blue dot replacement

[muzzleblastm38]

here in canada the powder supplied is non existent,even from the manufacturing near us,am looking for blue dot,ther out for more than a year,now looking for a replacement:?:

[MarkP]

For shot gun or handgun use? Our LGS has had the slower shotgun powders in stock; Alliant Pro-Reach, Steel, etc.

Alliant Power Pistol, Hodgdon Pro Reach.

[muzzleblastm38]

its for 8mm ,i have a good load with blue dot in 8 mm mauser,at bench i can do 8 x and 2 10,and off hand 90 out of 100. but alliant in canada ,its like having a white deer in hunting season

[Calamity Jake]

Try AA #7, #9, 1680 or 2015 or Hodgdon 5744, H4227 or H4759 The IMR versions will work too.

[sundog]

Vv n105.

[Bohica793]

Try AA #7, #9, 1680 or 2015 or Hodgdon 5744, H4227 or H4759 The IMR versions will work too.

5744 is Accurate (Western Powder Company), not Hodgdon.

[detox]

2400 is very close

[muzzleblastm38]

OK whent to the gun store ,they have only une pound of lever action Im stock.is it good for cas boolet Im 8 mm

[MT Chambers]

Only if your 8mm is a lever action.

[9w1911]

17grns of BD in my Marlin 44 is hard to beat

[blaser.306]

You may have "better luck" finding an unclaimed LB of Alliant Steel powder , if you do a search here you will likely find that it has been called a slow lot of blue dot and a fast lot of 2400 YMMV. but might be more "doable" , Things are starting to loosen up for powder here in western Canada so with a little luck the same will follow true in the east sooner than later.

[rhbrink]

How about Longshot close to Blue Dot and 2400 on the burn charts? I have been trying some in some 22 cast bullet loads and so far it's working very well maybe not quite the accuracy of Blue dot yet! But I'm just getting started.

RB

[xacex]

True blue? I know it is supposed to be a knock off of blue dot.

[Bullwolf]

After taking a look at the Hodgdon Burn Rate chart...

40. Ramshot True Blue
41. Accurate Arms No. 5
42. Hodgdon HS-6
43. Winchester AutoComp
44. Ramshot Silhouette
45. VihtaVuori 3N37
46. VihtaVuori N350
47. Hodgdon HS-7
48. VihtaVuori 3N38
49. Alliant Blue Dot
50. Accurate Arms No.7
51. Alliant Pro Reach
52. Hodgdon LONGSHOT
53. Alliant 410
54. Alliant 2400
55. Enforcer
56. Accurate Arms No.9
57. Accurate Arms 4100
58. Alliant Steel
59. Norma R123
60. VihtaVuori N110
61. Hodgdon LIL'GUN
62. Hodgdon H110
63. Winchester 296
64. IMR 4227
65. Hodgdon H4227
66. IMR SR4759
67. Accurate Arms 5744
68. Accurate Arms 1680
69. Norma 200
70. Alliant Reloader 7
71. IMR 4198
72. Hodgdon H4198


We see that at #40. Ramshot's True Blue is quite a bit faster than #49. Alliant Blue Dot. If you can find it though, True Blue is supposedly a very consistent powder to use across a wide variety of load ranges. I've been looking for it, for quite a while now.

At number #50. on the burn rate chart Accurate Arms #7 should be really close to #49. Alliant Blue Dot.

I found #58. Alliant Steel, to be about 1 grain slower than #49. Alliant Blue Dot.

In other words using 1 grain less of Steel, than Blue Dot gave me similar velocity readings in straight wall Magnum pistol cases. I had read someplace that Alliant Steel was intended to be a less temperature sensitive replacement for Blue Dot. It actually turned out to be a pretty effective Blue Dot replacement for me.

http://castboolits.gunloads.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=105259&d=1403162857&thumb=1

Since there is so little data available for Alliant Steel, it seems to remain on the shelf longer as well. I often can purchase Alliant Steel for quite a bit less per pound than other more popular powders.

Alliant Steel is a very large sized flake powder. (2.28mm)

http://www.ilrc.ucf.edu/powders/sample_detail.php?powder_id=5

http://www.ilrc.ucf.edu/powders/documents/powder%2000000005/SP_Ref__600_10x.jpg

The larger flake size can make it problematic to meter, but it's quite good at filling cases up. Even better than Blue Dot which was also a somewhat bulky flake powder.

http://castboolits.gunloads.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=105262&d=1403162857&thumb=1

http://castboolits.gunloads.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=105261&d=1403162857&thumb=1

16-17 grains of Alliant Steel in a 44 Magnum case, is nearly a compressed load. Yet it behaves quite predictably as did Blue Dot when it was at near or full case load densities.

Despite Alliant Steel being placed #58. in the burn rate chart, the lot I tested seemed much closer to Blue Dot, and was actually faster than #54. Alliant 2400 for me. This was readily apparent after a couple chronograph sessions with Blue Dot, Steel, and 2400, in the 357 and 44 Magnum.

Brotherdarrel and Bullshop did quite a bit of work on the Alliant Steel Powder thread, trying to pin down the burning rate of the powder. I added some magnum handgun chronograph data at the end of the long thread as well.

http://castboolits.gunloads.com/showthread.php?171896-Alliant-Steel

Sometimes it's hard to get a good feel for a powders burn speed just looking at a burn rate chart. Especially when many powders of similar burn rate are occupying many of the same numbers.

A burn rate chart is only a general guideline of what powders you should try working with in a cartridge anyways. Two very similar seeming powders may behave differently at higher, and lower pressures.


- Bullwolf

[leadman]

If you can find Unique just drop your load a couple of grains and try it. I bought some Unique today from a local shop.

[madsenshooter]

Here's a burn rate chart that puts things in a bit better perspective:http://gsgroup.co.za/burnrates.html I think Steel, if you can find it would be your better BD subsititue. Something about those flakes blowing around in the case just makes magic happen. I have noted however that these high nitro powders make the throats go fast on Krag barrels.