Changing powder to Unique for .45 ACP LRN

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Skyhawk

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I was given a 4 pound jug of Unique powder some time ago, and figure now that I'm out of W231 I may as well give it a go. This is for .45 ACP, and the bullets I'm using are hand casted (wheel weights) with my Lee tumble mold TL452-230-2R. The real weight ranges from 233 to 237 grains, and they've all been pushed through a .452 Lee resizing die after Aloxing. The finished crimp size after using the Lee factory crimp die is about .469. I'm using Winchester large standard pistol primers. My OAL is around 2.260" and my gun seems to like it.

So all that said, can anyone recommend a good starting load of Unique for these specs? My reloading manuals are all over the map with this stuff. I was thinking of something between 5 and 5.5 grains? I'm open to shortening the OAL a bit and altering the crimp if that what it takes.

Edit: I forgot to mention my goal is to have a medium-light to medium load that will be a good plinker round about 800fps to 880fps or so from a 5" barrel. Doesn't have to be incredibly accurate, as long as it cycles the gun and doesn't lead the barrel.
 
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Just keep in mind UNique is not as easy to meter from a powder measure. I don't use Unique for .45 ACP, but it is a great all around powder.

I have to assume you meant 230 grain, not 130 as that is unheard of in .45 acp. LOL

Alliants guide says 5.8 max for .230 grain LRN, with an OAL of 1.27 inches. Starting around 5 grains and working up sounds like a good idea.

Have fun.
 
LOL, yeah I meant .230-something grain LRN. I edited my original post accordingly. Thanks :p

I have heard about the meter problems with Unique which is why I kind of left it for this long. I'm using a Lee pro auto-disk measure. On the other hand, I've heard that being out 0.3 grains isn't too big a deal with Unique for my purposes. It would be worse if I were target shooting with 3.0 grain loads in something. I do plan on keeping a good eye on the load variances though and spot checking every so many rounds. I don't think I'd meter it for 9mm, since they are a bit more exacting.

Mainly I just want my gun to cycle and get that big hunk of lead out the end of my barrel without sticking in there LOL!
 
HI there ; a nameless shooter in the USA tapes a PERSONAL battery power vibrater to the powder measure to keep the UNIQUE from bridging and not falling properly. Just repeating what I heard !
 
u will need more then 5.5 grains unique to get 800+ fps, but then it wont me a light or medium load, probably closer to 6.5 grains
 
luke s said:
u will need more then 5.5 grains unique to get 800+ fps, but then it wont me a light or medium load, probably closer to 6.5 grains
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I looked at the Lee manual, and it says 5.0 grains for 790 fps with 1.190 max OAL (sounds pretty short?). Layman 49th says 5.5gr Unique for 695 fps with 7.3gr max giving 905 fps, and that's with an OAL of 1.272"! Like I said, these dang manuals are all over the place. Perhaps it's the OAL that makes all this difference?

I should also mention that with that Lee mold, the casing only covers the last micro-ring thingy at about 1.263 or so. It's pretty much why I ended up rounding to 1.260 for these, plus my gun seems to chamber them fine.

I've never chrono'd my loads, so I honestly don't have any idea what my gun is used to other than what the manual predicted... and we know how accurate that probably is. I'm guessing there are just too many variables involved.
 
ben hunchak said:
i think that the personal vibrator thing would work as long as it's cleaned off first.
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Yeah, otherwise powder will stick to it or it will attract ants or other small vermin. Hoppe's #9 apparently cleans them good... err, not that I know this from experience. Just what a heard...
 
Skyhawk said:
LOL, yeah I meant .230-something grain LRN. I edited my original post accordingly. Thanks :p

I have heard about the meter problems with Unique which is why I kind of left it for this long. I'm using a Lee pro auto-disk measure. On the other hand, I've heard that being out 0.3 grains isn't too big a deal with Unique for my purposes. It would be worse if I were target shooting with 3.0 grain loads in something. I do plan on keeping a good eye on the load variances though and spot checking every so many rounds. I don't think I'd meter it for 9mm, since they are a bit more exacting.

Mainly I just want my gun to cycle and get that big hunk of lead out the end of my barrel without sticking in there LOL!
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My lee auto disc is 25 years old. Used it for thousands of rounds of 9mm, .38spl, .45acp, and .455. Never had a single problem. Clean the hopper and discs occasionally with warm soapy water and a soft cloth, rinse and let it air dry before putting it away.
 
I have lyman #49, its what I use. my preferred load is 6.0 gr unique but thats for 200 gr lead SWC, it should be in the book, p 382, cast bullet #452630

I looked at lee manual too, but somehow the data doesnt seem right to me, and the lee OAL seems really short
 
start load

I've had good luck sticking with 4.8 grs. of Unique with 230 gr lrn , in my A.O 1911 5" clocks around 820 - 835 fps very accurate.
 
Well I made an attempt to set up the Pro Auto-Disk Power Measure.

I know Unique doesn't meter well, but according to Lee's table, the .57 hole should give me around 5.2 grains. I'm up to using the .66 hole and it consistently only throws 4.8 grains instead of the 6 grains advertised! Yikes, is my scale suddenly broken? Could it be off by that much?
 
I've been using IMR 700-X for my .45 ACP rounds but haven't been able to get my hornady LNL-AP to throw a consistent charge. The variations are huge and range from 2.9-4.0 grains when trying to set it around 3.6 grains.

Can anyone recommend a powder that isn't a flake (circular disk) for .45 acp that the hornady powder measure could accurately drop easier. Or have advice as to what I could do to make the powder measure smoother to drop a consistent charge.

Thanks
 
Skyhawk said:
Well I made an attempt to set up the Pro Auto-Disk Power Measure.

I know Unique doesn't meter well, but according to Lee's table, the .57 hole should give me around 5.2 grains. I'm up to using the .66 hole and it consistently only throws 4.8 grains instead of the 6 grains advertised! Yikes, is my scale suddenly broken? Could it be off by that much?
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No it's not your scale.

The data from the Lee table is way off, especially with Unique!

I have used Unique, Bullseye, Power Pistol, and a few others, all of which come nowhere close to the tabled weights for the measure.

They are almost always way low!

You did the right thing. Weigh the charges to be sure. That is the only way to do it. Once you have the right weight, just weigh a bunch to be sure it is relatively consistent and you will be good.

There will be variation between throws, but that is a combination of the powder, and the thrower. Bullsey and Power Pistol are pretty consistent but still vary.

I would recommend the Perfect Powder Measure though. It is within 0.1 +/- consistently with all my ball powders, and only costs $40 with all the connections to hook it up to the press.

Have fun
Mark
 
Super_Chicken said:
I've been using IMR 700-X for my .45 ACP rounds but haven't been able to get my hornady LNL-AP to throw a consistent charge. The variations are huge and range from 2.9-4.0 grains when trying to set it around 3.6 grains.

Can anyone recommend a powder that isn't a flake (circular disk) for .45 acp that the hornady powder measure could accurately drop easier. Or have advice as to what I could do to make the powder measure smoother to drop a consistent charge.

Thanks
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Bullseye is great, but a little dirty! And you don't need much so it is really cheap to use!
 
I've been using 5.8 - 5.9g of Unique for a while with good results going through my Norinco. I guess I've been lucky, my RCBS thrower is pretty consistent with Unique, varying only .1 or .2g
 
Skyhawk said:
I was given a 4 pound jug of Unique powder some time ago, and figure now that I'm out of W231 I may as well give it a go. This is for .45 ACP, and the bullets I'm using are hand casted (wheel weights) with my Lee tumble mold TL452-230-2R. The real weight ranges from 233 to 237 grains, and they've all been pushed through a .452 Lee resizing die after Aloxing. The finished crimp size after using the Lee factory crimp die is about .469. I'm using Winchester large standard pistol primers. My OAL is around 2.260" and my gun seems to like it.

So all that said, can anyone recommend a good starting load of Unique for these specs? My reloading manuals are all over the map with this stuff. I was thinking of something between 5 and 5.5 grains? I'm open to shortening the OAL a bit and altering the crimp if that what it takes.

Edit: I forgot to mention my goal is to have a medium-light to medium load that will be a good plinker round about 800fps to 880fps or so from a 5" barrel. Doesn't have to be incredibly accurate, as long as it cycles the gun and doesn't lead the barrel.
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233 to 237 out of a TL Lee, you have too much lead in your alloy. I use 9lb wheel weight + 1 lb 50/50 solder (close to Lyman #2) and get 230 on the nose. For powder I go 4.1 gn of strait Clays. For lubricant I went with a KG Moly kit. Sweet sailing outdoors & indoors... And clean as it can be all over.
biggrin.gif
 
I had originally bought unique for my .45 needs and a seasoned reloader friend recommended H-S6. I have had very good luck with this using the Lyman 49th for recipes.
 
ytardif said:
233 to 237 out of a TL Lee, you have too much lead in your alloy. I use 9lb wheel weight + 1 lb 50/50 solder (close to Lyman #2) and get 230 on the nose.
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It's just for a slow-poke low pressure .45 ACP. I don't have any major problem with leading in my barrel with straight wheel weight lead. I also cold water quench, so I don't think hardness is an issue. If my chunk of lead exiting the barrel is a few grains heavier, it's not really noticeable to me as long as they're all fairly consistent. (Trying!)

Using a pound of solder to each 9lbs of wheel weight lead would definitely add some expense as well. It's just a factor that I don't think is a problem for me.
 
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