Red Dot light target loads for .38 sp & .357 mag

[JWFilips]

Just wondering if any of you out there may have some light target loads using Red Dot powder in 38 spec and /or .357 mag.
I have a nice light & accurate Bullseye load with a 125 gr TC hard cast but I have a few pounds of Red Dot in my loading room from my shotgun shell loading days and would like to make use of it. Doesn't seem to be much new published data on using it with casts. I have gone back in my old handloading books and found a few that mention it with a 148 gr wad cutter in 38 special (3.8 grains to 4.2 grs)
Anybody got anything else

[TCLouis]

I would stat here.

Current and known data source

http://www.alliantpowder.com/reloaders/default.aspx

Follow to loading info

[rhbrink]

I have tried Red Dot a few times in my .357 shooting between 4 and 5 grains behind a 160 gas check and a 160 plain base boolit and never had great accuracy. Bullseye and Unique both give me much better groups. Just my experience your milage may vary.

Richard

[Thumbcocker]

4.5 of red dot behind the Lee 158rf has been a good one for me.

[freddyp]

I like 3.7gr of Red Dot behind an RCBS 158CM. I moves along at 800 fps out of my 4" GP-100 and 950 fps out of the Ruger 77/357. It basically duplicates the factory 38 loads in my guns.

[JWFilips]

Well I loaded up some 125 truncated cone hard casts yesterday late afternoon.
I did 12 rounds 3.5 gr , 12 rounds 4.0 grain and 12 rounds 4.5 grain ...Red Dot powder, Federal Small pistol primers & .357 mag cases ( about half a die tun for my crimp) Fired these last night off a rest at 20 yards from my S&W 19-6 6" barrel
The 4.0 gr loading nearly duplicated my normal 4.5 gr Bullseye target load. On a good day with my Bullseye loading off a rest I can get 1 inch groups ( Chronographs in at about 930 fps) The Red Dot load .... 10 of the 12 shots into about 1.5" group ( with two going higher) & printed almost the same impact area as the Bullseye which is suprising because I would think the 4.0 Red Dot has to be much slower in FPS.
Strange... but I'm happy....... its like getting a few pounds of free powder It was just sitting there on the shelf!
Thanks For the replies

[EDK]

IF you like RED DOT, go try PROMO. Same weight, but different bulk so check your powder measure when switching. My local gun shop has PROMO for $96 per eight pound bottle; RED DOT is approximately $116.

I'm out of PROMO and have been using TITEGROUP in my 44s of late. Time to get some more PROMO and primers on the next trip to GRAFS.

[Thumbcocker]

What was velocity on the red dot load?

[Rocky Raab]

Bullseye and RedDot are very very close in burn rate. In mild to moderate loadings, you can use the same charge weight of RD that you'd use with Bullseye and get nearly identical results.

[9.3X62AL]

Bullseye and RedDot are very very close in burn rate. In mild to moderate loadings, you can use the same charge weight of RD that you'd use with Bullseye and get nearly identical results.

Yessir. My experience also.

[JWFilips]

That would explain why they shot to similar impact points.
No, I did not have the opportunity to Chrno the Red Dot Load.
All in all it is a nice load for mild shooting target work & that is what I do most. So i will load up 50 or so & see if it stays consistant. If it does I will enter it in to my favorite loads files

[spiritwalker]

Just wondering if any of you out there may have some light target loads using Red Dot powder in 38 spec and /or .357 mag.
I have a nice light & accurate Bullseye load with a 125 gr TC hard cast but I have a few pounds of Red Dot in my loading room from my shotgun shell loading days and would like to make use of it. Doesn't seem to be much new published data on using it with casts. I have gone back in my old handloading books and found a few that mention it with a 148 gr wad cutter in 38 special (3.8 grains to 4.2 grs)
Anybody got anything else

I have been loading 38 Special using Lee 105 gr LSWC over 5.0 gr of Red Dot with great results. Accuracy is very good at 10-15 yards even out of a 2 inch barrel.

[bedbugbilly]

Jim -

My 3rd edition of the Lyman CBH doesn't show RD for the 121 gr TC but it does show it for 121 gr RN.

121 gr RN 358-242 mold - Red Dot - 38 Special Cartridge

3.3 gr. Red Dot Minimum Load 749 FPS
4.6 gr. Red Dot Maximum Load 974 FPS

I use RD once in a while in my 38s and love it in my 45 Colt. I usually use 3.7 gr. of RD under either a 158 gr. RN 358-311 or a Lee TL 358-158 SWC in my 38s. Otherwise, my favorite is 3.5 gr of Bulls Eye with those same boolits.

I also use RD in my 38 Colt Shorts - 2 gr. of RD under a 121 gr. 358-242 RN or the Lee 356-121TC. The 38 Colt Shorts make a nice fun plinking round out of my 3" J frame.

I also use RD with that 130ish gr. 8mm NOE group buy mold that you also were in on. I use that boolit with 8 gr. of RD in my 8mm GEW98 Mauser - light load and does well for me at 50 yards. Gives you something else you could try some of that RD with!

Jim

[toallmy]

I'm using red dot in 9mm,38,357, and 45 acp and liking it.

[Ed_Shot]

In .357 I use Red Dot/Promo 5.0 gr for 120 gr. ~ 160 gr. boolits (358242 (120), 358495, 358477, 358156, 358-158-RF) with excellent results. For 38 Spl my favorite load is the 358242 (120) over Red Dot/Promo 4.2 gr. For the heavier boolits in 38 Spl I load Red Dot/Promo 3.0 gr.

[GhostHawk]

I cheat, my .357 is a single shot Handi rifle.

4.6 grains of Red Dot under the Lee .358 158 round nose put 3 boolits through one hole at 50 yards.
Hole is smaller than a dime. They open out a little bit at 100, but I bet I could hit golfballs at 100 with no misses on a good day.

[GhostHawk]

I'm using red dot in 9mm,38,357, and 45 acp and liking it.

To that I can add .223 with bater boolit both with gas checks and without.
7.62x39 handi rifle, .300bo handi rifle, hipoint carbines in 9mm, and .40sw (9mm seems to be wicked accurate) 7.62x54r Mosin and .444 Marlin with the Lee .430 310 grain, both the mosin and the .444 are at 13 grains, and have plenty of punch.

My SKS prefers IMR4895 in 20 grain doses to cycle the action under the Lee .312 185 gr gas checked.

But the Red Dot is so economical to load, and I pretty much only kill paper these days.
So no real need for high speed, power.

[bedbugbilly]

GhostHawk - nice shooting! Is that 4.6 gr of RD and Lee 150 RN in a 38 special casing or 357?

I have a .357 Handi that I'm still working on getting a good load figured out. Too many things going on this summer to really play with it very much. Fun rifle though! I have used RD in it with some sample loads that shot fairly decent. I stopped to get some powder a couple of weeks ago and they didn't have any 1 lb. containers of RD but did have some 8 lb jugs. I opted to get a pound of Green Dot to try in my 45 Colt. I'm seriously thinking of going back and seeing if I can snag a 8 lb jug of RD just to have it on hand as it would last a looming time!

Jim - looks like you have a good load figured out! I don't load/shoot much 357 out of revolver as I'm down to just a couple 357 SA revolvers after doing some horse trading. I do have some brass brass on hand though and will load some up to try out of those - probably use a 121 RN (358-242). Please keep us posted on your loads will you and how they are working out? Fun stuff!

[zomby woof]

I use 3.0 grains of RD in 38 spl with 125, 150 and 158 grain boolits. I go up to 5.0 in 357

[GhostHawk]

Bedbug those were actually loaded in .360dw cases untrimmed. Seems a lot of handi .357 mag chambers have a long throat. So I measured, did a chamber cast, measured, stuck an empty case in, snapped shut, slid right out. So I set a bullet in a dummy loosely, pushed the case in, gave the case a tap with a rubber mallet. Used that to set my die + 1/3 of a turn. So that boolit is not touching the rifling, but it is really close to it.

.357 mag cases with the boolit set long are almost as good.
I have over 200 rounds of .38 special loaded but have never tried them