Unique Power

[Bama Kid]

Is unique good for 12 ga loads for Cowboy         Need some loads for Mec loader

[The Original Lumpy Gritz]

Yup

I use 17gn with 3/4-1 1/8oz of shot.

[Wild Eagle]

Yes it is.  It's actually a pretty popular powder for both shotgun loads and rifle and pistol too.  I don't remember my actual shotgun loads and don't use Unique anymore, but OLG above is pretty much the Unique Guru around here (maybe in more ways than one).  If it can be done with Unique he's probably done it and took notes.

[Rooster Ron Wayne]

Unique can be used on just about anything that has gunpowder in the recipe. 

Unique is great at nothing but good at everything. 

It's been my go to powder for 45 years .

[Bama Kid]

What is your recipe for 38 spc.

[The Original Lumpy Gritz]

28 minutes ago, Bama Kid said:

What is your recipe for 38 spc.

125-158gn bullet. 

4.0gn Unique. 

[Bama Kid]

Thanks everyone

[Abilene, SASS # 27489]

When gunsmith Bob Taylor passed away over 20 years ago, I "inherited" a lot of his .38's that were loaded with 4.7gr of Unique and a 142gr bullet.  After shooting those I loaded 3000 with 4.7gr Unique and a 125gr bullet, then dropped it to 4.4-4.5gr for 5K with a 125gr bullet, then dropped it to 4.2gr for the next 3000, and they were fine. I could have gone lower but switched to N320.

[Silver Creek Jack]

If you go with Unique better buy all you can, Alliant has stopped selling any smokeless powder to the general public, they say it’s because of a shortage of nitrocellulose, the conspiracy side of me wonders if they are bending the knee to the woke maggots.  By the way, I love Unique also!

[Hoss]

If o could only have one powder it would be Unique. Can load anything from 32SW to 45-70. And shotgun! 
 

ole Lumpy Grits puts it on his eggs every morning. 

[The Original Lumpy Gritz]

8 hours ago, Hoss said:

If o could only have one powder it would be Unique. Can load anything from 32SW to 45-70. And shotgun! 
 

ole Lumpy Grits puts it on his eggs every morning. 

And my toast 

["Big Boston"]

IMHO Unique is not good for 12 ga Cowboy loads. It will work, I have tried it. I followed the 12 ga OLG recipe. It will produce a low recoil load, but it wasn't clean enough burning to get my "good" rating. There are better powders, and there are also many that are worse. 

 

In my Cowboy 12 ga experimenting I found Clays to be very suitable for a lower recoil, reduced velocity 1 oz load. It burns cleaner, and velocity runs at about 1100 fps. I chronographed two shells, which I consider enough to get a reasonably close reading. I'm not comfortable shooting mere inches above the screens with a shotgun. On a plus the load is in the books. Clays has a fairly linear pressure/velocity curve, IOW, it works well if reduced slightly. 

 

On the downside, Clays is not currently in production. 

 

The goal should be keep the pressure above a certain level. I've looks a a fair number of reloading manuals and 12 ga 2 3/4 ammo looks to have a minimum working pressure of about 1/2 of the 11,500 psi max. You don't see much data under mid 6,000 psi level. 

 

 

But bottom line, it doesn't recoil any softer than the OLG load, it does burn a bit cleaner though, and it patterns well enough, and has sufficient lower to take chicken hunting. The max range is reduced from a standard load, but pattern density is as good or better.

 

Light recoiling loads at low velocity is not where the 12 ga shines, the 20 ga is better suited although data is not common. Most manuals try and make the 20 shoot like a 12. At the core, a Cowboy load bucks the trend, not many disciplines have a goal of loading pathetic performing ammunition. No disrespect intended, just how I see it. I'm not a fan of getting kicked about by a shotgun, nor do I particularly like reloading shotgun, but off the shelf cowboy loads are a pretty rare commodity.  

 

BB

[Rooster Ron Wayne]

Unique is the smokeless Black Powder Equivalent. 

Anything and Everything with it just like BP.

It's been my goto powder for ever .

My Granddady and My Dad both used it .

I buy it by the truck load .

Like I said in the past .

You can load anything with Unique. 

It don't do anything Great .

It does everything good .

OLG has been preaching it long before I come here .

We both agree it definitely a must have powder in your loading room .

Rooster 

[The Original Lumpy Gritz]

4 hours ago, "Big Boston" said:

IMHO Unique is not good for 12 ga Cowboy loads. It will work, I have tried it. I followed the OLG recipe. It will produce a low recoil load, but it wasn't clean enough burning to get my "good" rating. There are better powders, and there are also many that are worse. 

 

In my Cowboy 12 ga experimenting I found Clays to be very suitable for a lower recoil, reduced velocity 1 oz load. It burns cleaner, and velocity runs at about 1100 fps. I chronographed two shells, which I consider enough to get a reasonably close reading. I'm not comfortable shooting mere inches above the screens with a shotgun. On a plus the load is in the books. Clays has a fairly linear pressure/velocity curve, IOW, it works well if reduced slightly. 

 

On the downside, Clays is not currently in production. 

 

The goal should be keep the pressure above a certain level. I've looks a a fair number of reloading manuals and 12 ga 2 3/4 ammo looks to have a minimum working pressure of about 1/2 of the 11,500 psi max. You don't see much data under mid 6,000 psi level. 

 

 

But bottom line, it doesn't recoil any softer than the OLG load, it does burn a bit cleaner though, and it patterns well enough, and has sufficient lower to take chicken hunting. The max range is reduced from a standard load, but pattern density is as good or better.

 

Light recoiling loads at low velocity is not where the 12 ga shines, the 20 ga is better suited although data is not common. Most manuals try and make the 20 shoot like a 12. At the core, a Cowboy load bucks the trend, not many disciplines have a goal of loading pathetic performing ammunition. No disrespect intended, just how I see it. I'm not a fan of getting kicked about by a shotgun, nor do I particularly like reloading shotgun, but off the shelf cowboy loads are a pretty rare commodity.  

 

BB

Have you even tried it in 12ga.

It works great!....

["Big Boston"]

2 hours ago, The Original Lumpy Gritz said:

Have you even tried it in 12ga.

It works great!....

 

Yes, I loaded a few boxes, even tried it with a few component variations as well. IMHO it was OK, but not great. Feel free to try my Clays load, if you are fortunate enough to have any Clays, I predict you'll give it a fantastic rating.

 

But as we all know, not every batch of Unique is the same, perhaps my batch was not up to the challenge of a low pressure load. 

 

Your Unique load has worked well for you, I wasn't as lucky. I'm not sure why, I wish it had worked, it would be nice to find a use for all the Unique I hoarded years ago. 

 

BB

[Texas Jack Black]

 Unique or Red Dot for over 50 yrs .Works   Not rocket science 

 

Best Wishes

 

[Rooster Ron Wayne]

Let's see my uses for Unique are .

.32 , 380 , 9mm ,  .38 ,  .357 , .44/WCF , .44 R , .44 C , .44 S , .44 M 

45 CB , 45 Schofield ,

45 Colt, 45 ACP .

16, 20 & 12 G .

30WCF 45/70  50/70 

Like I have said before. 

Unique don't do anything Great. 

But Unique will do anything good .

Rooster 

 

[The Original Lumpy Gritz]

9 hours ago, "Big Boston" said:

 

Yes, I loaded a few boxes, even tried it with a few component variations as well. IMHO it was OK, but not great. Feel free to try my Clays load, if you are fortunate enough to have any Clays, I predict you'll give it a fantastic rating.

 

But as we all know, not every batch of Unique is the same, perhaps my batch was not up to the challenge of a low pressure load. 

 

Your Unique load has worked well for you, I wasn't as lucky. I'm not sure why, I wish it had worked, it would be nice to find a use for all the Unique I hoarded years ago. 

 

BB

My 12ga Unique load, has less felt recoil than the factory 'Featherlite' load has. 

Every cartridge used in the game can be loaded with Unique. 

[Texas Jack Black]

 Why is all this so complicated. This is a GAME ,hit a target the size of a barn door so close you could spit and hit them..

 

SAD

[Savvy Jack]

On 5/23/2024 at 12:11 PM, Bama Kid said:

Is unique good for 12 ga loads for Cowboy         Need some loads for Mec loader

 

Since 1898

[Hoss]

22 hours ago, Rooster Ron Wayne said:

Let's see my uses for Unique are .

.32 , 380 , 9mm ,  .38 ,  .357 , .44/WCF , .44 R , .44 C , .44 S , .44 M 

45 CB , 45 Schofield ,

45 Colt, 45 ACP .

16, 20 & 12 G .

30WCF 45/70  50/70 

Like I have said before. 

Unique don't do anything Great. 

But Unique will do anything good .

Rooster 

 

You left out:

38-55

30-40 Krag

7.5 x 55 Swiss 

45-60 Win

32SW

38SW

 

 

[Cemetery]

On 5/23/2024 at 10:57 PM, Silver Creek Jack said:

If you go with Unique better buy all you can, Alliant has stopped selling any smokeless powder to the general public, they say it’s because of a shortage of nitrocellulose, the conspiracy side of me wonders if they are bending the knee to the woke maggots.  By the way, I love Unique also!

 

A good portion of nitrocellulose is from China grown cotton, which is in limited supply to Western nations, if not flat out embargoed.

 

Most of what is available is being used for the war effort in Ukraine/Israel/Gaza.