Whither Green Dot

  • 13K Views
  • Last Post 02 March 2010
Lefty posted this 03 February 2008

I have some Green Dot that I would like to use up.  I can't stand to see powder going to waste.  However, it seems that all of the Hercules powders OTHER THAN GREEN DOT get regular mention in the loading manuals.  Is this my imagination or is there a problem with Green Dot for CB loads.  I would like to burn it up in my 357 mags so nothing exotic in my needs.

Jim

Attached Files

Order By: Standard | Newest | Votes
RicinYakima posted this 03 February 2008

Jim,

I'll take a stab at this issue. It is about economics. If you want cheap powder costs you buy Bullseye. If you also reload for shotguns, you shoot Red Dot. Unique is used in shotgun, pistol and rifle with tons of data. Blue Dot is a max velocity load.

Green dot is their least popular shotgun powder. I don't know of anybody who has bought it specifically for pistol.

Lyman's 1973 edition of “Lyman Cast Bullet Handbook” has more than most others for load data. But none for 357 Mag so you will have to work with 38 Special data.

Ric

Attached Files

Lefty posted this 03 February 2008

Ric

Well now you have at least heard of someone who purchased it specifically for pistol - 15 years ago on the recommendation of a magazine article as I recall.  I have the Hercules Reloaders Guide that does contain max loads for both the 38 and the 357 as well as most other pistol calibers.  The loads seem to indicate it takes slightly more powder than Red Dot to achieve about the same velocities.

Jim

Attached Files

sundog posted this 04 February 2008

Green Dot is a fantastic pistol powder!  In fact it's 'the sleeper' in 44 Spl and Mag for plinking and cowboy loads and works great in 45 acp.  Down side is that it does not  meter nearly as well as other powders, but it's nice and fluffy so it fills cases better.  You can do a whole lot worse for pistol powder.

Attached Files

CB posted this 04 February 2008

Lefty,

I currently have about 300 rounds of Green Dot loaded up in 357mag, after I had inherited some GD and wanted to get rid of it, also. The load is 4.5gr behind a 158gr SWC. The load isn't near as accurate as my pet load of 4.5gr of Bullseye with the same cb.

The old Hercule's Reloading Manual I have list charges from 2.8grs to 6grs for CBs. The 6grs is listed at 1,100-1,200fps, so that is quite handful. Hope this helps................Dan

Attached Files

Ed Harris posted this 04 February 2008

Lefty wrote: I have some Green Dot that I would like to use up.  I can't stand to see powder going to waste.  However, it seems that all of the Hercules powders OTHER THAN GREEN DOT get regular mention in the loading manuals.  Is this my imagination or is there a problem with Green Dot for CB loads.  I would like to burn it up in my 357 mags so nothing exotic in my needs.

Jim

Green Dot  is a bit slower than Bullseye or Red Dot.  In the .357 Magnum you can use 5 grains as a starting load up to about 6.5 grs. Max. with a 150-160 gr. lead bulet.

In .38 Special I load 4 grs. as a full-charge load with a 160-gr. Cowboy slug or 3 grs. with a flush seated 148HBWC.

In the .45 ACP 5 grs. approximates hardball, 4 to 4.3 grs. is good with a 200-gr. SWC. 

73 de KE4SKY In Home Mix We Trust From the Home of Ed's Red in "Almost Heaven" West Virginia

Attached Files

Lefty posted this 04 February 2008

Sundog

What load do you use in the 44 special

Lefty

Attached Files

Ed Harris posted this 04 February 2008

Green Dot charges for the .44 Special depend upon the gun. 

If I were to use it in my ca. 1915 .44 Hand Ejector which does not have a heat treated cylinder, I would not exceed 4.5 grains with a 250-gr. LFN. 

In the Ruger Super Blackhawk I would raise that 1 grain.

73 de KE4SKY In Home Mix We Trust From the Home of Ed's Red in "Almost Heaven" West Virginia

Attached Files

JeffinNZ posted this 06 February 2008

I burn it in my .223 under 225415's and 225462's.  It goes very well.

Cheers from New Zealand

Attached Files

Kosh75287 posted this 04 January 2009

I don't know about others, but I just never found anything that Green Dot did that wasn't better done by any number of powders. If someone gives me a pound, I'll use it, but I don't buy it. My three pistol powders are RedDot(Promo), Unique, and 2400. It always seemed to me that GreenDot was about midway between Bullseye and Unique in burning rate. It reminded me a lot of WW231, though it didn't meter nearly as nicely.

Attached Files

Lillard posted this 04 January 2009

Since we are on this subject, I have read somewhere not to use blue dot in 357 mag anymore. I have used a ton of it in 357 mag 44 mag 45 acp and 12 ga heavy loads. Can anyone shead any light on this.

Attached Files

jimkim posted this 04 January 2009

Here is a link to the Alliant Blue Dot warning.

http://www.alliantpowder.com/safety/safetynotice.htm

Attached Files

Lillard posted this 04 January 2009

Thanks Jim that helps a lot. My best 357 loads are with blue dot but they are all heavier than 125 gr. Blue dot is my favorite mag. pistol powder because it burns clean in 4 5/8 barrels.

Attached Files

jimkim posted this 04 January 2009

Your welcome. After the warning came out I started using AAC-7 for my 44 and 357 magnum loads. I don't load anything that light(125gr) either, but I didn't want to take a chance. I still use BD in my 30-30 though. The load that George and I found is a pleasure to shoot.

Attached Files

shotgunner11 posted this 23 December 2009

I use green dot as my main 12ga. powder. I just bought an 8lb jug of it. It falls in between red dot and blue dot. I also use it for my 38 special and get great results. I must be missing something here, there seems to be a lot of people unhappy with this powder. I love it.

Attached Files

corerf posted this 24 December 2009

I believe green dot is great, just most folks on ALL forums have complained in the past of DIRTY burns from Hercules powders, especially green dot. I have shot near 10 lbs of it, older generation (hercules) and it is dirty, but in 38sp. and 12 ga is is pretty flexible and shoots as well as anything else. I ordered three lbs of it during the Obamarama last winter to cover some bases, I do intend to burn thru it. I think it is also the flexibility in published data for red dot, BE, unique that green dot doesn't have, making the alternates far more popular. Oh yeah, I think red dot, unique, etc are fluffier than some others like green dot and blue dot, case fill density. Something along those lines. I shoot it and like it, but I'll pretty much load and shoot any powder that wont kill me, especially if it's cheap and available.

Attached Files

argie1891 posted this 25 December 2009

i have found green dot to work great in the 32 long and 32 mag. i did buy the first pound because it was cheap, the second because it worked. joe gifford aka argie1891

if you think you have it figured out then you just dont understand

Attached Files

NoDakJak posted this 25 December 2009

I fully agree with argie 1891. I use quite a bit of Green Dot but the REAL sleeper in pistol powders has to be PB. It has a burn rate near that of Unique, measures extremely well, bulks up well and is possibly the cleanest burning powder that I have used. It has replaced Unique in most of my pistol loads and I have just begun testing it in cast rifle loads. It may be an ancient powder but is still one of the best. Neil

Attached Files

209jones posted this 02 March 2010

I used green dot in my 7x57 with 130gr lee,torqued a few of the local boys cuz I beat them at a few of the military matches with it. that was anywhere from 8.5 to 9 gr in that load. Never did chrono it, had to use 600yd sight setting on 1908 Brazilian mauser @ 100yds. But it shot great. Also wrote in my bullet log that I used 10gr of green dot with the 7-08 and got 1440fps out of it with an NEI 150gr, and 8.5gr with the 130 gr Lee in the 7-08 for chicken rounds ou hunting, worked well,too.

Attached Files

Close