Blue Dot powder uses??

[fiberoptik]

I was at the gun show, and trying to remember what powders were used in cast booolit loads, and of course, I only remember 2400, Unique, and ??? Dot. I didn't find the other 2, but I found a BLUE Dot, so I grabbed it. (Couldn't find the little notebook with all the powders written in on the back page, don'tcha know...) When I got back online to check, it's all RED Dot. So, I've got .30 carb/30-30/30-40/.308/.30-06/7.5 Swiss, and a bunch of moulds to go with my LEE hand press and some dies. Can I use this stuff for any of them, or is it going to go into the stumps that I can't seem to remove?? Stupid needs help!

[felix]

I prefer BlueDot over Unique in almost all applications. Use Unique loads in the book(s) as starters, and then move to more powder when accuracy improves by doing so. ... felix

[bruce drake]

I have in my Lyman Cast Bullet Handbook Blue Dot Loads for 44 Mag/444 Marlin/221 Rem Fireball/256 Winchester Magnum/9mm Luger/38 S&W/38 Super/380 Auto/38 Special/357 Magnum/41 Magnum/44 S&W Special/45 ACP/45 Auto Rim

Blue Dot is a bit too slow for most applications but I did find the following loads for your M1 Carbine:

30 Carbine w/123gr Lyman #311576
6.5gr-8.8gr Bluedot
997fps-1290fps

30 carbine w/120gr Lyman #311359
6.8-8.8gr BlueDot
1066-1339fps

30 carbine w/130gr Lyman 311410
6.3-8.2gr Blue Dot
971-1249fps

Hope this helps

Bruce

[JSH]

Well Felix for all the help you have given me, many thanks. (I should add that this was with 30-30)
But I have had the exact opposite with BD compared to unique. I found the BD to be very position sensitive with the 30-30. I forget what load, but it was out of the book, TC 30-30 14". When shooting IHMSA from creedmore, the barrel gets all tipped around, thus moving the powder charge. Everything was fair to decent out to 100M. Go to 150 and beyond and it reared it's ugly head. Hold a dead center hold on turkeys and it would kick up dirt 3-6 feet in front of them. tip the barrel up and bump it against my leg and it would hit dead center. I shot a couple of matches with this load , was almost to the point of blaming the scope. I switched to SR4759 and have not looked back.
I had several guys say I was nuts and that they never had any problems with it either, but they shoot from the bags for the most part.
I have a pound of the stuff and am trying to burn it up in the 38's and 357's and a few 44's thrown in for good measure.
If you can enlighten me on the subject, I am all ears as to your findings.
My experiance with the BD has made me side step away from the other dots and most shotgun type powders.
Jeff

[felix]

Jeff, the only thing I can say about your experience with different positions using less than 80 percent capacity, and when using a fast through mid-speed powder, is to use the shotgun filler to fill the case up. I know that is a pain, but sometimes it is the only alternative when striving to optimize a certain boolit speed/recoil when a very slow powder cannot be found or is too expensive. I shoot it quite often in the 222 at 9 grains (40%??), but then that case is a 25 grainer case rather than a 37 grainer. Besides, I use a consistant angle of fire with that load as well. ... felix

[JSH]

Felix, from what I have found on this subject I have to agree. I see you mentioned it with the 222. I had originally planned on trying this with the 223 and FLGC's as they were bragging this up as to shoot excellent in the velocity of a hornet. I also have talked to several other folks that have had good sucess with BD in the TCU's.
I just think the case of the 30-30 may be to large or the taper of the case may not be friendly to the way BD burns. There was a big bunch of BD loads at AR, this fellow was using it in 223's up to 300 Win mag's. Some of it sounded pretty good, some of it was pretty questionable to my way of thinking.
Jeff

[Crash_Corrigan]

I load 13 to 15 grains of Blue Dot in my 8 x 57 MM Mauser Milsurp rifle. That is a 98/22 Mauser with a LOOOONG barrel. I use a Lee Moulded 170 Gr GC round and this produces 1500 to 1650 FPS @ 3,000 feet here in Vegas. Does this help as my 8x57 is a duplicate of a 30-06 ballistically.

[Pawpaw]

10.0 grains of Blue Dot under a hardcast .358 Keith Type semiwadcutter makes one heck of a .357 magnum load.

[Tristan]

Felix -

Does your preference for Blue Dot over Unique extend to the 45 Colt, 44 Mag, 357 and 38 Special?

I've found some pretty decent loads, accuracy wise, in those calibers using Unique, but it is a pain to meter. None are high velocity loads for caliber, except perhaps the 38 special.

Thanks for the guidance.

Tristan

[nelson133]

I agree that 10 grains under the 158 grain bullet is a good .357 load, I was shooting some today. I have to use gas checked bullets to keep the leading down tho. Shooting these in my Ruger SP101 with the short barrel is a lot like shooting full power loads in my M38 or M44 Big flash.

[454PB]

If the feds show up tomorrow and remove all my powders but one, Bluedot is the one I want. Works in everything from 9mm to .338 magnum.

[cropcirclewalker]

I have been playing with BlueDot loads in 30 caliber.

311291 in .30-30 8.4 grains gives a velocity around 1200 fps. That is too close to speed of sound. Go up or down and look for accuracy.

My favorite in .30-06 is 13 grains. 311284 Lyman #2, Beagled and sized to .309 Gives a velocity of 1323 fps with a standard deviation of less than 10 and pretty good accuracy at 50 yds in my '03 Springfield.

They say that 1400 fps or less doesn't require a gas check but I use them anyway.

Subsonic with a 311291 in .30-06 sized at .309 is 7.1 grains. 1031 fps real quiet and pretty accurate at 50 yds.

I was developing a "Squirrel off the bird feeder load"

I originally started loading Bluedot in .38 special. It was extremely position sensitive and based on an upthump or down thump before firing could make 150 fps difference in velocity. I also was blowing unburnt powder out the barrell and all over the floor of where I was shooting.

Bluedot is slow burning but with a long barrell it gets all burnt up and looking down the barrell of my '03, it's clean as a hounds tooth and I haven't cleaned it for a couple of months. I further notice no positional sensitivity.

I like it alot in my '03.

I do not have a need for speed

[fiberoptik]

SOunds like it might like my Swedish 96 with the new mould I got for her. I'm in the city, & need to "quietly" remove critters...

[rocklock]

I was reading in an old Handloader's Digest today that Blue Dot is excellent in the .38 Super.

[Newtire]

Used 12 gr. Blue Dot in .44 mag for one of the most accurate loads in Ruger Super Blackhawk. Use 10 gr with soupcan in .30-30. Use it with all kinds of bullets in .444 Marlin. Heavier bullet uses heavier charges effectively. Very accurate loads too.

[TCLouis]

Used 12 gr. Blue Dot in .44 mag for one of the most accurate loads in Ruger Super Blackhawk. Use 10 gr with soupcan in .30-30. Use it with all kinds of bullets in .444 Marlin. Heavier bullet uses heavier charges effectively. Very accurate loads too.

12 grains in the 44?
I assume this is with typical 245-250 grain boolit.

[felix]

Somewhere between 12.0-14.5 BD with 250 grainers in 44 mag is fine. Always remember that in straight cases especially, the use of the PSB filler to top up the powder to bottom of boolit is fine. Just be conservative on the powder load. ... felix

[Newtire]

12 grains in the 44?
I assume this is with typical 245-250 grain boolit.

Hi TC,
Yes, the load was 12 gr BlueDot with a 240 gr. bevel base 240 gr. lead, moly-coated bullet I got from an old workmate who had a bullet making shop across the street from RCBS up in Oroville, Calif. No filler used. A young guy 12 yrs of age shot a very small group of 5 with it. (much better than I could shoot). Don't know how small the group was but remember it being very tight. All-in-all a very nice load with low recoil.

[Calamity Jake]

Yesterday, at the range: Rem. 700 sporter weight 270 with Saeco #270 a 138gr checked and lubed with FL cast in 75/25 WW/Lino sized @ .278 Boolet with Fed. LR and 18.0 BD but 9 of ten shots into 1¾ inches @ 100 with the tenth shot opening the group to 2½ inches (misread the wind).
I couldn't get my chrono to work for the bright sunny skies so don't know the speed, but it was pretty brisk I estimate about 2000/2200.

This old Rem. 700 shoots ¾ minute with condoms, so the cast doing that good makes me happy.