.38/.357 Unique and LSWC range report

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ColtPythonElite

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A few weeks ago, I loaded up some .38 and .357 using a lead 158 gr SWC and Unique. The .38 loads got 4.7 grains of Unique. The .357 loads got 5.6.

Both shot equally well at 15 yards and to the same point of aim. The .357 load was only about 50 fps on average faster than the .38. The biggest difference I noticed is what I already knew from past experience...Unique is dirty at low pressure, but bump it up a bit and it burns cleaner. I shot the .357's first...18 shots. They barely smoked. The gun wasn't showing signs of getting dirty. However, the .38's smoked a pretty big white puff. After 18 rounds, the gun was basically filthy....Of course that didn't stop me from shooting another 200 rounds of them.:D (The pic is after 200+ rounds)

I've been loading .38 Special cast loads for 20+ years. For years, I only had about 1k .357 brass, so I saved that for JHP rounds and loaded most of my lead in .38 cases. However, a while back I scored a couple of thousand more .357. I think from now on, I'll probably load most of my cast rounds in the magnum brass and waste the extra grain of powder per round for a cleaner burn.
 

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Unique is dirty at low pressure, but bump it up a bit and it burns cleaner.
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If you are shooting lead bullets, how do you know if Unique is dirty or not?
And who cares anyway?

Most all the smoke & mess is from the bullet lube grease, not the type of powder you are using.

The reason the higher pressure loads were cleaner was because they were bumping the lead bullets up to fit the chamber throats so the grease wasn't getting burnt & blown off by gas escaping past the driving bands.

rc
 
If you are shooting lead bullets, how do you know if Unique is dirty or not?
And who cares anyway?
Click to expand...

Because I have shot the same loads using the same powder charges using Berry's plated bullets....The .38's smoke more and make the gun dirty quicker. It is usually very easy to tell when I shoot 'em outta one of my polished guns........Personally, I don't care.
 
I keep a couple small towels in my range bag just for this. I clean my guns after each range session, when I get home, so "dirty" powder is a non-issue, I use what I consider the best powder I have on hand as per the application...
 
Yep, I keep a pack of baby wipes in my range bag to wipe the soot off of me. I keep a can of Rem oil and a piece of flannel in the bag to wip the soot off the guns. Most of the time, I don't clean them. I just wipe the soot off the outside and run an oil patch or two thru them and call it a day.
 
I've just started using Rex-3 powder, and so far I like it. It looks like Unique without the graphite coating (medium-sized yellow flakes.) Burn rate is comparable to Universal Clays or Solo 1250.

The load I tried yesterday was 4.5 grains of Rex-3 with 158 grain SWC bullets in .38 Special. Felt about like a standard Unique load, but was cleaner. Afterwards the gun bore was clean, and the gun only needed a good wipedown. The brass polished-up quickly. I can't really comment about the smoke because it was so windy.
 
I've not been loading very long, like less than 6 months so this question might sound stupid. I'm working on the same load now. 158 grain lswc, and my books claim 4.2 max, 3.3 starting. I loaded at the starting weight, and it was like poof...... finally ding on a metal target. I think they were barely scootin out the barrel. I now have some loaded at 3.9. After reading yours at 4.7 of unique Im wondering if I should go above the limits in my hornady book with the max at 4.2 and my lyman manual states 4.5. I guess I just think this is being pretty conservative load data sense Hornady claims 4.2 max at 800 fps.
 
I use a Speer #14 manual.

It shows 4.0-4.7 grains of Unique for standard .38 Special with a fps range of 740-814.

It shows 4.7-5.2 for .38 +P.

It shows 5.5-6.0 of Unique for .357 with a fps range of 970-1034.
 
Thanks, I dont know why every manual has to be different. I got two sense they sometimes offer different powders etc. Maybe i need to get a third. I know my dies came with load data also, I should of looked there too. Thanks though, appreciate it.
 
4.5 grains of Unique is a good load with 158 grain lead bullets in a .38 Special. Depending on what book you believe, it's either a middle-standard-pressure load or a max standard-pressure load.

(4.8 or even 5.0 grains might be better, I don't know, but 4.5 is good and it's not going to stress you or your gun)
 
I just can't take a liking to Unique, mostly because it meters so poorly.

I'm a big fan of W231 and HS-6 for my 38/357 lead loads. I use A LOT of W231/HP-38...
 
...and my feelings mirror ArchAngelCDs. The first time I ran Unique seriously in .38 Special--i.e., a load ladder, chrono, etc., I found ESs so wide and SDs so big I wondered if I really had metered accurately. So I did them (the test loads) again--and got roughly the same results. I don't load it any more.

Power Pistol, OTOH, is wonderful--but we don't need to digress.

Jim H.
 
One of the nice things about Unique is it's SUCH a versatile powder. Not perfect in any one handgun cartridge (well...except maybe the 45ACP IMHO), but will do a credible job in almost any cartridge.
It's also a dandy powder for cast bullet loads in rifles.
35W
 
One of the nice things about Unique is it's SUCH a versatile powder. Not perfect in any one handgun cartridge (well...except maybe the 45ACP IMHO), but will do a credible job in almost any cartridge.
Click to expand...

That is why I use it and keep multiple pounds on hand.
 
I use unique in every handgun i load for (though not exclusively) and some rifle plinking rounds as well. After 300 or so rounds in my revolvers my hands are fairly dirty, but the accuracy obtainable with unique makes it all worth it! When it comes to classics like 45 colt is there anything better? i have yet to find it.
 
Count me in the anti-Unique crowd. I used it for years with so-so results and a lot of dirt. It's also greasy to load and tends to stick to things. I swapped mine out for Trailboss, which really does well with cast bullets.
 
Count me in the anti-Unique crowd. I used it for years with so-so results and a lot of dirt. It's also greasy to load and tends to stick to things. I swapped mine out for Trailboss, which really does well with cast bullets.
Click to expand...

+1

The only use I've found for Unique is for low-mid level magnums with jacketed bullets.
 
And who cares anyway?
Click to expand...

Exactly.

FWIW, the OP could have gotten the same or better accuracy and better cleanliness with TrailBoss, full case and all.
 
Cosmoline said:
Count me in the anti-Unique crowd. I used it for years with so-so results and a lot of dirt. It's also greasy to load and tends to stick to things. I swapped mine out for Trailboss, which really does well with cast bullets.
Click to expand...
I've loaded both cast lead and plated Bullets using Unique and Bulleye. When I shoot the lead my gun is filithy like yours. But not with the plated bullets. So I would agree it's the bullet lube and not the gun powder. I also don't like Unique because in my Lee powder Charge Bar it meters very poorly. Bullseye is fantastic.

Might try the W231. Have seen lot's of folks using it for .38 Spl and 9mm
 
Count me in the anti-Unique crowd. I used it for years with so-so results and a lot of dirt. It's also greasy to load and tends to stick to things. I swapped mine out for Trailboss, which really does well with cast bullets.
Click to expand...

I just loaded a couple hundred 45 colts with trail boss today to get rid of what i had left...unique it aint!.
 
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