Blue Dot vs 2400 for 158gr .357

[Fishslayer]

Going to put together my first full power 158gr .357 JHP loads. They'll be fed to my N frame S&W with 6" barrel.

2400 is the most popular and a bit superior in velocity/pressure, but Blue Dot is very close on the burn rate table and:
A. More readily obtainable
B. Has some .45ACP load data available that I find interesting.

Any compelling reason I should dig harder to find the 2400?

I use a Lee Auto disc. Any metering issues with either powder? I use Green Dot a lot & it's pretty coarse but workable.

[Slamfire]

I tested Blue Dot in a wide number of calibers.

I do not like Blue Dot. In my pistols it only worked well with magnum loads and jacketed bullets.

I had leading in the 357 with cast bullets, at velocities were I did not get leading with AA#9 or 2400.

2400 is very predictable magnum powder. And you can cut it to 75% and have excellent results.

I tested Blue Dot in the 45 ACP. Compared it against a favorite Bullseye load. Loading data recommended by gunwriters had just too heavy a recoil and too high a velocity. I like my practice ammunition to be around 800 fps (or less), which is the original velocity of the 1910 ammunition spec.

Cutting the load to get to 800 fps, I had these huge extreme spreads, and the recoil was still heavy. The heavy recoil is an indication that Blue Dot is a slow burner and that breech pressures are too high at unlock. I had a Colt peen the frame out, (bad manufacturing) so I learned that a slide slamming into the receiver is not a good thing. The wide extreme spreads indicate that Blue Dot is not appropriate at 800 fps.

If you want a powder that can do it all, get Unique. You will not get the highest magnum velocities that you can with 2400/H110/W296, but you will get decent magnum velocities. In my opinion, Unique works best in standard non magnum calibers, and has been a staple for generations in the 45 ACP. I have used it from 32 S&W Long to 44 Mag. Works great.

Forget Blue Dot. There are better choices.

Colt Combat Elite Wilson Match Barrel		
		
		
230 LRN 9.0 grs Blue Dot, FED 150, Mixed Military		
27 July 97 F	T = 90°	
		
Ave Vel =	933	
Std Dev =	15	
ES	41	
High	957	
Low	916	
N =	5	
Way too much recoil! 		
		
Kimber Custom Classic		
		
230 gr LRN Valiant 4.5 grs Bullseye Mixed Brass WLP		
OAL 1.250"		taper crimp .469"
21-Jun-06	T = 97  °F	 
		
Ave Vel =		805.2
Std Dev =		11.4
ES		54.08
High		836.9
Low		782.8
N =		32
accurate, 		
		
230 gr LRN Valiant 7.7 grs Blue Dot  Mixed Brass WLP		
OAL 1.250"		taper crimp .469"
21-Jun-06	T = 97  °F	
	
		
Ave Vel =	797.1	
Std Dev =	29.68	
ES	121.1	
High	855.8	
Low	734.6	
N =	32	
		
not as accurate as Bullseye load 		
long ejection distance		stouter recoil

[zxcvbob]

I never liked Blue Dot in .357 Magnum because it leaded a lot worse than it should (I don't know why.) AA#7 provides the same performance using about the same charge weights, with far less drama.

(Blue Dot is awesome in .45 Colt loaded hot. I haven't tried the #7 there yet)

[vladan]

You should be ok with jacketed bullets but like others said blue dot loads gave me too much leading with cast. Another thing, it has way too much blast and flash ... some like that though

[Doodlebugger45]

357 is easy to load for and very forgiving. There are lots of better powders to use than Blue Dot. It's really hard to beat 2400 for versatility though if you don't want a bunch of different powders sitting around. If I had to limit myself to just one pistol powder it would probably be 2400. As it is though, I use 110/296 or LilGun for hottest loads, 4227 or #9 or Enforcer for warm loads, and 231 or TiteGroup for milder loads. But 2400 can be used for mild loads on up to nearly hot loads. It's hard to find around here, but it's worth the effort to find it for me.

[Scorch]

I have used Blue Dot for years, it works very well in max or close to max loads. When I shoot lead, I use Unique. 2400 is a good all-around powder.

I do not like Blue Dot. In my pistols it only worked well with magnum loads and jacketed bullets.

It says right on the front of the Blue Dot container "Magnum Pistol And Shotshell Powder". Blue Dot is a lot like W296/H110, it likes heavy bullets with heavy crimp to get going. The closer to max you are, the cleaner it burns.

I had leading in the 357 with cast bullets, at velocities were I did not get leading with AA#9 or 2400.

It is a magnum powder, do not use it with cast lead bullets. Blue Dot burns very hot, and will cause leading with lead bullets unless you use gas check bullets.

[joneb]

I gave up on Blue Dot for .357 mag. There are better choices, 2400 is one of them.

[srsmith]

Try N110.
In my wifes 6" N Frame. it will outrun 2400 for full power loads.
N110 (like 2400) can be run at less than full power unlike H110.
It is clean and has less bothersome flash and blast.

Be safe and have fun !
-steve

[AlaskaMike]

I'm with everyone else--I'm not a Blue Dot fan. I'm surprised to read about people's experiences with leading when using it with cast bullets though--I never experienced that. I had an acceptable load using 10.2 grains of Blue Dot with Lasercast 158 grain SWCs that I used in my 4" S&W model 28. While accuracy was acceptable, what irritated me about this load was that the unburned or partially burned color flakes in the powder would frequently get under the ejector star and cause problems with cylinder rotation.

What bothered me more though was how volatile Blue Dot is. It truly is the "psycho ex-girlfriend" powder and goes from mild to wild with small increases in charge weights. For example, in my model 28 I saw an average velocity of 1171 fps according to my notes with the load I mentioned above, but when I went from 10.2 grains to 10.4 grains, velocity jumped to 1239 fps and I got slightly sticky extraction. In addition, it's well known for pressure spikes in cold temperatures. That may not be an issue for those in warmer climates, but it could be a concern for me up here in AK.

If you have trouble finding 2400, other good alternatives would be H110, W296, AA #9 and N110.

Mike

[Fishslayer]

Thanks for all the replies. I use Bullseye & Green Dot for my .45 & lighter .357 loads. These ones I have in mind are strictly jacketed 158gr Hornaday XTP.

Think I'm gonna go ahead & look for the 2400. My local Turner's carries Alliant powders. I might get lucky if I check 'em often enough.


Slamfire, I see you have a 4.5gr Bullseye load for the 230gr LRN too.

[Fishslayer]

I'll be darned. Found a # of 2400 at my "not-so-local-but-well-worth-the-drive" gun shop.

[WESHOOT2]

I suggest Blue Dot is at ITS best in the 10mm only.