How well/badly does Unique meter?

[Unclenick]

I find that any powder in a Lee Perfect Measure needs to be weighed every time and tricked up or adjusted down.

The Perfect actually meters stick powder better than any other measure I have except the JDS QuickMeasure, which is king of the stick heap. That said, I have two Perfect measures and one did work better than the other as they came from the factory. But adjusting the drum retaining tension and getting some dry lube working in it seems to have cured the problems.

 

[wogpotter]

Try the vibrating aquarium pump trick, its great for settling & busting bridges.

 

[FrankenMauser]

Instead of doing a lot of test weighing of those thrown charges to confirm this (I am too old now to get excited with experimenting), I thought I would ask if anyone here has tested the accuracy of the weight of small charges of Unique through a Dillon measure. It would save me time and energy if someone has already done so. Anyone?

Yep.

I've tested thoroughly in both the original powder measures and the 'fail-safe' powder measures, from absolute minimum (~2.3 gr) to 13 gr.

Check your own measure(s).
Unless you've been secretly borrowing mine, the consistency and accuracy won't be the same.

 

[armoredman]

I've used Unique in my RCBS Uniflow...very inconsistent. I have it stashed away in the powder magazine for "rainy days."

 

[kerreckt]

I use a Lee perfect powder measure with a baffle I made from a plastic coffee top. It throws Unique within .1gr+/-. It also accurately throws the "log" rifle powders. My Dillon 450 and 550's are also accurate but can take a bit more fussing.

 

[sawdustdad]

I load a lot of Unique in 9mm-5.5g typically under a 115g plated bullet. It's pretty forgiving at that load, as it can be run from 5g to nearly 6g with full function in my pistols without pressure concerns.

It meters +/- .1 grain in my Square Deal. I don't notice any difference in the rounds being fired with this slight variation.

You might try Clays or 700x, both load 2.8g under a 125g bullet in .38spl for about 600fps, nice mild load. Nitro 100F is another fast powder that you can use in .38spl target loads, though I haven't seen any of that lately.

 

[1100 tac]

Of my three powder measures the only one that drops unique consistently, is my 55. Love that knocker.

 

[603Country]

I also have an old Lyman 55 powder measure, with knocker. I use a lot of Unique from time to time, and the old 55 throws Unique pretty well.