Suggestions for a reloading Powder- UNIQUE is a ghost

[Cool Hand Joe]

HI all, I have had great luck using Alliant Unique for my 12 ga and .38 re-loads, but it is so hard if not impossible to find. Is there another powder that is readily available that I could substitute that is just as good? Appreciate any help !

[Edward R S Canby, SASS#59971]

Real black powder and the black powder subs are readily available and can load both shotshells and 38 Special cartridges.  Tightgroup and Clean Shot are smokeless powders that can be used to load both.  If you are willing to use different powders for shotshells and metallic cartridges there are other powders available.  Perfect Pattern is good for shotshells.  HP-38/W231 is a suitable powder for metallic cartridges.  It is difficult to find larger quantities like 8-lb jugs currently.  You are fortunate that there are some suitable powders available as much powder is going to Ukraine for military consumption.  Don't expect Unique or any other Alliant powder in the near term.

[Rattlesnake Slim]

Clean Shot. I believe Bullets By Scarlett can get it for you and she has lots of good cowboy loading data for it too.

[Westbound Reb]

So I shoot Uberti 357 pistols, 45 colt Rossi 92, Eibar(Sears) 20 gauge

 

beside goex2 or 3f or pyrodex what smokeless has worked best for you?

[Hoss]

Red dot will work for both. But unique is out there. I saw an 8lb jug at LGS Saturday. It was $454 (ouch!)  I use a lot of unique, it will work in just about everything! 
I have personally used it in:

44-40

44 mag

45-70

45-60

38-55

7.5x55 swiss

30-40 Krag

 

 

I personally like Bullseye for 38sp & Red Dot for shotgun. 

[Sam Sackett]

I agree with Hoss. I use Bullseye in 38/357, Red Dot on 45 Colt and Red Dot, Clays, Clay Dot and Titewad in 12 ga. I think you can use most of the powders faster than 231/HP38 will work across the board. Lots of folks like Titegroup. 
 

Sam Sackett 

[Tom Bullweed]

Universal is still available.

I can make softer loads with Reddot or Ameeican Select (not available).

[Dred Bob]

just bought several 8lb jugs of Titegroup for $220 ea to load pistol / rifle / shotgun.  Been using it for pistol / rifle.    Switching to it for shotgun.  It's pretty dense so a pound goes quite a ways.  It's the cheapest powder I've seen and it's available.

[oak creek martin]

Clean shot powder. From Scarlet.powder is great for low to medium recoil for 12 ga and pistol caliber.  And great sales and support from a great Sass supporter 

[Whitey James]

1 hour ago, Dred Bob said:

just bought several 8lb jugs of Titegroup for $220 ea to load pistol / rifle / shotgun.  Been using it for pistol / rifle.    Switching to it for shotgun.  It's pretty dense so a pound goes quite a ways.  It's the cheapest powder I've seen and it's available.

Agreed, Titegroup is very versatile .

[Abilene, SASS # 27489]

A lot of people mention their loads being "snappier" with titegroup.  I noticed it as well years ago.   WST is another that is available and suitable for shotgun and pistol.  I used it for both, though only using it for shotgun now.  It has also gone up in price quite a bit though.  

[Dapper Dave]

I'm the oddball - I have loaded pistol with AA#2 with good effect, and lately with ZIP, which seems to be pretty available out here. 

[Lucky R. K.]

All of my smokeless loads are with Red Dot. Got tired of trying to find and keep two or three different powders in stock. Absolutely no problems with Red Dot. Also, all my black powder loads are with real black powder.

Lucky 

[watab kid]

On 10/1/2024 at 8:30 AM, Lucky R. K. said:

All of my smokeless loads are with Red Dot. Got tired of trying to find and keep two or three different powders in stock. Absolutely no problems with Red Dot. Also, all my black powder loads are with real black powder.

Lucky 

mimne too , thats always been the mainstay here , i can use 700x or clays as well , 

[Dred Bob]

On 10/1/2024 at 9:30 AM, Lucky R. K. said:

All of my smokeless loads are with Red Dot. Got tired of trying to find and keep two or three different powders in stock. Absolutely no problems with Red Dot. Also, all my black powder loads are with real black powder.

Lucky 

 

When was the last time you bought any?   I was planning to use Red Dot for reloading when many SASS members recommended it.  More than a year later I was able to find and purchase all of 1 lb of it.   I had to give up and went to plan B.  Maybe it's just a local problem.  I live in Ohio and haven't seen it and the 1 lb I did purchase was while out in South Dakota last year for Prairie Dogs.  They had 2 lbs and my shooting buddy bought the other one.   

[Seth Bradford]

I’m a frontier cartridge guy so APP but ALL of my smokeless loads are Shooters World Clean Shot purchased from @Scarlett  works in everything I have. 9mm, 45acp and any cowboy cartridge you can think of including 12 gauge 

[Edward R S Canby, SASS#59971]

3 hours ago, Dred Bob said:

 

When was the last time you bought any?   I was planning to use Red Dot for reloading when many SASS members recommended it.  More than a year later I was able to find and purchase all of 1 lb of it.   I had to give up and went to plan B.  Maybe it's just a local problem.  I live in Ohio and haven't seen it and the 1 lb I did purchase was while out in South Dakota last year for Prairie Dogs.  They had 2 lbs and my shooting buddy bought the other one.   

Not just a local problem.  Vista Outdoors sent a notice to its distributors that Alliant Powder orders were cancelled.  A search engine should quickly find the text of Vista Outdoor's notice.  That's why I did not recommend any Alliant powders to the OP even though I like to load with them.  The OP asked for readily available powders.  Red Dot, Bullseye, Unique and Clay Dot are not readily available.  One can order Hodgdon or Shooters World powder suitable for CAS.

[Scarlett]

Howdy folks!!
 

I’ve got Clean Shot - taking to Land Run ($175/5lbs). I don’t have a lot extra beyond orders. I’m supposed to get 300 lbs - assuming the Longshoreman’s strike  is over- the end of this month or early November. I also have Lovex DO-13 (at Covid time Shooters World was developing it as their shotshell powder, Sparta but testing wasn’t ever completed by DOT for labels). It’s is VERY similar to American Select I’m told (I have never used American Select). The shooter who told me that didn’t change a thing from his AS load to the DO-13 that he bought from me and said it was perfect. You should, of course, do your own research. 
 

All the smokeless powder I have is $35/pound. The DO-13 is 4 lb jug Clean Shot is 5 lb. 
 

As for you more ADVENTUROUS folks, I have plenty of APP!!! Ship by case or buy in person at Land Run! The Dark Side is the FUN SIDE!! 
 

As always, let me know if I can be of help! Whether you’re buying something from me or not. 
 

Bug hugs!

Scarlett

[Lucky R. K.]

On 10/2/2024 at 3:07 PM, Dred Bob said:

 

When was the last time you bought any?  

I bought an 8 lb. jug about two years ago; I think from Midway. Don't remember what I paid for it. I am having good results with it in rifle, pistol and shotgun. There are other powders out there that would work as well. Find one that is available and have at it.

Lucky 

[J-BAR #18287]

BE-86 is described by some as a "clean" Unique. It is an Alliant powder and availability may be spotty, but it worked well in my .38 Specials and .357 Magnums.

[Rooster Ron Wayne]

On 10/6/2024 at 7:08 PM, J-BAR #18287 said:

BE-86 is described by some as a "clean" Unique. It is an Alliant powder and availability may be spotty, but it worked well in my .38 Specials and .357 Magnums.

You can use Universal in place of Unique pretty much load for load and it's a touch cleaner .

If you can find any of it .

Rooster 

[The Original Lumpy Gritz]

Powder burn rate chart.  

https://acrobat.adobe.com/id/urn:aaid:sc:VA6C2:9899a314-2b3b-474e-a3cd-57374f82dc42

[H. K. Uriah, SASS #74619]

Red Dot is a great powder.   Seems to be a rare as Trail Boss these days though.

[Eyesa Horg]

1 hour ago, H. K. Uriah, SASS #74619 said:

Red Dot seems is a great powder.   Seems to be a rare as Trail Boss these days though.

Started using RedDot for Ellie's SG. Due to a bad shoulder she needed something lighter than LNLR at 980. I got down to 11gr of RD under 3/4oz of #8. They are running about 650-700 and are powder puff! The surprise to me is how clean they are for a light charge,there is zero debris in the barrel of her 97. Just cleaned after several hundred rounds and the patch was barely brown! Used to use 14gr of ClayDot under 7/8 oz and there was always black debris in the barrel. The knock downs go down just fine for her.

[H. K. Uriah, SASS #74619]

4 hours ago, Eyesa Horg said:

Started using RedDot for Ellie's SG. Due to a bad shoulder she needed something lighter than LNLR at 980. I got down to 11gr of RD under 3/4oz of #8. They are running about 650-700 and are powder puff! The surprise to me is how clean they are for a light charge,there is zero debris in the barrel of her 97. Just cleaned after several hundred rounds and the patch was barely brown! Used to use 14gr of ClayDot under 7/8 oz and there was always black debris in the barrel. The knock downs go down just fine for her.

For shotguns, I had been using 16 grains of Red Dot, the same load my father developed for trap.   It was great in my long barrel shotguns, but was a bit stout in the short barrel ones.   Then I read about a 10 grain load.   Tried it.   It's light. TOO light, so I upped to 12.  That is still nice and light, but not so light as to be a mouse fart.   

[Texas Jack Black]

2 minutes ago, H. K. Uriah, SASS #74619 said:

For shotguns, I had been using 16 grains of Red Dot, the same load my father developed for trap.   It was great in my long barrel shotguns, but was a bit stout in the short barrel ones.   Then I read about a 10 grain load.   Tried it.   It's light. TOO light, so I upped to 12.  That is still nice and light, but not so light as to be a mouse fart.   

Good load I use between 12-14

[Whitey James]

I just learned of a popular powder for CAS from a few folks at last weekend's match. Shooters World Clean Shot. Have not tried it myself but they swore by it. I may try to get a jug and compare it to Titegroup.