Yes it is the exact same powder. Blue Dot is a very slow shotgun powder and has a reputation for burning dirty. It does require a bit of pressure to burn best. In shotguns I used it for 1.5 oz + lead loads. It has uses in handguns and some rifle reduced loads. But most people seem to complain that it is messy/dirty.
Here is a link to some old Hercules pamphlets.
http://www.castpics.net/LoadData/Fre.../Alliant95.pdf
As I understand it, the current Alliant online load data has fewer loads than these old freebies did, but the data is the same.
http://www.alliantpowder.com/reloaders/default.aspx