I am new to reloading and for the life of me i can not find any powder other then Alliant BlueDot, So my question is will Alliant BlueDot work with reloading 40 s&w and 9mm these 2 loads are the only one's i will be reloading.. it's sad that i can not find any alliant unique powder any where in florida ;/ thanks for the help

Welcome to the forum!

1. Get a manual.

2. Use loads from the manual.

3. Yes, Blue Dot can be used to load both 9x19 and .40 S&W.

Alliant Powder - Reloader's Guide

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Excellent answer. +1 from me...

Thanks, i looked at the link you posted are these the only weights i can use? i have 170gr 40 and 145gr 9mm.. and my manual is on its way ill have it monday

If you haven't already. Get in touch with Alliant powder online. Request a reloading guide. I got mine yesterday, it's one of the best I've ever seen. It's also free.

Yeah, Rocky, that's why I posted the link to the Alliant online reloading guide.

I would especially caution you to stick with manual loads in the .40. And I would strongly caution you to tread carefully with Blue Dot: I've been handloading for over 25 years, and I think of BD as an "expert's powder" because it can be tricky toward the upper end of loads and sensitive (increasing pressures) when temperatures drop.

That said, I really like Blue Dot. I've used it in .40, and . . . well, I was happy with the velocities I got with it, but alarmed when they jumped by about 100 fps when temperatures dropped 15 degrees between recorded sessions. I backed off that particular load (near but not at max), but . . . well, the .40 is sort of a touchy round for reloading, too.

I've also had great luck with Blue Dot in .41 Magnum (for years - but then Alliant said, "DON'T USE BLUE DOT IN .41 MAGNUM") and in .357 Magnum . . . but I've had some really freaky experiences using data from older manuals with the .357. Freaky as in, I pulled over 95 loaded rounds rather than shoot them (and I'm something of a hot dog, too). I absolutely love Blue Dot with 180-grain .357 loads.

Just be cautious - use new load data and follow the instructions exactly. Start low and work up. It can be a tricky powder and the .40 can be a tricky cartridge. Be careful and don't hot-rod, and you should be fine.

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Can you elaborate on your "freaky experiences"?

I would imagine Erich has had the same problem with Blue Dot the rest of us have........weird pressure spikes. Sometimes I think the term, "out of the Blue" had something to do with Blue Dot!

There have been a few lots of Blue Dot over the years that were scary-hot. I remember one batch that was blowing primers with starting loads in a 4" 357, a 686. The batch before that was mild. I quit using it!

All VG advice. If you were experienced in reloading, I'd say go for it. However, given that Blue Dot is mostly used as a "magnum load" powder, and known for the cautions above, it's not a good choice for a newbe to learn on/experiment with. Given your situation, I would recommend against Blue Dot. Ask around you're local gun club ( even shotgunning clubs), and I'm sure you can come up with somebody who is willing to sell you a 1/2 # of W231, Unique, Clays, red dot, etc. to get you through this drought. Shotgunner's in particular generally keep 8# cans of this stuff around. A 1/2# of powder goes a LONG way in handgun loading.

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Dave

I seem to remember about a year ago, maybe more, there was a warning in one of the gun mags about a change in formula/data with Blue Dot. They dropped some recommended loads, whether to update the data or some other reason escapes me now. I think they moved manufacturing to a different facility, you can probably research this.
I use Blue Dot in .41mag (or at least used to) and .44 mag only.
I've really grown fond of Power Pistol in 9mm and .40S&W lately. 2400 in .357 & .45 Colt. I've got to get some of the newer powders like Trail Boss, Ramshot and others to work with. Feel stuck in the past sometimes.
RD

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