"NEW " UNIQUE...Heavy Fouling...!!???

[sargeny1]

Hi All....I just finished cleaning my Ruger Super Blackhawk 5 1/2" SS....the load is as follows....Starline Brass....CCI 300...10gr. "NEW" Unique....Lyman 429421 HP...from an ancient Lyman Mold....cyl. throats are .431...bbl groove diam. is .430..NO LEADING in either the bbl or cylinder....BUT.....JEEZ...it took me TWO DAYS to scrub out the HEAVY BLACK fouling from Unique...!!!!!! Shot 40 of these loads on WED...it chronos at 1205fps....and is EXTREMELY accurate...just the ticket for my self imposed limit of 50yds. for whitetails here in NY......

Is there another alternative powder to this FILTHY Unique...???? I am looking for 1150 to 1200fps..anything that will not leave such HEAVY powder fouling....!!!!!

What say ye learned gentlemen..????

Thanks..
Pete

[beex215]

ive never had that problem with the new unique. its regular ole wipe down. so i find that unique.

[Larry Gibson]

I would question the lube before I questioned the cleanlyness of Unique. I recently shot over 300 of almost the very same load of 10 gr Unique (my bullet was the RCBS 44-250-K) without any cleaning and it only took a normal cleaning to get the Ruger BHFT spotless. That is a very good load for your intended use, especially with the HP 429421 bullet BTW. I use Javelina lube.

Larry Gibson

[fryboy]

add a wee bit o crimp and see if it doesnt help the burn , larry does bring up a good point tho , a good load ( lube and powder etc ) usually doesnt need cleaning if at all , sadly my world isnt all perfect either but gumount carb cleaner and kroil are my barrel's best friends ( applied with loving care and elbow grease of course ) it even gets the moly out of my ummm j-word varmit shootin irons

[Wally]

Last weekend I shot loaded .44 Magnums with the 429244 bullet and 11.5 of Unqiue in my pistol....no unusual fouling problems and I used the new "Unique"... I did notice that with the 6th round, that the bullet was moved slightly out of the heavy roll crimo.

[superior]

I've been using unique in the 45Colt Blackhawk, the 40sw Glock, and in the shotgun for Lee key-drive slugs. I have no cleanup issues whatsoever. If you really want to know the meaning of dirty burning, try some black powder.

[btroj]

I have never used any powder that left fouling that bad in any revolver. None.

[Hammerhead]

I get heavy, sooty, greasy fouling on the outside of the gun with Unique and standard .44 special loads, even with a firm roll crimp. Doesn't seem to matter if I'm using cast or swaged lead bullets.

Universal is far cleaner, but I get unburned powder flakes with it at special pressure/velocities, again with a firm roll crimp.

[sargeny1]

Thank you all for your help...My Lyman 450 had White Label 50/50 lube in it.....when that ran low I put in a stick of Javelina Lube... but I do not know if the Javelina has made its way yet onto my boolits....I noticed that with the White Label Lube the lube "star" on the muzzle is BLACK...!!! Guess I will have to clean out the lube sizer and re-fill with Javelina which I remember using some years ago...
Thanks Again...
Pete

[btroj]

Can I ask why ou are cleaning the gun if it has no leading and accuracy is good? I frequently won't clean a revolver for many, many hundreds of rounds. I usually clean only when I start to have trouble with the fouling making loading difficult.
I will often jut clean the chambers and push a dry patch down the barrel. Why clean a barrel that is shooting well.

I would leave the lube alone- the gun shoots well with it. Cosmetics don't matter, the target does!

[bigboredad]

did you soak it with something like kroil and let it sit awhile?

[Love Life]

I never had any issues with old or "New" Unique.

[mroliver77]

Where was this fouling? Two days of scrubbing? I just don't understand.

My experience is that after 200 rounds or so the outside of the gun is getting sooty from the forcing cone area spreading outward. My hands start to pick some of this black up. A rag dampened with Eds Red, Kroil or CLP wipes the crud off. Even the front of the cylinder wipes clean. The chambers and barrel need nothing. After 500 or so I will wipe out the chambers if they are looking dirty. The barrel still needs nothing.
If I choose to clean barrel 2 wet patches followed by two dry patches usually leaves a perfect bore. If I am pushing a load and get a touch of leading a couple wets followed by a few passes of a brush wrapped wth chore boy, 1 more wet and 2 dry and I am done.

The only hard fouling I ever find is around the barrel face on the frame.
J

[35remington]

One thing is for certain; if it took you "two days" to scrub out the fouling, it wasn't Unique's fault.

Its fouling is easily removed with virtually any cleaner, and even if the load is low pressure, as the constituents are not persistent. Look elsewhere for the source of your problem. Unique fouling doesn't take two minutes to get out, let alone "two days."

[canyon-ghost]

I use a brush and mineral spirits (paint thinner) to clean up after my lead reloads. I don't have that problem in 44, using the new Unique too. But, I use the Carnuba Red, it's a harder lube. These guys hit on something, crimp and blowback matter in a revolver. I have been using 200 grain and 215 gc bullets though. Going light for shorter range (50- 100 meters).

[Papa smurf]

I have used Unique for many,many years for everything but breakfest with NO problems.
Check your lube. Good Shooting -------------------------Papa Smurf

[truckmsl]

I run close-to-top-end Unique loads through a 357 revolver and levergun and it is extremely clean burning at the pressure I run at.

[texagun]

Here's a good comparison between the "Old" and "New" Unique:

http://www.gunblast.com/Unique.htm

[Ziptar]

I've never had too much of a soot problem with Unique in my 8, 9 and 10 grain 255 grain 45 Colt Loads.

Since I've started using Carnuba Red and Ranch Dog's Factory Crimp Die the soot streaks on the cases are much smaller and not as heavy.

I've also been using Universal in 8, 9, and 10 grains with 255 grain bullets and it does burn cleaner than Unique. You might want give it a try.

[44MAG#1]

One will find people who are completely goofy about cleaning. they will clean a gun if they fire it 1 time or a hundred times. They will clean it till it looks like it has never had the first cartridge fired through it.
To these types I am sure they will find most powders dirty. I rarely clean a gun. I ran 600 rounds through one of my 44 Specials and never cleaned the barrel. I only wiped off the outside and lighty cleaned the cylinder window and relubed the rachet and the front "bushing" and oiled the base pin. That was it.
To me most powders are not dirty because I don't clean my guns in a serious way.
The ones that are the "Mr. Clean" of the gun cleaning world may find several powders that are terribly dirty.

[35remington]

44, well said. Very well said.

I wonder about some people and the descriptive complaints they have about "cleanliness." I confess I don't know where they get some of these "horribly, terribly filthy" statements.

I don't shoot my guns while wearing white gloves and doilies, nor do I expect them to look the same fired as unfired.

The residue doesn't affect functioning for many, many hundreds of shots and is very easily removed. Which is why these posts puzzle me.

[Shooter6br]

Dirty for sure but very flexible:kidding:

[9.3X62AL]

"Flaming Dirt". LOL!!

44 Mag may have hit the nail on the head. What a group of five shooters call "clean" could have 5 definitions. I clean guns to--

1) maintain accuracy

2) maintain reliability

3) preserve metallurgy

A firearm need not be a "sterile field" to operate properly. Nor does it need to be "inspection clean" to run well.

Anyone thinking that Unique of any vintage is "dirty" hasn't run Goex 3F in a 31 caliber cap & ball revolver. THAT is DIRTY.

[John Boy]

it took me TWO DAYS to scrub out the HEAVY BLACK fouling from Unique...!!!!!!Your heavy black fouling continuously on the patches for 2 days is L - E - A - D and for 2 days of cleaning, you have plenty in the bore. Shine a borelight in the bore and look at the grooves.

A bore brush and hot pure turpentine, plus plenty of scrubbing will remove the lead

[9.3X62AL]

If it is a lead deposit......a played-out bore brush wrapped with Chore-Boy copper filaments will make short work of bore leading.

[Char-Gar]

Just another voice here. I have been using Unique for 50 years in it's various incarnations and have never had the problem mentioned by the OP. Unique cleans up just like any other powder. I suspect the problem is with the primer or bullet lubricant and not the powder.

[PacMan]

Any way to answer your question. HP-38 will get you close to what you are looking for and it meters way better than unique.

[Moondawg]

For some people you might blame some of this obsession for clean guns, on their time spent in the military. I have fond memories of spending up to an hour cleaning on a rifle that had not been fired, just so it was clean enough to pass inspection, in order to turn into the armory. We used to clean our M-16s every morning and evening when in the field or for range firing. Same thing in Viet Nam, break them down, wipe them down, lubicate and clean the bolt assemply and the chamber/bore twice a day. In peace time garrison duty, the rifles had to pass the white hanky test. Same thing on the 1911 when I started carrying one of those instead of a rifle. Do that enough years and it can make you pretty obsessive about clean weapons.

[Larry Gibson]

Yes, I've the "obsession" of cleaning all my firearms after use that was instilled in the Army and the necessity of really wanting the firearm to work when I was in harms way. Also as a LEO, a LEO firearms instructor and and armorer for several police agencies along with being an advanced firearms instructor and instructing at the state's police acadamy I can tell you horror stories of uncleaned weapons of all sorts malfunctioning because they were not cleaned regularly, particularly after use. As an LEO myself I inspected my service weapon when I put it on and also when I took it off. It was cleaned right after use and also on a regular basis whether used or not. I also inpected and cleaned the shotguns and/or rifles that were in the patrol cars. The shotguns were carried verticle in a locked rack and you'd be amazed at the number of times I dumped cigerette buts, empty cigerette packages, gum wrapers, candy bar wrapers and even a syringe out of them. In 42 years of Army service and 18 years in LE business I was constently amased at the number of Soldiers, Marines and LEOs who could care less about the condition of their firearm. Even when they were in canstant harms way.

I may go several days between cleaning (after shooting) a firearm in a hunting or camping situation though. However, if the weather is inclement and the firearm was exposed to the weather then it gets cleaned. Call me "obsessive" but my firearms don't let me down by malfunctioning or failing to fire and are always accurate that way.

Larry Gibson

[35remington]

If a person is really that obsessive about clean firearms, then degrees of "cleanliness" in reference to powder would not matter one bit, because they will clean the guns after shooting anyway.

So a "clean burn" would have no relevance, because it's never clean enough. No powder is eat off the table top type clean.

Ballistic consistency and accuracy matter more anyway. If I was an obsessive cleaner I would be even less likely to go for the high tariff of some of the favored powders, as it wouldn't make a bit of difference in the time between cleanings.