Blue Dot Recommendations

[campfire]

My shooting mate has an almost full bottle of Alliant Blue Dot powder which he used a while back to load some 357 magnum rounds using the Hornady 158 gr HP XTP projectiles.
Mate doesn’t think he will be loading any more of the Hornady’s for some time and would like to use up the rest of the Blue Dot powder on some 125 grain LRNFP bullets. We aren't having much luck finding any data.
Can anyone here recommend any good 357 mag Blue Dot recipes for general target shooting at the range using these projectiles?
As always, any replies or comments most appreciated.
Campfire

 

[Steve C]

Alliant currently recomends against using Blue Dot in the .357 mag with 125gr bullets.

Blue Dot is a pretty slow powder and works well for jacketed bullets at magnum pressures and velocities. If you switch to a lead bullet, esp a light 125gr bullet you will have one of two thing. Load light enough not to lead your bore and you will get sooty cases. Load heavy enough to get BD into its optimal pressure and you will be sending that bullet out the bore at over 1,450 fps and get leading with a plain based bullet. I'd suggest using a hard cast 158gr lead bullet if you want to make cheap shooting ammo and another faster powder for the 125gr LRNFP's.

Sources for Blue Dot loads would be from Lyman or older Alliant data.

 

[Rule3]

I do not know why Alliant has the warning "buried" (hidden) under Getting started? It should be on their main page.

But as Steve said, NO to the 125 gr bullets and Blue Dot.

Alliant Powder - Safety Notice

 

[matsu]

Alliant Blue Dot is OK with published loads for lead 125gr it's jacketed 125gr that doesn't match up to published loads even they can be used at starting load and working up

 

[n4zov]

I tried Blue Dot years ago and finally gave up on it as a magnum pistol powder because it didn't do anything particularly well. It was also somewhat unpredictable with near max. loads. Unlike most other powders, an additional .1 or .2 grains sometimes made a big difference in pressures. I just didn't find much to recommend it for handgun loads.

 

[Skip Sackett]

Blue Dot was one of the first powders I used for 357Mag loads when I started loading. The only problem I had with it was that it is inversely temperature sensitive. What I mean by that is that the colder it got, remember I live in the Great White North , and at 30*F I started getting 2000+fps from 158gr bullets from a 6" barrel!

Now, I like hot rounds BUT when the cases wouldn't hardly come out of the cylinder, I figured I had some overload problems! When it was hot, 70*F, those loads were right on the money. Since I couldn't guarantee when I would shoot the loads I had, I gave up on the powder.

Maybe "Down Under" you won't have to worry about something like that.

Have fun and be safe!

 

[Rule3]

Alliant Blue Dot is OK with published loads for lead 125gr it's jacketed 125gr that doesn't match up to published loads even they can be used at starting load and working up

Where in Alliants safety notice does it differentiate between lead and fmj projectiles?

 

[matsu]

Blue Dot problem occurred when they changed manufacturing plants as did others John Taffin found Alliant 2400 burning about 6 percent off Handloader magazine had a article last year on why Blue Dot was different

 

[38-44HD45]

Blue Dot makes good flower bed fertilizer. I've used it some over the years, mostly in 10mm, but I've never found it to be the "powder of choice" for much of anything else. In .357, if you want maximum loads, Blue Dot is too fast (and too brittle and unpredictable) and if you want light loads, it is too slow and dirty.

 

[campfire]

My thanks to each of you for your comments on this post.
Looks like my mate might have to get himself some good 158 grain lead projectiles so that he can use up his Blue Dot .
Campfire

 

[Rule3]

I have used it and sometimes still do for full max loads of 357. It works well for max or near max loads. Lower charges tend not to burn well and "spits" unburned powder.

 

[Paul5388]

Blue Dot, for me, is an outstanding powder for reduced rifle loads. That being the case, I have about 8 pounds of it.

I never have found it to be especially useful in handgun loads, but bottle necked cases are an entirely different situation.