Is Unique really “dirty” ?

It seems a little dirtier to me, but it's not hard to clean a gun.

I use lots of Unique in both hand guns and 20 and 28 gauge shotguns.

Like many have said so far, I did not know Unique was a dirty powder until the internet told me so.

I shoot Unique under lots of cast bullets and the bullet lubricant adds to the smoke of the discharge. It is not as smokey as black powder (fire 5 quick shots and escape in the smoke screen) but still a visible cloud.

I find guns that have shot ammunition loaded with Unique no more or less difficult to clean than guns shot with ammunition loaded with other smokless powders.

There are lots of good powders out there with similar performance as Unique. So, if Unique does not float your boat, there are good options available.

I love Unique. I may be just stuck in my ways, but they're pretty good ways, so I'm not trying to get unstuck.
I'm still using Hercules Unique, and I still don't find it to be very dirty. But, I'm not building pussycat loads either. That's what Bullseye is for!

I don't have any problems with it metering either. I cleaned up the casting of my Uniflow, added a baffle, and once it's "settled in", it drops +/- .1gr, (for a possible .2 gr variation) so I don't worry too much about it.
It'll always have a home on my bench

mrawesome22-250 said:

I bought a pound of Unique once. It is so inconsistent through my powder measure that I still have about 3/4lb of it sitting here.

It baffles me that people put up with poor metering powders when there are modern equivalents out there that flow much better i.e. IMR Unequal and Hodgdon Universal.

I feel it's a case of "stuck in my ways."

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i find universal dirtier than unique and unique measures great for me. Within .1 grain variance every time which meets my needs fine. I did a pretty exhaustive test a while back looking for a powder that was effectively cleaner than unique in 9mm and couldn’t find one. Vihtavuori or whatever may be cleaner but I ain’t paying double to avoid wiping down my pistol half as often. Silly.

1KPerDay said:

i find universal dirtier than unique and unique measures great for me. Within .1 grain variance every time which meets my needs fine. I did a pretty exhaustive test a while back looking for a powder that was effectively cleaner than unique in 9mm and couldn’t find one. Vihtavuori or whatever may be cleaner but I ain’t paying double to avoid wiping down my pistol half as often. Silly.

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That's funny because I find the opposite. Mainly on the metering. I can't get Unique to meter in my Dillon 650 worth a toot. Sometimes varies a half a grain! I switched to Universal and it meters perfectly. I think it shoots a little cleaner but not enough difference to matter. It might make a difference since I use Magnum primers on all of my .38/.357 loads even when I load 148gr HBWC with 2.8-3gr of Bullseye. I have never seen any major difference in velocity or pressure signs with target loads. Of course HS-6 in my opinion is one of the worst powders in the world using standard primers but with magnum, it is one of the best. I always find it interesting how doing the same thing works out different for some of us. One of the things I enjoy about reloading is trying new powder/bullet combinations to wring out the best accuracy in a gun. Even hand guns can be fussy about what load works the best, not just rifles. I've got several target revolvers that will shoot in one ragged hole at 25 yards with the right load and with another load might spread out to 2-3 inches. It has amazed me for many years

Metering is an issue that fits into biases and a person's world view. Because you precisely weigh your charges that means better accuracy, lower velocity spreads, right?, because it makes sense, so it has to be true. I see stuff like this all the time in rimfire forums, where a shooter buys a rim thickness gage and sorts their rimfire ammunition by rim thickness. And of course, having done so, one group turns out to be exceptional. What is actually going on is the Texas Sharpshooter fallacy. One group, by virtue of randomness, is better than the rest, and it has nothing to do with rim thickness. It is just by chance.

Inprint gunwriters periodically publish articles sorting match 22lr ammunition by accuracy. But the writers only shoot three or five shot groups so they never experience the wild shots that occur with cheaper 22 lr ammunition. Like this:



or this:



the bud who had that dropped shot switched over to Eley Black box, and his groups are much better.



You will never see this stuff with small sample sizes.

I did my own comparison of extreme spreads and standard deviations of a fine grained ball powder, AA#5 and Unique. Of course AA#5 meters better, throws more consistent charges than Unique. But over my chronograph, I don't see any superiority or tightness in velocity spreads. All of these charges are thrown on my Dillion 550B. I set the powder bar and weigh ten charges and when I am close enough to the weight I want, I load up a batch.



Kimber Custom Classic 45ACP

230 LRN 5.5 grs Unique lot UN331 1989 Mixed brass WLP (brass)
16-May-09 high 83 °F

Ave Vel = 827.4
Std Dev = 17.63
ES = 85.68
High = 871.6
Low = 785.9
Number shots = 31

OAL 1.250" taper crimped 0.469"

230 LRN 6.0 grs Unique lot UN387 6/21/93 Mixed brass WLP
18-Mar-07 T = 62 °F

Ave Vel = 898
Std Dev = 21.44
ES = 75.58
High = 944.3
Low = 868.7
N = 25
OAL 1.250" taper crimped 0.469"

230 LRN 6.0 grs Unique lot 6/21/1998 Mixed brass WLP (nickle)
16-May-09 high 83 °F

Ave Vel = 885
Std Dev = 16.79
ES = 67.26
High = 917.8
Low = 850.5
N = 30

OAL 1.250" taper crimped 0.469"


230 LRN 6.5 grs Unique lot UN387 6/21/93 Mixed brass WLP
18-Mar-07 T = 62 °F

Ave Vel = 926.4
Std Dev = 16.64
ES = 71.16
High = 963.4
Low = 892.3
N = 32

OAL 1.250" taper crimped 0.469"


230 LRN 6.5 grs Unique lot 6/21/1998 Mixed brass WLP (nickle)
16-May-09 high 83 °F

Ave Vel = 908.6
Std Dev = 14.52
ES = 47.01
High = 932.6
Low = 885.6
N = 13

OAL 1.250" taper crimped 0.469"


230 LRN 7.0 grs AA#5 lot 12599 WLP Mixed Military OAL 1.245" taper crimp 0.469"
27 Feb 2010 T = 48 ° F

Ave Vel = 788 fps
Std Dev = 17
ES = 76.3
High = 827.5
Low = 751.2
N = 13

230 LRN 7.5 grs AA#5 lot 12599 WLP Mixed Military OAL 1.245" taper crimp 0.469"
27 Feb 2010 T = 48 ° F

Ave Vel = 829 fps
Std Dev = 20
ES = 63
High = 863
Low = 800
N=15

230 LRN 7.8 grs AA#5 lot 12599 Mixed brass WLP (brass)
16-May-09 high 83 °F

Ave Vel = 874.7
Std Dev = 16.3
ES = 78.33
High = 916.4
Low = 838
N = 30

OAL 1.250" taper crimped 0.469


230 LRN 8.0 grs AA#5 lot 12599 Mixed brass WLP (brass)
16-May-09 high 83 °F

Ave Vel = 890.2
Std Dev = 11.48
ES = 40.44
High = 911.8
Low = 871.4
N = 16

OAL 1.250" taper crimped 0.469"

230 FMJ (R-P) 7.8 grs AA#5 Once fired WLP (brass)
12-Dec-11 T =53 °F

Ave Vel = 847.1
Std Dev = 19.59
ES = 86.17
High = 877.2
Low = 791.1
N = 14

OAL 1.250" taper crimped 0.469"

Accurate Arms #5 is a great 45 ACP powder, it actually does not like my Dillion powder bar. It is so fine grained that powder particles will roll between the bar and the horn and jam the mechanism. As long as I monitor and wipe the bar, I can keep it from jamming. .

I trust what I see on target and the function of my firearm. Unique is my favorite powder for 44 Special, 45 Long Colt, and mid range loads in the 44 Magnum. I prefer Bullseye for target loads and 2400 for magnum loads.

jski said:

I’ve been loading some creampuff .45 Colts using Starline’s Cowboy Special brass, .41 Specials (again Starline brass), and 38 Specials +P using Unique and haven’t really noticed it being any dirtier than other powders. I know it now says on their 1lb jar, “cleaner burning”. Not sure that means anything in particular.

What’s the consensus?

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I've been using it for 30+ years and love its versatility and performance in shotshell and handgun cartridge loads. I also shoot a lot of black powder and I think Unique is far from "dirty." Checking powder throws is a regular part of my reloading... my RCBS, Lee Perfect and Lee Auto Drum powder measures have no trouble with Unique. When the 8-pound jug of Unique I'm using now runs out, I'll be buying another one!

As far as metering goes with Unique, I do not find Unique difficult to meter in my powder measures. I mostly use drum style measures. I have a RCBS Uniflow, Redding 10-X, and Hornady L-N-L but also use slide bar measures such as MEC 600jr (shotshell) and Dillon powder measures (Dillon SDB presses).

While the charge weight variability with Unique sometimes varies up to plus/minus 0.2 grains, it does not seem to matter with the consistency of the ammunition. When setting up a powder measure for for any powder, I throw 15 to 20 charges before I even consider checking the weight. Also, I check the charge weight frequently during the first 50 to 100 cases loaded to make sure the powder measure is throwing consistent charges.

Besides Unique, I use 700-X alot for 45 ACP and a couple other cartridges and have used lots of Blue Dot in the past for 357 Magnum and 38 Super. So, I have lots of experience with flake powders.

Yes, there are some powders like Accurate #5 that are easier to measure but excellent results can be obtained with flake powders with a little bit of learning and care when reloading.

cfullgraf said:

As far as metering goes with Unique, I do not find Unique difficult to meter in my powder measures. I mostly use drum style measures. I have a RCBS Uniflow, Redding 10-X, and Hornady L-N-L but also use slide bar measures such as MEC 600jr (shotshell) and Dillon powder measures (Dillon SDB presses).

While the charge weight variability with Unique sometimes varies up to plus/minus 0.2 grains, it does not seem to matter with the consistency of the ammunition. When setting up a powder measure for for any powder, I throw 15 to 20 charges before I even consider checking the weight. Also, I check the charge weight frequently during the first 50 to 100 cases loaded to make sure the powder measure is throwing consistent charges.

Besides Unique, I use 700-X alot for 45 ACP and a couple other cartridges and have used lots of Blue Dot in the past for 357 Magnum and 38 Super. So, I have lots of experience with flake powders.

Yes, there are some powders like Accurate #5 that are easier to measure but excellent results can be obtained with flake powders with a little bit of learning and care when reloading.

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I use Unique for my 44 special loads, the tried and true skeeter with 7 grains over a 240g lead projectile. My 550 meters and throws it just fine and like you said, I may get a +/- of .2 grains (may...typically it's spot on). That's not even a difference of 3% either way and in the end, will make next to no real difference in the load.

With that said, those skeeters shoot just fine. You want to talk about filthy...magnum load 240g lead projectiles over H110...yikes!

I only have used 4 powder measures and none have been 100% repeatable from charge to charge with any powder. Yep Unique is a bit less consistent metering, but not out of "tolerance" for most Unique users (my CH 502 will hold .15-.2 grains when I do my part). The only powder/powder measure I found to be 95%-96% repeatable is with my old Lee Perfect Powder Measure and W231 powder.

mrawesome22-250 said:

I bought a pound of Unique once. It is so inconsistent through my powder measure that I still have about 3/4lb of it sitting here.

It baffles me that people put up with poor metering powders when there are modern equivalents out there that flow much better i.e. IMR Unequal and Hodgdon Universal.

I feel it's a case of "stuck in my ways."

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Hi...
I really don't see the poor metering that people complain about with Unique.
I use a Little Dandy powder measure to load revolver cases when I load on my RockChucker and never get any appreciable variation in loads for .41Mag, .44Mag or .45Colt when using Unique. I weigh every tenth charge and the never vary more than a tenth of a grain. I load 8 gr for .45Cokt, 8.5 gr for .41 Mag and 10 gr for .44Mag...a tenth of a grain variation at those charge weights is undetectable as regards pressure, feltrecoil or accuracy out to 25yds.
When I load towards the upper limit of recommended charge weights, I always weigh every charge and trickle to the desired charge. I generally load those type of charges in batches of no more than 100 rounds at a time, so I can take my time and make them as precise as possible. Those type of rounds are used for serious accuracy testing and hunting, so I want no issues with variations in powder charges.

It usually varies for me by 1/10 of a grain at most on my Dillon . That much of a difference doesn't really seem to make much of a difference in velocity or accuracy though.

I wonder if variance increases based on the quantity you are loading. I load my 45 acp 230 gr FMJ's with 6.3 gr. They burn cleaner and I get the velocity I want. 0.1 gr variance seems to have little impact.

But perhaps loading smaller quantities in smaller cases causes bulk related problems in some powder throws? Just a thought.

mdi said:

I only have used 4 powder measures and none have been 100% repeatable from charge to charge with any powder. Yep Unique is a bit less consistent metering, but not out of "tolerance" for most Unique users (my CH 502 will hold .15-.2 grains when I do my part). The only powder/powder measure I found to be 95%-96% repeatable is with my old Lee Perfect Powder Measure and W231 powder.

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I recently bought a Lyman Brass Smith powder measure, it's not as accurate as the ones I have from Dillon. It's ok by me as I trickle up, but it is definitely not super accurate.

Ironicaintit said:

I love Unique. I may be just stuck in my ways, but they're pretty good ways, so I'm not trying to get unstuck.
I'm still using Hercules Unique, and I still don't find it to be very dirty. But, I'm not building pussycat loads either. That's what Bullseye is for!

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Yep Bullseye, Red Dot, AA #2 and TiteGroup are for light target loads. When I use Unique, AA #5 or Blue Dot those are always near max loads. At least they are not pussycat loads. And most don't consider that when we shoot handguns they are usually shot a lot. Do a long string of shooting with any powder and you are going to get a dirty gun.

I find Unique to be somewhat sooty, but not really dirty. It takes me a hour to thoroughly clean a 1911 that has had 225-rounds fired thru it.

cfullgraf said:

As far as metering goes with Unique, I do not find Unique difficult to meter in my powder measures. I mostly use drum style measures. I have a RCBS Uniflow, Redding 10-X, and Hornady L-N-L but also use slide bar measures such as MEC 600jr (shotshell) and Dillon powder measures (Dillon SDB presses).

While the charge weight variability with Unique sometimes varies up to plus/minus 0.2 grains, it does not seem to matter with the consistency of the ammunition. When setting up a powder measure for for any powder, I throw 15 to 20 charges before I even consider checking the weight. Also, I check the charge weight frequently during the first 50 to 100 cases loaded to make sure the powder measure is throwing consistent charges.

Besides Unique, I use 700-X alot for 45 ACP and a couple other cartridges and have used lots of Blue Dot in the past for 357 Magnum and 38 Super. So, I have lots of experience with flake powders.

Yes, there are some powders like Accurate #5 that are easier to measure but excellent results can be obtained with flake powders with a little bit of learning and care when reloading.

Click to expand...

I will be the first to agree that the not so great metering of Unique with my Dillon itself would not be reason not to use it. Sure it will flow consistent enough that I will never be able to tell a difference in accuracy. When I tried Universal on a suggestion from a buddy and saw how much better it did meter and might burn a little cleaner, I saw no reason to go back to Unique which I had used for close to 40 years with great success. I also happened to run across a deal when Gander Mountain closed and reopened. During their "store closing" sale, they took all of the reloading powder and primers off the shelf only to put back in stock when they reopened, but whoever marked the powder screwed it all up. They had Universal at $16 per pound and I bought all they put out initially which was about 10-12 lbs. Also bought 3 pounds of Bullseye for $13 per pound. Some they had was ridiculous. If I remember correctly, Red and Green Dot was $29 per pound. And primers were all over the place. I think they have it sort of straightened out now, but after finding those deals, I can't find anything else there that is priced anywhere close to competitive to most stores unless you want to compare them to Dicks and Field and Stream.

I got fed up with soot and poor metering from using Unique some 10+ years ago. So began to looking for a Unique alternative and I found a few. First was Accurate #5 which worked very well in warm 38 spl and mid range 357 mag. with plated and cast bullets, I also found #5 worked very well in warm 44 spl and 45 acp. Then I tried VV n340 with very good results in the above mentioned cartridges, and lastly WSF is my favorite powder for 44spl in the 200-212gr range for cast lead and coated bullets.
So these three powders burn cleaner and meter better for me in the above mentioned cartridges so why would I go backwards?

jski said:

Does anyone know what Alliant did to Unique to make it “burn cleaner” ?

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...changed the verbage on the label?

Is there a "standard" that defines "dirty burning gunpowder"? Does one scrape off soot and/or collect unburned particles and carbon and weigh them? I'm sure a black powder revolver shooter can determine "dirty" by how many shots can be fired before the cylinder binds and the gun won't function. But who is to say what is "dirty"? I can't say I have ever had a gun not function after 200-300 rounds with light loads of Unique (I often use min. charges of Unique in my 45 ACPs). But I'm thinking many newer reloaders are being lead to believe Unique should be avoided because some believe it is "dirty"...

Smokeless powder relies on pressure to burn completely. All powders have different burn rates and are designed for different applications. If used for it’s intended purpose most powders work pretty well. My rule of thumb has generally been slower powders for big cartridges and heavy bullets. Faster powders for light loads and lighter bullets. There is some crossover. Adjust your load accordingly.

Unique has been my go-to for the last 25 years in most of my revolver and lever gun rifle loads.

Yes, I have used HP-38, Titegroup (ugh), power pistol, enforcer, H110, Bullseye, AA5 etc, but Unique is just that... it works so well across such a wide spectrum I’ll never let it run out on my shelf.

(I stuck bullets in barrels with light titegroup loads, never again!)

Stay safe.

I've only experienced metering issues with charges below six grains but I don't do many of those. For that I use Titegroup.

Slamfire said:

In my opinion, the primary motivation for complaints about "dirty powders" is from shooters who do not want to clean their firearms. I am always surprised by the number of slovenly shooters who never clean their guns, never lubricate their guns. Times have changed, it used to be you would often see wrench turning home mechanics working on their vehicles. But that was the past, I think I am the only one in my subdivision whom you will find, under my vehicle, turning a wrench and having a drive shaft fall in the face. The rest are at Jiffy Lube paying someone to do the maintenance on their vehicle, so they won't have to get their hands dirty.

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Except for the blackpowder guns, of which there are many, I don't "clean" my guns very often but still use Unique. As I said, most of it just wipes off. I only clean them when it becomes necessary, which is not every range session.

I also do not change my own oil. Got over that years ago and prefer to pay $40 rather than deal with used oil myself. Some people take pride in doing their own oil changes and lube jobs. I take pride in not having to. Doesn't mean I'm incapable.

Riomouse911 said:

Titegroup (ugh),

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I see I'm not alone...