MightyMO1911
New member
I just picked up my first pound of Unique. I know it's a lot like bullseye and it should work well in every handgun caliber I have. 45 auto, 45 colt, 38 special and 357 magnum. What should I expect? How should I treat it?
Unique. What to expect
- Thread starter MightyMO1911
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9mmSkeeter
New member
Treat it like an explosive, and like any other powder. Don't get t wet, don't feed it after midnight...
Really though, expect a little frustration when metering. It's not the worst powder for metering, but it's a little finicky. In other words you can set your powder stick to 4.0 and one minute it will throw 4 and the next it may throw 4.3.
As a handgun powder though - great for 9mm, good for 40 and 45.
Too dense to fill a 380 case without lots of bullet compression.
Really though, expect a little frustration when metering. It's not the worst powder for metering, but it's a little finicky. In other words you can set your powder stick to 4.0 and one minute it will throw 4 and the next it may throw 4.3.
As a handgun powder though - great for 9mm, good for 40 and 45.
Too dense to fill a 380 case without lots of bullet compression.
I guess you can treat it like an explosive if you wish -- but it isn't one. 
And I also don't know what you mean by "it's a lot like Bullseye" because... uhhh... it isn't. It's a smokeless powder for handloading, so if that makes it like Bullseye, so then is IMR-4895 I suppose.
Unique is a midrange powder in the spectrum of handgun powders. It is one of -- if not THE most versatile powder ever marketed and may also vie for the top spot all time in popularity and/or sales.
Unique is also old school and those who embrace modern powders and the folks who much prefer to pick very specific powders for particular jobs instead of trying to keep only a scarce few powders and use them for everything will often not use, keep, or enjoy the benefits of Unique.
In handgun powders, I have over twelve different that I dip from because I very much enjoy the variety. I have bought exactly one pound of Unique... that was ten years ago and it's still half full and I have zero plans to use it. Other folks absolutely swear by it and would give up every other powder they have in stock to keep Unique.
I don't care for it and I have no plans to ever buy more of it ever again.
And I also don't know what you mean by "it's a lot like Bullseye" because... uhhh... it isn't. It's a smokeless powder for handloading, so if that makes it like Bullseye, so then is IMR-4895 I suppose.
Unique is a midrange powder in the spectrum of handgun powders. It is one of -- if not THE most versatile powder ever marketed and may also vie for the top spot all time in popularity and/or sales.
Unique is also old school and those who embrace modern powders and the folks who much prefer to pick very specific powders for particular jobs instead of trying to keep only a scarce few powders and use them for everything will often not use, keep, or enjoy the benefits of Unique.
In handgun powders, I have over twelve different that I dip from because I very much enjoy the variety. I have bought exactly one pound of Unique... that was ten years ago and it's still half full and I have zero plans to use it. Other folks absolutely swear by it and would give up every other powder they have in stock to keep Unique.
I don't care for it and I have no plans to ever buy more of it ever again.
Hammerhead
New member
It's good in full power .38 spl loads, mid-range .357 loads. Never used it in the others you mentioned. I get +/- .2 grain accuracy from my powder measure if I flush it about 15 times before starting. It must settle pretty quickly in the hopper.
I would look at you reloading equipment vs the powder for that issue. I have loaded literally 100k+ of rounds with unique and have found it to meter very consistent with both my dillion 650's and with my lyman powder drop.
I usually stock bullseye and unique for almost all the pistol cartridges as the 2 cover almost everything with a usually good velocity range.
unique is more gr per charge than bullseye but usually gives you a bump in fps. my opinion is they both burn fairly clean if you use middle of the road or better load data. for lead bullets I would keep them middle or slower to prevent gas cutting the lead and to reduce lead fouling.
9mmSkeeter
New member
^ I use a Lee Perfect Powder Measure. I can throw most spherical pistol powders within .1 of a grain 99% of the time.
Unique as I said is not the worst, in fact blue dot may be a little worse, but it is not the measuring prowess that other powders like 231 and Titegroup are. It could be the disc shape, perhaps it cuts more since its slightly larger. I'm not the only one having this problem either, just google "unique metering problems".
That being said aesthetically I like disc shaped powders better.
Unique as I said is not the worst, in fact blue dot may be a little worse, but it is not the measuring prowess that other powders like 231 and Titegroup are. It could be the disc shape, perhaps it cuts more since its slightly larger. I'm not the only one having this problem either, just google "unique metering problems".
That being said aesthetically I like disc shaped powders better.
StripesDude
New member
Hard to meter, but performs well. I haven't seen much variation in performance, even though my finished rounds were deviating by 0.2 gr (45 ACP) due to the inconsistent metering.
Hard to double charge too.
Hard to double charge too.
From a pistol powder point of view, Unique bears little resemblance to Bullseye. As mentioned, it is a medium speed powder - but among its medium speed brethren, it leans a little fast. I find it about the same speed as AA5, but a little faster than HS-6 or Power Pistol.
Others have said that it's good for up to medium power 357 Magnum. Not disagreeing, but with lighter bullets (110's, 125's), you can load them up pretty darn spunky with Unique. In fact, that's where it runs cleanest.
Unique is probably best known for use in 45 ACP (heavy bullets preferred) and 38 Special +P - as others have said. One of my favorite rounds is a 38 Special 158gn Lead SWC with 5.2gn of Unique under it (just touching +P status); it's a fine shooting round.
I generally consider it a revolver powder because it's nice and fluffy and fills the cavernous 38/44 family of cartridges (probably 45 Colt too, but I don't load it). Without doubt, it makes a fine semi-auto propellant too. I just prefer to use AA5 or HS-6 for the semi-autos.
It is known for not running clean; but like any propellant, if you load it right, it'll run plenty clean. If it's not running clean, that may be a clue that a faster propellant should be used for the application - or to increase the charge weight.
Unique is also not known for metering consistently. This is the biggest issue I have with it. From my RCBS Uniflow hopper, charges will float around +/- > 0.1gn. But that's okay with me. I just don't use Unique for any kind of match rounds. It's a great "range shooter" propellant that truly is versatile.
Others have said that it's good for up to medium power 357 Magnum. Not disagreeing, but with lighter bullets (110's, 125's), you can load them up pretty darn spunky with Unique. In fact, that's where it runs cleanest.
Unique is probably best known for use in 45 ACP (heavy bullets preferred) and 38 Special +P - as others have said. One of my favorite rounds is a 38 Special 158gn Lead SWC with 5.2gn of Unique under it (just touching +P status); it's a fine shooting round.
I generally consider it a revolver powder because it's nice and fluffy and fills the cavernous 38/44 family of cartridges (probably 45 Colt too, but I don't load it). Without doubt, it makes a fine semi-auto propellant too. I just prefer to use AA5 or HS-6 for the semi-autos.
It is known for not running clean; but like any propellant, if you load it right, it'll run plenty clean. If it's not running clean, that may be a clue that a faster propellant should be used for the application - or to increase the charge weight.
Unique is also not known for metering consistently. This is the biggest issue I have with it. From my RCBS Uniflow hopper, charges will float around +/- > 0.1gn. But that's okay with me. I just don't use Unique for any kind of match rounds. It's a great "range shooter" propellant that truly is versatile.
Average Joe
New member
Great for .38 special, .357 magnum, 9mm and shotshells... what's not to like ?
You should "treat it", to a hand loading manual, and "expect" to use the loads listed for it. Unique has shown to be a very good powder for cast lead bullet loads in all the cartridges you have listed. As a bullet caster who generally only uses cast lead bullets, it is one of my most used powders.
MightyMO1911
New member
Thanks for all the info all. I think I used poor phrasing when I said it's like bullseye. I only meant that in the sense that it's uses are wide. Which is why I wanted it. We have a variety of pistol powder on the shelf for specialized uses. I'm just stocking up on some, such as bullseye and unique, that are versatile enough to be used for almost anything in times of need. Of all the different powder I've used I just always go back to bullseye. I get the best consistency with my loads. And, like bullseye, unique has been around pert near forever. With the information y'all have shared I think it's going to suit my needs very well. I started with a single pound to play around with but my suspicion is a 4 pound jug will soon follow. But we'll see. Now. If I could just find the unicorn that is known as Varget.
Yes, no doubt Bullseye and Unique are two of the most widely used pistol powders - they are definitely kindred spirits in that sense.
I load (pistol only) with 10 different powders; and they all have specific uses, in my view. But - if needed - I could purpose load about 90% of my rounds using just Bullseye and Unique. Not all would be optimum (which explains why I have eight other powders), but they'd sufficiently fit the purpose. Only the big magnum loads would be completely left out.
Yep, a heck of a lot of different types of ammo could be made with just those two powders.
I load (pistol only) with 10 different powders; and they all have specific uses, in my view. But - if needed - I could purpose load about 90% of my rounds using just Bullseye and Unique. Not all would be optimum (which explains why I have eight other powders), but they'd sufficiently fit the purpose. Only the big magnum loads would be completely left out.
Yep, a heck of a lot of different types of ammo could be made with just those two powders.
sawdustdad
New member
I use a lot of Unique--it's been my go to powder in 9mm and .38spl for years. It's still my favorite in 9mm If I were to pick three powders for loading a wide range of pistol cartridges, I think I'd go for bullseye, unique and W296. That would cover quite a few possible loads across the pistol ammo spectrum.
I haven't used anything BUT Unique in the .45 Colt in the past 30 years.
I never notices any particular problems with it metering, never heard of any until I got on the internet...
There are smoother flowing powders, but compared to IMR rifle powders, its pure joy.
Unique, lead bullets and certain lubes are very smokey. More the lube than the powder.
If you want one powder to do the most practical, over the widest range of calibers and speeds, Unique gives your the most "bang for your buck" of any I know.
I never notices any particular problems with it metering, never heard of any until I got on the internet...
There are smoother flowing powders, but compared to IMR rifle powders, its pure joy.
Unique, lead bullets and certain lubes are very smokey. More the lube than the powder.
If you want one powder to do the most practical, over the widest range of calibers and speeds, Unique gives your the most "bang for your buck" of any I know.
Metering
I'd hardly consider it a "problem" either. It's worth mentioning only because it meters worse than anything else I use. But "worse" is relative. I do find it a little harder to get the powder hopper throws set accurately because the throws tend to float around a little. The process leaves me rolling my eyes from time to time, but it always gets done. It would make me nervy if I was loading up on the high end of the scale. But I don't have any recipe like that with Unique.
I don't load rifle, so I don't have that point of reference. But I've seen rifle powders - some are really coarse. I would never use 800X either - I've seen that stuff too.
I'd hardly consider it a "problem" either. It's worth mentioning only because it meters worse than anything else I use. But "worse" is relative. I do find it a little harder to get the powder hopper throws set accurately because the throws tend to float around a little. The process leaves me rolling my eyes from time to time, but it always gets done. It would make me nervy if I was loading up on the high end of the scale. But I don't have any recipe like that with Unique.
I don't load rifle, so I don't have that point of reference. But I've seen rifle powders - some are really coarse. I would never use 800X either - I've seen that stuff too.
If you are loading in the range where 0.1 or 0.2gr variation puts you into the "too hot" zone, you are an idiot if you don't weigh each individual charge.
Unique has been with us a long time. If not over the century mark already, its got to be getting close.
In small cases, and light to medium loads in bigger ones, Unique works quite well. Not quite as efficient as Bullseye (taking about a grain to a grain and a half in smaller cases to reach max pressure, so you get correspondingly fewer loads from a pound of powder), and in larger cases, Unique delivers around 100fps less (more or less) at max pressure than slower powders like 2400, H110 or WW296. The flip side of this is Unique does this with 10-12grs of powder (.44mag, etc) vs 19-20ish for the slower powders. So, more loads from a pound from Unique in this case.
And, Unique lights off easily and consistently with standard primers, unlike the slower powders where magnum primers may be needed.
I agree. And loading that hot just isn't my style anyway - weighing individually, or otherwise. My let's-see-how-hot-I-can-go days are long past. Most of the load recipes I've settled in on are well within published data. My "hot" load work ups usually settle in on a recipe that is short of max published, but is showing low Standard Deviations. And they have that "just feel right" intangible. Accuracy comes along with these characteristics.
Example: 357 Magnum; 158gn JHP; HS-6; CCI 550; Speer #14's max load is 9.7gn. I settled on 9.0gn because I was getting a 7.93 SD and they were running nice and clean (not always the case with HS-6). Higher charge weights were showing higher SD's and even lower velocities in some cases - along with primers starting to flatten and extractions starting to get sticky. To use my term, they were "gettin' squirrely." The "set" load runs 1115 fps through a 3" bbl (which would put it right near 1200 fps through a 4"); and does it with excellent consistency. I'm very pleased with the round, and I load and shoot these a lot. Mission accomplished in my book.