I'm liking this 45 Colt Blue Dot load

Got out their and shot my Blackhawk last wk. There isn't much published date for 45 Colt with Blue Dot out their, so I started with 14gr. under a Lee 452-252-SWC of WW's water dropped. I'm guessing around 1000 fps. from my revolver, very pleasant recoil and accuracy. Seems like Blue Dot will do most anything 2400 will do with about 3 grains less powder. I wouldn't use it for full power Ruger loads, but for most 45 Colt use I see it's quite versatile. Only drawback is it meters like Unique, I see why HS-7 (ball powder) is more popular with it's similar burn rate. Anyone have any pet Blue Dot loads worth sharing?

You should try the 6 gr. load of Red Dot if you like the Blue Dot load. The Red Dot load yields a little over 900 fps and is equal, I`ve read, to the original Colt load of years gone by. I`ve used this load for about anything I`ve shot at, from paper to whitetails.Robert

I can tell you where the max is with a Lee 300gr bullet in the Bisley. I was working up from loads shown in Hornady's 3rd ed. With no other signs of pressure, I got to 19gr of BD. At that point, I noticed the bluing just forward of the frame was a bit frosted. Swelled the the barrel there, so it wouldn't shoot worth diddly after that. Seems a Ruger 45 barrel isn't thick enough to handle magnum pressure, though the Bisley cylinder is. So, don't try to make a magnum out of yours. I like Blue Dot, not only for 45 pistol loads, but cast rifle loads. I think someone with quick load or some other software told me I was pushing 50,000psi with my pistol wrecking load.

15.0 BlueDot is absolute max with 240-250 in 44mag. I shoot half a grain less in revolters for a max load. Extrapolating, 19.0 would be too much for a 300 grainer in the 45Colt. I would drop that back to 15.0 as max, assuming you have a chamber that is NOT oversize. If oversize, go to a slower powder. ... felix

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Originally Posted by madsenshooter

I can tell you where the max is with a Lee 300gr bullet in the Bisley. I was working up from loads shown in Hornady's 3rd ed. With no other signs of pressure, I got to 19gr of BD. At that point, I noticed the bluing just forward of the frame was a bit frosted. Swelled the the barrel there, so it wouldn't shoot worth diddly after that. Seems a Ruger 45 barrel isn't thick enough to handle magnum pressure, though the Bisley cylinder is. So, don't try to make a magnum out of yours. I like Blue Dot, not only for 45 pistol loads, but cast rifle loads. I think someone with quick load or some other software told me I was pushing 50,000psi with my pistol wrecking load.

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I would load that charge with 2400 maybe but not Blue Dot. I think Blue Dot it's best suited for 250-260gr. boolits than those heavy weights. Linebaugh makes note of Hercules/Alliant powders stability in his writing. "Too heavy a slug, seated too deeply in the case can cause #2400 to act like Unique and Unique to act like Bullseye. Small increases in powder charges can result in dramatic pressure jumps. For any serious heavy hand loads I use only H-110 and WW 296 powders." For mid range velocity loads around 1000-1100 fps. I believe the pressure curve with Blue Dot is just right for the .45 Colt. Full power loads in the Old Colt are best accomplished with H-110 rate powders, much easier on the firearm, IMO. From the data available I would say 16-17gr. max with 250-260gr. boolits and 14-15gr. max for the 300gr. slugs. These should be close to 30,000 psi., I would think. By how mild the recoil is, it's hard to believe 13-14gr. pushes this boolit out @ 1000fps., must be the sweet spot. :bigsmyl2::bigsmyl2::drinks:

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Originally Posted by Wireman134

By how mild the recoil is, it's hard to believe 13-14gr. pushes this boolit out @ 1000fps., must be the sweet spot.

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Just a tip, try the same bullet at the same velocity with Unique. 9.5gr-10gr will get you there or a little faster. It will do the same thing, but with a little less recoil.

Blue Dot is a good powder in some applications, but in large cases like the 45 Colt, it doesn't do much that you can't do with Unique. It is an excellent powder for full power loads in .40, 10mm, 45 Auto, and 12 gauge slug loads.

I like Blue Dot in 357 mag, 45 auto, 45 Super, 45 Colt, and 44 mag.

Felix, for 44 mag my brother-in-law and I shot 240 grain hardcast SWC's over 16.0 grains Blue Dot for years with no ill effect in his BH and my 629. It didn't seem to recoil that bad either, and fired cases just fell from the cylinder. This is listed as a max load in Lyman 49 and 47, IIRC.

In 45 Colt I use 13 grains Blue Dot (max in Speer 14) with the 250 grain GDHP for my New Vaquero and a S&W Mt Gun. Blows through 4 gallon jugs of water, destroying the first two. Perfect mushroom every time.

For Ruger BH, etc, I load 255 hardcast SWC's with 15 grains BD for around 1200 fps.

I like BD for mid-range loads because it burns so darn clean. With H110/WW296 even the outside of the cases are blasted with black soot that won't come off even after 6 hours in the tumbler. With BD I can almost load them again with tumbling at all. They even look clean on the inside of the cases.

anybody know how 19g of BD over a 200g SWC will do?

My son was watching me while I loaded 12 test rounds and I looked at 445 Supermag data instead of the Ruger 45Colt data. I usually double check everything after test batches and caught it then. I'd like to know if I need to toss these.

Lesson learned about "helpers" he's two and in his why why why why, whatcha doing why why why stage.

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Originally Posted by NVScouter

anybody know how 19g of BD over a 200g SWC will do?

My son was watching me while I loaded 12 test rounds and I looked at 445 Supermag data instead of the Ruger 45Colt data. I usually double check everything after test batches and caught it then. I'd like to know if I need to toss these.

Lesson learned about "helpers" he's two and in his why why why why, whatcha doing why why why stage.

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Yeah man,,distractions are what they are. It's hard to run em off when they are little,
but sometimes ya just gotta...

OP doesn't seem to be trying to magnumize the colt. His load should be a great moderate load. It should be clean burning and accurate.

I agree with Wireman's comment about the pressure curve of Blue Dot being ideal for the .45 Colt. 30 years ago, I did some testing to find a fast load for the 250 gr Lee SWC with the idea of keeping pressures low at the same time. People back then would never have dreamed of running the loads that some do in the Blackhawks nowadays. I got 1250 fps. with 16.5 grs of Blue Dot in and Arminius single action. Did split some cases, if you can get a tighter chamber than the standard one, this would stop. I kinda thought 1250 was fast enough, it was a butt kicking load. A salesman at Gallenson' in Salt Lake City called up Dick Casull when I was buying a S&W 25-5 and asked how well the Smith could handle that load. No problemo was the reply. I never used 16.5, but dropped to 15.5. I could afford to blow up an Arminius that cost me $100, not so a Smith (plus the pressure signs were nastier in the Smith). Blue Dot is a great powder for lower than magnum pressures. It will deliver almost magnum velocities with moderate pressures, and in the 12,000 to 28,000 psi range it positively rules. Kinda like the old HS7 in a .38 special.

12 grains of Blue Dot in the 45 colt and a 250 RF has been my favorite in the Ruger for years. And I do mean many pounds of blue dot.

I also use the Lee 250 SWC with 12.8 gr Blue Dot, burns fairly clean shoots accurately. I recently got the Lee 300 grainer and plan to try about 12gr with that. Wanna stay low enough that its very comfortable to shoot.

I would go up maybe 1 gr on each charge if I needed a bit more muscle. I don't really need any more than that, and if I did I would start looking at getting some 2400 powder.

I insist that my field pistols are shootable without earplugs for a shot or two. Therefore I must hold velocity below the speed of sound. I can get a 255 to a 1000 fps ok with unique but blue dot will ring my ears at the same speed. It was accurate enough but I just can't use it.
Worked great in my warmer loads in my 357 but everything in that gun rung my ears!

Wolfer

I believe that just slightly below the 30 Carbine for an ear piercing sound the 357 still ranks right there for ear pain!

Interesting, I haven't noticed Blue Dot being any louder than my other upper mid range loadings, which are mostly with AA #7.

If I get the urge hunt wild boar with my 45 Colt I may look into the slower powders you guys mentioned but for now I think 700X has me covered for super light target loads, and Blue Dot or AA #7 for max power standard pressure type loads.

I thought about trying the heavy loads but I would have to go buy some gas checks and slower burning powder. I will probably do it when I get a lever action rifle, but until then there's no need.

Gas checks not required with the Colt velocities, especially with taller grooves, rifle or not. Shooting faster would destroy the brass in notime with the large standard chambers. ... felix

.45 Colt new model vaquero 5.5 in barrel Stainless steel. Lee 255 RNFP homade lube
Lathesmith star sizing die.7gr reddot. 323 Lb Pennsylvania blackbear (PLEASE DON'T USE MY LOAD ONLY SAFE IN MY GUN)

Blue Dot is an excellent powder for stiff .45 Colt loads The most accurate load I found for my Ruger 4 5/8" Blackhawk is a Lyman 452424 255 grain cast bullet over 15 grains of Blue Dot. I have not chrono'd this load so I am guessing MV is probably about 1100 fps but is perfectly safe and seems very mild in my gun. THIS IS A RUGER ONLY LOAD!