Powder choice

[Jim]

For years, I've been using Unique in .38 Spl., .357 Mag., .45 ACP and .45 Colt. Recently, I aquired a 9MM and a .40 S&W, so I'll be loaded for those calibers as well.
I'm considering changing powders and would like to get some feedback from y'all. My choices are Blue Dot or Bullseye. I've gone through all my manuals and have found data for both powders in all of the calibers I have.
I've noticed that the Blue Dot is usually always at the bottom of the list with data for larger charges. The Bullseye is usually always at the top, or very near, with very small charges.
The bullet weights I'll be using per caliber will change, but generally, I use those on the heavier end of the scale.
What say ye, what's the best choice?

[ebner glocken]

If it was me and had to choose one for all those chamberings, used heavy per chambering bullets, and rarely loaded light. I would choose blue dot. If I could add one powder to the blue dot I would add ww231 for lighter loads.

[Lloyd Smale]

neither. Id go with unique.

[monadnock#5]

I'm with Lloyd. If your plan is to have one can of powder on the shelf, make it Unique.

[mooman76]

Although it is a bit dirty at times, I'd go with Unique also!

[9.3X62AL]

I'll pile on here for Unique. It will serve at least decently in all of the calibers you listed, perhaps not the single best--but certainly serviceable, and VERY GOOD in some variants of the 357 Magnum and 38 Special.

[MGySgt]

Another for Unique - I use it in 38, 357, 45ACP, 45 Colt, 44mag and now 475 linebaugh.

Unique is truely unique :)

Drew

[mooman76]

It has applications in CB rifle loads also!

[sundog]

Unique or Universal Clays. Slower - Herco. Faster - Grn Dt.

231 is purdy good, too.

[Bass Ackward]

The bullet weights I'll be using per caliber will change, but generally, I use those on the heavier end of the scale.
What say ye, what's the best choice?

Jim,

If Blue Dot or Bullseye are the choices, then you need to determine what mix you are shooting.

Blue Dot will allow use of softer bullets, faster velocities, and PB applications easier than Bullseye.

If you have nothing but GC designs and shoot nothing but WW or harder, Bullseye will allow you to shoot the cheapest.

[trickyasafox]

i switched from bullseye as my catch all to unique. I admit i've never used bluedot though.

I'm just too content with the stuff. it shoots better than I do.

[Larry Gibson]

As mentioned; stick with Unique. Maybe not the best for every bullet or velocity combination but Unique gives excellent all around performance in all the mentioned cartridges. I use it in all of them.

Larry Gibson

[Bob Jones]

Hard to beat Unique for your purposes. If you just wanted to experiment I load most of those calibers with Power Pistol and am real happy with it. Little bigger charges, fuller case, able to go from light to heavy loads.

[Single Shot]

Hard to beat Unique for your purposes. If you just wanted to experiment I load most of those calibers with Power Pistol and am real happy with it. Little bigger charges, fuller case, able to go from light to heavy loads.

I have many moulds for 45acp, 45 colt and 9mm. And a 32 swc I load for my sisters 32 H&R mag.

Any suggested Power Pistol loads? She bought me a pound can of Power Pistol as a gift. She did not bother asking the shop clerk. She thought the label looked like what she had seen on the bench. Not knowing what to get, and since the 45acp kicked her back, Powerful Pistol uses Power Pistol logic. :Fire:

[mag_01]

:coffee: --- Bullseye for target loads and Blue Dot for semi mag loads both powders are excellent --- Hope this gives you some idea of where these powders fit ------ And yes bullseye is dirty --- and economical ---- and if you do your part it rewards you with a good score card .


Never warmed up to Unique (although I'm sure its good) --- Bullseye -- 231 -- herco -- 2400 are my powders of choice for handguns. ( Just my point of view) . Mag_01

[AlaskaMike]

I'll be different and recommend Power Pistol. Just a bit slower than Unique but meters much better. It also stocks your beer fridge for you, washes your car/truck, mows the lawn, and even reminds you when your anniversary is coming up so you don't look foolish when you forget. Truly awesome stuff!

Single shot, you can get to Alliant's load data online here (http://www.alliantpowder.com/reloaders/RecipeList.aspx?gauge=&gtypeid=1&title=Pistols%20and%20Revolvers). That said, I regularly use 7.5 grains under a 200 gr. H&G 68 type SWC at 1.25" OAL. It's warm, but very accurate.

You should also be able to safely use Unique data with it, but you'll lose a little velocity because Unique's a bit faster.

Mike

[35remington]

"Any suggested Power Pistol loads?"

Well, yeah, in .45 ACP.

6.9 grains w/Hornady 230 jacketed flatpoint goes right around 890 fps in a five inch Colt. In a four inch Ruger P97 this gets about 860 fps. Switching to a 230 RN in the Colt gets about 870 fps with the same charge. This is standard, not Plus P. While the charge weights may sound a little odd in tenths of a grain, this happens to be what the Lee Pro Auto disk dispenses with its multiple fixed cavities of varying volumes. 8.8 grains Power Pistol gets about 1020 fps in the Ruger, 1080 fps in the Colt using the 185 Hornady XTP loaded to 1.230." Maximum in Alliant's book is 9.1 grains for a +P load.

Using Hornady's maximum of 7.6 grains with the 230 grain Lee FP at 1.230" gets 970 fps and very nearly the same velocity with the 230 XTP and 230 fp loaded to the same length. That's pretty impressive from the four inch Ruger, and the Colt will break 1000 fps with a lead bullet. I wouldn't shoot such loads a lot and would back down for normal shooting.

Now, back on topic - really, Power Pistol does not outrun Unique with 185 grain hp's in the ACP and in fact produces less velocity in my guns when top charges are used - even despite the fact that the Power Pistol loads are Plus P and the Unique loads are not in Alliant's listings. (9.1 max for Power Pistol, 8.2 max for Unique). 7.9 Unique in my five inch Colt gets just under 1150 fps with the 185 grain Hornady.

Unique is pretty close to Power Pistol in velocity with heavier bullets despite considerably less charge weight with 230's. Old timers may be used to loading somewhat heavier charges of Unique than you see listed these days, but even with the reduced listings Unique generates good velocity. The downside to Power Pistol is that blast is much greater than Unique, and it's annoying in my four inch Ruger. Unique has as low or lower velocity spreads than Power Pistol despite the fact that Power Pistol meters better through my measures.

So another vote for Unique, most particularly in .45 ACP. Power Pistol will not replace it for most uses and needs more powder to duplicate standard velocity loads. If pressures approach standard levels Unique is quite adequately clean burning.

[Jim]

Well, it seems as if I've been using the best choice for years. I thank all of you for your responses.
Unique it is.

[James C. Snodgrass]

I went to HS-6 4or5years ago and am pretty happy with it in about anything that doesn,t need 296 or H-110

[Blackhawk Convertable]

Unique!!!

[shotstring]

I don't think it is possible to make one powder do everything satisfactory, with all the various bullet types, calibers and loading variables. But if I were to choose one, it would definitely be Unique. To be truly universal, you need a powder that is neither to fast nor too slow, and Unique fills that bill very well. Bullseye is too fast, Blue Dot is too temperamenal. I have had Blue Dot launch a 2 foot flame out the barrel of a 357 magnum at maximum loading.

But Unique isn't the best target shooting powder - Bullseye or WW231 would be better in that area. Unique isn't the best magnum powder either, with WW296 or 2400 or H110 getting the nod there. But for pure universality and especially in mid-range loadings, Unique is hard to beat.

[Ghugly]

I don't think it is possible to make one powder do everything satisfactory, with all the various bullet types, calibers and loading variables. But if I were to choose one, it would definitely be Unique. To be truly universal, you need a powder that is neither to fast nor too slow, and Unique fills that bill very well. Bullseye is too fast, Blue Dot is too temperamenal. I have had Blue Dot launch a 2 foot flame out the barrel of a 357 magnum at maximum loading.

But Unique isn't the best target shooting powder - Bullseye or WW231 would be better in that area. Unique isn't the best magnum powder either, with WW296 or 2400 or H110 getting the nod there. But for pure universality and especially in mid-range loadings, Unique is hard to beat.

A 2 foot flame? How cool is that? Not for an every day load, of course, but I'd love to find a load for my .44 Bulldog that would do that. So far, Unique, Bullseye, 2400, and Trail Boss all work ok or better, but it would be fun to have one load just for showing off.

[dale2242]

OK, explain to me what a "DIRTY" powder is. We shoot cast bullets don`t we? Exposed lead and lube of some sort. I prefer 50/50 Alox /beeswax. I shoot cast bullets mostly in handguns. The smell of burning powder and burned lube!!! I love it . BTW, I shoot out of doors ALL the time. Dirty powder- So What?---dale

[S.R.Custom]

Well, it seems as if I've been using the best choice for years. I thank all of you for your responses.
Unique it is.

Or Herco if your bullet weights run heavy for the caliber.

[Adam10mm]

I love Blue Dot. I use it in .380, 357 Mag, 10mm, 45 Auto (and 20ga).

Right now on my bench I have:
Blue Dot
Titegroup
HS6
W571 (thanks ktw)
Unique
2400
Longshot
W231
WSF

Holy crap this is getting out of hand. I've only been handloading two weeks more than a year! Well a couple of those are leftovers from a local buyout I did of a widow's hubby's reloading stuff. The stuff that will stay forever on my bench is BD, LS, HS6, WSF, and TG.

I just used Unique for the first time (ever) in .357 Mag with some (@5gr) and a 180gr lead. Flows good like BD. Have yet to see how clean it is. I have about a half pound to play with.

Based on my personal experiences thus far, I say Blue Dot.

Based upon practicality and logic, I say Unique.

Why not buy a keg of Unique but just get Blue Dot by the pound to play with every now and again?

[lathesmith]

I used to use Unique back in the 90's, and it always did a good job for me. But man, was it filthy! However, I understand Alliant "cleaned up" all of their powders in the late 90's. I have since gotten a keg of Red Dot, and yes, it is MUCH cleaner than the older stuff I used to use. Most of my fouling now is from lube, not powder residue. I wish now that keg of Red Dot was Unique; but RD is pretty close to Unique and does many of the same things. The way I see it, Unique IS about the best all-around powder out there for many calibers and loads. BTW, I have read accounts of others using 10gr of Unique in just about ANY rifle caliber with ANY bullet and it nearly always comes up as an accurate plinking load. Around 8-9 grains of Red Dot mirrors this, at least in my common-sense experience. Good stuff!
lathesmith

[Ricochet]

I've never worried about "dirty powder," but old Unique did noticeably soot up revolvers with the cylinder gap leakage. Other powders are cleaner. I've still got a bit of the old stuff around, haven't bought any since it was reformulated. Only "dirty powder" worries I've had were where excessive unburned powder was making an action hard to operate.

Red Dot's closer to Bullseye than Unique. It's useful for a lot of things, too!