Lee Loader

I'm loading 44 spl and having problems getting consistent weights with unique. The chart says .57cc for 5.2 grs. Not even close! 6.1cd comes close, but the weight varies from 4.3 to 5.4 grs. The unique is from last year, so maybe the density is different than what it was when Lee developed their chart.
The measure is mounted on a turret press and the heavier charges come when I man handle the lever a bit.looks like it takes a bit of vibration to settle the powder.
It's very consistent with ball powders,but not so good with unique.
Any ideas on this?

tom wrote:I'm loading 44 spl and having problems getting consistent weights with unique. The chart says .57cc for 5.2 grs. Not even close! 6.1cd comes close, but the weight varies from 4.3 to 5.4 grs. The unique is from last year, so maybe the density is different than what it was when Lee developed their chart.
The measure is mounted on a turret press and the heavier charges come when I man handle the lever a bit.looks like it takes a bit of vibration to settle the powder.
It's very consistent with ball powders,but not so good with unique.
Any ideas on this?

Yeah, it is very tough to get consistent charges with Unique. There was a FAQ about it on the Lee Precision website but I just noticed that the link to the FAQ database is gone. That is too bad as there was a lot of information available. There really is not much that can be done to reduce the variation encountered when using Unique. As a Unique user and in reality, Unique has pretty inconsistent results on its own accord so I'm not sure how much the results are affected by the charge variation. Several times I run two strings of cartridges for chronograph testing; one where each charge was carefully weighed and the other that was just dropped as the Auto Disk dumped them. The Average, Extreme Spread, and Standard Deviation did not reflect a difference worth the worry of carefully controlled charges.

The density of a powder can vary about 16% between any given lot and the spec, so it is always a good idea to determine the specific VMD of your powder and then select the appropriate cavity to be used.

Thanks, Michael.
I'm trying to load some lower end loads for my bulldog, and am a bit concerned about sticking one in the barrel.
I suppose that won't happen above 300 fps, but you never know. The hornady book shows 4.9 as a minimum load at 650 fps.

People gripe at me because I can't find a use for Unique. Wonder why?

I use a scale with Unique. Yes it takes longer but lets me have low recoil rifle rounds. Not sure I would use it for pistol rounds. Would love to find 8 pounds of Bullseye thou.

I was left 2 lbs of the old Hercules Unique, the old waxed cardboard cylindrical containers, by a distant deceased relative that I never met but the family knew I was a handloader. It took me 15 years to go through a pound so I doubt that I will ever finish the second pound.

For me, it is just like H4227. Whatever it does, there is something else that does it so much better.

I never had much luck using the discs and Unique. I have had to switch between discs to get close to a load. I seem to have better luck with Bullseye.

nsdread07 wrote:I never had much luck using the discs and Unique. I have had to switch between discs to get close to a load. I seem to have better luck with Bullseye.

I used up 1# of Unique for reloading .38 spec and found it to be a pretty good load except for exactly what you said and I switched to Bullseye and haven't looked back

Unique drops with excellent consistency from both my Lyman 55 and the Lee Classic PM from 3gr. to 12gr. I love Unique.

daboone wrote:Unique drops with excellent consistency from both my Lyman 55 and the Lee Classic PM from 3gr. to 12gr. I love Unique.

I don't use much Unique and don't remember the last I did or what the load was but I know my Orange 55 rode to the rescue

Make smoke,