Originally posted by SD Handgunner:
I have been loading some of my .223 Loads with Blue Dot for over a year now. Low recoil, low noise, lots of rounds per pound of powder, and very accurate ta boot.
I mainly use 40gr. Nosler Ballistic Tips with what I consider a MAXIMUM CHARGE of Blue Dot. In my 22" Ruger .223 this load produces 3079 FPS velocity, in a 14" .223 T/C Contender I had this load produced 2980 FPS velocity, and in a 10" .223 T/C Contender I had this load produced 2784 FPS velocity. (This was the absolute best shooting, most pleasant to shoot load I ever tested in the 10" .223 T/C Contender.) In each of these .223's accuracy ranged from 1/2" to 3/4" for 5 shots at 100 yards.
I also loaded some BULK Remington 50gr. Pointed Soft Points with Blue Dot. These chronographed 2550 FPS from a 22" Ruger, and the 5 shot groups at 100 yards were quite consistantly at 1".
I really like these loads for shooting Prairie Dogs. The lessened noise and recoil are very helpful when shooting the amount of rounds fired in a day when in a good Prairie Dog Town. Another plus is that they do not heat up the barrel nearly as quickly as other powders.
It should be noted that these are reduced velocity loads, and not reduced pressure loads. When working with Blue Dot in the .223 cartridge care must be taken to work up in small increments, as this powder builds pressure rather rapidly. Some shooters are even using softer Small Pistol Primers to ensure that they are seeing the pressure increases more readily.
I have a friend that is so intrigued with the Blue Dot Loads in the .223, that that is about all he loads now. With the lighter weight bullets, bullet performance is still quite impressive with these loads. I am planning on trying some 33gr. Callhoun Double Hollow Points, and maybe some 35gr. Hornady V-Max with Blue Dot also this spring.
Good luck. Yes there are a couple of articles on the net pertaining to the use of Blue Dot in the .223 Cartridge. If you need further info, e-mail me at [url=mailto:lgsand@sbtc.net