On 1/23/04 I was doing a comparison between several powders using the same components. It was 73 degrees F that day, even though it was in January.

I checked the chronograph with Federal Match .22 LR that has the velocity printed on the box. The results I got were consistent with what was printed.

With 13.0 gr of Blue Dot in R-P .357 Brass with a 125 gr Golden Saber and CCI 400 (small rifle) in a 6" Ruger Security Six, I clocked the following:
1. 1430
2. 1421
3. 1438
4. 1403
5. 1403
The average MV (not instrumental) was 1458 fps.

Using the same components, except 14.5 gr of Blue Dot, I clocked the following:
1. 1500
2. 1500
3. 1462
4. 1410
5. 1422
The average MV was 1497 fps.

The 14.5 gr loaded had to be bumped out of the cylinder and it only produced 39 fps more velocity than 1.5 gr less powder. That's a pretty good indication 14.5 gr is an overload, even with a lot of powder that wasn't as new as what they say they're having problems with.

As a comparison, still using the same components, I also clocked 1500 fps MV with 10.0 gr of 800X and 1624 fps MV with 14.0 gr of SR 4756. However, the Blue Dot load was the only one that had to be bumped out of the cylinder.

I really don't see a problem with the 13.0 gr load, if 1450 fps is all you want with a 125 gr bullet. After all, that's about 400+ fps faster than those factory loads I wrote about earlier.