Green Dot powder

[Maineboy]

My son bought a bunch of old reloading stuff from a coworker and gave it to me. Mostly it's shotgun stuff, which I don't use and will sell off. There were 3 Hercules powders, Unique, Red Dot, and Green Dot. I have plenty of use for the first 2 but I've never used Green Dot or seen much written about it. Is it something that is useful for cast boolit loads?

[kywoodwrkr]

I use green dot in my 38 special 115 gr cast bullet loads.
Works well for me.
It is listed quite often in the various cast loads in Lymans cast bullet manuals.
FWIW
DaveP kywoodwrkr

[BCB]

I use it for 357 Magnum shot capsule loads and also with the 44-250-K bullet in the 44 Magnum. I used it many years ago for very light 12 gauge loads, but don't shoot much shotgun anymore. Green Dot can be useful. Good-luck...BCB

[Newtire]

My son bought a bunch of old reloading stuff from a coworker and gave it to me. Mostly it's shotgun stuff, which I don't use and will sell off. There were 3 Hercules powders, Unique, Red Dot, and Green Dot. I have plenty of use for the first 2 but I've never used Green Dot or seen much written about it. Is it something that is useful for cast boolit loads?

Hi Maine,
Green Dot is between Red Dot (faster) and Unique (slower) and have used it in reduced cast for rifle loads. This is one that worked from 10-13 gr. with a 150-180 gr. cast in 30-06 for me. It makes a fine 12 ga. target load powder for up to 1-1/8oz. loads. I haven't used any in years but is right up there with the best. I used to pattern test my loads and this was one of the tightest patterning ones.

[sundog]

Maineboy, GD is a sleeper. Not too many folks would even give it a thought other than shotgun. Keep it and use it for all the straight wall pissola cartridges. It's my favorite for plain base 44 Mag 'cowboy loads'. There's plenty of load data out there, just gotta find it.

What Newtire said about the '06 loads.

[NVcurmudgeon]

Green Dot loads that have been good for me:

.44 Magnum 7.0 gr. 240-250 cast 950 fps (8 3/8") 1200 fps (24")

.30/06 and .303 British 9.0 gr. 200 cast 1100 fps

[targetshootr]

How does Green Dot compare to Unique as far as residue left on your gun? Been thinking about giving it a try for 44s and 45s.

[DLCTEX]

Green Dot works great in my 45 acp, seems to burn clean, too. DALE

[woody1]

If you use RD and Unique you can use Green Dot (GD). Here's some examples of loads that work for me in my rifles. 30-30 with the group buy .314x120 pb boolit, 7.4 gr. GD, WLR, Rem. case = about 1400 fps (good plinking load)
44-40 rifle with Lyman 42798, 7.4 gr. GD, CCI300 = about 1150 fps
same load with Win case = about 1200 fps (my standard 44-40 load)
My 300 savage loves the 7.4 grain GD load with WLR and Lyman's 311410 also at about 1260 fps. Regards, Woody

[jawjaboy]

Green Dot works great in my 45 acp, seems to burn clean, too. DALE

Agreed on both accounts!

[Mk42gunner]

I have used Green Dot in .40 S&W and 45ACP with commercial boolits. I don't have the data now; but it worked very well.

Robert

[Maineboy]

Thanks guys!! Lessee...30-06, 30-30, 300 Savage, 44 mag, 45 ACP, I've shoot cast in all of those. I guess it won't take long to burn up that pound. BTW, I don't know how old it is, but the price on the can is $9.50. The powder still smells nice and fresh.

[RayinNH]

Maineboy, the RCBS 7mm-168-SP with 10.3gr. of Green Dot works very well in my 7x57 Mauser...Ray

[BCB]

As I previously mentioned, I used Green Dot for some specialty shot shell loads. I have been following this G.Dot discussion and just had to go look for the recipe that I had used many, many years ago. I was using the Federal paper hulls—sure could get a nice tight crimp on those rascals. Anyhow, I was shooting as light a load as possible in a 12 gauge back then as I was sort of experimenting with this type of loads and rabbit hunting. I had reached a favorite load of 75 pallets of #4 copper (1/2 to 5/8 ounce), piled on top of 20 gauge shot cards and well buffered to allow for the proper height to crimp. Twenty to 21 grains of Green Dot worked well. Shot from a ruined Model 12 Winchester, it was deadly on rabbits at the 25 yard mark. I say ruined, because the gun had a Cutts Compensator previously installed and then removed! The barrel was short—yet legal?—and I had put a nice new brass bead on the end. I practiced holding in front of the rabbits and simply hitting them with on a few pellets—no lost meat. Only a pellet or two was required with the #4 shot. Sorry, down memory lane just because someone brought up Green Dot…
And, I have a pound of Unique with a price of $10.25 and I have a date of August 1988 written on the bottom. That might give you some idea as to the age of your canister of Green Dot. Sorry for the flashback…BCB

[Bass Ackward]

David,

Some of the older Lyman manuals with the plastic spiral binding in particular have a lot of GD data.

[Newtire]

As I previously mentioned, I used Green Dot for some specialty shot shell loads. Shot from a ruined Model 12 Winchester, it was deadly on rabbits at the 25 yard mark.…BCB

When I was 14, my Dad gave me free rein to use his M-12 and I got my share of rabbits with that thing. No Cutts Compensators or Poly-Chokes for my Dad. If it ain't full choke, what's the point! I made up spreader loads going by what I read in an article in some gun rag and they worked quite well.

That shotgun resides in my gun safe and I take it out to go shoot claybirds now and then.

[sundog]

Maineboy, $9.50. That sounds like about early to middle seventies. I used to buy powder a pound at a time (I was poor then) in the TG&Y in Bartlesville, Oklahoma. I still have a few empty cardboard witn metal end containers out in the barn. The spout was a pull up type in the center of the top.

Newtire, do them 'claybirds' need much more cookin' than the rabbits use ta'? Mine was an old H&R .410 with a tapped receiver for a Cutt's Compensator that who knows where it was. Stock was cracked at the wrist, screwed and friction taped. I accounted for a number of pheasants very handily before if got passed to a cousin. Onliest problem in shooosting peasants with a .410 is alot of times when they got up and you pulled the trigger, you had to run up really quick and ring their neck so they wouldn't run away. Still, had a few good meals. Thanks for the memory. btw, my Dad's ole sideby 16 guage accounted for more than a couple rabbits.... Those DID cook up right nice.

[Maineboy]

Maineboy, $9.50. That sounds like about early to middle seventies. I used to buy powder a pound at a time (I was poor then) in the TG&Y in Bartlesville, Oklahoma. I still have a few empty cardboard witn metal end containers out in the barn. The spout was a pull up type in the center of the top.


That's what this can is.

[db2]

+1 on 7.0 grs green dot with a 240 gr SWC in a 44 mag. It makes a great light load. It allows you to throw a lot of lead on the cheap side.

db2