Unique

[Jeff H]

And, hopefully no one takes my comments as being actual "problems."

I am being purposely unfair to the powder to test limits - LOWER limits. During "droughts," we have to improvise sometimes and knowing which powder will do what - knowing which one is the most versatile is a good thing.

Bottom line - ALWAYS HAVE UNIQUE!

It's not always ideal, but it'll get you a lot of coverage for useful loads. I love the stuff just for it's longevity and versatility. Who DOES that these days? EVERYTHING has to be super-specialized for those who believe (or want others to believe) that they are THAT good that they need, or can actually benefit from something that will shave a "tenth" off a group at 600 yards. Who's kiddin' who here?

 

[Jeff H]

....I sure hope nobody ever gets the great idea to discontinue it....

(Hissing through teeth) - DON'T SAY things like that!

 

[Rushcreek]

Here’s my hi-tech powder measure set for 6.4 grs of Unique to make the .40 S&W bark.

 

[fiver]

i use a very similar setup for the Boy's 7.5X55.
i don't even remember the load anymore, it's just one scoop of Unique powder and a plain base 165gr. bullet i no longer have the mold for.

it'll totally take the black circle at 50yds. right out of the paper though if you shoot enough of them.

 

[waco]

Been running Red Dot and Unique in my Dillon 550 for 20+ years. No issues. Never understood this.

 

[Jeff H]

Been running Red Dot and Unique in my Dillon 550 for 20+ years. No issues. Never understood this.

I think its more specific to smaller/smallish charges and probably not THAT big of a problem, but we all experience something different and all have different standards.

I do still think that my little Hornady measure with the sliding charge bar is more consistent than the rotary drum of the Uniflow, but that's not a complaint about the Uniflow and IS specific to smaller charges.

After my little contaminated powder incident, I have to be cautious about what I commit to and start my observations anew.

 

[fiver]

i haven't tried to drop 3grs. of the stuff, 4.5 or so is the lowest i've gone,,
i didn't understand the problem either, but i also tend to make sure i 'pack' my hopper down as i fill it and run a bunch of powder through it before i start working my way down to the load i want.

if i'm gonna run a powder down to it's lowest limit i simply switch to something faster anyway, but that's just me since i don't think that's a very efficient way to make up a load.

 

[Jeff H]

....

if i'm gonna run a powder down to it's lowest limit i simply switch to something faster anyway, but that's just me since i don't think that's a very efficient way to make up a load.

No it's not. And I found that 4.5 grains behind a 180 grain WFN in a 357 case is as low as is practical, but a very useful load. 4.5 grains behind a 158 isn't great. Another grain makes for a great load though.

Just a experiment to see how wide the SAFE range of useful loads would be in a specific rimmed pistol cartridge for revolver/(suppressed)carbine.

 

[fiver]

at least it isn't a case full of 4895...
i got no room there either, i was just today pondering how far up and down i could go with clay's. or titegroup in the 30-30 with a 130gr bullet.
i guess there's only one way to find out???... LOL

 

[Jeff H]

at least it isn't a case full of 4895...
i got no room there either, i was just today pondering how far up and down i could go with clay's. or titegroup in the 30-30 with a 130gr bullet.
i guess there's only one way to find out???... LOL

It's been an interesting experiment and enjoyable as well. I'd love to see anything you would care to delve into.

In reality, with today's scarcity of components, at especially dear prices, it sure doesn't hurt to play around a bit while we have the chance.

I may have to retire within the next couple years and recent economic conditions have not made the prospect seem all that appealing, so this is really part of my retirement plan - to ensure that I have enough of something so that I can shoot, regardless of the global, national or my personal economy.

If I had the time, I'd like to document the whole endeavor. I've written quite a lot about the "homestead rifle" concept as might be seen in the eyes of a homesteader in the days when a man could afford one gun (cartridge, really, as I plan on having at least a revolver and carbine which feeds from the same trough) and had to make do with it for whatever eventuality. Inspired by @Ben to get my butt in gear on the portable reloading kit, I've got a lot of information I could share with some of the less experienced.

Most of this is common knowledge to the more senior of those who post here, but culture has changed dramatically since we started doing this on a "shoestring budget" in our own youth. Maybe those who think they have to have everything right now don't deserve it, but I'd still like to compile it for the occasional few out there who do deserve it.

None of this is anything most of the members HERE don't know, haven't lived or haven't tried, regardless of age. I'm investing in a few younger guys who I think deserve to benefit from what we've started to take for granted, because. well, it seems like common knowledge to us. There's a hole in history here - a gap among generations of teaching and learning because there's so much privilege today. I mean, how many young guys even know how to skin a rabbit these days? They haven't HAD to.

DISCLAIMER: NOT to berate "young guys" here, because if you lurk here or post here, you're, well,... not normal. But that's a GOOD thing.

 

[fiver]

i try real hard to try and talk newer guys into doing stuff with their guns.
not to slight, but anyone can buy a jug of H-110, some hornady 240's and go to the range with their 44 mag and say they are a reloader.
well,,,, yeah,, in the technical sense they are, and hopefully on the road to go beyond that.

i enjoy talking to the guys down there doing stuff like using Unique in their 8 Mauser with a 200gr. speer bullet to fit a cartain need.
or the ones that ask what i think about using a 200gr. bullet in their 375 Hornady to mimic the 375 winchester.
i don't get a lot of that anymore... LOL
i do still get the how fast you think you can push a powder coated bullet in your 308.
my answer is usually.
well, i dunno, i've got it up to pretty much all the recoil i want with a 170 and plain Jane old school lead, i doubt a P/C bullet would get me any more, or whether i'd want more really.
not that i won't try it at some point, i just ain't yet.

but i really, really try to get them to do more.
more , do a complete workup of loads and use 'other' bullets and measure stuff... i like saying measure stuff.
but i really think that if a guy gets to measuring and trying things from the bottom to the top with a couple of guns and cartridges their knowledge base and interest will go up about 300%.

 

[300BLK]

at least it isn't a case full of 4895...
i got no room there either, i was just today pondering how far up and down i could go with clay's. or titegroup in the 30-30 with a 130gr bullet.
i guess there's only one way to find out???... LOL

I've taken Clays down to 2gr under a .312" round ball in the 30-30. It burns clean and sounds like an airgun.

 

[fiver]

chuckle,,, i was thinking @ 3 would be the very, very aaahhh crud i better pull the bolt bottom with the 130.

 

[Jeff H]

W231/HP38, 1.2 (ONE POINT TWO) grains in ONE SPECIFIC 16" 357 gave me 450-500 fps with 100% muzzle exit, VERY quiet and death on 20# or so vermin withing ten to fifteen yards. Very no-drama extermination - they stiffen for a second or too and then just slump over.

I do NOT recommend this to others. It took a lot of experimentation over several months, but before I got suppressor, it served very well for dispatching varmints/vermin up close to the house.

I have NOT been able to duplicate that with other rifles, so beware. I've had to almost double that charge to get the same level of reliable muzzle exit.

EDIT: TOTALLY missed the projectile weight - 158 grain SWC or RF

 

[300BLK]

chuckle,,, i was thinking @ 3 would be the very, very aaahhh crud i better pull the bolt bottom with the 130.

For sure a 130gr bullet is going to need more powder than a round ball, but my comment was to point out that Clays will still give a clean burn at 2gr. The 2gr load works for urban, backyard pest control, but would be adequate for squirrel head shots to 35 yards minimum, would be a good load for your grouse maybe?

 

[fiver]

yeah, they don't take much.
half the fun is head shooting them anyway.
i generally use a 165gr rnfp in the 45 colt on top of about 4grs. of clays when i'm deer hunting.
in the lever rifle it's so quiet i don't worry about scaring anything, even the bird when i miss doesn't get all worked up.
sometimes they will walk over and check out the dirt or leaves where my bullet hit, i guess thinking it's a grass hopper or something making a disturbance there?
quite often i just take the pellet rifle, or a 22 pistol.
i gotta body shoot them with the pistol though, there ain't enough 22 ammo on the planet for me to hit one in the head.