Please excuse my ignorance, but what's the big deal with Blue Dot powder in the .223? I've scoured through the threads but can't find anything out about it. Why is it so popular?

I'm confused - Are you unable to find information about Blue Dot loads here, or are you wondering why some of us like doing it?

If it's the former, go to the search page and enter "Blue Dot .223" and particularly look at the references to Seafire's loads.

If it's the latter, I like using it because I can get somewhat slower velocities with little noise and great accuracy. There are other sites out there regarding this and other calibers; I can't remember the names offhand, and I'm at work at the moment.

Good Luck!

Blue dot's popularity, is based on economics mostly, as you can load many more rounds of ammo per pound of powder. There are other factors such as a quieter report, and excellent accuracy, and reduced recoil. Thats it in a nutshell. FS

Hey Steve, The current "Big Deal" is there are "some" Blue Dot Loads being passed around which have the "potential" to be dangerous because of the Peak Pressure.

If you look at the top of the Small Caliber Board right next to where you located the "New" button is the "Find" button. Click on it and type in Blue Dot and you should find a good many posts. Same on the Reloading Board.

Best of luck to you.

Thanks for the help guys. So the way I understand it, I can get around 3000 fps with a 40 gr bullet using 12 grains of blue dot and do it all with great accuracy and a quiet report. Sounds appealing.

quote:

Originally posted by Steve A:
Thanks for the help guys. So the way I understand it, I can get around 3000 fps with a 40 gr bullet using 12 grains of blue dot and do it all with great accuracy and a quiet report. Sounds appealing.

That's one way to put it.

Just about since the invention of the centerfire rifle cartridge, shooters have been seeking dependable and accurate loads that are less than full power. Blue Dot powder is unique (even more so than Unique) in delivering consistent velocities and accuracy in reduced loads. In centerfire .22's, Blue Dot will produce something like 1/2 to 3/4 the energy of full power loads and still give consisetent velocities and accuracy with very little noise or heat. With Blue Dot, you can make your .223 shoot like a .22 Hornet and do so very economically.

I'm planning to take my .223 Blue Dot loads (12.5 gr/ 50 gr Hornady/ 2850 fps) prairie dog hunting later this spring and use them for most of the <200 yard shots. Shooting copious quanities of such loads is easy on the both your barrel and your wallet.

If there is a financial savings involved by using BlueDot over any other powder, it is too miniscule to concern me...BlueDot has no redeeming features that cannot be bettered with other powders in these calibers, except in some rare case wherein your particular gun may dote on it and that would be the exception rather than the rule..

The 222, 223, and 6x45 are best used with H-322 for accuracy, and H335 for velocity..Either of these two powders can produce extreme accuracy and velocity depending on the particular rifle...

Also I don't like to use any powder that I can double dose a case with, at my age, a blond bombshell might walk by and I might lose my concentration.