IMR Red discontinued! Need a new powder.

J

Jeff Napoleoni

Member
Joined
May 11, 2014
Messages
74
Reaction score
49
Location
Kenosha, Wisconsin
IMR Red discontinued, what a shame. I am looking for a new load. I'm shooting a Model 19-3 and a Colt Detective Special. 10 to 1, I shoot 38 special. 2 loads using IMR Red: Semi-wadcutter and wadcutter. So I am looking for a new powder. Any recommendations?
 
Register to hide this ad
I use Longshot for most mid-range to standard velocity, heavy lead bullet reloads. For 158 grain 38s, 4.0 to 4.5 is pretty accurate. The 4.5 grain load is slightly more accurate than 4.0, but the lighter load works well in my Bodyguard for pleasant shooting.
 
Last edited:
No experience with IMR Red, but it is one of those that came along and went away while some of the old time favorites have kept chugging along.

In .38 Special my range load is a 158 cast SWC with 4.5 grains Unique. For field use I up that to 5.0 grains, which is at or very near book maximum for standard pressure .38 Special.

For +P level I load 5.4 grains Unique with either the 158 SWC or a 150 SWC-HP.

My old PPC competition load with 148-grain wadcutters was 3.0 grains Bullseye. Used to shoot 3000-plus rounds per season, zero problems.

Both Unique and Bullseye have been around for about a century, while dozens of others have come and gone. There might be a reason for that.
 
Never heard of it. Must be one of those powders they dreamed up to replicate 9 other powders already on the market that isn't available. but I digress.

Looks to be a shotgun powder for light 12 ga loads. Many of us, including myself have used those powders to load our everyday low pressure pistol cartridges like 38 spl and 45 acp. Personally I use American Select (load data is available) but I think any of the powders listed here within the same approximate burn rate of IMR Red would work. I've even worked up a load for 38 Short Colt using American Select. I think it's more of a question of what's available.

I honestly think we could get by with about 10 different powders, but then I'm not marketing powder to reloaders, am I?
 
Last edited:
LostintheOzone said:
Never heard of it. Must be one of those powders they dreamed up to replicate 9 other powders already on the market that isn't available.

I honestly think we could get by with about 10 different powders, but then I'm not marketing powder to reloaders, am I?
Click to expand...

Or even fewer than 10. Three each for shotgun, rifle, and handgun would come close to filling nearly all propellant needs. Especially considering that many shotgun powders work equally well as handgun powders.

Regarding Alliant Red, there are at least a half-dozen other powders having near-equivalent ballistic properties which would serve equally as well as Alliant Red in any application.
 
Last edited:
At one time long ago, Red Dot was my do-everything powder. 12 gauge trap and skeet, .44 Mag, .45 ACP, and .38 Special. That worked OK and greatly simplified logistics. I bought it in those red 8-lb steel kegs Hercules once sold it in. As I remember, about $20 per keg. Red Dot even works well for making pipsqueak loads for most CF rifle calibers for small game and close range plinking and target shooting. I used it for both .30-'06 and .30-30.
 
Last edited:
I’ve had very good results with Accurate #2. It meters very consistently, clean in light loads, consistent velocities and isn’t position sensitive. With light bullets like 125gr I use Nitro 100NF. Nitro100NF is very close to bullseye but just slightly faster. It’s another economical, consistent metering, clean burning and consistent velocity orders that’s not position sensitive.
 
Promo comes in 8 lb kegs only and is sold by Alliant as a shotshell propellent for Trap shooting. It loads with Red Dot data but is a lot cheaper if you can find it. It is a bit more dense than Red Dot so it should meter better. It might be easier to find at Trap ranges that sell reloading components than online distributors.
 
Never bought any IMR Red.
However I do like the way that the very bulky Red Dot fills up a 38 & 9mm case
and works with x-lite to full loads, with a clean burn, for this flake powder.

W231 and Green Dot will work but you will need a little more powder
to get the same fps, in your loads, for these slower powders.
 
I only use 3 powders for all my rifle and pistol loads. I don't load shotgun ammo any more but one of the three I keep on hand would work for that. Actually started using left over shotgun powder (American Select) for low pressure pistol cartridges and never bought a pistol powder marketed as such.

The three that covers all my bases is American Select, 2400 and W748.

Companies are free to market whatever they want, even create new products, but the powder companies have jumped the shark. It has to be expensive to market powder. Why not just consolidate the products and spend the money making what people know and want. I haven't seen a new Pontiac, Hummer, Oldsmobile, Saturn or Saab on the road in awhile.
 
I have never used Red Dot it in .38 special but it is the most accurate target velocity cast bullet powder "I" have ever found for .41 Mag and .44 Special. It should be great for 700-800 FPS with a 148 WC or semi WC 150-160 gr.
 
Red dot runs a close second to Bullseye in my 38's. I find both more accurate than AA2. I like AA2 in the 45 acp and 9mm.
 
Photog said:
Is it just me, or is it strange that all the major powder companies can't keep up with demand for a lot of the "commonly" used powders, yet can introduce many new powders into production? Maybe I am just old and grumpy...
Click to expand...

It is sort of like going down the cereal isle in a store.
More company items, up the odds of a sale.
 
mtgianni said:
Red dot runs a close second to Bullseye in my 38's. I find both more accurate than AA2. I like AA2 in the 45 acp and 9mm.
Click to expand...

jem102 said:
I have never used Red Dot it in .38 special but it is the most accurate target velocity cast bullet powder "I" have ever found for .41 Mag and .44 Special. It should be great for 700-800 FPS with a 148 WC or semi WC 150-160 gr.
Click to expand...

Red Dot and IMR Red aren't the same thing.
 
toad67 said:
Try some Clay Dot, it's right next to IMR Red, on IMR's burn chart and seems fairly easy to get.
Click to expand...

Hodgdon/IMR not only discontinued IMR Red but all the IMR (Colors) so using Clay Dot probably isn't a good idea if you find any.

What's wrong with using the originals instead of the copies?
Red Dot/Promo are very economical powders to load with.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Similar threads

R
Winchester WST powder
2
Replies
21
Views
2K
trulyapostolic
trulyapostolic
B
Another one bites the dust
2
Replies
28
Views
2K
rwsmith
rwsmith
G
Newbie Powder questions
Replies
18
Views
1K
Yendor357
Y
J
Hodgdon HP-38 powder
2 3
Replies
49
Views
7K
geeollie
G
T
Powder help for 357
2 3
Replies
40
Views
1K
222remx4
2

Latest posts

Back
Top