I'm trying to figure out which one powder is well suited for loading .45 ACP, .38 Special, 9 mm and 9mm Makarov. I've used Unique, which I found to be dirty, for .45 and a small batch of .38 Special. I shoot mostly cast bullets but some Rainier Copper Clad. I know there are a lot of good choices available but I don't want to buy a pound of each to try them all. If Unique was a cleaner powder I'd buy a large quantity of it.

It's hard to beat Unique. In 45 I believe it is the best powder available. I also use it for reduced loads in various rifles, with lead bullets. As to it being "dirty" as you say, my only comment is, don't you clean your handguns often?

Jerry

Are you sure it is the Unique and not the lube from the bullets that`s dirty? Cast lead has always seemed to leave a lot of "soot" on my pistols no matter the powder.

Any of the medium burn rate powders like Unique, work best above midrange load levels. They will leave a lot of soot at target levels. I like Unqie, but run it well above midrange in all the service calibers, great for midrange vel loads in the magnums as well. WSF is a slightly cleaner, better metering powder that is a tiny bit slower tha Unique, but still at it's best above midrange vel levels. If you do not want to run your 9mm screaming fast, W231/HP38 will work for everything you listed, as wil WST, AA#2, etc.

quote:

Any of the medium burn rate powders like Unique, work best above midrange load levels.

Agree +1. Load into mid-range level and apply a good crimp, the "soot" will disappear; not 100% but certainly clean enough.

If there was one powder for pistol revolver relaoding it is in my opinion Unique. It isn't perfect for every cartridge but it'll be above-average for all of them and really good in .38 Spl., .357 Mag, 45 acp & 44 Mag.

for me, something that meters well in my progressive
unique is dirty.. i only reload 45lc, 7.62x25 and 10mm ... 2400 is my choice

Sam, try Bullseye its a good target load powder for all the calibers you listed.

Universal Clays is what I use for my 45 ACP & 45 Colt, and I'm going to try it in my 32 ACP this week as well.

if you don't like unique try aa7

HP38/231 is superb for what you want to do. Meters extremely well and is my go-to powder for ALL mid-range pistol loading around 13k psi. Love the stuff.

If I want hotter, I go 2400, but that's inappropriate for the cartridges you've suggested.

quote:

Originally posted by butchloc:
if you don't like unique try aa7

Acutally, AA#5 is closer to Unqiue than AA#7. Good powder but will not do downloaded, more a max vel type powder in service rounds.

i vote unique also

If it's clean you're after VihtaVuori N340 or AA5 as suggested fills the bill .

I sincerely wish there was a single " do it all " powder . If there is ?, I've never found it !.

One of my all time favorite super clean burning powders was WSL and then Winchester yanked it .

Clays burns clean also but have no Idea as to pistol application for it .

Sam: I figuered I'd chime in again. The NRA, God bless them, has a handbook out called "cast bullets", inside there is an article, entitled "unique really is unique", where they talk about all the cartridges, including rifle, you can load with it. Unique is the ONE, but you know I have a good hunting and shooting buddy, who will not use it. He claims it is the dirtiest powder alive, and he hates it. To each his own, as long as we are loading shells, who can be unhappy.

Jerry

Unique,just read some history of it. Anything that's been around over a hundred years must be doing something right. If your gun gets dirty just clean it. Shoots .357 .44 .45 just fine with cast bullets or other wise.

I've got a little Unique left here. It is versitile and does everthing I'd want. I might try playing with the .45 load I've been using to see what happens (230 gn cast LRN with 5.5 grains Unique). It wasn't as bad in the .38 loads so it could be a pressure barrel length thing.

I've also considered Clays, I've used it for 12 gauge and the Makarov.

quote:

Originally posted by Sam:
I've got a little Unique left here. It is versitile and does everthing I'd want. I might try playing with the .45 load I've been using to see what happens (230 gn cast LRN with 5.5 grains Unique). It wasn't as bad in the .38 loads so it could be a pressure barrel length thing.

I've also considered Clays, I've used it for 12 gauge and the Makarov.

I used Universal Clays to reload 45ACP for a CCW practice class. I probably shot 700 - 1000 cast 230gr rounds without cleaning in my bone stock Colt series 80. Universal Clays is cleaner than some factory ammo I've shot, to be sure.

quote:

Originally posted by rnovi:
HP38/231 is superb for what you want to do. Meters extremely well and is my go-to powder for ALL mid-range pistol loading around 13k psi. Love the stuff.

If I want hotter, I go 2400, but that's inappropriate for the cartridges you've suggested.

+1 Spot on, though I throw in 296 for the heavy stuff, too.

For a clean burning powder Solo 1000 is pretty good, but looking at a loading chart it seems to only be recommended for the 45. I like AA#5, but I am sure there are cleaner choices out there.

Do you mean that you are only going to buy one
can of powder for the rest of your life?.
Otherwise why not buy a couple of more suitable
powders?.
I load Unique (Universal Clays is very similar)
P38 (Bullseye is very similar), 4227 (2400 is very similar).
Good luck!

Sam, are you using the old Unique formula or the new, improved, cleaner burning Unique? If it was made before 2001, it's the dirty burning variety.

I use Unique and Bullseye for all of my pistol reloads. The one exception is H110 in 45 Colt loads for my Rossi 92 lever.
I'm not sure I've experienced the 'Dirty' Unique and Bullseye syndrom (sp) or I'm less fastidious then others.
Most of my handgun shooting is done with revolvers, 45 colt, 45 Auto Rim, 357. All of the barrels have been lapped, the cyclinder mouths uniformed. The 45 Colts shoot .454 bullets the 45 Auto Rim shoots .452 or .453, the 357 shoots .3585.- .359.
Other then a fast wipe down at the range I try to clean my revolvers every thousand rounds even if they don't need it.
This has worked for me over the past 20-25 years.
Is it possible that the 'dirty' problem is more a function of low pressure, powder blow by, under sized cyclinder mouths as related to barrel forcing cones?
Of course it could be I'm a slob and don't mind dirt.

Jim

Hawkins, I'm getting back into reloadig after taking a few years off from reloading and shooting, so I'm looking to buy a large quantity for general target reloading, I have Vihta Vuori N110 for jacketed .357 Magnum. I hate having a little of this and a little of that left over from trying to find the "best" powder for each round. The Unique has been great for accuracy in my 1911.

Dave, The Unique I have is the old blend, pre 2000. I have also discovered a pound of Red Dot and a pound of Bullseye that I forgot I bought, spring of 2000.

Jim, my .45 ACP loads have always seemed to have large particules left behind. Unburnt powder? I'm going to work up a new load to figure it out. I've shot all my older reloads out. The bullet lube pretty much cleans off and coats the metal so cleaning isn't hard it's the grit/particles I've considered dirty. I'll be honest sometimes the only reason I'd clean was because the gun would jam. The only guns I clean everytime they're shot is carry and house guns. So how does a "Jim" get to be arkypete living up the road in Richmond?

Since I found powder I forgot I had and have a couple of pounds that are partially used it will be a while before I buy a big can, I'll have to try the Red Dot and Bullseye then figure out what was best. Of course since 2000 they are probably all "New and Improved".

Isn't Universal Clays more or less the equivilant of Unique?
Somewhere I thought I read that it was Hodgdon's answer to Alliant/Hercules. I've never used Universal and am fairly new to pistol reloading.

I use W231 for light-mid loads in everything from .25acp-.45 Colt, works great with cast bullets and meters much better than Unique. I have several thousand rounds thru a 9mm and a .357 Sig with this powder and have never had any problems.
C.G.B.

quote:

Originally posted by cgbach:
I use W231 for light-mid loads in everything from .25acp-.45 Colt, works great with cast bullets and meters much better than Unique. I have several thousand rounds thru a 9mm and a .357 Sig with this powder and have never had any problems.
C.G.B.

If you want something that meters better than Unique w/ sim burn rate (W231 is quite a bit faster) then try WSF or Universal.