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View Poll Results: What do you prefer? Win 231 or Unique in your handloads?

Voters
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  • Winchester 231 (Or that Hogdon Equivalent)

    90 40.72%
  • Unique (whoever manufactures that)

    131 59.28%
Multiple Choice Poll.
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Results 41 to 60 of 110

Thread: Win231 vs Unique: Which do you prefer? What do you use it in?

  1. #41
    Boolit Mold
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    I mostly use w231 for 45acp, 38spl. It always worked for me, a little on the dirty side but reliable.

  2. #42
    Boolit Master
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    If you can't charge cases with Unique ...get a Lyman 55 , set it up correctly and learn to hold your mouth right ...that's the secrete.
    Gary[/QUOTE]

    I can't get UNIQUE to meter for rifle. I use a dipper or a RCBS Chargmaster.

  3. #43
    Boolit Master
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    Unique, hands down. I've probably burned 5 to 8 pounds of W231/HP38 through the years. It works fine, burns clean, meters well, but it's not at versatile as Unique. When I obtain a bottle of W231/HP38 through trade or inheritance, I use it up and never think about replacing it. It is too fast-burning to deliver max performance in .357 Mag and heavy .45 Colt, rounds which I shoot extensively.
    Unique won't get quite the maximum performance of which the two rounds are capable, either, but it gets a lot closer than W231. It isn't quite as clean-burning, but it's clean enough, especially in near-max loads. Alliant Herco, which is nearly as versatile as Unique, but slower burning, brings out more of the ballistic potential of these two rounds (and many others), but still works quite well in smaller cases, also.
    I don't reload for shotgun, but I know that Unique is well-established in this application. I don't know whether the same is true of W231.
    I don't OFTEN reload very light loads in a rifle, but Unique would be a good choice for it. In the past, I used 2400 and Red Dot with never less than adequate results. I would expect Unique, which is between the other two in burning rate, to work just fine.
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  4. #44
    Boolit Bub
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    I use them both. W231 for 9mm and unique for just about every thing else. I have many more powders on the shelf but these 2 get the most use.
    I probably use more unique simply because it requires more volume per case loaded than does the W231. (45/70-12gr) (45 colt 8gr)(9mm 3.7gr)

  5. #45
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    Winger Ed.'s Avatar
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    I'm a big Unique guy for .38, 9mm, and .45ACP.
    For 9mm & .45ACP- a double charge will overflow the case, so you have to work at it to hurt yourself.

    It's cheaper than 231, (until recently) plentiful, and always did a good job for me.
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  6. #46
    Boolit Master
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    Quote Originally Posted by Winger Ed. View Post
    I'm a big Unique guy for .38, 9mm, and .45ACP.
    For 9mm & .45ACP- a double charge will overflow the case, so you have to work at it to hurt yourself.

    It's cheaper than 231, (until recently) plentiful, and always did a good job for me.
    By habit I have used Bullseye and Unique. Bullseye for 32S&W Long and 38 Special, and Unique for 44 Special and for 44 Magnum reduced loads. I have experimented with Win 231, with all three but just seemed to me Bullseye and Unique fit the bill better. But I was at a larger town about 3 weeks ago and checked the main gun shop there. They did not have either Bullseye or Unique, but they had HP-38. I was getting a tad low; so I got a pound of HP-38 thinking to myself that if I remembered right it was just the same as some rather useful pistol powder. I reckon I am getting old, because it was not until I got home, and looked in some of my manuals that I realized it was the same as Win 231. I was quite relieved. I had tested Win 231 in all three calibers and it was pretty good.
    Britons shall never be slaves.

  7. #47
    Moderator Emeritus robertbank's Avatar
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    WE don't get many Alliant powders up here as a rule. I save my Unique for my 45 Colt loads. I use 231 almost exclusively in 9MM when shooting lead bullets. I switch to Titegroup or CFE Pistol in the 9MM when i use plated or jacketed bullets. I have about 20lbs of HP38 sitting on my shelf so it will do service in my practice rounds for revolver as well. For matches I revert to Clays in 38spl. My 45acp shooting is done with 231 and Bullseye exclusively.

    Both are good powders .

    Take Care

    Bob
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  8. #48
    Boolit Master Rodfac's Avatar
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    Given a choice, I'd go with 231 as it's more easily metered in small cases/charge weights, where I have trouble with Unique when trying to meter charges of 4.5 grains or less. There, I've found that 231 (or HP38) will give me better consistency even with charges down as low as 2.0 grains. Conversely, 231 works just as well as Unique in charges up 7.5 grains in the larger handgun calibers. Best Regards, Rod
    Rod

  9. #49
    Boolit Master
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    Hi...
    I chose Unique.
    I have loaded big bore handgun rounds with it for decades.
    I only buy the 4lb jugs when there aren't 8lb jugs available.
    I wouldn't want to hazard a guess on how many pounds of Unique I have used over the decades but it is a considerable amount.
    I use it in ..41Magnum, .44Spl, .44Magnum and .45Colt with cast bullets.
    Use very little 231 or HP38.
    Do use copious amounts of Bullseye in .45ACP, .45AutoRim and .38Spl. and Blue Dot in .357Magnum along with 2400 and 296/H110 for high velocity loadings in the magnum handguns.

    Have a reserve supply of Red Dot and Herco for big bore handgun loads if I ever run out of Unique.

  10. #50
    Boolit Master Jack Stanley's Avatar
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    Unique I've used it in many different applications and it's never let me down . It may not be the best for everything but it has worked in everything I've tried it in .

    I've recently been using a surplus powder called SMP231 and I don't know it's relation to Winchester 231 or even if it's kin . But , it's working well in real light cast loads on an aught six .

    Jack
    Buy it cheap and stack it deep , you may need it !

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  11. #51
    Boolit Bub

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    G'day from Downunder

    G'day All , I like both but mostly use WW 231 as it measures more consistantly through my powder measures , it does my .45acp , .45 Colt , .32mag and .327 Fedral perfectly.

    Regards Paul.

  12. #52
    Boolit Master



    TNsailorman's Avatar
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    Right now, it is the powder you can find; if you can find it at all. I for one am not going to pay the scalper prices being charged by people who have powder right now. For the time being, I have switched to air rifles, pistols and will continue until the prices come back to normal. james

  13. #53
    Boolit Buddy
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    A decent portion of my shooting is with Unique. Mostly 44, 444, 45 Colt. It also works for 9mm and 38. It's not always my favorite, but I'll happily shoot it when I've got it. It might sound strange, but I've never even tried 231.

    When powder started getting scarce last year I decided to order some of the BR-5 from Bartlett. I think I put 12# on the shelf as a just in case. It is supposed to be a Unique clone, and from what I've shot so far, that appears to be the case. I know some folks aren't too keen on using the off-brand powders but when things got scarce I decided that off-brand was far better than nothing at all. I see he's got it listed at $20 a pound, a little higher than last year but not stupid. Unique shoots in everything so it's a good just-in-case powder.

  14. #54
    Boolit Master 1006's Avatar
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    w231 for me. Cleaner for me. I prefer Universal Clays to Unique. Again, because it is cleaner in any pistol caliber that I load.

  15. #55
    Boolit Buddy
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    I've used both and I tend towards ww231. I think it meters better and burns cleaner. Started loading with ww231 and worked up most of my loads with it.

  16. #56
    Boolit Master


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    WW 231 for standard pressure .45, .38 and 9mm.

    I gave up Unique and went to AA 7 or AA 9 for cast rifle and magnum pistol. Both meter much better and burn cleaner.

  17. #57
    Boolit Master VariableRecall's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by jaysouth View Post
    WW 231 for standard pressure .45, .38 and 9mm.

    I gave up Unique and went to AA 7 or AA 9 for cast rifle and magnum pistol. Both meter much better and burn cleaner.
    Would Unique work well in a Lee PPM? I know it's shaped differently, but that's the powder measure that I have.

  18. #58
    Boolit Master
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    I like Lee tools and use Lee presses , dies and powder measure the pro auto disk I have 4 and 1 auto drum .
    The PPM for me was a throw and trickle only measure , I was never satisfied with the results I got with the powders I used . When I got it I already had a Lyman 55 and a RCBS bench mount measures so I did not spend much time messing with it to try to get satisfactory results . All that said there are a lot of people that use them that may have some good suggestions on powders that work well in it and or some modifications that might help it work better. But my experience following the directions that came with it I would weigh and trickle.

  19. #59
    Boolit Buddy
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    WW231 for me. Meters better, chronographs better, more consistent. As long as I keep velocities/pressure reasonable for the caliber it doesn’t lead up the bore. I have used it in calibers from .38 spl all the way up to .500 Linebaugh. WW231 and IMR 4756 are the 2 powders I use the most.

  20. #60
    Boolit Master
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    I use HP38(231) in 38 spl, 45 ACP, 40S&W, 357, 45 Colt, 44 spl, 9mm, plain base cast in the 32 spcl, starting to use TiteGroup in some. I've tried Unique, got a lb on the shelf but use 4227, Universal, 5744, some old HS7 in all the places I read about Unique being wonderful. Just don't like the way it measures, results were never Special for me. Oh, I tried it in Lee Disc and Perfect Measures, Lee Dippers, RCBS Uniflow, and some others, just doesn't measure well.

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Abbreviations used in Reloading

BP Bronze Point IMR Improved Military Rifle PTD Pointed
BR Bench Rest M Magnum RN Round Nose
BT Boat Tail PL Power-Lokt SP Soft Point
C Compressed Charge PR Primer SPCL Soft Point "Core-Lokt"
HP Hollow Point PSPCL Pointed Soft Point "Core Lokt" C.O.L. Cartridge Overall Length
PSP Pointed Soft Point Spz Spitzer Point SBT Spitzer Boat Tail
LRN Lead Round Nose LWC Lead Wad Cutter LSWC Lead Semi Wad Cutter
GC Gas Check