Home Forums Reloading Varmint Rifles 223 Rem Blue Dot with 40 and 35 LF

Here is the FPS data for two bullets that I just shot. Speed only

Details: Rifle--TC Compass 2 22" 223Rem/NATO Powder--Blue Dot Case---New LC18 2nd. loading 100% full case (no bullet) 22.22gr of BD Cromo----MagnetoSpeed V3

40gr Speer #1017 2.060" OAL 8.5 2196 FPS --- 9 gr 2297 --- 9.5 2394 -----10gr 2488---- 10.5 2578 ----- 11gr 2665 ----11.5 2749---- 12gr 2830 ----12.5 2908 ----13gr 2984

35gr Hor NTXLF (my anti-condor bullet) 2.232" OAL 8.0gr 2136 FPS ---- 8.5 2339 ---- 9.0 2347 ---- 9.5 2531 ----10.0 2575 ----10.5 2625----10.8 2740 ----11.1 2755 (3 shots 31ft ES) ---- 11.3 2759 (3 shots 19ft ES)
Going to work the Hor bullet up to the area of 2900fps

Blue Dot can run plenty faster than 2900 for not much more powder. I put 13.8 under both 40 and 35s, both shoot almost interchangeably, last time I put them in a chrono it was something like 3195, around 3200 anyway. Seafire has the stuff. Using either CCI 400s or WSRs, the CCIs are a little better.

Dave: I am shooting Killer Desert Rat and Attack Bunny at 200yrds and under. I don't think they will know the difference if they are hit at 2900(blown in 10 pieces) or 3600 fps(blown in 40 pieces) . With a 100yrd zero , the difference between 2900 and 3600 is only 2" at 200yrds with the 35 NTXLF.

Max load with a 40 grainer is 14.5 grains of Blue Dot...

max load for a 35 gr NTX can be extended to 15 grains....safely...

my 223s, will take up to 16 grs of Blue Dot, for 3800 fps...but as Fat Albert states, the difference in Kablooy either way, results in a good spread of former varmint parts...and red mist...

the NTX Lead Free is definitely a long bullet and much more aerodynamic than the Hornady 35 gr V Max and its ping pong ball aerodynamics...

So how would Blue Dot loads perform in an AR platform?

They don't.... Blue Dot loads don't generate enough recoil, to recycle the bolt in a typical AR....

not unless you are single feeding them... which I look at as defeating the reason for owning an AR...

40 is better than 10, Albert....but good luck, Blue Dot is a great option, I have BD loads for 223, 22BR and Fireball. All are excellent, quiet and cool, perfect for sage ratting.

Ken -- as SF says, they will not. The gassing runs out by the time you hit the gas port, I tried it and the bolt just barely flashes a little brass before it reseats.

I suppose it would be "possible" to have a custom AR, mill/swiss cheese the bolt carrier down to next to nothing, have a lightweight return spring. I've been thinking about doing that with a "parts gun" or pile of parts, also thinking about similar work in order to make a Fireball AR. But it's not that much of a priority. First I need to build an AR that is worthy of the title "Varminter." Not there yet.

I knew John Noveske pretty well, before he manage to be killed in a car accident here locally...

He use to shoot some of my Blue Dot loads. and talk about them when we ran into each other at our local range...

He ended up tuning one of his ARs, that WOULD cycle the bolt on an AR.. it wouldn't rapid fire real well...
but if you weren't trying to rapid fire it, it worked pretty well...

Noveske was pretty good at making an AR do a lot of things...

You said it Dave, All are excellent, quiet and cool, perfect for sage ratting. Even with mild blue dot loads I've had to stop and let my barrel cool where the little devils were out by the thousands. Another thing I like is the reduced noise and recoil don't fatigue me when the shooting is long strings of non stop.

Blue Dot is a great option, no doubt. Wasn't it James Calhoon who did the first public magazine article on loading Blue Dot? That was the first I saw, back in the mid 90s sometime. But it's been a staple ever since.