Blue Dot Safety Notice !

[Jim]

http://www.alliantpowder.com/safety/safetynotice.htm

[Kraschenbirn]

Interesting...

I wonder if their findings are based only on recent lot numbers. I've been using Blue Dot in magnum pistol loads...both cast and condom...since it was first introduced back around 1980. Loaded and shot literally thousands of fairly hot .41 Mags for metallic silhouettes without a single problem (that I can recall, anyway). Still have, maybe, a third of a 4-pounder from the mid-90s on the shelf. Oh well, don't own a .41 Mag these days, anyway.

Bill

[454PB]

Me too. I've been working on three 5 pound kegs I bought back in the early 90's. Bluedot is one of my favorite powders, and this changes none of my practices with it.

[jjamna]

Man I wish they would have found out sooner. I loaded about a hundred a year or two ago. Shot a couple in a handgun Thats all. Shot 20 or 30 in a rifle. Pulled the rest. I don't like a round that is punishing, those were punishing. I don't remember the exact charge but it was on the low end, still to much for me. I am glad I pulled them before they blew up my gun. Pistol is a Smith & Wesson anything else would have blew up (ha ha)

[oneokie]

Did not see any Lot #'s in that notice??

[Jim]

I gotta good idea this about recent lots. I don't use it, so it's not an issue with me. I posted it 'cause I know a lot of y'all do load with it. I'm sure there's some way of contacting them to get more details.

[copdills]

tagged for more information

[USARO4]

I know a lot of people love this powder but it seems to me there are always some issues with it. I bought some when I first started loading 15-16 years ago and I remember caution about its use during hot weather. I think Blue Dot gets more rumors and bad press than any other powder, true or not I dont know. I prefer to stay away from it, to many other good powders out there. Just my opinion, flame jacket in place.

[9.3X62AL]

Dunno if I have any 41 Magnums loaded with Blue Dot. Gotta check. I don't use 125 grain 357 bullets, so no problem on that score.

[missionary5155]

What I do not understand... what would be the difference between .41mag and .43mag (alias 44) ? If it is dangerous in one why not the other ?

[jimkim]

I have been using the same Hercules Blue Dot for twenty years. Now that I am finally down to a half pound they come out with this. I haven't loaded any with it since the warning came out. I never used it in 41mag and I don't use 125gr 357 mag bullets either. I just didn't want to take a chance with it.

[felix]

I will gladly take the powder off your shelf! 41 mag versus 44 mag is that the primer over fires the powder space in the former. Loads have to be adjusted accordingly, in addition to being just a different caliber. I have never had trouble with the powder, but then I don't shoot in weather below 45F. BlueDot depends on its moisture content more than other formulations; get the powder too cold and the moisture could freeze making the powder ignite faster. Hence, the primer has too much influence in the 41 mag case, especially in those situations where the powder can freeze. ... felix

[oneokie]

Curiousity got the best of me and I contacted Alliant.

Had to furnish date and lot #'s on containers. The lots that I have are not included in that safety notice.

[missionary5155]

I will gladly take the powder off your shelf! 41 mag versus 44 mag is that the primer over fires the powder space in the former. Loads have to be adjusted accordingly, in addition to being just a different caliber. I have never had trouble with the powder, but then I don't shoot in weather below 45F. BlueDot depends on its moisture content more than other formulations; get the powder too cold and the moisture could freeze making the powder ignite faster. Hence, the primer has too much influence in the 41 mag case, especially in those situations where the powder can freeze. ... felix

Greetings... Could you elaborate a little on this.. I have both calibers and I have a hard time understanding how in one the primer can overfire and not in the other if all things are equal. Loading dencity is very good in my loading with Blue. Are these warnigs possible in reference to minimum loads using Blue ?
And no you cannot have my Blue ... I still have a half a tom of WW to happily launch in the future.

[felix]

Unfortunately, current primer compositions provide force as well as heat. Ideally, you want the heat (or supersonic wavefront) without pushing the booit. Because that cannot be had, any force within the case before the boolit moves will collaborate in the ignition of the powder. Smaller the case, the more the problem exhibits itself. The 41Mag case is considerably smaller than the 44Mag case in volume. It would have been FAR better for the 41Mag case to have been designed for a small primer instead. ... felix

[missionary5155]

Thanks Felix I can understand the principle explained in that fasion. I do not imagine the manufactures would send out a notice unless they KNEW it was risky... But still in my thinking it is hard to see that much difference in the two cases. BUT I know there is a difference and somehow the 41mag case just is that minomer we do find in our Hobby off and on.
I can live with it... WW296 is my favorite velocity powder in 41mag. It was nice having Blue in use BUT there are other cases it works well in.... THANKS !!!

[Ghugly]

So, Alliant whipped up a batch of defective powder. Instead of replacing it, their solution is to tell us not to use it. According to the information that oneokie got, the load data is just as good as it ever was as long as you are using the non-defective Blue Dot.

It is comforting to know that Alliant "periodically reviews" their products to see if their current batches will blow us up.

[felix]

Remember, the industry is lawyer prone these days. Any reloader worth his salt will understand what is too much and when. BlueDot is pretty much alone out there with its speed rating. Others have tried and failed for one reason or another. It is difficult to manufacture (for the cost) a powder starting with that speed of BlueDot, and any powder between it and 2400. Our best one was WW630, and it was formulated with mixture of two varieties, one fast and one slower. Mixtures don't make it overall because of the difference in granularity required between the individual powders more than anything else. One of these days, hopefully some outfit can deliver a well behaved powder between BlueDot and 2400. Maybe the demand is too low to interest anyone. Cast shooters are not that plentiful, or nobody is around that would prefer a perfect 44 load, less than full snort loads, but greater than popgun loads. ... felix

[dromia]

What about Accurate no 7 and Hodgdon HS 7 are they not around Blue Dot speed and performance.

Blue Dot and HS7 were almost interchangable in my .455"Webleys.

Those were the days

[felix]

HS7 is for sure, and maybe AA7 is too. It would be nice to chrono all three at 14.5 in the 44 maggie with a 250 grainer. ... felix