Home Forums Reloading Varmint Rifles Seasonal Request, Blue Dot & 223 Loads

Well, I guess that depends on the size of the elephant and how far you want to track him. LOL

I haven't chronographed the load but as I said, it's intended to be a small game load, so I was content with 30 yard results. I do have to aim slightly left with the bullseye load at 30 yards to make the medium and full power loads hit right at 100 yards. Not much, but a little. I may tweak the load some more in an effort to achieve nirvana but am happy with the results as is. I wouldn't hesitate to fire it 100 yards but have not done so as of yet.

Thanks. I was curious to know if you liked the load out to 100 yards or so.

Yeah, there is an active thread on the Big Game reloading forum above....

see post 11531474....

https://www.24hourcampfire.com/ubbt...ndel-and-blue-dot-load-data#Post15531474

Thanks Seafire
I appreciate it.

Happy to Help out !

Posting out of curiosity, but at one time Blue Dot was considered to be temperature sensitive in colder weather. I use Blue Dot mostly for .357 125-140 grain loadings, but since an article back in the 70's by a well known writer for Shooting Times that did alot of testing in cold weather (chronograph and all), he noticed varied fps with same loadings shot in warmer weather. I've read a few other articles also over the years advising also of BD's cold weather sensitivity. I didn't notice any mention of BD's being temp sensitive in any of the posts unless I missed it.

Maybe Alliant has changed its chemical formula over the years since that, but I noticed most of the posts on this thread are from warm weather areas of the US. I still use BD for revolver loads, have thought of using it for reduced rifle loads over the years, but have 5-6 powders I'm already using. I've gotten to using some of the powders considered non-temp sensitive anymore for cold weather shooting and for my winter coyote loadings in .223 and 250 Savage. Varget is very accurate and deadly. Just wondering! I did check Aliant's website and they make no claim about it being temp sensitive as with some of their other powders.

Savage 94C:

I've done a lot of work with Blue Dot... I moved to Oregon in 1995 from Minnesota. I have a rep on the campfire for expanding the number of calibers I've tested and used it in...

for use on the 223 or 22.250, I've used it here in Oregon, and several other western states in temps from about 20 degrees, to up over a 100 degrees.
for the latter temps, I usually from the max load down a grain... but I've never had a problem with running it at my max listed loads.

Spending 15 years in Minnesota, I'm familiar with the temps you can be out in, during winter months.

so I can verify its use to 20 degrees on a regular basis.. but down to zero or 10 below or more.. afraid I can't honestly give you any info when it gets down to those type of temps...

I'd go test them for ya, if I could embrace temps like that, but I'd have to go 300 plus miles inland ( east bound) to hit temps to test it at Upper Midwest temps in the dead of winter...only really one way to find out....

maybe someone who lives in those temps in winter, while chime in and let us know how they worked at lower than 20 degrees... even down below zero...

Thank you for the reply Seafire.

Years ago Rocky Raab had Blue Dot loads listed for his 22 Hornet on his web site.

I used some of his research and posts on his web site for the hornet, as a template for figuring out Blue Dot loads for my 17 Fireball...