Red Dot question...

[jstory]

Been looking for a powder that is bulkier than Titegroup for 45acp. Red Dot is looking to be a good a good choice. What are your guys opinions. Should I go with Red Dot, or do you guys have another option. I want a bulky powder to avoid what Deviljunkie just dealt with. Right now my only chance of a double charge would be with 38 special, may even use Red Dot with 38 special as well. As always THANKS INGO...

 

[calcot7]

Unique might be a better choice. As far as bulkiness it is about the same and I think it will it burn faster and more completely.

 

[Drail]

I have used Red Dot for many years and really like it for big bore handgun cartridges. It is fairly bulky but it is still possible to overcharge large cases like .44 Spl./.45 Colt with it if making light loads. In .45 ACP it's leaves some ash behind but nothing like Unique. One other thing to be aware of it does not meter well through some powder measures. Your measure may "slice" some grains occasionally. But it is definitely worth trying. It is a faster powder than Unique. Unique will give you higher velocities at much lower pressures.

 

[bocefus78]

I don't load 45acp but I can say that Unique and 700x are both bulky powders that fill cases nicely. Measuring them sucks but, such is life. 700x seems to be available locally pretty often also...Unique, not so much.

 

[jstory]

Thanks for all the information guys. How does Red Dot meter compared to 2400? Thanks again.

 

[Drail]

Not as good as 2400. A little more "crunchy". One trick I learned is to lightly knock or tap the powder measure handle on the upstroke to prevent the kernels from "bridging" in the measure and not filling the chamber and knocking on the bottom of the downstroke to make sure it all comes out of the chamber. If you are running a progressive - then never mind.

 

[jstory]

Not as good as 2400. A little more "crunchy". One trick I learned is to lightly knock or tap the powder measure handle on the upstroke to prevent the kernels from "bridging" in the measure and not filling the chamber and knocking on the bottom of the downstroke to make sure it all comes out of the chamber. If you are running a progressive - then never mind.

Single stage. Don't feel like spending that kind of money. I use a Little Dandy for pistol loads. Don't like the setup time for the Unifliow. Takes me to long to get it dialed. It's set up for 30-30 and that's all. I'm going to look for a pound of Red Dot and try it. Thanks again for all the help.

 

[Leadeye]

5 grains of Red Dot behind a 230 grain cast round nose has been my go to load for many years. Hard to say how many have gone down the barrel of my M1, many thousands without a problem.

 

[Robert Richardson]

I would do the 700X before I would even think about Red Dot.

 

[jstory]

I would do the 700X before I would even think about Red Dot.

The question I have to ask is...why? I have thought about 700x, been seeing alot here lately.

 

[AmmoManAaron]

I've used both 700x and Red Dot, I like both and they were both easy to get along with pressure and performance wise. The 700x loads typically used a little less powder, but that was the only real difference I noticed.

 

[Robert Richardson]

The question I have to ask is...why? I have thought about 700x, been seeing alot here lately.

Easy to find and you can pick it up fairly cheap. I think it burns cleaner than Red Dot.

 

[Leo]

I have found Hodgdon Clays to be a good powder in cast bullet .45acp loads. Of course it is nearly impossible to find these days. I used 700X maybe 25 to 30 years ago in shotshells, and found it about like Clays. Like all flake powders, you have to double check for clumping and bridging where maybe 1/2 the charge gets stuck in the measure tube so the next cartridge may end up with 1.5 times the powder.

Like Drail talked about, a knock on the powder measure can make sure everything flowed out. My old Lyman powder measure came with a little "knocker" that hung on the front that you flipped to shake bridged powder loose.

 

[Drail]

Yup, I always loved those old Lyman 55s and their "knockers".