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Thread: Whay do you reload with Red Dot?

  1. #1
    Boolit Master



    Bzcraig's Avatar
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    Whay do you reload with Red Dot?

    Was reading a thread about Red Dot in .38spl and saw posts where it's being used in more than I imagined. What are you loading with it and share the recipe if your comfortable doing that.
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    Quote Originally Posted by Bzcraig View Post
    Was reading a thread about Red Dot in .38spl and saw posts where it's being used in more than I imagined. What are you loading with it and share the recipe if your comfortable doing that.
    I use it, with a 215 gr Missouri Bullet for subsonic 308 but can't find the recipe at the moment.

    Sent from my SM-N920V using Tapatalk

  3. #3
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    4.2 grains under a 200 grain rf or h&g 68 works great in my 45's for a cheap general purpose. Also works well in 380, but that small charge is inconsistent in Lee auto disc.
    "In God we trust, in all others, check the manual!"

  4. #4
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    Everything
    12 gauge
    .357
    9mm
    .30-30
    .308

    Here is a 30-30 load I like

    5.5 grains 170 RNFP around 1050 fps and accurate
    What a fun load to shoot

  5. #5
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    How about 24.1 gr with the lee 7/8 key slug in 12g? Works awesome for me...

  6. #6
    Boolit Grand Master GhostHawk's Avatar
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    Click image for larger version. 

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ID:	198917Jmort nailed it, I use it in everything BUT SKS 7.62x39 And it works in that as well, but it turns it from a semi auto rifle into a straight pull bolt gun.

    My best loads
    4.6 grains of Red Dot and any cast bullet. Any caliber from .223 rem up to .357 mag.

    Beyond .357 mag you may want a little more oomph for the bigger bullets.

    10 grains and 13 grains below 185 gr GC cast at .314 sized at .314 in my Mosin.

    6 grains to 13 grains below any cast boolit in .444 marlin. Your choice, from light .44 mag loads up to 13 grains below a 310 gr gc Lee boolit suitable for buff or moose. Mild to wild. My first 3 shots with this at 13 grains gave me a perfect cloverleaf at 25 yards while sighting in my scope. Would have done it at 100 y also but I pulled one half an inch. Operator error.

    4.6 grains in .360DW brass with a 158 gr Lee round nose put 3 in one hole at 50 yards in my .357mag.

    4.6 grains of Red Dot in .30-30 with the little Lee 90 grain TC .314 sized down to .311 or .312 makes a sweet little small game load for my Win 94. With that distinctive bullet it would be easy to keep seperated. At 25 yards it hit right where it was supposed to to kill a critter.

    6 or 7 grains works fine with a 150-180 grain bullet for bigger critters.

    Red Dot works.

    But, accept that Red Dot loads may not always be the fastest.

    If you don't find accuracy walk the ladder BOTH ways, up and down.

    Red Dot will often in a rifle not function a semi auto.

    Red Dot in my Pistols works great. If cases are sooty go UP half a grain. More pressure, seals the brass to the cylinder wall better.

    One powder to load means buy in bulk. Buy 2-4 8 lb jugs at one crack.
    In theory this could have your costs down below 23$ a pound.

    At 4.6 grains per shot and 7000 grains in a pound your powder lasts a LONG time. Stock up on primers.

  7. #7
    Boolit Grand Master GhostHawk's Avatar
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    Marko I loaded mine with 21 and have not tested yet. But I suspect they will work just fine.

    Red Dot WORKS. Ask Mike Rowe!

  8. #8
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    If you're using a lot of Red Dot switch to Promo.
    Semper Fi!


    Currently casting for .223, .308, .30-06, .30-40 Krag, 9mm, .38/.357, 10mm, 44 Mag and 45 ACP.

    I like strange looking boolits!

    NRA Patriot Life Endowment member.

  9. #9
    Boolit Master
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    i'm currently loading 10,000 .25 acp's with 1.3 grains red dot under a itty bitty bullet.

  10. #10
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    Promo is good as well. I use both. Same thing, different volume.

  11. #11
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    Late 60s I was shooting a lot of trap. Bought Red RedDotDot by the keg. Don't remember the weight but it was significantly larger than today's 8 pound bottles. The burning rate was just a tad slower than Bulls Eye. There was no data available at the time so my buddies and I decided to try it with Bulls Eye data. Worked like a charm. I could load several thousand 9s and 38s and not even notice any was missing. It was like free Bulls Eye. Eventually after I quit shooting trap, I went back to Bullseye.

    Red Dot is a great pistol powder.
    First reload: .22 Hornet. 1956.
    More at: http://reloadingtips.com/

    "Any man who thinks he can be happy and prosperous by letting the
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  12. #12
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    I use Promo as it is less expensive but uses Red Dot data....it appears to be off-spec Red Dot. By that I mean density will vary lot to lot, but it performs the same by weight.

    Most is used in 12 ga Trap loads for singles and doubles. I load for .38, 9mm, .40 S&W, and .45 and can be used in those calibers if I run out of powders that are optimum in those applications.

    I run jacketed bullets in .223, 30/30, and .308 because they give best accuracy with the least amount of work. But RD/Promo will work well in the .30/30 and .308 if the SHTF and powder became scarce. I have molds for the CF rifles just in case.

    My minimum stock level for Promo is 6 jugs. I can use it in everything I load except 20 and 28 ga

    I use published load data and run under maximum.
    Don Verna


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    Is that 6 x 8 ???
    That is where I would like to be

  14. #14
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    I like the versatility & economics of Red Dot. Loading .380/9mm/38/45 pistols & 12 ga currently ( & 20 ga. later if I can), since I had a can of older stuff I wanted to use up. I have not yet tried it in 357/44mag, because I have some older 2400 & H110 to use up of the same vintage or older, so I have been using those powders first, but eventually will record the ladder tests of those 2 with Red Dot also.

  15. #15
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    when I started casting, I stumbled on a large lot of vintage (Herc) Red Dot, bought from a widow of a trap shooter/reloader. So I've tried it in many 'plinker' loads in many calibers...including:
    9mm
    40S&W
    45acp
    38spl
    41mag
    44mag
    45colt
    22hornet (for 22LR equiv)
    30-06 (for lightweight for caliber boolits)

    I've considered it for many other sub-30 calibers, but generally decided it didn't fit my goals with those guns.

    With all that said, I don't really like it when measuring small charges in a powder drop, so for the most part, I just use it in 41 mag now. (7.5gr with 195 WC as well as 210gr SWC)
    ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
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  16. #16
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    6.2 ish grains (whatever the Lee auto disk drops with the lot of powder) with anything from 200 gr SWC to 285 gr SWC in .45 Colt. Been using it since the early 90s since Mike Venturino mentioned using it in handloader. Picked up an 8 lb keg last year to use with cast bullets in milsurp rifles, trying 10.0 gr of it in 7.65x53 with NOE 314299 first.

  17. #17
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    Quote Originally Posted by jmort View Post
    Is that 6 x 8 ???
    That is where I would like to be
    Must be. It only comes in 8 lb. jugs. That's a lot of shooting.
    So many guns, so little time
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  18. #18
    Boolit Master dbosman's Avatar
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    Kegs were 12#.Attachment 198928

  19. #19
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    Quote Originally Posted by dbosman View Post
    Kegs were 12#.Attachment 198928


    Yes! That looks familiar.
    First reload: .22 Hornet. 1956.
    More at: http://reloadingtips.com/

    "Any man who thinks he can be happy and prosperous by letting the
    government take care of him better take a closer look at the American Indian."
    - Henry Ford

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    30-06
    30-30
    7.62x54r
    7x57
    308w

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Abbreviations used in Reloading

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