Thanks Seafire, you really confirmed what i was thinking.
I'll give it a go and start at 12 grains.
I use the 200 yard minimum as a self inflicted way to conserve the quarry and maximize the satisfaction/enjoyment of Prairie Dog Hunting.
Bless you for saving them for me to shoot...at less than 200 yards. I kill em' all. My joy is maximized at any distance.
I call it "Rolling Thunder".
As the gun fire puts the PD's down further and further out my shots follow. With Blue Dot I shoot everything within 200 yards as it stretches out there I go to conventional powders that rev the load to max.
My barrel is hardly warm by the time I'm stretching shots because of burning Blue Dot.
And by the way I shoot mostly sage rats in eastern OR.
A whole different ball game than PD's. They're popping up all day long 360 degrees around you. Farmers want em' dead and I oblige them.
If your squeamish about using Blue Dot it's best you don't use it.