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Looking for a starting load of Blue Dot in 45 LC? I have a lot of Blue Dot I'd like to use up and just bought a Miroku Winchester 1892 in 45 Long Colt which will be used in 25yd paper target shooting. The Boolit will be a cast lead 200gr SWC. Any advice is welcome.
I'd start with 11.0 gr. for a 200 gr. lead bullet and adjust as needed.
DG
Thank you
Blue Dot in a 'touchy' powder. I had a bad experience with it in a .45LC (7 1/2" Ruger BH). Had some 255gn SWC in it and loaded it to around 1100fps (don't remember the load).
1st two rounds went ok, between 1100 and 1200fps (I was lucky I was using a chronograph on this day as I usually did not). Third round a much louder 'bang' and sharper recoil. Vel was over 1500fps. I was perplexed. I carefully raised and cocked the hammer and lowered to shoot, 1150fps. Thought about it. Lowered the gun, raised it to shoot. Another loud bang and over 1500fps.
I carefully raised and lowered to finish the 20 rounds I had loaded. Didn't use it again in the LC. Makes great heavy bullet .357mag loads. These days I use it in my .308win subsonic loads.
Last, some older reloading data had some too hot loads for BD in the .357mag. Some still do not list any BD loads with 125gn bullets for the .357.
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11.4 was my Go To, Fun load with 255 LSWC in my 44Mag...should work just fine in yer .45...Quote:
Originally Posted by Der Gebirgsjager
Mild, and never a hint of issues!!! In My Guns....
Hercules Blue Dot burns different from the modern Alliant version. Use data from new manuals. Blue Dot does not like low load density.
Later,
Stephen
Blue dot is erratic from one same load to another if you bother to check velocities in handgun loads.
One is 1100 fps ,the next can be1400, 1200, 1100,1400, all over the place.
Best used in magnum duck or goose loads in shotshells for my money.
And it really works well there.
Especially in cold weather with hot primers.
Better powders around than Blue Dot. It is touchy stuff, and I dont get why its that way.
New manuals dont show Blue dot for the 44 mag, not sure about the LC, but they are pretty close to the same capacity..
That said, 6 grains of Green Dot works well in my 44 mag, for a mild plinking load. Probably would be great in a LC as well.
Never a moments trouble, out of Green dot, and I have used it in reduced cast loads in many rifles as well.
It seem to be really stable and predictable.
I've tested (chronograph and pressure tested) Blue Dot (both Hercules and Alliant) in the 357, 41 and 44 magnum cartridges with both jacketed and cast bullets. I've never found Either Hercules or Alliant Blue Dot to be erratic or touchy. What i have found is it requires a certain pressure level to burn efficiently. That is no different than many powders. The Lyman 50th Edition manual has loads for Blue Dot in all 3 cartridges with all of the listed bullets, cast and jacketed, in 41 and 44 Magnum. All the bullets except the very lightest have Bleu Dot data for the 357 Magnum. Since I first conducted an extensive test of Both Hercules and Alliant Blue Dot in the 44 Magnum under the 44-250-KT in 2009 I have been using 17.3 gr of Blue Dot under both the 44-250-KY and the Lyman 429421. That load runs a measured 32-33,000 psi and runs 1413 fps out of my 6 1/2" Ruger FTBH. It is an excellent load.
I've recently been testing Blue Dot in my 308W match rifle (Win M70 with 12" twist) under the 30 XCB bullet. Last test of 14 gr yielded excellent accuracy of 1.25" twenty shot group at 100 yards. For the 20 shot group the SD was 9 fps, the ES was 32 fps and the average velocity was 1715 fps. Nothing erratic or touchy about that.
As to the OP's intended use; "just bought a Miroku Winchester 1892 in 45 Long Colt which will be used in 25yd paper target shooting. The Boolit will be a cast lead 200gr SWC", I concur that Blue Dot is probably not a viable powder to use.