Case forming with Blue Dot

[2manyguns]

hello all ,, iam looking for a starting point using Blue Dot powder to blow out some 7x 57 cases to 8x 57 using powder and kleenex any one ???????? thx in advance

[Wayne Smith]

I used Bullseye, not Blue Dot, but the process is similar. You need enough powder to expand the case and you can sneak up on this amount. I was expanding 9.3 to 10.5mm and I think it took three or four cases to find the right amount.

[2manyguns]

iam using 7x57 cases and the main reason i want to do it this way because i am waiting for dies to come from the west coast ,, its more of a make it go bang project , thx for your suggestion ... alan

[2manyguns]

thgx wayne i will start there

[36g]

I've used Bullseye for case forming .30-30 to 38-55. I use a little less than 10.0 grains Bullseye, a tissue wad, then fill the case up with cornmeal and another tissue wad. Standard rifle primer. Works well for me and have not lost any brass so far...

[15meter]

Never used Blue Dot for fire forming. Just cast loads in 30-06 and 375 H&H. 14 grains under the 311284 in the 06. 18 grains in the 375 under a 300ish cast if I remember correctly.

Based on that, I'd start at the 6-7 grain for Blue Dot.

I drop the powder, use a small piece of toilet paper(less than a 1/4 sheet on that small a case) tamped down with small rod/pencil depending on neck diameter. Fill to mouth with corn meal using a long drop tube. Tamp down again, to get enough room for a wax plug. I cast sheets of wax in an old pie pan about 1/8-3/16" sheet. Cases upright in a loading block and press the wax sheet down over the case mouth.

If I'm touching them off in the backyard I'll just use the toilet paper over the corn meal. If going to the gun club, wax on top to make sure I don't spill any on the drive there.

Always point them vertically, I've had only partial forming when shooting horizontally. They look pretty funny blown out lopsided.

[15meter]

I've used Bullseye for case forming .30-30 to 38-55. I use a little less than 10.0 grains Bullseye, a tissue wad, then fill the case up with cornmeal and another tissue wad. Standard rifle primer. Works well for me and have not lost any brass so far...

I used 10 grains of Unique on the 30-30 to 38-55, that's the one I learned about pointing vertically on. Surprised me on what a difference the horizontal to vertical made.

[TyGuy]

How loud is the report when fire forming like this?

[15meter]

You'll want ear plugs. That's why I do most of my fire-forming at the club. A handful in the backyard is one thing. 50 or a hundred stretches the definition of a good neighbor to the breaking point.

[megasupermagnum]

I can't help with case forming specifically, but based on my use of Bluedot, you should be able to figure out a good load based on Unique and 2400, which I'm sure somebody has used. Bluedot is basically 2/3rd the way to 2400 from Unique. Example, if the same case they recommend 10 gr Unique, or 16 gr 2400, I'd try 14 gr of Bluedot.

Those numbers are NOT recommendations, and are only there to represent how to use two common powders to figure out a comparable bluedot load.

[36g]

When I've used Bullseye per my description above I've just pointed horizontally (at gun club) and fired. The use of a tissue wadding material should eliminate the need to shoot vertically as the powder will be held in tight contact with the primer. The cornmeal held tight will provide sufficient resistance to develop enough pressure to form the brass. Any relatively fast burning pistol powder should work - Bullseye, Unique, etc. Start low and work up until satisfied with proper forming.

[toot]

what I do is to just run the 7x57. brass through the 8x57 dies. no fire forming is required.

[15meter]

When I've used Bullseye per my description above I've just pointed horizontally (at gun club) and fired. The use of a tissue wadding material should eliminate the need to shoot vertically as the powder will be held in tight contact with the primer. The cornmeal held tight will provide sufficient resistance to develop enough pressure to form the brass. Any relatively fast burning pistol powder should work - Bullseye, Unique, etc. Start low and work up until satisfied with proper forming.

My lopside case forming occured with the toilet paper/corn meal/toilet paper filled case fired horizontally.

Shot vertically no mis-formed case. Did it in 30-30 to 38-55 and 7mm Rem Mag to 458 Mag.

Probably could have increased powder charge and eliminated the lopsided cases but pointing vertically to use less powder worked for me.

[15meter]

what I do is to just run the 7x57. brass through the 8x57 dies. no fire forming is required.

But he said he wanted to try this while waiting for his dies to arrive.

And to make a little noise. Unusual notion for a gun guy to want to make noise, but to each their own

[2manyguns]

But he said he wanted to try this while waiting for his dies to arrive.

And to make a little noise. Unusual notion for a gun guy to want to make noise, but to each their own

also im in canada we are not able to leagally own gun Mufflers , apparently we all turn into assasins this according to our Pinko Gov.

[15meter]

I can't help with case forming specifically, but based on my use of Bluedot, you should be able to figure out a good load based on Unique and 2400, which I'm sure somebody has used. Bluedot is basically 2/3rd the way to 2400 from Unique. Example, if the same case they recommend 10 gr Unique, or 16 gr 2400, I'd try 14 gr of Bluedot.

With my 18 grain load in a 375 Ouch & Ouch pushing a 300ish grain cast boolit with reasonable alacrity, I'd be tempted to start a little lower than 14 grains.

I use 14 grains of Blue Dot under RCBS 180 grainers and Lyman 311284's. They whack dingers quite nicely.

Waste not Want Not

[megasupermagnum]

With my 18 grain load in a 375 Ouch & Ouch pushing a 300ish grain cast boolit with reasonable alacrity, I'd be tempted to start a little lower than 14 grains.

I use 14 grains of Blue Dot under RCBS 180 grainers and Lyman 311284's. They whack dingers quite nicely.

Waste not Want Not

I'll update above.

Those numbers are absolute NOT a recommendation. I picked them out of thin air to try and represent a good way to choose data for bluedot using two very common powders.

[15meter]

I'll update above.

Those numbers are absolute NOT a recommendation. I picked them out of thin air to try and represent a good way to choose data for bluedot using two very common powders.

At times a lot of what we do is akin to alchemy, best guess and hope for the best.

Without my having loaded Blue Dot your estimates would have looked reasonable to me.

Only reason I had a reason to experiment with Blue Dot was I found 5 lbs. at a garage sale for $25.

$5 a pound, I'll find a use for it

[megasupermagnum]

At times a lot of what we do is akin to alchemy, best guess and hope for the best.

Without my having loaded Blue Dot your estimates would have looked reasonable to me.

Only reason I had a reason to experiment with Blue Dot was I found 5 lbs. at a garage sale for $25.

$5 a pound, I'll find a use for it

I can give you recommendations on shooting bullets in rifles with bluedot. I can not give you a real number for case forming with paper, as I've never done that.

[wmitty]

If you have a case trimmer to cut the excess neck length off easily, it sure is easy to run a piece of .270 win brass into an 8 x 57 size die and prime and load it with cornmeal (or dry bagged rice), tap the case on the bench top and push a piece of tissue in the neck. The end of the chamber neck is very obvious on the fired,expanded case , allowing a very accurate neck length to be cut with an adjustable trimmer. I’d heard about the need to hold the muzzle vertically but deliberately tried to cause a misformed case but have not found one (yet). I have made a couple of hundred 8 x 57 cases this way, using first 700 x and then unique. I found about 5.5 grains of unique were needed to get the case neck to fully expand against the chamber neck, throat and leade (the start of the rifling is visible). Probably 7-8 grains of blue dot will get you what u are wanting on the 7 x 57 cases…