Unique in the 45 Colt

[Otto]

I ran across a post on another site last night, where a guy claimed to have been using 4.5 grains of Unique with a 255gr LSWC for years. He said he could hit soda cans all day long at 100 yards with this load. Four and one-half grains sounds like a really light load to me. Is there anybody out there that can comment on this?

Revolver, BTW

[J Miller]

I ran across a post on another site last night, where a guy claimed to have been using 4.5 grains of Unique with a 255gr LSWC for years. He said he could hit soda cans all day long at 100 yards with this load. Four and one-half grains sounds like a really light load to me. Is there anybody out there that can comment on this?

Revolver, BTW

Yeah, I can comment on it. That load would be doing good to get the bullet out of the barrel, let alone make it to 100 yds accurately. It is a dangerously light load that I would not fire in any of my guns.

Alliant used to call for 5.5 grs of Unique and a 250gr bullet for their cowboy loads. I can tell you that's a pretty whimpy load too.

In one of A-jacks .45 Cowboy cases it might be OK, but not in a standard .45 Colt case.

Joe

[kimwcook]

When I used to compete in SASS my load was 7.8 grs. Unique under a 255 grain flatnosed bullet. That's where my two SAA's shot closed to the same grouping. Shooting a 45 Colt in SASS you're pretty much not going to be winning the championships, IMO. But, I wanted to be some what authentic in the caliber I was shooting out my Colts. 4.5 grs. would seem way to low. I'd be afraid of a detonation with that small amount of powder. Won't shoot it in my revolvers.

[JustaJeepGuy]

Sounds like an Internet Commando to me.

[JReed]

I have used 5.4gr with a .454 roundball in my trapper this is so slow that the stock sights dont go high enough to get it on @ 25yards you can see it leave the rifle and head down range. I find it hard to belive that he would be able to get such a light powder charge to even get the bullet to 100 yards let alone out of the bore.

[RIHMFIRE]

I JUST LOADED 8 GR FOR FNRP 250 GRAIN BULLET

[adirondakjack]

Yeah, that is very light. I don't use Unique in Cowboy .45 Special, but that's a pretty fair guess on Joe's part that the load would be OK in the short case as a plinker. In LONG Colt, I never went below 6.5 grains, as it got too erratic.

[Griff]

Max load in their regular guide shows 9.5 grains, I don't recall what the various manuals list as a minimum, but I can't believe it's less than half. Probably around 6.5-7, I know I switched to RedDot as it's cleaner burning & I felt safer in the minimum range with lighter bullets.

[O.S.O.K.]

When I used to compete in SASS my load was 7.8 grs. Unique under a 255 grain flatnosed bullet. That's where my two SAA's shot closed to the same grouping. Shooting a 45 Colt in SASS you're pretty much not going to be winning the championships, IMO. But, I wanted to be some what authentic in the caliber I was shooting out my Colts. 4.5 grs. would seem way to low. I'd be afraid of a detonation with that small amount of powder. Won't shoot it in my revolvers.

Sounds like my old sass load - 7 gr. of W231 under a 250 lfn - about 800 fps. Most of the guys I shot with thought it was plenty enough In spite of experiencing real recoil, I was able to be quite competitive. This load was good in both of my Vaqueros - especially after I filed the sights and turned the barrels a bit

[scr83jp]

I ran across a post on another site last night, where a guy claimed to have been using 4.5 grains of Unique with a 255gr LSWC for years. He said he could hit soda cans all day long at 100 yards with this load. Four and one-half grains sounds like a really light load to me. Is there anybody out there that can comment on this?

Revolver, BTW

The lyman bullet 255 grain cast # 454424 calls for 8.0 grains of unique with a max od 10gr in my 1969 lyman reloading manual ,the lyman 49th edition starting load is 6gr of unique with a max load of 8.5gr

[William]

I'm with everyone esle on this, that's too light of a load.

[Travis Morgan]

That's what I used in my shot loads for .45 Colt.

[JustaJeepGuy]

I can see a load that light in a shotshell; you're not going to expect to get to 100 yds. with that. But a 250-gr. slug is a different story.

[KCSO]

4.5 of Unique would go about 500 fps maybe and in the Coolt case would probably start to show stringing. I have never went that low in the Colt case but have shot that load in a 45 Short and Weak and thought is was too wimpy there. As to 100 yard accuracy, As long as you poositioned the powder for each shot it might group, it sure would not be punishing to shoot but it would drop about 2 feet!

[Travis Morgan]

.........in other words, the official load of SASS! LOL

[Hobie]

I thought you guys might be interested in Bob Shell's take on Unique (with a hat tip to Dennis D.)

[SJPrice]

Thanks Hobie. Great read!

[J Miller]

Nice blog entry. I love it when someone verifies my findings and elaborates on them. Unique was the very first pistol powder I used. I used it in the .45 Colt and have never been dissatisfied.

Joe

[William]

Good information; thanks for posting it.

I thought you guys might be interested in Bob Shell's take on Unique (with a hat tip to Dennis D.)

[Otto]

I thought you guys might be interested in Bob Shell's take on Unique (with a hat tip to Dennis D.)

I can't find any info on that 10.4 round. Does anybody know much about it?

[William]

I thought you guys might be interested in Bob Shell's take on Unique (with a hat tip to Dennis D.)

I can't find any info on that 10.4 round. Does anybody know much about it?

http://bobshellsblog.blogspot.com/2008/ ... lvers.html