What new powders are close to Unique
in burn rate and use? There are so many new names and I have not researched them.
Maybe this will help...
![[image]](images/uploaded/202007310142545f23771eab792.jpg)
Yeah, In the store today I was deer in the headlights
NO Unique, Bullseye, Blue Dot, Red Dot, H322 or 335, 3031, 4064. My old friends were gone. I remember some CFE? Had no clue what that was. They had some 4350, 7828 etc.
CFE Pistol, Longshot, 572, Power Pistol, etc...
Are excellent powders. I grew up on Unique and 2400. But, not so much I can't try new things and learn.
Can highly recommend the powders listed above.
Longshot is fantastic. I've used it
in 10mm and very hot .45 Super as well as 3.5" 2-1/4 oz. 10 ga. loads. The shotshells ran 200 fps faster than Blue Dot (the historic stand-by) and had the same listed pressure. Ditto 777 over FFFg (or Pyrodex P) in my .44 Cap and ball shooting.
About all I use in 40 S&W, 10mm, 38 Super, etc
Needs a little more pressure than what a 45 ACP produces. But, I'm finding 572 is the powder for it.
Longshot is working great in my 25K 44 Special loads too.
Using a lot of Longshot these days for
hotter 44spec or midrange 44 mags. I also use it for 460Rowlands, both max and midrange. I’m using powerpistol for 9mm and 38super.
I think a few more with these powders but I’m not at home to check. I’m saving my Unique for 45colt and 44spec in my charter arms bulldog. 2400 in my 41 and 44mags if I feel like it.
Yep 2400 is agreat .41 Mag. powder.
I think it burns cleaner than it does in .44 Mag., .45 Colt for sure. I get lots of cornmeal unless I use magnum primers in the latter two ctgs. Even then it's not very clean.
I think I need to try the Power Pistol stuff.
I never worried about that kind of stuff.
Did the load push the bullet to the speed I was wanting?
Was it accurate?
If so, who give a rats butt if it smokes, is dirty, doesn't seem to give complete combustion.
That's like arguing about how many angels can dance on the head of a pin.
My old .45 Colt load with the 300 gr. #457191 and 18.5 gr. of 2400 ran an honest 1100+ fps and was extremely accurate. My long range target was a 16" truck rim hanging on a tripod at a bit over 400 yards. On a good day I could ring it 3 out of 5 and sometimes 4 out of 5. I never worried about whether it was a dirty or clean load.
Now I don't obsess, but I do like efficiency
2400 will easily push a 210 gr. cast bullet at over 1400 fps with no leading (most of my alloys anyway) and is indeed accurate. In .45 Colt we were shooting some from .454 Casull in a M83 wheelgun. On the 3rd shot the gun locked up tight. Unburned granules got into the pawl gear spaces and the tight tolerances could not manage it. I'd say that load with non-magnum primers was a no go in that platform. On a Ruger it likely would have just thumbed on through. There is something to be said for generous and forgiving tolerances if they do not adversely affect accuracy expected. Ah la AK47.
I'm fine with 2" groups at 50 yds. over 1 MOA from my revolver. LOL The FA might actually do that! I think my old .224-32 SA sure could.
Paco and I shot tons of 2400 through the Freedom Arms guns
Never had an issue. Used standard Large Pistol Primers. Whatever we could get. Back when JD Jones was the only one making heavy .45 pistol bullets we got the highest velocities using a compressed charge of 2400 under the 320 gr. bullet. I don't recall the exact velocities but were around 1800 fps from a 7 1/2" barrel.
In those days we never messed with Magnum primers and never had any issues. With heavy bullets what we did was:
-don't use a neck expander .. just bell-mouth the case
-heavy crimp
When my eyes were young I shot groups at 110 yards that were around 3 1/4 inches with the 454 and with my 41 Magnum. No scopes. But I could see then.
![[image]](images/uploaded/202007312101235f2486a3a2645.jpg)
25 yards 5 shots
![[image]](images/uploaded/202007312101555f2486c33508b.jpg)
110 yards