I have just run some through a TCP in 380 Auto with 120 grain boolits.
I have just run some through a TCP in 380 Auto with 120 grain boolits.
Amendments
The Second there to protect the First!
BlueDot is my favorite powder for 380, 9mm and 38 Super. Looking for at least five pounds right now!
How's that hope and change working for you?
When confronted by handloaders with proof that certain listed loads were no longer safe with new batches of BD, instead of reducing loads or changing the formulation Alliant instead just issued a terse dismissal of whole categories of loads that have worked for decades.
It defies the laws of physics that all middle weight bullets are unsafe while lighter and heavier are OK.
I give loading advice based on my actual results in factory rifles with standard chambers, twist rates and basic accurizing.
My goals for using cast boolits are lots of good, cheap, and reasonably accurate shooting, while avoiding overly tedious loading processes.
The BHN Deformation Formula, and why I don't use it.
How to find and fix sizing die eccentricity problems.
Do you trust your casting thermometer?
A few musings.
You guys ain't lyin'! http://www.alliantpowder.com/getting...y_notices.aspx
I handloaded a couple of cylinder loads of BlueDot and some 125 grain "hpj-types" for the wife's GP100. After she warmed up with a few cylinders of her usual fodder, she turned to me after the first round of the BlueDot stuff and said "These are too hot!".
She's no scaredy cat when it comes to recoil, in fact, she really enjoys it. (That's my girl! ) She knows her stuff when it comes to stout loads, so when she says it's too hot, it's too hot.
Upon inspection, the primer was found to be completely flattened, even though it was a starting load. After we got back home, the rest of those rounds got taken apart.
Be careful, guys. BlueDot with 125s is a bad combo.
Temperature sensitivity is not specific to certain individual projectile weights.
Alliant issues warnings for a specific bullet weight, (but not design) but not for any other bullets in the same caliber? Blue Dot is a no-no for 41 mag, but is OK for 357 mag and 44 mag? Sure, seems legit. Combine all this with the already sparse nature of Alliant data, and it begins to look like they are lawyer shy. It's enough to make me question the value of Alliant as a source of data.
And yes, I keep a pound of Blue Dot on the shelf, for various things. And Red Dot. And Unique. And Bullseye. And RE15. 2400 if I can find it. I like their powder, but not their data.
Last edited by Cmm_3940; 08-30-2014 at 09:30 PM.
I have stayed away from Blue Dot. Red Dot was my go to powder for general purpose loads but later I changed to Green Dot. I like both those powders very much and while I load a bunch of .357., 38 super ++P and 9mm I have used Power Pistol and H110 if I want top speed. Probably nothing wrong with Blue Dot but ...............
Tim
Words are weapons sharper than knives - INXS
The pen is mightier than the sword - Edward Bulwer-Lytton
The tongue is mightier than the blade - Euripides
Hi...
I shoot thousands of rounds of .357Mag loaded with Blue Dot every year. It is my go to powder for 158gr LSWC in the .357. I used to shoot a lot of 125gr LSWC in the .357 powered by Blue Dot, but coupled with the warning and a desire to limit my inventory of bullets to one LSWC per caliber, I quit using 125gr LSWC in my .357s.
I still shoot a lot of 125gr HP/XTPS in my .357s, but I don't use Blue Dot for that application. 2400 and W296/H110 seem to work for me for jacketed bullets(125,158 and 180gr HP/XTPs) in the .357Mag.
I also discontinued Blue Dot when shooting 215gr LSWC in my .41Magnums even though I had shot thousands of them over the years. I switched to Unique for cast and 2400 for jacketed.
Larry Gibson posted a test some time ago, Hercules Blue Dot versus Alliant Blue Dot.
Testing included velocites and pressures. Very informative. It is in the archives here. I'm not good with links!!
Larry Gibson's Blue Dot; Hercules vs Alliant test.
http://castboolits.gunloads.com/show...s-Alliant-test
A great resource.
Thanks Larry !
- Bullwolf
I find this post to be very interesting. I have read on other forums that blue dot isn't worth a damn in either 357 or 38. I have never tried it but I will be in my 357 with 158 gr gas checked bullets. I especially want to try it in my Rossi 92 rifle. Really enjoyed this post. I seldom believe what I read on these forums. That's.John
keep on rolling along.no matter what happens just keep rolling
I used to use it for 357mag 125gr when h110/w296 and 2400 were out of stock.
A few years ago, I read the warning from Allient, and haven't used any since.
seems odd that only 125gr 357 is troublesome, but all weights of 41mag are ????
no mention of 44mag ????
I never had any trouble nor signs of excess pressure.
[shrug]
.
NRA LIFE Member
USPSA/IPSC
I just got the brand new LYMAN #51st edition, and it has data for 125gr JHP and BLUE DOT.
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.
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......and 41mag BLUE DOT info
.
NRA LIFE Member
USPSA/IPSC
My experience is BlueDot sucks in 38 Special.
When I tried it with 158 SWC the velocity spread was about 100 fps and the targets reflected that dispersion.
I concluded it was too slow and didn’t burn well at low pressure.
In 357 I remember it being ok but nothing great.
But it’s my fav in full throttle 10mm!
I rarely get out of Central or South Texas so it’s cold weather pressure spikes are not a problem for me.
"Time and money don't do you a bit of good until you spend them." - My Dad
As others have discovered Blue Dot has some interesting and sometimes weird burning characteristics.
I still use it for heavy bullet .357 loads and .45acp loads.
I had heard many years ago that the 125gn thing was along the lines Larry discovered. Some loads that 'seemed' reasonable developed very high pressures. Never did understand why when max loads at 110gn bullets and 140gn bullets were 'ok'. But, I stopped using it in 125gn loads and I stick to book loads from Alliant.
charlie
Blue Dot works great. The classic load for a .357 mag using Blue Dot is 10.5 and 11.5gr. The first photo is a group printed on a b'day card a buddy sent to me. I return the card to him on Xmas. The second photo is my accuracy load using Speer 158gr GD. The third target is a load I'm still working with using a cast 160gr FRN Lee mold. All targets were shot at (I think) 18 yards. Look at the photo with the b'day card. haven't tried BD in .38 Special and prefer AA5. Both loads have a medium recoil. For the .357, if I want more power, I'd load with AA9.[ATTACH=CONFIG]
Last edited by BJung; 11-09-2022 at 09:30 PM. Reason: Adding photos
I have been wanting to try BD in .45-70 for a long time, however Alliant powders are extinct here. 110 is really easy to find, and of course there isn't much in the way of "official" uses for it.
Currently casting and loading: .32 Auto, .380 Auto, .38 Special, 9X19, .357 Magnum, .257 Roberts, 6.5 Creedmoor, .30 WCF, .308 WCF, .45-70.
FWIW, Alliant powders are starting to show up in stores again.
Not in these parts. Hodgdon is king around here, even in normal times Alliant is an also ran other than Bullseye and Unique
Currently casting and loading: .32 Auto, .380 Auto, .38 Special, 9X19, .357 Magnum, .257 Roberts, 6.5 Creedmoor, .30 WCF, .308 WCF, .45-70.
I've used Blue Dot for decades in .357, 41 magnum, .44Magnum and warm loads in .45Colt. And 10mm, and some .45ACP revolver loads. Many thousands of rounds. I have never experienced any strange behavior whatsoever from it, and it has been my second most used powder in handgun calibers, with 2400 slightly ahead of it. I've used more Blue Dot than Unique.
Cast Boolits, Where lead balloons go over....
BP | Bronze Point | IMR | Improved Military Rifle | PTD | Pointed |
BR | Bench Rest | M | Magnum | RN | Round Nose |
BT | Boat Tail | PL | Power-Lokt | SP | Soft Point |
C | Compressed Charge | PR | Primer | SPCL | Soft Point "Core-Lokt" |
HP | Hollow Point | PSPCL | Pointed Soft Point "Core Lokt" | C.O.L. | Cartridge Overall Length |
PSP | Pointed Soft Point | Spz | Spitzer Point | SBT | Spitzer Boat Tail |
LRN | Lead Round Nose | LWC | Lead Wad Cutter | LSWC | Lead Semi Wad Cutter |
GC | Gas Check |