NEW Powder for .38 special

[bigchinner]

So, I've been reloading for years now and had my head in my *** while the great ammo scare of 2012/2013 hit. Now, I have used up all my powder I had and was stuck on Win 231 for many years. I went to some Titegroup that I bought from a fellow calgunner and found it to be even better and hotter and cleaner than 231. Now, I'm out and have Red Dot. I've got .38 special and .40sw to reload. I'm looking forward to it. Any input from reloaders that have used Red Dot would be awesome. Thanks.
INFO; .38 special; 125 grn TMJ RNFP ; Lee info states 3.6-3.8.
.40 sw; 180 grn FMJ RNFP; 4.5 to 5.0
IN the past, LEE seemed high because I remember loading 115 grn 9mm with 231 15 years ago and it was "Hot".

[John Browning]

Another to try is Trail Boss. I use that in .38 target loads. It is safer and SUPER accurate. Load it to a mm or two from the base of the bullet. I have come to like this powder for target .38, .44 and .45 way more than the other choices out there.

[jericho89]

red dot id dirty compared to the 231 and titegroup. hp38 is the same as 231 and is seen on the shelves more that 231.

[area51]

NEW Powder for .38 special

Check http://www.hodgdonreloading.com site... Start -10% and work your way up.

[bigchinner]

I haven't tried Hp38 but will look for it if I can't find titegroup. I will have to work with what I got, which is red dot for now. Titegroup was definitely very clean and I rarely, if ever, had unburned powder, even in 9mm. Thanks. I'm headed to phillips wholesale after I get paid so I'll hopefully pick up some 231 or titegroup or hp38. Thanks.

[at_liberty]

So, I've been reloading for years now and had my head in my *** while the great ammo scare of 2012/2013 hit. Now, I have used up all my powder I had and was stuck on Win 231 for many years. I went to some Titegroup that I bought from a fellow calgunner and found it to be even better and hotter and cleaner than 231. Now, I'm out and have Red Dot. I've got .38 special and .40sw to reload. I'm looking forward to it. Any input from reloaders that have used Red Dot would be awesome. Thanks.
INFO; .38 special; 125 grn TMJ RNFP ; Lee info states 3.6-3.8.
.40 sw; 180 grn FMJ RNFP; 4.5 to 5.0
IN the past, LEE seemed high because I remember loading 115 grn 9mm with 231 15 years ago and it was "Hot".

I would hold off on the 40 S&W and use something slower burning like the newer BE-86, a more refined powder in the Unique and Power Pistol range and which I see all the time lately at my LGS.

[rsrocket1]

Red Dot works very well for me with 40 S&W but I use only 4.0g under a cast lead bullet that averages 180g. Out of a 4.25" M&P 40, the load gets me in the mid 900 fps range with a very clean burn. Personally, I would be very careful to try to get much more velocity out of Red Dot and would not go above 4.5g. I can go as low as 3.0g and still get 100% function and slide lockback on the last round. At 2.5g I was starting to get failures to lockback but no FTE's so that's about the lower limit with 180g bullets. The 3g loads feel just like a 9mm load out of the same gun with a 9mm barrel conversion so if you ever want to know what a 9mm model of your 40 gun would feel like, that's the load to use.

Like Titegroup and Clays, Red Dot excels in low to mid velocity loads so if you stay in that zone, you'll get a good clean burn and no crazy behavior. Just don't try to squeeze more velocity with it or you may be exceeding the pressure specs on your gun before you realize it.

[at_liberty]

Red Dot works very well for me with 40 S&W but I use only 4.0g under a cast lead bullet that averages 180g. Out of a 4.25" M&P 40, the load gets me in the mid 900 fps range with a very clean burn. Personally, I would be very careful to try to get much more velocity out of Red Dot and would not go above 4.5g. I can go as low as 3.0g and still get 100% function and slide lockback on the last round. At 2.5g I was starting to get failures to lockback but no FTE's so that's about the lower limit with 180g bullets. The 3g loads feel just like a 9mm load out of the same gun with a 9mm barrel conversion so if you ever want to know what a 9mm model of your 40 gun would feel like, that's the load to use.

Like Titegroup and Clays, Red Dot excels in low to mid velocity loads so if you stay in that zone, you'll get a good clean burn and no crazy behavior. Just don't try to squeeze more velocity with it or you may be exceeding the pressure specs on your gun before you realize it.

Pressure concerns may come from using a fast burner peaking sharply and early in a higher pressure cartridge (the 40). While many powders may work, they might not be a good match to the theory of how a particular cartridge should be loaded. Red Dot is right near the top of lists for burn rate, while the "medium fast" powders are usually mentioned as recommended.

[jericho89]

I haven't tried Hp38 but will look for it if I can't find titegroup. I will have to work with what I got, which is red dot for now. Titegroup was definitely very clean and I rarely, if ever, had unburned powder, even in 9mm. Thanks. I'm headed to phillips wholesale after I get paid so I'll hopefully pick up some 231 or titegroup or hp38. Thanks.

not sure if this calgunner is near you , but at $25 per pound not a bad deal for hp38

http://www.calguns.net/calgunforum/showthread.php?t=1156325

[bigchinner]

Thanks Jericho.. I did find that calgunner and he was literally 10 mins away. Worked out perfectly so I'll be trying hp38 plus red dot. Thanks rsrocket for your experienced info. It helps when looking at published info and real life info. Thanks.

[ER308]

lately been loading 4.6 gr BE86 under 158 gr Xtreme plated.

[jericho89]

Thanks Jericho.. I did find that calgunner and he was literally 10 mins away. Worked out perfectly so I'll be trying hp38 plus red dot. Thanks rsrocket for your experienced info. It helps when looking at published info and real life info. Thanks.

Cool glad I could help two people out. The hp38 is the exact same powder as the 231 so it should load and shoot the same as your original formulas. Have fun and let me know how the red dot works for you. I did not like it and dumped 8 pounds of it a few months ago.

[bigbully]

Cool glad I could help two people out. The hp38 is the exact same powder as the 231 so it should load and shoot the same as your original formulas. Have fun and let me know how the red dot works for you. I did not like it and dumped 8 pounds of it a few months ago.

Thanks for the referral. I offered bigchinner 2 lbs for $45 and will do the same for others if anyone else is interested.

[hambam105]

Red Dot sucks big time for .38 Special. Period, end of story.

In the olden days, a few guys who loaded the below powders disassembled their reloads behind the firing line only to discover that Red Dot powder started to, 'Clump' on hot days. Bullseye & W231 & 700X powders appeared fine and performed as usual.

Tightgroup was developed for Cowboy shooters who wanted cartridges with reduced powder charges that would be less affected during extreme temperature spreads. Example, Reno, NV, winter, 30 degrees, compared to summer temps at 100 plus degrees. Tightgroup is top drawer gun powder for 38s, 44s & 45s.

[bigchinner]

I just realized that Red Dot probably won't work too well in my Dillon 550. The powder dispenser has a harder time consistently throwing the same amount of powder each time because the circles are quite large. I might have to save this stuff for later or just load much slower. Reminds me of Blue Dot. I wish I had more Titegroup. However, I have some HP38 thanks to a local calgunner. Swapping the Red Dot out tomorrow. : )