Mr Chongo...
keep your max charge weight with Blue Dot in the 06 at 25 grains...
Blue Dot and other pistol and shot gun powders DO NOT have the same characteristics as rifle powder. Learned this after a lot of load development... like in the way 10s of thousands...
Max charge for a 110 grain Bullet or a 180 grain bullet I recommended the max at 25. At times it will be fine over that charge and other times NOT. I am sure there are a lot of variables as why. Just experience speaking as I have pushed Blue Dot beyond the limits to find out what those are... and then recommend a lower charge that I've found to be reliable each and every time.
I've got some rifles I have shot thousands upon thoughts of Blue Dot loads thru, especially varmint calibers. Some summers I have shot as many as 8000 Blue Dot loads at sage rats for a season. 5000 plus has been the average. I burn a ton of Blue Dot and still do... Never wore out a barrel and I've got a couple of 223 bolt actions ( all I shoot ) that have 20K, some 25K and some 30 K down the barrel all with Blue Dot loads, and they can still hold minute of sage rat ( or minute of pop can or pop bottle) if you're back east and have no idea what a sage rat is... ( I'm from back east, Virginia )
Keep in those boundaries I've listed and tested plenty times... and you'll be just fine...
also, charge a case and then seat a bullet, before going onto the next one... if you get interrupted and you're in the middle of charging a case, empty the powder out and turn it upside down. Don't leave the load bench in the middle of charging a case. That has not worked out real well for others... it has blown up a rifle or two over the years....
but doing it my way.. never a problem...its your rifle and your head... so chose wisely is what I usually tell folks.
other than that its economical, fun and stretches lives of barrels and rifles out dramatically.
Thanks for chiming in, Seafire! I've read many of your helpful posts on reduced Blue Dot loads. I'm grateful for all of that input.
PS: BTW, I started at 24.0 grains and shot ten rounds each at 24.0, 25.0, 26.0 and 27.0. Accuracy was best at 27.0, with no pressure signs at any level.
