what's Green Dot good for?

[Chuck Jones]

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

 

[mtgianni]

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.

 

[max]

Years ago we loaded some light 38 loads with it. Check out Alliant and see what they say.

 

[ArchAngelCD]

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...

 

[kennyb]

why not just check in a recipe book for it's applications?

 

[ArchAngelCD]

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.

 

[Forrest r]

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

 

[kennyb]

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

 

[JohnK]

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.

 

[dmar]

^^^ .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...

 

[38-44HD45]

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.

 

[Chuck Jones]

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

 

[kcwheel]

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.

 

[Superflywimpy]

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.

 

[NKJ nut]

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.

 

[btruman]

My neighbor up the street is a believer in Green Dot for .45ACP loads with the 200 gr LSWC.
BT

 

[Dave_n]

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

 

[VAdoublegunner]

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.

 

[johngalt]

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.

 

[Chief RID]

It is good on your morning corn flakes.