My powder measure doesn't like Unique

[superior]

My Lee perfect powder measure has never disappointed me...until now.
For some reason it wont throw Unique consistently. I was setting it up to throw 6.7 grains for some 40SW loads when I discovered this. One throw would be 6.7, the next would weigh 6.5, and the next, almost 7 !!! This pattern repeated itself again and again until finaly, I put away the Unique and pulled down some HS-6,
( which has always metered perfectly). POOP! I was looking forward to testing unique with my new Lee 401-175-tc boolits that I had just finished pan lubing. I suppose I could have hand weighed enough for a sample group, but I'd rather not mess with it if I couldn't use the powder measure later. Is this a common occurence with this powder / powder measure combo? Is there something about the texture of Unique that prevents is from working properly?:killingpc

[birdadly]

I've made this same comment in regards to my Hornady powder measure and I usually get a response that says Unique is a powder that doesn't meter well for many people, not all of course. I'm looking forward to finishing up my 1# can and moving onto something different :) -Brad

[PacMan]

Really it does not meter well for anyone.I moved on.

[ShooterAZ]

Win 296 does not meter well in my Dillon powder measures...gets all gummed up and sticks. For some reason H110 works a lot better. I'm told they are the same powder....

Unique works fine in my Dillon measures and RCBS's. I have replaced many of my old Unique loads with Trail Boss (cleaner burning) which also works fine in all my measures.

[JayinAZ]

My Lyman 55 throws it pretty well. Within 1/20th of a grain.

[JohnFM]

I've heard the Lyman 55 does a good job on Unique.
I'm thinking of getting one because I like Unique and I fight it with my RCBS.

[SlowSmokeN]

It always ranges within 2 tenths of a grain for me. If I am using 4g I get consistently 4g-4.2g.

I like the powder for its wide use in many different calibers. I have come to expect it and tend to stay away from max loads as a precaution.

Not to mention I just bought an 8lb jug two months ago

[John Boy]

My Lee perfect powder measure has never disappointed me...until now.
For some reason it wont throw Unique consistently.Interesting because the Perfect Powder is the only measure I use for BPCR reloads and I have issues with consistent Unique drops. Make sure the measure is full and when you turn the handle (which you may want to loosen the phillips head screw) count 3 - 5 seconds
That's all there is to it

[paul edward]

Yup. True in my Redding measure.

That is why we have scales and powder tricklers.

[Forrest r]

Unique powder has a flat shape & rough edges that allow for what is called bridging. The flakes of powder grab each other causing chains of powder flakes to bond together. These chains of powder is what causes light charges by the powder that’s supposed to be in the charge hanging onto the powder in the hopper for 1 throw & then a heavy throw the next because of the chains of powder being compacted/broken.

The flat spherical powders tend to bridge more than the round spherical powders do.

A small deep hole in a powder measure/throw tends to have more problems with consistent powder charges & flat spherical powder. The powder measurers that have a shallow wide/large hole seem to have more consistent throws with these powders. That’s why some powder measurers tend to do better with a powder than other powder measurers do.

I’ve always used baffles in my powder throws to stop the bridging issues with some powders. The baffles also equal the differences in the powder charges with a full hopper & a 1/3 full hopper. They are easy to make, I used thin aluminum roof flashing & a pair of scissors to make the ones I use.

The other thing I do with my powder measurers is to run some graphite thru them once or twice a year to get rid of any static that can build up in them. I use a hornady powder measurer & a rcbs little dandy. Some powders I have to use a baffle with to get consistent powder throws. Once in a great while I have to use 2 baffles at the same time to get consistent powder throws.

[JeffinNZ]

My Lee Autodisc throws Unqiue just dandy.

Have you got a baffle in your measure to prevent the powder packing down? Also, how smooth is your action when cycling the device? You have to be consistent.

[exile]

Unique seems to work well for me in my Lee powder measure, but like a previous poster said, I don't load anywhere near max loads, so I don't worry about it.

exile

[GREENCOUNTYPETE]

never tried unique , but power pistol meters very well with the auto disc

6.3 is a good place to start with that lee 401

using the .57 that the book says should drop 6.4 it drops 6.3 every time

[mpmarty]

Both my Redding and Dillon 550 measures are amazing in their accuracy and repeatability. Unique is one of my favorite powders and measures just fine.

[nicholst55]

I occasionally have difficulties with Unique bridging. It seems to be worse on days with high humidity. I like Unique and load with it quite a bit, but I only seem to have problems once in a great while. When I do, I either switch to another powder or wait until the humidity drops.

[Houndog]

I have Redding, Dillon, RCBS and a Harrells measure and all do well with Unique. ALL these measures have powder baffles and I wipe the insides down with a USED drier sheet 2-3 times a year to help with static. Try varying your technique. I use a tap at the top and again at the bottom of the stroke with the manual measures and try to keep the stroke speed steady from throw to throw. Technique is the most important thing for getting consistant charges with ANY powder measure. Try different combinations and I'll bet you find one that gets the job done.

[cbr]

I have ran into the same problem with unique in a Lee powder measure, sometimes it meters great, and other times there seems to be quite a variance. I don't know if it is the weather, static electricity, or what. One day it wouldn't meter worth a darn, so I got fed up and just quit for the day. The next day, without changing a thing, it was metering fine again.

[rsrocket1]

Never had a problem with Unique in my Lee PPM or Hornady LnL AP measure.
Try this with the PPM,

Tap the measure several times to let the powder settle.
Turn the lever so that the cavity fills up.
Two light taps (no more, no less)
Turn the lever to drop the powder
One tap to ensure all the powder drops out
Weigh


I am almost always within 0.1g in the drops and well within 1.0g when doing 10 combined drops.

[Grandpas50AE]

My old RCBS UniFlow never would measure Unique worth a darn, but my Dillon measures it very well.

[Beau Cassidy]

I never base charge weight off of a single throw. Use the average of 10 throws and you will be much happier. You will also get better repeatbility between sessions.

[stubshaft]

Unique meters just fine for me in my Redding powder measure. The Lyman 55's have a slight variance and I use them for ball and small stick powders.

[Longwood]

Never had a problem with Unique in my Lee PPM or Hornady LnL AP measure.
Try this with the PPM,

Tap the measure several times to let the powder settle.
Turn the lever so that the cavity fills up.
Two light taps (no more, no less)
Turn the lever to drop the powder
One tap to ensure all the powder drops out
Weigh


I am almost always within 0.1g in the drops and well within 1.0g when doing 10 combined drops.

I found out that this works way back when I first got my Uniflo.
Tap tap,,,,,Tap tap.
I never have problems with any of the powders I have used.
I recently replaced the Lee measure on my LoadMaster with a Little dandy and get perfect drops for a change. I extended the reservoir and installed two baffles, one about 2" above the otherso it will hold more powder.
As soon as I get ready to do a bunch of reloading on the LoadMaster, I am going to make it possible to operate the little dandy with a pull cord.

[MaineJim]

For whats its worth unique is very consistent out of my ancient Ideal/Lyman 55 and it rarely varies more than a tenth out of my Lee autodisc that ive used since the mid eighties with only unique in it.
Unique takes care of 95 percent of my handgun loading.

[Lloyd Smale]

Flake powders like unique herco and the dot powders dont really do well in any measure and ive had lymans, rcbs, lee and dillon. thing is they do good enough. Ive never seen one bit of differnce in accuracy between a unique load say for the 44 mag or 45 colt that varied 2 or 3 tenths of a grain shoot any better then the same loade weighted out on a scale. Only time youll see a difference on target is when your trying to load it in small cases like the 32s or 38s but theres better powder for doing that anyway so why waste your time with it. Buy yourself a can of bullseye and load. even though powders like reddot do well in smaller cases i just dont fool with them anymore in them because a couple tenths of a grain mean something in them. Funny thing is with unique is even with the variations in thown weight it still gives me some of the most accurate 44 and 45 loads. So i live with it.

[MikeS]

I use a Lyman Accumeasure, and it seems to measure Unique fairly well. I don't load hot loads, so if it varies a small amount I don't worry about it. By a small amount I mean if I'm loading 5.7gr it will vary between 5.6gr and 5.8gr. The thing I don't quite get is that one day it'll throw 5.7gr. all day long, and the next, without changing anything it'll throw 5.8gr all day long. The question I have is if I'm loading a large quantity of ammo, and one day it's throwing 5.7gr. and the next it's throwing 5.8, do I mark them separately and then have 2 batches of ammo, or do I just label them all 5.7 (which was the planned quantity)?

[Rockchucker]

Unique is one of my favorite powders of all, and my Dillon seems to drop it very accurately. Now my rcbs uniflo doesn't get much use lately but feels crunchy (if I can describe it like that) compared to the Dillon. Guess I just never had any problems with Unique.

[BulletFactory]

I dont trust unique either, even in the #55.

HS-6 works better for .40 anyhow.

[Wayne Smith]

I discovered that Unique tends to bind in the drop tube of my Lyman 55 - some inconsistent loads in the 45 S&W and I checked what was happening. Now I use my B&M Visible measure for Unique.

[Jal5]

With that Uniflow I had problems until I installed the homemade baffle. That baffle and the tap, tap-tap, tap rhythm solved it for me. I use it for medium 357 and 38spl rounds. Joe

[rexherring]

Never had a problem with my older Pacific powder measure either. I do weigh every 10th round on the scale for everything anyway. Just reloaded about 300 rounds of .38 Specials and no problems.

[ku4hx]

My Lyman 55 throws it pretty well. Within 1/20th of a grain.

In my old Lyman 55 too; same for my Dillons. But I always settle the powder by tapping the reservoir with a pencil or toothbrush a half dozen or so times before I start dialing any of them in.

[JayinAZ]

In my old Lyman 55 too; same for my Dillons. But I always settle the powder by tapping the reservoir with a pencil or toothbrush a half dozen or so times before I start dialing any of them in.


I just try to be consistent with the knocker. It's the "trick" to the 55, IMHO.

[TNFrank]

My Lee PPM works great with Unique. Nice, consistent loads that are close as you'd want to get. You need to make sure that you've got the drum adjusted right, not to lose or tight and then make sure the lock ring on the adjuster is snug. Even after I load a batch of ammo and let the measure sit for a few days it's never more then a 1/10th off so that just a very minor adjustment will put it back to the 4.3grs that I'm running for my 38Spl. loads.

[canyon-ghost]

Same here, my Redding #3 has no trouble with Unique.

[ColColt]

I have two Ohaus DU-O-measures and they never did like Unique. One of my favorites, Universal, is quite like Unique in burn characteristics and it is of similar flakes as Unique and will not meter any better. Neither would cause trouble in that I may meter five and they wold be +- maybe .5 gr at best.

Ball powders like 231 and HS-6 meter like a dream and I try using those as much as possible.

[Lizard333]

I use a Lyman Accumeasure, and it seems to measure Unique fairly well. I don't load hot loads, so if it varies a small amount I don't worry about it. By a small amount I mean if I'm loading 5.7gr it will vary between 5.6gr and 5.8gr. The thing I don't quite get is that one day it'll throw 5.7gr. all day long, and the next, without changing anything it'll throw 5.8gr all day long. The question I have is if I'm loading a large quantity of ammo, and one day it's throwing 5.7gr. and the next it's throwing 5.8, do I mark them separately and then have 2 batches of ammo, or do I just label them all 5.7 (which was the planned quantity)?

If your loading pistol ammo, IMO, your fine. Even rifle ammo, a tenth grain is pretty small. I wouldn't worry.

[ChuckS1]

I use Unique in my RCBS Uniflow with no problem. I use the baffle and I keep the measure 2/3 full. When I do that, it meters very well. As the level falls, I noticed the weight begins to vary.

[Maven]

Coincidentally, I was trying to meter Unique yesterday and found my Lyman #55 powder measure worked very well. However, how well it works may depend on how many grains of Unique (or other flake powders) you want to throw + the no. of slides used. (I used all 3) I was looking for 15gr. and after some fiddling, got the Lyman to throw within 0.2gr. for 26 throws. Btw, the Lee Auto Disk didn't nearly approach that level of consistency or accuracy*, even with the double disks (an abysmal failure!). The Lee scoops came close (15.5gr) and were as consistent as the Lyman #55 (+-0.2gr.). I also have a Du-O-Measure and an older Redding, but they're both set for other powders, but I have no doubt that either would equal the Lyman's consistency.


*With a single disk, specifically, 1.57cc, it was as consistent as the Lyman, but threw ~12gr. (don't have my notes in front of me at the moment) rather than the 15 I was looking for.

[whisler]

My Lee Auto-disc seems to throw Unique very reliably and I check every tenth throw on the scale. As a matter of fact I was surprised at the consistency.

[1bluehorse]

Flake powders like unique herco and the dot powders dont really do well in any measure and ive had lymans, rcbs, lee and dillon. thing is they do good enough. Ive never seen one bit of differnce in accuracy between a unique load say for the 44 mag or 45 colt that varied 2 or 3 tenths of a grain shoot any better then the same loade weighted out on a scale. Only time youll see a difference on target is when your trying to load it in small cases like the 32s or 38s but theres better powder for doing that anyway so why waste your time with it. Buy yourself a can of bullseye and load. even though powders like reddot do well in smaller cases i just dont fool with them anymore in them because a couple tenths of a grain mean something in them. Funny thing is with unique is even with the variations in thown weight it still gives me some of the most accurate 44 and 45 loads. So i live with it.

Exactly..................perfectly said....

[Pete P]

Accurate Arms #5 causes binding in my Dillons Square Deal powder measure. I also noticed on Lees classic. I also noticed on my Lee's Classic Turret Press, that with red dot, if the turret isn't indexing it doesn't throw constant charges. I guess it needs a little bit of movement to get the powder to settle down in the cavity.

[Mohavedog]

I've loaded Unique for many yrs using a RCBS Uniflow and checking weight with a 5-0-5 and didn't know there was any problem. It's difficult to check that accurately with the bal beam. I recently bought and started using a digital scale along with the bal beam and I about fell off the loading stool. My drops varied +-.2 with the Unique. OK, the loads in .45 are accurate so I'm only mildly perturbed. However, I've started to trickle all of my development loads because of this.
I would like to try using a baffle in the Uniflow. Does anyone have info on the shape, size or holes needed to make one? Can't be that hard, right?
Thanks, Dog

[Hardcast416taylor]

I wanted to load up some shotshells for a neighbor that is going on a crow shoot. The only powder that I had the most of for 12 ga. loading was Unique. I went on Alliants website for a load using it and the correct shells, primers and wads. The 23.5 gr. recommended load didn`t want to reliably drop in my 20+ yr. old MEC 700. I wound up checking every load on my Dillion scale to be sure there was the correct charge going into each shell, 3 boxes worth. Some charges were close to 30 gr. and others were under 20. When my tax return finally comes in a week or so, I`m going shopping for a better dropping shotshell powder.Robert