews and evals.

I've used more Unique, probably, than any other powder. It was long my go-to powder for everyday .357's and .38's, and for the .45 ACP, and any other calibers, it was my first powder to try. It's so predictable, fills the case well, easily ignited, and generally accurate, that it simply fulfilled most of my wants and needs, and it was cheaper than H110/296 or 2400 for heavy loads. It was easy to find, too, which was important way back when. It's an old friend, and there are many new powders, but I don't know of a single one that's as versatile and useful and consistent as Unique. Wouldn't be nice to spurn an olf friend, would it? Especially if it's used in a pressure range where it burns pretty clean?

[gwpercle]

Unique is just soooo old and out of fashion.
It's DIRTY , it can't be measured , it has grey hair and whiskers....retire it !
With all those new powders on the market the old stand by's just get left out ....forgotten.

My 1971 Ruger Blackhawk 357 magnum would put 6 shots into a group you cover with a quarter , the load : 7.5 grains of Unique under a Lyman #358156 155 gr. SWC GC. It was the first load I fired from it 45 years ago and I haven't found one that beats it yet.
I loaded for many years with nothing but cast boolits and Unique in several handguns and rifles .

I keep my older manuals around just to have data on the older powders that have fallen out of favor ...if something works , it works !
Gary

[Frank V]

He he he all you guys that don't like Unique can send me your old dirty Unique, I've got good uses for it!
I'll use it any day, it's so old because IT WORKS & it has for years.
Yes there are some newer powders on the market that some say are better.
Still I'll use Unique as long as I can get it.
I don't use it in the .357, I use (horrors, shudder, cringe,) 2400 for most loads in the .357.
Unique is great in the .38 Special though!

[dragon813gt]

Jack of all trades, master of none

[tmc-okc]

I believe Charles said something to the effect that manufactures produce stuff to sell. Some stuff we really don't need but they want to sell. So don't advertise Unique and publish loads for other powders they really want to sell.

Just a thought.

Ron H

[Jack Stanley]

May Unique soldier on for another hundred years ........................


Jack