Sorry for the incomplete report but was very excited about the first range test. I loaded just ten Blue Dot loads for my 223 and 40 V-max. I loaded PMC cases all prepped with Win small pistol primer, turned necks and such. The first 5 were 10.5 grains, 50 yards, 1st shot was 1/4" right, clean barrel, the last 4 were in the same hole dead center 1/4" low from my normal load. No recoil, very little noise, you can see the hole appear in the target. I then tried 11.0 grains and the group was the same center but moved up 1/4" to dead center. Wow, I'm jazzed. My normal load is H4198, WSR, 40 V-Max. Now I can have a light load with the same center as my normal load. Cool!
David

David;

Welcome to the club. I am sure Dutch will sound off in favor of this also as soon as he sees it.

Did you get the idea from the Calhoon bullets web site?

I usually settle on 12.5 grains of B.D. and get about the same velocity and point of impact with everything from 40 grains to 55 grain bullets.

If you shoot a lot of it, you will also notice the nice little feature of it takes eternity to heat up a barrel with B.D. It must just be such an efficient load or something.

12.5 grains will give you a MV of 2600 fps. Sited 3 inches high a 100 yds, put you dead on at 200. I figured that since 80 % of the prairie dogs that I take are within that distance, it is my main load. You can also get 600 rounds out of a pound of powder! ( 700 if you like your 10 grain load.)

Talk to a gunsmith also, and he will tell you that at that velocity, the life span of your barrel just got increased about 5 fold.

For anyone interested, 15 grains of blue dot in a 22/250 also does a great job.

I've never done this, but it sounds interesting. However, other than extending barrel life and cost, why would I want to do this? What applications is this more suited for than loading normal rounds?

This interests me as a way to introduce my son to a centerfire rifle. Do you use a filler to take up space inside the case?

Coot

Jethro,

My original rationale was to have a round I could shoot a lot of, at low cost, with good accuracy and consistency, when 80% of the quarry was shot within 200 yds. Sitting right besides the rifle in the field is a 22/250 that has a 40 grain bullet at 4450 fps for the 20% of the shots beyond that range. ( 5.5 inches high and dead on at 500 yds.) there is a method to my madness.

Cooter:

Blue Dot is a bulky powder on its own and is almost like little snow flakes. No filler is needed. I have loaded just 4 grains of it in a 223, and only 5 grains in a 30/06 with a 110 grain bullet, No Filler and No Problems.

It has become my go to powder for downloading a lot of stuff. The only cartridge that I did not have any consistency in ( and who knows why) is the lowly 30/30. A 30/40 Krag, it performed fine in.

For only 5 grains in a 30/06 case, I use a mag primer for the hotter spark, basically because it should not matter how close that little powder is to the spark if it is a big spark, was my reasoning. It has worked out well, since I have pointed the rifle downhill just to see if I got delayed ignition or anything. I did not.

The 5 grains and 110 grain HP is definitely subsonic, but I have never gotten around to chronographing it, as I have not known anyone that it really had any interest from. However, I can verify that the kick is non existant. Kicks less than a 22 Hornet in a varmint weight barrel. Accuracy is surprising!

This is the opposite end of my knowing what my rifles can do on both ends. 5 grain loads with a 110 grain bullet on one end in a 30/06 and a 200 grain Speer at 2800 fps plus on the other.
That is why I hand load.

Any chance that your 11 or so grains of Blue Dot would cycle the action of an AR-type rifle? I'd love to have an accurate download to use in mine.

jethro ,
Sometimes a quieter load and one that won't destroy a lot of meat are desired. When you can get your walk around varminter rifle to shoot a mild load to the same point of impact it's a good thing.
David

seafire/ B17G ,
I found the information from several websites on loading. I did check out the Cahoon site too. I weighed all this information for awhile before comitting myself to buying the powder. Now I'm jazzed to say the least. First try and it was great.
I did try some 4759 in the past that was alright for some loads.
Another nice thing about the blue dot is the smell. Smells like shotgun hunting.
David

Stronics, It is a winner isn't it.

Stoney: I can verify that 12.5 grains will give you 2600 fps with a 55 grain FMj in a bolt action 223, 24 inch barrel. I hope this might give you some indication if it will cycle the bolt on a semi auto.

Only other way is to try it.

Good luck

Jethro, I use the bluedot loads anytime I am worried about noise, cost of the ammo, barrel heating, or pelt damage.

For reference, 10 grains behind a 55 grainer gives 2320fps.

It's not something we talk about much, but most people's shooting takes place from 100 to 200 yards out, especially varmint control. If I see a coyote, coon, skunk or whatever at the feed bin at 6 in the morning, I can take him out with the bluedot load. If I took the 223WSSM, one of my "weekend neighbors" would be on the phone to the sheriff's department in a second.

I've had the sheriff's department out after one of those "shots fired" calls (I took out a muskrat at 8 PM about 100 yards from a house with an ex employee -- from California). I don't know who was more P.O.'d: me, or the deputy who left his dinner on the table to answer the call...

Another reason, if I take out one of the red foxes I've got on my list for the winter using the 223 with full power loads (N133 at 3300 fps), my wife STILL won't have her fox trimmed coat..... LOL! FWIW, Dutch.

I was always lead to believe that there was "great danger" when using small loads of pistol powder in bottleneck cases. Is Blue Dot bulky enough to be safe?

Reed, Blue Dot is quite bulky, and the charges discussed here run right around 50% of the space in the cartridge. A double charge is immediately evident.

One should still use common sense and caution, and flash-light check each case. I've never double charged a case, but I have had powder bridge in the powder measure discharge, leaving a case grossly overcharged. Fortunately, the flash light check caught it.

When loading a couple of hundred cases, it is tempting to "get on with it" and seat the bullet. I resist the urge, as in my mind the flash-light check is an essential safety step we should never omit. JMO, Dutch.

I can verify that 15 grains of Blue Dot with a 55 grain bullet or under is not going to harm a Bolt action rifle, or blow a primer.

If you load ten grains or more, then you can not double charge the 223 case with Blue Dot as it will not hold it, and will overflow. Another little margin of safety.

Dutch, if you are like me, and load Blue Dot for Prairie Dogs etc, you load a big volume of them.
I usually charge about 50 cases, and then let it sit, come back, charge 50 more cases and then let it be again. Sometimes I charge 250 cases that way before I seat the bullets.

I know what it is like to get excited, so I have to " fool" myself on it. I have not missed a case while doing this method. I have double charged them, when the wife sticks the head in the garage and does the " honey I need you to help me with...." and you come back. I have never done the miss a charge, and only had the primer and had to get the bullet out of the barrel after shooting. I consider that the most dangerous, as you shoot the rifle, and Blue Dot has such a low recoil and noise, you may just think you missed the target. Then you shoot a charged round that hit the bullet in the barrel.
Then YOU have problems.

Dutch,

I load 11.5 gr of BD, and I have tried to intentionally double-charge cases several times to test if this should be a concern. Every time, the case overflows with powder. I would guessimate that 11.5 gr of BD gives 60-65% fill rate, making it quite safe from an accidental double charge.

2400 is another good powder for .223 reduced loads.

12.0gr 2400 55gr. Hornady

I'll be trying around 8.0 of Blue Dot with the 40 VMax in a .221 Fireball soon. I'm looking forward to creating a centerfire .22 mag.

BigIron

I am glad I saw this post. Thanks for the info.

I have been wanting to down load my 222. I need something a little quieter so that I don't wake the wife and kids when the critters show up in the yard.

Daryl

I have only been into this for 3 days, but the way I see it...



The .223 normally has a chamber pressure of 55 kpsi, a muzzle pressure of ~ 10 kpsi, and a velocity of 3200 fps.



The 22 hornet normally has a chamber pressure of 38 kpsi, a muzzle pressure of 3.5 kspi, and a velocity of 2200 fps.



The .223 loaded with 15 gr of Blue Dot will produce 55 kspi of chamber pressure, 5 kspi of muzzle pressure, and 2900 fps.

no big deal.



But the .223 loaded with 10 gr of Blue Dot will produce 23 kspi, 3.5 kpsi of muzzle pressure, and 2200 fps.



This means the noise, velocity, cool barrel, and cost of powder are like a 22 Hornet, but the brass will last a very long time, and you don't have to buy a 22 hornet to get the quiet and economy.

Clark,

I am chronographing 325fps with 14.5 grains of Blue Dot with 40 gr HP and 46 grain HP bullets from 5 different 223s., with 26 inch barrels.

Loading up some this morning, to go back over for somemore ground squirrel shooting, I got the itch to try Blue Dot loads in the 22/250 that I just got back not long ago from getting rebarreled. So far it only has about 250 rounds thru it.

I have previously loaded up to 18.5 grains in the 22/250 case with blue dot. however, I have 6 rounds that I loaded up with 2 cases each, ( 20 grains, 21grains and 22 grains) > I am suspecting somewhere in there to give me max velocity. At first I will see what makes the primers to show too much pressure. Then I will go out and chronograph them.

I am setting on the 40 and 46 grain bullets for 223, and was playing with the increased case capacity potential for the 50 to 55 grain bullets in the 22/250.

Will keep you posted.

Cheers and good shooting,
seafire