I've tried Universal, as I'm always looking for that one powder I can use in all my chamberings, but had too much variation on the chronograph to stick with it. I was still new to reloading at the time, so it could have been me. I still have some around, so I'll give it another try!
But accuracy very good
20 yds, offhand, and yeah one flyer I pulled! Drats! I always do that, like pulling an inside straight!
Since I get similarly filthy results from Unique with semi-autos, I didn't even think about checking the gap. Got out the gauge set to satisfy my, and your, curiosity, and it's .006. Some of my S&W are .004, and I did have a Performance Center 625 that was .010 (!?), so I guess that's not way out of line.
Yeah, HP-38 would probably be a better all-around choice for everything I load. But I did a stupid thing. A few years ago, when there was an inexplicable shortage of powder, I found an excellent online deal on Unique. I knew I could use it for everything I load. So now I have 16 pounds of the stuff. I guess it might be down to 15 now, but that's still a lot to use up, and I really don't want to use it as fertilizer after searching so long for it and getting such a nice deal on it. ;-)
I carry wet cloths in a zip lock baggie cause the black powder makes such a mess.
Sell one of the 8pounders. Now. Make a small profit, because you got such a sweet deal (everyone knows, the profit is made on the buy, not the sell).
Even if you don't sell one of the 8 pounders, whats $25 for a lb of powder to try? Might be a great investment if you get cleaner and more accurate loads. After 40+ years of reloading, 95% of my shooting is with 4 powders, Bullseye for wadcutters, Universal for mid range loads and either H110 or 2400 for Hunting depending on the gun and load. BUT I do keep about 10 other brands of powder on hand to experiment with different bullet/powder combinations. How boring would reloading be if you only used one bullet and one powder! Everytime I get a new gun that I know I'll keep for a while, I try different powder/bullet combinations until I wring the last bit of accuracy out of it. Most of the time, I can find a load with one of my go to powders that will be as good as it gets, but every now and then, I have to use something different. I have a 7" S&W Model 686 that will shoot hot hunting loads as good as any revolver I've ever owned, but it will only do so with 4227 Powder. I've tried dozens of combinations with H110/2400 and you would be lucky to shoot an 6-8" group at 75 yards. Load up some 4227 and it will shoot 2-3" groups at 75 yards if I do my part which is sadly getting harder to do even with a Red Dot. Experimenting is what reloading is all about at least for me. Do I save money, probably, but it gives me the opportunity to shoot much better ammo than whats available off the shelf.
Have you numbered the chambers with a sharpie to see if the same chamber always throws the flyer?
Nope, I have thought about it in the past but I figured it was just me and my aging old eyes! Haha! And especially if I’m shooting offhand and not from a rest.
I wish I was closer, I’d offer to buy some or all of it from you.
Oh my!!!!
