I just decided to start reloading 10mm. I am an experienced reloader but I like things simple so I try to stick with Unique for most everything, pistol and shotgun. My plan is 180 grain JFP bullets over a mid range load of unique from the reloader's manual. Is anyone here using Unique to load 10mm and what is your experience with it? I'm willing to try other powders but want to stay with Unique if I can.

 
I have never used Unique, but, like you, try to stick to a limited selection of powders. I had on hand a good supply of WST, from reloading .45, so I worked up a load with that for 10mm. Using a Precision Delta FMJ 200gr bullet, 5.1gr of WST results in 916 fps on a Doppler chrono. This is about 183 power factor, and is a great shooter in the SIG P220-10mm.
 

I'm not what you might call and "experienced" reloader, at least compared to some on this forum, and I don't reload 10 mm but I've used Unique in quite a few different calibers and have found an acceptable Unique load in each. Unless you're looking for some kind of exotic high-grade accuracy from the mid-range load I expect you'll get good results.

IMHO Unique is an extremely versatile powder.

Unique, like anyof the medium burners, will be fine in 10mm. Just don't expect top end loads with it. For that you need slower powders like PP, BE86, AA#7 & 9, Longshot, BlueDot & ug, 800X.

AA-7 was developed for the 10mm. It's a fine grained powder that throws consistently through high-quality powder measures such as the Redding 10X. Unique on the other hand is a large flake powder that is ideal for middle of the road loads.

800X is a good powder...a coarse grain powder that meters well through a powder measure, but not the equal of AA-7 in terms of performance.

What is your experience?
Do you plan to just leap in with the mid-range charge of Unique from some manual or work up to it?
You wrote: "from the reloader's manual..." What manual--they are all different, as components, including the lot number of the powder used varies.
I show start loads for 180gn jacketed bullets of Unique ranging from 5.8-7.2gn and MAX loads from 6.7-8.0gn. All are for FN or JHP bullets.
I would start no higher than 6.0gn and work my way up to where I am happy.
As far as other powders, I have found that, with 180gn jacketed bullets, AA5 and AA7 are VERY accurate. A nice mid-range load, after you work up to it, would be around 8.6-8.9gn AA5.
Max velocity would generally be with AA9, N105, N350, and Longshot; though, AA7, HS6 and Power Pistol will get very close.

quote:

Originally posted by Hansgruber:
AA-7 was developed for the 10mm. It's a fine grained powder that throws consistently through high-quality powder measures such as the Redding 10X. Unique on the other hand is a large flake powder that is ideal for middle of the road loads.

800X is a good powder...a coarse grain powder that meters well through a powder measure, but not the equal of AA-7 in terms of performance.

Well aa#7 was actually developed long before the 10mm was. It is reported to have been designed for nato spec 9mm. Not sure if you have ever used 800x, but it doesnt meter well in any powder measure, where unique will do +/- 1/10gr accuracy, 800x is at best +/- 3/10gr. If you must use 800x for the perceived performance increase over say aa#7, best weigh each charge.
For best accuracy & vel with 200-220gr, i like aa#9. For 165-180gr, i like aa#7 or longshot. For mild plinking loafs, any medium burner from unique up to aa#7 works fine.

This message has been edited. Last edited by: fredj338,

Fredj338 said it!

One of my manuals, maybe Sierra suggested Unique was an accurate propellant for 10MM. I loaded it just hot enough to cycle the action in my DW Razorback. I think I used 150 grain bullets and it was very accurate and very clean burning. Unique is fairly dirty at mild starting loads, and gets cleaner as the pressure goes up. Unique is great for 10MM target and plinking loads in my experience.

I haven't tried Unique, but have great luck with PowerPistol and LongShot for 10mm. I am getting a little more velocity from LongShot (1,278 fps v. 1,252 fps) over PowerPistol before I start seeing pressure signs. This was using new Starline brass, Hornady 180gn XTP's, Federal 150M primers, and 9.0 gns LongShot/8.5 gns PowerPistol. Accuracy was about equal between the two, but PowerPistol seemed to have a little more muzzle flash.