wwb said:
I've gone through a ton of each..... but in a shotgun. A 200 grain bullet is on the light side for a .44, so if you need to choose between the two, I'd go with Unique, as this chart shows it to be a bit faster than 800X. Faster powder for light bullets, and slow er powder for heavy bullets is a good general rule.
Hi,
I was still deeply entrenched in the shotgun world when 800X came out, so that's where my experience with the stuff lies.
Everyone went gaga about the fact the books showed 1200 fps loads, a "standard" target load velocity, could be had at really low pressures, down in the 6,000 to 7,000 psi range, when the top of the 12 ga chart is normally at about 11,000 psi. Guys loaded them up, went out on the range, and had terrible results. To say they were "erratic" probably covers the main complaint Locally, it didn't take long for 800X to fall out of favor with the regular target shooting crowd.
OTOH, the guys loading heavier loads, such as our pot shooters and hunters, liked the stuff. It worked quite consistently. What was the difference?
Best we could determine was that, being a slower burning powder, 800X liked to be loaded at the higher end of the pressure scale, to get good ignition. The heavier shot charges helped attain that goal. The lighter ones apparently didn't "hold back" the ignition sequence well enough to do the same. One should remember a standard 209 shotshell primer has enough power to propel a 1 1/8 oz shot charge 5-10 feet out of a 30 inch shotgun barrel, so we've gotta offset that with some flame, otherwise things aren't going to go so well.
A lot of other field testing with the chronograph and pattern board showed that most of our popular shotgun/pistol powders worked best when loaded using recipes within about 90% to 100% of the SAAMI max. This in shotshells.
Moving to handgun cartridges, I've found that same 90% minimum pressure range seems to produce my own most desirable ammo. Others may have similar or quite different results. That's not surprising as we all know the same ammo in three different guns can produce three wildly different results!
So on the Unique vs 800x question, with a "lighter end of the scale" bullet for the caliber (say 180-200 gr?), I'd suggest the burn rate on Unique, being a touch faster than 800X, would be the better choice before seeing actual field results. Moving to a "standard" or heavier bullet for the .44, like in the 240-300 grain range, I'd be willing to bet 800X might start to shine. Figuring the .44 Mag limit is around 35,000 psi, I'd be looking thru the books for loads in the range of at least 30,000 psi if possible with the slower powders. At least for starters.
All this having been said, we're right back to the old "YMMV" disclaimer. Best of luck!
Rick C