FYI, 45 Colt loads. Uberti 5.5" bbl

[littlejack]

I went to the range to Chrony some 45-70 loads in my Uberti Hiwall.
I also brought along my Uberti 5.5" to clock some Unique loads, compared to my
Herco loads.
Powders dropped with Little Dandy PM and #18 rotor.
Shooting 15' from the Chrony.
Starline brass. FLPprimers.
Lyman 454190 cast with ww's + 2% tin. COL 1.600

Herco powder. 9.2 grains
Lo. 909.3
Hi. 962.3
Av. 940.3
Es. 53.00
Sd. 19.23
#1. 952.1
2. 962.3
3. 959.7
4. 948.2
5. 936.3
6. 909.3
7. 955.6
8. 929.6
9. 940.0
10. 909.5

Unique powder. 9.0 grains
Lo. 897.1
Hi. 947.1
Av. 930.5
Es. 50.06
Sd. 15.00
#1. 945.7
2. 923.1
3. 923.6
4. 931.7
5. 947.1
6. 934.0
7. 938.2
8. 921.1
9. 943.1
10. 897.1
Looks as though the Unique has a little better standard deviation, on this run anyway. I use to burn Unique exclsively in my light .41 loads, but it being so dirty made me stop. When I say use to I mean for 35 years.
I started the Uberti on Herco believing that the slower burn rate would be a little easier on the firearm. The recoil between the two is hardly noticable. It seemed that the Unique load had a little sharper recoil than the Herco. Unburned flakes with both powders was the same, Just a few flakes. No leading in barrel. Both powders take up the same room in the case. The Herco seems to meter some better. There looks to be a shiny (graphite?) coating on the Herco powder.
Both groups were the same at 25 yards. Not good. Approximately 4 to 5 inches unmeasured. Maybe it's time to try a different boolit.
There you go fellas, more information for your brain matter.
Jack

[jh45gun]

I have had really good luck with the Lee 252 grain Semi wad cutter bullet. It shoots accurately in my Uberti more so then the Lyman 255 semi round nose bullets that was given to me to try.

[DanWalker]

Try 6.5 or so grains of Red Dot under that boolit. Shoots great in the half dozen 45LC revolvers I've tried it in.

[littlejack]

Thanks for the tips fellas.

[Grapeshot]

You might want to drop that 9 grain charge of Unique to 8 grains. I've had better luck using the 7.5 to 8 grains of Unique and a 250 grain Lee .452-255- FN or the RCBS .45-250-RN over the years.

I don't know what the burning rate is for the reformulated Unique. But back in the 1970's the factory duplication load was 8 grains of Unique with a 250 grain bullet.

Nowadays, I use 2.2 cc's of Pinacle or Goex 2Fg and a 250 grain Big Lube Pigeon Roost Slim boolit in my .45 Colt loads.

[jh45gun]

Yea thats what I am using 8 grains of Unique with that 252 grain semi wad cutter and it is a great load it will do all I want including shooting deer.

[geargnasher]

9.5 grains of HS6, 454190 ACWW+2%Sn, Felix lube, light roll crimp just over the obgive, 2" and smaller groups at 25 yards from four different revolvers, including an Uberti Bisely. I quit using Unique in the .45 Colt early on because it would have to have been loaded too hot for my comfort in SAA-style guns to burn cleanly. Works ok for Ruger-only stuff, but 2400 is better at those pressures.

Gear

[jh45gun]

Sure Unique is a bit dirty but it still performs well with 8 grains. I don't mind a few unburned kernels of powder.

[Grapeshot]

Sure Unique is a bit dirty but it still performs well with 8 grains. I don't mind a few unburned kernels of powder.


Years ago a friend of mine told me that Hercules, now Alliant, powders were explosive dirt.

[jh45gun]

Years ago a friend of mine told me that Hercules, now Alliant, powders were explosive dirt.


Well I and countless others like it so it cannot be that bad. It is one of the most universal powders out there along with 2400.

[bigboredad]

the last loads with unique were ridiculous the groups were not even groups. I tried some blue dot and 2400 and they tightened right:veryconfu

[jh45gun]

the last loads with unique were ridiculous the groups were not even groups. I tried some blue dot and 2400 and they tightened right:veryconfu


Does not mean the power is bad your load just was not suitable in that particular load.

[lathesmith]

When were these Hercules(Alliant) powders re-formulated? In the mid-90"s I gave up on Unique because it was so filthy, but some years later started using Red Dot again when Alliant claimed they had "cleaned up" many of their powders, and it WAS much cleaner. This is now one of my go-to powders, I'm sure there is probably something a little cleaner out there but it's really pretty good now, especially compared to the old days.

lathesmith

[littlejack]

There is no doubt that Unique is probably one of the most popular powders made, and probably always will be. There are occasions when some powders in some loads do not make an accurate load in a particular firearm. This does not mean that the powder is not bad and or that the powder is good. It just wasn't right in that particular load, for that particular firearm. I have found out over the many years of handloading, that,
"The only thing in reloading that is absolute is, Nothing is absolute".
Jack

[runfiverun]

they upped the nitro content in thier powders.
they started with red dot because of the clays line, and progressed down the line. they started in the mid- late 90's.
anyways some other powders to try, sr-4756 [not 59] and aa#5 or #7 are also both very good.
and some guns prefer universal to unique even though they are very similar.

[RobS]

I prefer Herco in my 45 revolvers...........just seems to fit the bill for me anyway. However I am running Ruger loads when I use Herco so it burns fairly clean since the pressures are up for a better burn. For lower end 45 revolver loads I've used green dot, american select (probably one of the cleaner burning alliant powders) and promo.