Yet another reloading question, Unique Powder?

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dan dan the XD40 man
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Yet another reloading question, Unique Powder?

Post by dan dan the XD40 man »

Boy, lots of reloading topics lately. A stand alone reloading section would be awesome! :lol:

Anyway, does anyone know the MAX powder charge for Unique when being used for a .44 Magnum pushing a 240G JSP projectile?

The Alliant website says "charge weight: 10.3 grains" But it doesnt say if this is a min or max load, or somewhere in between.


I'm feeding these to my Desert Eagle, which takes a big BOOM to make it work right.

I loaded 32 rounds last week with 10.2 grains of Unique and at the range today, they just wouldnt work the action enough to cycle the slidecompletely, resulting in a FTE on every single round. I normally use 18.8 grains of 2400 and I shot about 75 of those today without a single FTF or FTE issue.

If this Unique wont work for me, I'll have 4 pounds minus 326.4 grains for sale :(

Thanks guys.
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44 Mag reloads

Post by Sneakypete »

For .44Mag, 240 Gr semijacketed bullet, I use Winchester 296. In fact, .357, 189Gr silloutte loads, and .50 AE loads, all use Win 296. My Desert Eagle functions perfectly. (Just a fireball about three foot long, when fired at night.) But, clean burning. :D
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Post by bataviafarmer »

10.3gr is the "stated" max load for that powder/bullet combination. The starting charge is 9.3gr.

I've never used Unique for magnums as I prefer a slower burning powder such as H110 or W296. But then I'm loading for a long barreled revolver.
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Post by mreising »

Winchester 296 is much cleaner than 2400 in my opinion. I used to have a 44 Automag in the dark ages and the loads that a buddy and I worked up with 2400 were as dirty as the factory ammo from Automag (loaded in Mexico IIRC). After about 20 rounds the bolt would not lock (kind of like an M16 bolt) because of unburned powder residue. 296 was so much cleaner and it measured well. I won't make specific load recommendations but I think you'll be happier with 296.
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dan dan the XD40 man
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Post by dan dan the XD40 man »

Sounds like I should give that powder a try. Yes, the 2400 is very dirty.

The Unique would work well for a 44 mag revolver I suppose, and one of those is next on my list.

Hopefully a S&W 3" Stainless with a 3" barrel.
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Post by shooterwolf »

My manuals show a higher max load than 10.3 grns.

IF you aren't showing signs of pressure, increase your powder .2 tenths of a grain at a time. Working up just 5 loads at a time saves a lot of headache and bullet pulling.

Remember every gun is different and only you can tell what your gun can take, not some guy on the internet.

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Re: Yet another reloading question, Unique Powder?

Post by Buckshot »

dan dan the XD40 man wrote:Boy, lots of reloading topics lately. A stand alone reloading section would be awesome! :lol:

Anyway, does anyone know the MAX powder charge for Unique when being used for a .44 Magnum pushing a 240G JSP projectile?

The Alliant website says "charge weight: 10.3 grains" But it doesnt say if this is a min or max load, or somewhere in between.


I'm feeding these to my Desert Eagle, which takes a big BOOM to make it work right.

I loaded 32 rounds last week with 10.2 grains of Unique and at the range today, they just wouldnt work the action enough to cycle the slidecompletely, resulting in a FTE on every single round. I normally use 18.8 grains of 2400 and I shot about 75 of those today without a single FTF or FTE issue.

If this Unique wont work for me, I'll have 4 pounds minus 326.4 grains for sale :(

Thanks guys.
Dan,

Unique is too fast for heavy loads in the .44 Mag.

Read the stuff you clicked yes on and went by on the Alliant site. That is a MAX load they are listing.

You need a slower powder, in that (Alliant) powder series, you need 2400 for your .44 Mag loads.

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Post by Buckshot »

dan dan the XD40 man wrote:Sounds like I should give that powder a try. Yes, the 2400 is very dirty.

The Unique would work well for a 44 mag revolver I suppose, and one of those is next on my list.

Hopefully a S&W 3" Stainless with a 3" barrel.
No, the Unique is only going to make a "mid-range load" for your .44 Mag revolver also.

It is really maxed out in .44 Special or .44-40, .44 Mag with the extra pressure and velocity, is just too much for Unique.

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Post by Buckshot »

shooterwolf wrote:My manuals show a higher max load than 10.3 grns.

IF you aren't showing signs of pressure, increase your powder .2 tenths of a grain at a time. Working up just 5 loads at a time saves a lot of headache and bullet pulling.

Remember every gun is different and only you can tell what your gun can take, not some guy on the internet.

Shooterwolf.
Shooterwolf,

Your are NOT THINKING RIGHT when you make recommendations like this!

This powder has changed hands AT LEAST ONCE, and I THINK TWICE from Hercules to Alliant.

The current data on the web site is much newer and more trustworthy than data from a book two owners of the powder company ago.

Buckshot
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Post by shooterwolf »

Buckshot, sorry if you feel I'm wrong for telling him to working loads up slowly. I also told him to use his judgement and not to trust one mans opinion on the internet.

My opinion is just that, my opinion. A man should gather all the info he can get and make his own mind up.


Shooterwolf.
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Post by OldManTod »

Hey Dan Dan - trust me, we are working hard to make that happen.

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Post by screwman »

H110's a good magnum powder. It's really filthy if ya try to load it light.
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Post by weakhand luke »

screwman wrote:H110's a good magnum powder. It's really filthy if ya try to load it light.
You shouldn't want to do that with H110...

*"Reduce H110 and Winchester 296 loads 3% and work up from there. H110 and Winchester 296 if reduced too much will cause inconsistent ignition. In some cases it will lodge a bullet in the barrel, causing a hazardous situation (Barrel Obstruction). This may cause severe personal injury or death to users or bystanders. DO NOT REDUCE H110 LOADS BY MORE THAN 3%."



*hogden's website
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Post by willbird »

Lilgun is another good powder in 44 magnum. It makes more velocity than H110/WW296. In 357 magnum it makes velocity close to H110 with a LOT less pressure (25,000 vs 40,000) but in 44 magnum the Lilgun pressure is actually a bit higher than H110/WW296.

One thing needed with H110/WW296 is a very tight fit between the case neck and the bullet, a die/brass/expander combo that produces excellent ammo with 2400 may need the expander polished down to get consistent velocity with H110/WW296

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Post by Buckshot »

shooterwolf wrote:Buckshot, sorry if you feel I'm wrong for telling him to working loads up slowly. I also told him to use his judgement and not to trust one mans opinion on the internet.

My opinion is just that, my opinion. A man should gather all the info he can get and make his own mind up.


Shooterwolf.
What I am objecting to is your statement: "My manuals show a higher max load than 10.3 grns.

IF you aren't showing signs of pressure, increase your powder .2 tenths of a grain at a time. Working up just 5 loads at a time saves a lot of headache and bullet pulling."

He has the DATA from the powder company.

That should be the final decider of what is max, after all, THEY MAKE IT!

That powder brand has also changed hands TWICE since most of the manuals were printed.

Those are my objections, no matter what other manuals say, he should NOT be exceeding the max from the Powder Company!

Buckshot
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