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?

Wasn’t IMR Red supposed to be a near substitute for Red Dot? Why not go the other way and sub Red Dot for IMR Red?
Froggie

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.

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.

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Life of the party until 8:00PM

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?

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That's just somebody talkin.

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.

^^^^I now use Varget with complete satisfaction in all my rifle calibers, but I don't use magnums.

Just switch back to Red Dot which was what IMR Red was made to rival Red Dot. The Red Dot users didn't switch over so Hodgdon discontinued the copies.

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Freedom is never free!!
SWCA #3437

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.

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.

Try some Clay Dot, it's right next to IMR Red, on IMR's burn chart and seems fairly easy to get.

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Todd

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.

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That's just somebody talkin.

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.

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Front sight and squeeze

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...

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Have Canon, Will Travel

It is sort of like going down the cereal isle in a store.
More company items, up the odds of a sale.

Red Dot and IMR Red aren't the same thing.

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Todd

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.

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Freedom is never free!!
SWCA #3437

... and I've never seen or heard of IMR red, green or blue until I saw them here and looked them up. I've never seen it on any website data either. It must be a regional thing. I use IMR rifle powder. I see data for Red and Blue on the IMR webpage but I've only encountered IMR 4227 in my travels.

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"He was kinda funny lookin'"

Try Red Dot , easy to find (sometimes ?) , lots of data .
38 special - standard pressure loads :

148 gr. cast wadcutter (WC)
start - 3.8 grs. Red Dot @ 843 fps .
Maximum - 4.3 grs. Red Dot @ 900 fps .

158 gr. cast semi-wadcutter (SWC)
start - 3.5 grs. Red Dot @ 792 fps
maximum - 4.0 grs. Red Dot @ 891 fps.

The "classic" bullseye target load ... one that is very hard to beat , is that cast 148 gr. wadcutter (or a factory HBWC) over 2.7 grs. Bullseye !
This one is my target / paper punching load and won me a couple trophies in local competitions !

When I can't get Bullseye or Unique for 38 special loads , Red Dot is my first choice "default" powder . I am pretty sure IMR-Red was developed to compete with the popular Red Dot ... but it (IMR-Red) sure didn't last long .
Gary

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Certified Cajun
NRA Member

Me Too !!!
My wife even gave me a Tee-shirt that says ...

"Old and Grumpy" , not just one of Snow White's Seven Dwarf's ... It's a Way of Life !

If the T-shirt fits ... wear it proudly !
Old and Grumpy too ,
Gary

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Certified Cajun
NRA Member

Try RedDot. (Or promo, same. Stuff without the dots).