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Old 11-22-2010, 12:07 PM
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Default what's Green Dot good for?

Back in the powder and pimer shortage I grabbed a pound since it was the only handgun powder available, and I have no idea what it's good for.

Will it work with .38 Special 158 gn, 9mm 124gn, .45 ACP 230 & 200 gn?

or .44 Special, .45 Colt 250gn Remington LRN

or light .44 240gn. and .41 210 gn. magnum loads?

Is that enough questions in one thread?

TIA,

/c
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Old 11-22-2010, 12:43 PM
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I like 7 gr Gr Dot on a 44 mag under a 429421 250 gr cast, try 5 gr in the 44 Special same bullet. The mag load gives you close to 1000 fps out of a 6" bbl.
I got a lot of unburned flakes in the 32 H&R and have never tried it in 38.
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Old 11-22-2010, 01:11 PM
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Years ago we loaded some light 38 loads with it. Check out Alliant and see what they say.
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Old 11-22-2010, 01:20 PM
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IMO Green Dot is a lot like W231/HP-38. Anything you can load with W231 you can load with Green Dot.

As to your question about the .38 Special, .45 ACP, 9mm, .44 Special and .45 Colt, YES, it's a great fit. If I didn't like W231/HP-38 so much I could live with using Green Dot...
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Old 11-22-2010, 01:29 PM
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why not just check in a recipe book for it's applications?
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Old 11-22-2010, 01:46 PM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by kennyb View Post
why not just check in a recipe book for it's applications?
One reason is just because there are loads listed for a caliber and powder doesn't make them good accurate loads. Sometimes a powder will work in a caliber but not work well.
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Old 11-22-2010, 03:04 PM
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I used to buy greendot in the 8# kegs & used it in alot of different loads. some of the best loads I found for it was:

30-06 loads: I used to use a lyman cast bullet 311467 with 13gr of greendot. Had excellent accucary with that load. I used to use that load to practice my service rifle positions at 100yds on reduced target.

20ga: Used 13.5gr with winchester aa cases & waa20wad with 7/8oz of shot. That was an excellent skeet load for me.

38spl: Used 2.5gr with lymans 35891 148gr wadcutter bullet. Accurate mouse fart target load.

44spl; Used 4.8gr with a lyman 429421 bullet. Used to use this load in a charter arms bulldog.

44mag: Used 9gr with a lyman 429421 bullet. A good all around load.

45acp: Used 4.8gr load again with a lyman 452374 bullet. Another good target load.

I found greendot to be a excellent powder that's extremely versatile. I'm sure that you'll find a load that works for you with it.

Good luck & enjoy
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Old 11-22-2010, 03:11 PM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by ArchAngelCD View Post
One reason is just because there are loads listed for a caliber and powder doesn't make them good accurate loads. Sometimes a powder will work in a caliber but not work well.

oddly i haven't found any that are that far out of kilter
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Old 11-22-2010, 03:17 PM
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I bought about 20 pounds, decades ago, when I was in the Air Force, and shot a bit of skeet.

It would work for the 20 gauge, and for light loads in the 12 gauge.

Don't shoot skeet anymore, but I am STILL loading the left over powder in 9mm, .38 Special, .357 Magnum, and .45 Colt. My dwindling supply, will likely last me for my lifetime. Don't shoot the volumes I used to.

The higher up officers at Randolph Field, had some contacts in the industry, and I believe we paid right at $ 0.60 per pound. They brought it to the base in the Citation jets, used by the General officers.

Needless to say, a great deal.

The kegs of Green Dot, are right at 43 years old, so much for smokeless powder going bad.
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Old 11-22-2010, 04:46 PM
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^^^ .60 per pound, wow, those were the days!!

I use Green Dot for my 12 gauge trap loads, and like it a lot. I have not tried it in any pistol rounds, but would love to hear peoples loads/results...
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Old 11-22-2010, 05:15 PM
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Used to use it in shotgun loads, and toyed with it in .38 Special and .45 ACP. I liked it a lot in 12 ga. loads. Never got very accurate results in the handgun calibers, so quit using it in them. Erich used it for awhile in .38 Special, and learned that it burns very hot and therefore leads worse than other powders running the same bullets at the same velocities.
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  #12  
Old 11-22-2010, 05:33 PM
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Brilliant, you guys are the best, thanks for all the info!

Looks like it wasn't a bad purchase even though I paid a bit more than 60 cents. Only 33 times more!

/c
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Old 11-22-2010, 06:22 PM
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We use Alliant's max load of Green Dot under a Winchester 125 gr. JHP. This is a general purpose load for any revolver, generally quite accurate.
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  #14  
Old 11-22-2010, 07:17 PM
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Default It works pretty well in a 44 magnum

I use Green and red dot in my 44 and you get more loaded rounds per pound than the small grainier stuff. Just for plinking and noise making on pots and pans,you cant beat it.
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Old 11-22-2010, 09:04 PM
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I load 4.3 grains of Green dot in 9mm with my 124 gr. bullet. Very pleasant to shoot and very accurate. It is also my powder of choice for .38 Spl DEWC. 3 grains to be exact. Both of these are loads I settled on after a lot of experimentation. If i deviated much from those charges accuracy deteriorated. Which is fine; I can load what I know works.
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Old 11-22-2010, 09:34 PM
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My neighbor up the street is a believer in Green Dot for .45ACP loads with the 200 gr LSWC.
BT
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Old 11-22-2010, 09:39 PM
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Green Dot, Clays International, 700X and 231 are almost the same burn rate in pistol calibres. Have been using the CI for 20 plus years and simply substitute GD figures if CI not given. Anywhere from 0.32 to 0.455 and in between!! Dave_n
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Old 11-22-2010, 09:47 PM
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It's a good 20ga powder.

In 25-20 I like 4.0 grains with a 85gr plain base cast LFN.

I also like it in 45-70 with a 405gr cast bullet. The load data is in the manual, I think. Easy to shoot and very accurate.

Works pretty well for cast bullets in 44SP and 45 Colt too, but I prefer WSF.

Like most of the shotgun powders, it is fairly easy to adapt to a lot of handgun loads.
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Old 11-22-2010, 11:36 PM
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Green Dot was the first powder I tried. I had decent luck in .45 auto 230 gr FMJ. It was horrible in my .38, and meters very poorly. Once I used up my 1 lb can I was happy to be done with it.
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Old 11-27-2010, 05:52 AM
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It is good on your morning corn flakes.
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Old 11-27-2010, 06:31 AM
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Good morning
Green dot is another of those shotgun powders that works well in any pistol cartrige with mediun loads. Use it about the same as Acc #2.
I think I have used it in all those calibers you listed except 9mm as I just do not load that one.
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Old 11-28-2010, 04:57 PM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Dave_n View Post
Green Dot, Clays International, 700X and 231 are almost the same burn rate in pistol calibres. Have been using the CI for 20 plus years and simply substitute GD figures if CI not given. Anywhere from 0.32 to 0.455 and in between!! Dave_n
Hodgdon says to NEVER use Clays International in pistol ammo because pressures are unstable and can become dangerous. I would suggest no one use that powder for handgun ammo. I have used Clays and Clays Universal and both work well in handgun ammo but I would pay attention to Hodgdon's caution about Clays International.
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Old 11-28-2010, 05:50 PM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Chuck Jones View Post
Back in the powder and pimer shortage I grabbed a pound since it was the only handgun powder available, and I have no idea what it's good for.

Will it work with .38 Special 158 gn, 9mm 124gn, .45 ACP 230 & 200 gn?

or .44 Special, .45 Colt 250gn Remington LRN

or light .44 240gn. and .41 210 gn. magnum loads?

Is that enough questions in one thread?

TIA,

/c
PM me your e-mail address and I'll send you the pages from the Alliant 2005 Reloadig Manual. It has data for Green Dot in 9mm, 38 Special, 45 ACP, etc.
Tony
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Old 11-28-2010, 08:13 PM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by ArchAngelCD View Post
One reason is just because there are loads listed for a caliber and powder doesn't make them good accurate loads. Sometimes a powder will work in a caliber but not work well.
A good accurate load can often depend on the individual firearm. What is accurate in one pistol/revolver may not be accurate in another. Also accuracy is a subjective term. an accurate bullseye load may not work for IPSC, or vice versa.
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Old 11-28-2010, 09:46 PM
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Alliant Powder - Green Dot

Alliant Powder - Reloader's Guide
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Old 11-29-2010, 05:48 PM
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Quote:
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A good accurate load can often depend on the individual firearm. What is accurate in one pistol/revolver may not be accurate in another. Also accuracy is a subjective term. an accurate bullseye load may not work for IPSC, or vice versa.
It was a general statement about why someone would ask about accurate loads using a certain powder in a certain caliber. It wasn't a statement about Green Dot in particular.
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Old 11-29-2010, 06:42 PM
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Well, here is the bottle mine came in:


I got it for one reason and one reason only. Someone told me it was the cat's meow for cast 9mm loads. Um, not in my guns!


It sits on the shelf and may get given to a "friend" to use in their setup!
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Old 12-05-2010, 06:07 PM
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I use Green Dot in some 44 mag and spec loads as well as 45 acp and 38 S&W. I think I used it in some 32 acp as well. I like the pop and smoke in gives in 44 mag and spc cast bullet loads.
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Old 12-10-2010, 02:47 PM
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It's my go-to .38 Spl powder (and W231 as well)
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357 magnum, 44 magnum, 45acp, bullseye, colt, ipsc, remington, skeet, universal, wadcutter, winchester

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