223 and bluedot powder

[ricksaw]

James Calhoon has an article on using Bluedot powder in the 223 with 40 gr. bullets,has any one tried this and if so how did it work?

 

[pdog2225]

It works great!

In my savage mdl 12 .223 I tried 5.0grs to 13.3grs with a 40grain bullet.
The 5.0 gave me 1297fps and the 13.3 gave 3130fps. It works good in a bolt gun but will not work the action of my ar15.

It really shines in the short barreled single shot TC pistols.

Try it but be VERY careful when charging the cases. pdog2225

 

[Eric Leonard]

I use about 5 grs for 1050 fps subsonic load with the 69 SMK in my 9 twist CZ 527,,it works well for mid range loads also,,seems like 16 grs will get about 2400 fps from the 69 SMK,,

the subsonic load shoots less than an inch at 100 yards,,it is like shooting a 22LR with a 69 SMK,,LOL very quiet without a can,,

 

[snert]

I ran Unique in 222 with a 40 grain bullet, 4 or 5 grains, and loved it. great squirrel gun

 

[ChuckMiller]

I use 10 grs of Blue Dot and a 40gr Vmax to mimic 22Mag loads, shoots right at 21-2200fps, no recoil. Another great load is the 35gr Vmax and 12 grs, haven't chrono'ed them but very accurate out to 100yds. Downside is that stubby 35gr'er drops like a brick after 150yds.

 

[AckleymanII]

in my Hart 26" , 14" twist-223 match chamber with zero freebore

12.0g of Blue Dot= 3000 fps with the 40g Nosler

14.3g of Blue Dot = 3200 fps = 1 1/2" at 200 yards

14.6g is an absolute max load for this gun with this lot of powder


Blue dot bridges in the powder measure, one case will have a light load while the next will have a heavy. So, for this reason, you should be very careful and weigh every charge.

An alternative would be to throw 100 charges and record every charge thown to determine what is the spread on the low's and high's, then pick a charge in the middle where you will not go over a max charge for your rifle. you do need to determine what is a max load for your rifle with your lot# of powder

Good luck

 

[Iowa Fox]

I read his article in the Varmint Hunter maybe 15 years ago or more. Its what inspired me to try Blue Dot in the 223 and it worked great, been shooting it ever since by the thousands. It works great in the dog fields where barrel heat is a big concern along with reduced recoil and muzzle blast. I also use it in the Hornet and 243. Yep, I like Blue Dot.

 

[Berger.Fan222]

Been shooting Blue Dot in .223 and .222 ever since reading that article many years ago. Very accurate and quiet too.

 

[LawrenceHanson]

Find here - http://www.jamescalhoon.com/tobee2.php- reduced load data for the 223 Remington.

I have used this data in a 223 rifle using Blue Dot powder. Accuracy was unsatisfactory and pressure was erratic. But it might work out well in a different rifle or a smaller cartridge. Caution!!! – it would be easy to mistakenly double charge a case using this data.