Greendot is a dirty powder with my 44 special loads

[chutestrate]

Right now I'm using a local hard cast 240 gr bullet and a light crimp. I loaded 5.7gr of greendot with cci lpp. Accuracy is good out of my ruger super redhawk, but lots of smoke and dirty cases.

Should I use a little more crimp? This is my first use of greendot.

It really isn't a huge issue since I'm using it for a target load, but I'd like to clean it up.

[felix]

Increase pressure to clean it up. If the it was PB instead of GD, you'd be in fat city with no changes. ... felix

[Silvercreek Farmer]

Are you using a 44 special case or trying to duplicate a 44 special load in a 44 mag case? 5.7gr in a special case should be more than enough to seal the chamber, but may be a little light in a 44 mag case. If you are using a 44 mag case you can work up to 7 grains (per current Alliant data) until the case seals. Should help some with the smoke as well, but most of that is probably from the lube. So you know what they are lubed with? If it has parrafin in it, it may smoke excessively...

[chutestrate]

Thank you. I'll take a look at my load data. I think I was close to the top of the load data in my speer book. I'm not sure what the lube composition is. It's a blue hard commercial lube. I've recovered some of my loads and lube is still intact after hitting the dirt backstop.

[gwpercle]

The only data I can find for 44special/ Green Dot/ 240 gr. lead boolit is in the Speer #9 and it shows 5.7 grs as max with a starting load of 5.2. None of the other 4 loading books had any data for Green Dot. So you are correct about the load. If loaded into 44 magnum cases, the harder brass is the culprit. I load light with cast bullets in a 41 magnum but had to anneal ( soften) the case mouths and down about 1/2 the case body to get the same problem eliminated. With a good medium crimp. Not light crimp. Rather than anneal magnum cases use 44 special cases with a medium crimp and I bet you will be good to go then.

Gary

[MT Gianni]

Use 44 mag cases and up the charge to 7 grains. Next time you order bullets get a softer alloy and a slightly heavier bullet 250-260 gr but keep the same charge for +-1000 fps and good accuracy.

[chutestrate]

Great idea. Thanks. For my indoor range use I have to use non-magnum loads. I am only using the 44 special cases when I shoot indoors. It keeps the range nazis off my back. Much easier to show a special case than to explain it's a special load in a mag case...

[W.R.Buchanan]

Green dot requires a higher pressure to burn clean. I ran into this loading 12ga shotshells a few years ago. I was trying to load light, and Green Dot is simply not a powder that works well for light loads.

After I increased the charge my problem went away.

I don't see Green Dot as a very good powder for .44's, since it will be difficult to get the pressure up high enough for a clean burn without approaching the danger zone.

It's more a shotgun powder. Plenty of other better powders.

Randy

[Shuz]

My favorite load for many years has been 8.6g of Green Dot with a 429421HP. Great accuracy if .703" at 25 yds for 5 shots is good enuf. Can't always achieve that, but I have shot countless 5 shot groups with that load that are "around" an inch. Gun is a 5" S&W Classic DX with a 5"bbl. Velocity is at 1084 fps.
A Hercules rep once told me that Green Dot usage in the .44 mag is a "well kept secret". I 'spose the "secret" may have something to do with the fact that it takes about 10% less Green Dot than Unique to achieve the same results in a .44 magnum; and they are in business to sell powder!?

[tazman]

I have a copy of the alliant 2010 data manual that lists a maximum load for green dot with a 240 grain cast swc as 7.0 grains. Link to the data manual is as follows-
http://castpics.net/LoadData/Freebies/RM/Alliant/Alliant10.pdf

[David2011]

FWIW, 231 in my .44 Special cases is very clean. The bore looks freshly cleaned even after shooting cast when I use 231.

David

[TMenezes]

I am wondering if the smoking is partially caused by the commercial hardcast bullet. I bought bunch for my .44 mag / 44 special as the deal was so good I couldn't hardly cast them for cheaper. Here were the problems that immediately devolved.

1. Bullet was way to hard, they shattered instead of deforming. I don't have the ability to test but a quick call to the manufacturer stated the lead was 21 to 22 bhn.

2. They were to small, measuring .428 on my less than steller calipers.

3. Lube was as you describe, harder than crayons. It stayed in the lube groove after being fired. Or sometimes cracked and fell out before or during loading. Seemed useless as a so called lube.

So while I have heard Green Dot can be smoky, I bet it would improve significantly with larger bullets, softer bullets, and a decent lube. Now I just toss a few of these into my pot as the useless lube seems to be a decent flux.

Good luck :-)