I was talking with a friend tonight who said that he knows a guy that has been reloading for quite a while. To the point, He has fired some .30-06 that has been loaded with Red Dot and says that they are pretty quiet and work. Have any of you tried anything like this? And if so what would the results be?

Red Dot is far too fast, and is only good for fire forming Wildcat cases, with a cotton ball.

DON"T load it with a bullet.

The ONLY load that I have used with 'Red Dot' as far as rifle ammunition is a VERY inaccurate "practice" load consisting of 13gr. behind bullets ranging from 150-180gr. (in .30-06, and .303). There were no signs of eccessive pressure or any case deformation. And the loads did have very little report or recoil, but are AMAZINGLY inaccurate. The BEST group I have shot with the .303 was 12" at 50yds. (180gr. SP) and in the .30-06 was 11" at 50yds. (150gr. SP). I tried these loads for use with my son in mind (fun practice) but I can't see having fun shooting if you can't hit anything with them. My opinion...this was a waste of time and 'Red Dot'. I'd try SR4759 or something simmilar for reduced loads, they seem to work MUCH better.
-B

Reloading cast bullets over small charges of fast powders is fairly common. While I've never used Red Dot, I do load a 140 grainer over 7 grains of unique for my 6.5x55 swede. This gives about 1,000 fps, is fairly quiet out of the 28" barrel, sub moa at 100 yards and it's much more effective on critters than a .22 LR. It's also a good way to help beginning shooters "move up" from the .22 LR. This sort of load is something which should be worked down to over a chrony to insure that you're getting consistent combustion and you're not creating a load which might stick one in the bore. A similar load is certainly possible in the '06 with Red Dot. BD

There's a famous load, C.E. Harris's "The Load". It consists of 13 grains of Red Dot under a normal for caliber weight bullet bullet in any of the midsized cases. Because Red Dot is so bulky, it greatly reduces the chances of double charging or ignition problems which are often a concern in reduced loads.

In .30-06, this means you would use a bullet in the 150 to 170 grain range and get somewhere around 1400 to 1500 fps. Works with either cast or jacketed bullets. It's just the ticket for offhand practice, starting new shooters and cheap plinking.

The other thing this load is good for, and what I have used it for the most, is shooting odd milsurp. It works in almost anything and at pressures that I am more comfortable with shooting hundred year old rifles with unknown histories.

Although it doesn't seem to have worked out too well for False Muzzle...

Last year I had two rifles come in that were damaged by inadvertent double charges of fast burning powder in cast bullet loads. This was exceptional. Usually it's only one a year. Use caution when using this type of load. Regards, Bill.

I have been using "the load" as detailed by Mr. Harris for three years now in several different rifles with no ill effects, and I have been watching very carefully for any signs of problems!
My 30/06 load with 13grs. of Red Dot, Lake City brass, WSR primers and 130 Horn. jacketed bullet is consistently less than 1 MOA at 100 yards. This is a fun load to shoot and has resulted in many rounds of offhand practice for myself and daughter.
Also used the 13Gr. Red Dot is a 7x57 with 120 jacketed bullet, not quite as accurate(bad barrel) but fun to shoot. No case fillers were used in any of these loads. Careful reloading protcol should protect you against double charges, if you can't be careful don't use these loads.