Red Dot for 230 LRN in 45 ACP

Mikie

NES Member
Joined
Apr 11, 2008
Messages
191
Likes
44
Location
Chelmsford
Feedback: 67 / 0 / 0
I have an older Alliant recipe table listing 4.0 gr of Red Dot for 230 L(target) pushing it to 810 fps with 12.8 psi.

I just received in the mail a 2016 Alliant Reloaders Guide. It lists for a Speer 230 gr LRN 5.1 gr of Red Dot for 841 fps.

Anyone have any thoughts on why the difference in advertised charge data for essentially the same bullet?
 
How much "older" is that recipe table? Have they since changed/modified the ingredients?
 
Yes, could be re-formulated powder changes...beats me.
FWIW, Speer 13 lists 4.7g to 5.1g Red Dot for 230gr LRN and Alliant 2012 lists just 5.1g as maximum.
 
Powder manufactures will always tell you to use newest data.
So many variables for testing. Different bullet design, barrel condition, testing equipment.
 
>12.8 psi

Maybe you mean ksi?

Powder lot change? Bullet change? COL change? Different gun?
This is why I recommend checking several sources and starting with the lowest start load.

230gn LRN and Red Dot:
Bullseye shooters tend to shoot 4.0gn of Red Dot for a bit over 800 fps.
The two manuals I have with Red Dot show loads of 4.1gn start (760 fps) and 4.5gn MAX (828 fps) and 4.7gn start (765 fps) and 5.3gn MAX (800 fps).
That is the way things go when you have totally different test labs, components, and guns and why manuals are no more than guidelines and not Bibles.
 
Have two manuals.
One shows a start load of 4.1gn Red Dot with 230gn lead bullets and the other shows 4.7gn.
Max load in one manual is 4.5gn Red Dot and the 5.1gn in the other.
Note: most target loads with 230gn lead bullets use 4.0gn Red Dot.
You can take any cartridge and any weight bullet and find the same thing.
How about 231/HP38?
Manual show with 230gn lead bullets, start loads of 4.3, 4.5, 4.5, 4.8, 4.9, and 5.1gn and MAX loads of 5.1, 5.1, 5.3, 5.3, 5.5, 5.5, 5.6, 5.8, and 6.2 gn (some manual only have MAX loads, so you reduce the MAX load by 10-12% for the start load).
So, why does this happen.
Well, for starters, not all guns are the same.
Next, now all lots of a given powder are the same. Then you have variations in cases used, primers used, the bullets used (even, the lot number of the bullets used, and "essentially the same" is NOT the same as "the identical bullets"), and variations in COL.
Since I don't know how my powder and other variables compare to what any manual used, I start at the lowest start load and work up. Even if I only fire 1-2 round at that load, I at least feel comfortable starting there.
 
I used red dot for a while but it was really dirty. Switched to W231 and liked it very much then it disappeared.
 
supposedly HP-38 is the same powder as W231.

BTW, getting back to my original question. I wound up loading Laser Cast 230 gr LRNs with 4.2 gr of Red Dot. I did not chrono them but they functioned very nicely in my SW1911. Accurate enough and comfortable to shoot.
 
I have three books and one online book. Their maximum loads for the same powder differ by up to 2.5 grains? I find that testing the loads starting on the lower end it is the best way to go.
 
Back
Top Bottom