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Posted: 6/5/2018 11:15:34 PM EDT
[#1]
Pistol powders like Unique and Universal perform poorly in rifle cartridges.
All you can do is load reduced loads with pistol powder in a rifle cartridge. Just because you want to do it, doesn't mean you can disregardful internal ballistics. The do all powder for rifle is H-4895 or IMR-4895. Stock up on Unique and one of the 4895's. Remember Universal is just a powder name, don't take it literally. |
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Posted: 6/5/2018 11:58:48 PM EDT
[#2]
Quote HistoryQuoted:
Pistol powders like Unique and Universal perform poorly in rifle cartridges. All you can do is load reduced loads with pistol powder in a rifle cartridge. Just because you want to do it, doesn't mean you can disregardful internal ballistics. The do all powder for rifle is H-4895 or IMR-4895. Stock up on Unique and one of the 4895's. Remember Universal is just a powder name, don't take it literally. Thanks |
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Posted: 6/6/2018 12:16:35 AM EDT
[#3]
Doesn't make a difference, the burning rate is close on the both of them.
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Posted: 6/6/2018 3:04:54 AM EDT
[#4]
The following is total BS and is not based on deep thought.
How about TAC? It would work in 223 and 308. Would it work in 9mm? I bet it would, not optimally, but I bet it works. |
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Posted: 6/6/2018 6:49:06 AM EDT
[#5]
Quote HistoryQuoted:
Doesn't make a difference, the burning rate is close on the both of them. I've never shot the Unique but my dealer was insistent that it's REALLY dirty and Universal is MUCH cleaner. Any truth to that? Should I switch gears and start stocking up on Universal...or is Unique not really that dirty? Thanks |
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Posted: 6/6/2018 8:06:07 AM EDT
[#6]
Unique was never dirty with near max loads, load it down and it could be.
Several years ago the formula was changed to make it burn cleaner. I wouldn't let "it burns dirty" stories stop me from using it. It's normal to clean guns after shooting any way. Unique will work well for your purposes. |
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Posted: 6/6/2018 8:51:57 AM EDT
[#7]
Unique works well for reduced plinking loads in everything. Shotgun shells also. You may only get black powder ballistics but that killed lots of things back in the day. Buy an 8 pound can of unique and several cases of primers. Do you cast your own bullets?
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Posted: 6/6/2018 10:15:41 AM EDT
[#8]
Quote HistoryQuoted:
Unique works well for reduced plinking loads in everything. Shotgun shells also. You may only get black powder ballistics but that killed lots of things back in the day. Buy an 8 pound can of unique and several cases of primers. Do you cast your own bullets? I also already have 8lbs of Unique. Im figuring with how little I shoot, one more of those and two 8lb. jugs of the 4895 will last at least two generations if ever needed. Thanks |
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Posted: 6/6/2018 10:16:41 AM EDT
[#9]
Quote HistoryQuoted:
Unique works well for reduced plinking loads in everything. Shotgun shells also. You may only get black powder ballistics but that killed lots of things back in the day. Buy an 8 pound can of unique and several cases of primers. Do you cast your own bullets? I also already have 8lbs of Unique. Im figuring with how little I shoot, one more of those and two 8lb. jugs of the 4895 will last at least two generations if ever needed. Thanks |
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Posted: 6/6/2018 11:25:03 AM EDT
[#10]
I haven't played with universal but I have with unique. you can throw 5gr in almost any pistol cartridge and it will work pretty well (aside from the really small and large) toss in 8-10gr in most rifle cartridges with a cast bullet and you have a fun plinker. I've used unique in 9mm, 38/357, 40, 45, 45LC, 30-30, .223, .308, 45-70 and 12g just to name a few off the top of my head. is it the best at all of those? nope but does it go bang and work good enough for plinking...you bet. if you cast unique is a great powder to have on hand for a do-all.
Like dryflash mentioned that and H4895 would be good enough for most applications. will it yield top performance? not likely except cartridges ideal for them. H4895 also has a lot of youth load data which can make those pesky magnums turn into tame animals. Hodgdon did an article on MEL's (managed effective loads) and that was one of the top powders for making some of the bigger safari grade cartidges manageable for normal hunting. |
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Posted: 6/6/2018 4:39:25 PM EDT
[#11]
Hodgdon and IMR powder are NOT INTERCHANGEABLE data wise. Their burn rates are similar but that is where things diverge.
If you do not see data from a powder distributor for a particular application. Call them and ask. They are wealth of information. And, they collectively have forgot more about powder than anyone here. They may point you in another direction. There is NO DO ALL POWDER with good results handgun, rifle or shotgun use, functional use perhaps a better way to label it. Unique works on most handgun round and has shotgun applications, and some limited rifle applications, too. |
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Posted: 6/7/2018 5:04:56 PM EDT
[#12]
part of the joy of reloading is finding that one formula that your gun loves
some may shoot better with unique, others with universal there is no “one powder” for all, and I’m damn glad we have choices |
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Posted: 6/7/2018 5:09:10 PM EDT
[#13]
Quote HistoryQuoted:
part of the joy of reloading is finding that one formula that your gun loves some may shoot better with unique, others with universal there is no “one powder” for all, and I’m damn glad we have choices 
been there done that. had 32 different powders at one time. now it's nice to keep a select few by the 8lb er than ton's of 1lb'ers |
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Posted: 6/8/2018 11:16:50 AM EDT
[#14]
I use Universal in both 9mm and 45, and TAC for 223 and 308. Both powders meter extremely well.
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Posted: 6/9/2018 6:40:41 PM EDT
[#15]
The reason that there are more loads for unique, then universal, is due to universal being a much new powder isntead.
So with unique, it was a carry over from the times of trying to use the same powder from a multitude of different loads (why is shows up in the older lyman cast bullet handbooks in dam near every load), while universal is from the newer period of using the best powder for the application isntead. |
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Posted: 6/9/2018 9:16:16 PM EDT
[#16]
Quote HistoryQuoted: true true but when you have to have a powder magazine from owning too many powders it gets a little out of hand.
been there done that. had 32 different powders at one time. now it's nice to keep a select few by the 8lb er than ton's of 1lb'ers When I first began reloading, I chose IMR 3031 to be my "go to" because I could find it in volume at most shops. Nowadays the local shops have a metric buttload of Varget, CFE223, and Win 748. |
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Posted: 6/9/2018 9:59:23 PM EDT
[#17]
Quote HistoryQuoted:
The reason that there are more loads for unique, then universal, is due to universal being a much new powder isntead. So with unique, it was a carry over from the times of trying to use the same powder from a multitude of different loads (why is shows up in the older lyman cast bullet handbooks in dam near every load), while universal is from the newer period of using the best powder for the application isntead. |
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Posted: 6/10/2018 12:45:31 PM EDT
[#18]
Quote HistoryQuoted:
Doesn't make a difference, the burning rate is close on the both of them. The two companies chose to 'standardize' different batches for their 'canister grade' when the original bulk ran out. Bulk powder is made in railroad car quantities per batch. Not so for canister grade. |
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Posted: 6/10/2018 1:23:43 PM EDT
[#19]
Quote HistoryQuoted:...They started out as different batches of the same powder in bulk production..... 
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Posted: 6/10/2018 4:00:10 PM EDT
[#20]
Quote HistoryQuoted: they are different size and color Universal and Unique are different powders. Universal was developed my Hodgdon to duplicate Universal's burn-rate while also being considerably cleaner. It's supposed to be a drop in substitute, and I personally would have no problem using Unique with Universal load data. |
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Posted: 6/10/2018 5:10:50 PM EDT
[#21]
Quote HistoryQuoted: He was talking about 4895. 4895 started out as a WWII surplus powder. H4895 vs IMR 4895 are very close to each other. H is slightly faster than IMR. You can always safely substitute H4895 for IMR4895, when going the other way you want to go down about a half grain. Universal and Unique are different powders. Universal was developed my Hodgdon to duplicate Universal's burn-rate while also being considerably cleaner. It's supposed to be a drop in substitute, and I personally would have no problem using Unique with Universal load data. sorry |
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Posted: 6/18/2018 6:36:52 PM EDT
[#22]
Quote HistoryQuoted:
Hodgdon and IMR powder are NOT INTERCHANGEABLE data wise. Their burn rates are similar but that is where things diverge. If you do not see data from a powder distributor for a particular application. Call them and ask. They are wealth of information. And, they collectively have forgot more about powder than anyone here. They may point you in another direction. There is NO DO ALL POWDER with good results handgun, rifle or shotgun use, functional use perhaps a better way to label it. Unique works on most handgun round and has shotgun applications, and some limited rifle applications, too. Same with the 4198's. Like you said they are not the same, but they are close. I like H much better goes through a measure pretty good, same with h-4198, a tad slower, measures better also. |
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Posted: 6/18/2018 8:43:29 PM EDT
[#23]
Quote HistoryQuoted: true true but when you have to have a powder magazine from owning too many powders it gets a little out of hand.
been there done that. had 32 different powders at one time. now it's nice to keep a select few by the 8lb er than ton's of 1lb'ers Thanks |
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Posted: 6/19/2018 5:37:04 PM EDT
[#24]
Quote HistoryQuoted: Just curious but what are the laws on how much you are allowed to store in one place before needing a magazine? Thanks Google Saami powder storage for more. |
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Posted: 6/20/2018 1:23:42 AM EDT
[#25]
Quote HistoryQuoted: He was talking about 4895. 4895 started out as a WWII surplus powder. H4895 vs IMR 4895 are very close to each other. H is slightly faster than IMR. You can always safely substitute H4895 for IMR4895, when going the other way you want to go down about a half grain. |
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Posted: 6/20/2018 4:59:35 AM EDT
[#26]
Quote HistoryQuoted: For the record, what I wrote here is obviously backward. Since H4895 is faster, it needs to be a lower charge by about a half grain. You can use IMR4898 in an H4895 load because it will be lower pressure. Speer's manual (see chapter 4) considers them interchangeable. IMR was/is faster for me. |
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Posted: 6/23/2018 11:38:31 PM EDT
[#27]
I use 10 grains of unique with a 200 grain powder coated bullet and its damn near point of aim using the battle sight on a m1903 at 100 yards.
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