I have been loading .45 Colt for over 40 years. My most common, go-to load is 8.0 grains of Unique powder. I have used this load with 200 -270 grain bullets. Most of these have been lead home cast bullets using Lyman’s #2 alloy. I have had very good success with this powder over the years. I enjoy the little bit of smoke that comes from each shot. It reminds me of the old cowboy loads using black powder.

According to The Free Library: “Hercules and now, Alliant Unique is one of our oldest staple reloading powders having been in continuous production since the late 19th century. Introduced primarily for mid-range rifle loads, Unique quickly became a standard for shotgun and handgun shooters as well. It delivers excellent, high-range performance in revolver cartridges ranging from the .32 S&W Long through the .44 Special and does journeyman service in a variety of auto pistol chamberings as well. Until well into the 1960s, Unique was considered the only powder suited for standard loads in the .45 Colt. It is considered very stable and resistant to atmospheric influences, non-critical as to positioning in the case, displaying extreme lot-to-lot consistency throughout its history of manufacture.

The revealed history of Unique varies among a number of sources. My favorite version comes from my first reloading handbook, The Speer Reloading Manual No. 3 from 1959. According to Speer, the propellant was introduced in 1890 by the Laughlin and Rand Powder Company under the name “Infallible.” This was only six years after Paul Vieille created the first smokeless powder suitable for use in small arms.” https://www.thefreelibrary.com/Hercules+and+Alliant+Unique%3a+the+reloader%27s+infallible+standby.-a0183552859

Recently, I have been experimenting with a variety of bullets in my Ruger Vaquero 4 5/8″ revolver.

I loaded 3 different bullets in Starline Brass with Winchester large pistol primers over…..you guessed it, 8.0 grains of Unique. The bullets were Hornady’s 250 grain XTP jacketed hollow point, and two home cast lead bullets. A 250-grain hollow point, flat nose, gas checked (HPFNGC) bullet from MP molds in Slovenia and Lyman’s 250-grain cowboy action bullet 452664. The lead bullets were sized to .452 and lubed with Lyman’s Moly lube. The brass cases for the lead bullets were expanded with a Lyman ‘M’ die for proper neck tension.

The accuracy of the test loads was acceptable. The curious part were the chronograph results. Almost 200 feet per second (FPS) difference between them.

Lyman 250 gr Cowboy 452664 = 722 fps

Hornady 250 gr XTP hollow point = 815 fps

MP molds 250 gr HPFNGC = 905 fps

I find this velocity difference unexplainable.

As time goes by, I realize that the more I learn about ballistics and firearm performance, the less I truly know. That is what makes this hobby interesting and compelling.