"The Load" is 13 Grains of Red Dot"

(If you missed this when it appeared in Handloader's Digest, 10th Ed. here it is
again...
By C.E. Harris, Revised 2-16-94
My success in economizing by using up leftover shotshell powder has changed my
approach to handloading. I had a caddy of Red Dot, and no longer reloaded
shotshells, so asked myself, "what can I do with it?" My shooting is now mostly highpower rifle. I needed several hundred rounds a week to practice offhand, reloading,
and working the bolt in sitting and prone rapid, but didn't want to burn out my
barrel or my wallet. Powder used to be cheap, but today is $20/lb. (or more), so cost
is a factor in component choice.
I used to ignore pistol or shotgun powders in reduced rifle loads for the usual
reasons: the risk of accidental double-charges, fears of erratic ignition, and concerns
with maintaining accuracy, and reduced utility with a low-power load.
Still, the caddy of Red Dot kept "looking at me" from the corner. Would it work?
Looking at data in the RCBS Cast Bullet Manual No. 1 and the Lyman Cast Bullet
Handbook suggested it would, so I tried it, much to my delight! Red Dot is bulky,
compared to the usual rifle powders used in .30-'06-size cases. It occupies more
powder space in typical charges than common "reduced load" rifle powders, such as
#2400, IMR4227, IMR4198 or RL-7. The lower bulk density of Red Dot adequately
addresses my safety concerns because it makes an accidental double charge far
less likely.
After considerable experimentation, my friends and I found "The Load" IS 13 grains
of Hercules Red Dot, in any FULL SIZED rifle case of .30 cal. or larger."The Load" has
distinct advantages over more expensive alternatives, within certain limitations,
which are:
1. The case must be LARGER than the .300 Savage or .35 Remington.
2. The rifle must be of MODERN (post 189
design, suitable for smokeless powder,
with a bore size of .30 cal. or larger.
3. The bullet weight must be within the NORMAL range for the given cartridge.
4. Inert fillers such as Dacron, kapok or are NOT RECOMMENDED! (Nor are they
necessary).
Within these restrictions I have now engraved in stone, "The Load" works!
The bullet may be either jacketed or cast. Gaschecked cast bullets required in the .
30 cals., otherwise you will get leading, but plainbased ones work fine in the 8mm
Mauser or larger.
"The Load" has shown complete success in the .30-40 Krag, .303 British, 7.65
Argentine, .308 Win., 7.62x54R Russian, .30-'06, 8x57 and .45-70 (strong-actioned
rifles such as the 1886 Winchester or 1895 Marlin -- 12 grs. is maximum for 400 gr.

bullets in the Trapdoor Springfield -- Ed.) Though I have not tried it, I have no doubt
that "The Load" would work well in other cartridges fitting these parameters, such
as the .35 Whelen, .358 Winchester, .375 H&H or .444 Marlin, based on RCBS and
Lyman published data.
"The Load" fills 50% or more of a .308 Win or .30-'06 case. The risk of an accidental
double charge is greatly reduced, because the blunder is immediately obvious if you
visually check, powder fill on EVERY CASE, as you should whenever handloading! A
bulky powder measures more uniformly, because normal variation in the measured
volume represents a smaller percentage of the charge
weight.
Red Dot's granulation is somewhat less coarse than other flake powders of similar
burning rate, such as 700-X, which aids metering. Its porous, uncoated flakes are
easily ignited with standard primers. So-called "magnum" primers do no harm in
cases larger than the .30-'06, but are neither necessary nor recommended in
smaller ones. I DO NOT recommend pistol primers in reduced rifle loads, because
weak primers may cause erratic ignition, and their thinner cups can perforate more
easily, causing gas leakage and risk of personal injury!
The velocities obtained with 13 grs. of Red Dot appear mild, but "The Load" is no
pipsqueak! In a case like the .308 or .30-'06, you get (from a 24" sporter
barrel) about 1450 f.p.s. with a 200- gr. cast bullet, 1500 with a 170-gr., or 1600
with a 150-gr. cast load. "The Load" is fully comparable to "yesterday's deer rifle",
the .32-40, and provides good expansion of cheap, soft alloys (10-13 BHN) at woods
ranges.
Jacketed bullet velocities with "The Load" are about 120-150 f.p.s. less than a
lubricated lead bullet of the same weight.
Regards, Ed

From : Ed Harris 1:109/120.3006 12 Mar 94

Subj : Red Dot Rifle Loads, Pt. II
"The Load" is 13 Grains of Red Dot"
--- continued from previous message -Longer-barreled military rifles pick up a few feet per second, but "The Load" starts
to slow down in barrels over 28", such as the M91 Moisin-Nagant and long Krags or
98a Mausers.
My preferred alloy in the .30 cals. is a mixture of 3-5 lbs. of .22 backstop scrap to 1
lb. of salvaged linotype. Wheelweights also work well, as do soft "Scheutzen" alloys
such as 1:25 tin/lead. in bores of 8 mm or larger. "The Load" drives soft- cast .30cal. to 8 mm bullets fast enough to get expansion,but without fragmenting. These
out-penetrate factory .30-30 softpoints, and kill medium game up to 150 lbs. well at
short ranges up to 100 yards, when placed accurately. In medium and large bores
like the .375 H&H or .45-70, "The Load" gives typical black powder ballistics for the
bore. A 255-265 gr. cast bullet in the .375 H&H approximates the .38-55 at 1330

f.p.s. Soft 300- 405-gr. cast bullets are pushed at 1300-1350 f.p.s. from a 22" barrel .
45-70, sporter are very effective on deer at woods ranges. Cast bullets over .35 cal.
do not have to expand appreciably to work well on game if blunt and heavy for their
caliber.
The Load" works well with jacketed bullets, giving somewhat lower velocities than
with cast lead, due to less effective obturation and greater friction in the bore. The
85-gr. or 100-gr. Hornady or 90-gr. Sierra JHP for the .32 H&R Mag. revolver, or the
Remington 100-gr. .32-20 softpoint bullet become mild, but destructive varmint
loads at 1600 f.p.s. from a .308 or '06.
If you substitute a stiffly jacketed 110-gr. .30 Carbine softpoint bullet, designed for
higher velocities than imparted by "The Load", you have a
non-destructive "coup de gras", small game or wild turkey load which shoots close
to your deer rifle's normal zero, but at 25 yards! A more accurate and effective
small game or varmint load uses a flat-nosed 150-gr. pr 170-gr. 30-30 bullet instead.
These don't expand at the 1400-1450 f.p.s. obtained with "The Load", but their
larger frontal area improves killing power compared to roundnoses or spitzers.
I have use pulled GI .30 caliber Ball, and Match bullets with "The Load" for cheap
200-yd. NMC boltgun practice. Accuracy is equal to arsenal loads, but I use my 600yard sight dope at 200 yards. I expect 5-6" ten-shot, iron-sight groups at 200 yards
using M2 or M80 pulled bullets and about 3-4" for the M72 or M118 Match bullets. I
use these mostly in bolt-action rifles, but they can be single-loaded for offhand or
slow-fire practice in the Garand as well.
These .30 cal. pulls shoot fine in the .303 British or 7.62x54 Russian, despite their
being a bit small, because the fast-burning Red Dot upsets them into the deeper
grooves. The 173-gr. Match .30 cal. boattail bullets may not shoot as well at these
low velocities as lighter flat bases in the 12" twist .308 Win. barrels, but they do
quite well in ten- inch twist barrels such as in the '06, 7.62 Russian, .303 British and
7.65 Argentine.
The longer bore time of these 1400 f.p.s. (typical 170-180-gr. jacketed load velocity)
practice loads makes errors in follow- through apparent, a great practice and
training aid. The light recoil and lower report of these loads helps transition Junior
tyro shooters from the .22 rimfire to the service rifle without being intimidated by
the noise and recoil.
Zeroing is no problem in the M1 or M14, because "The Load" shoots into the ten-ring
of the reduced SR target at 200 yards from your M1 or M14 rifle at using your
normal 600 yard sight dope! The somewhat greater wind deflection blows you into
the "8" ring at 200 yards with the same conditions you would expect to do so at 600
yards with M118 Match ammunition. This provides your Junior shooters some useful
wind-doping practice.
The economy of a lighter charge is obvious. A full power .30-'06 load using 50 grs.
of an IMR powder like 4064 costs 10 cents a pop, just for powder, at 140 rounds per
pound (if you are lucky enough to find new powder for $14/lb.). Substituting 13 grs.
of Red Dot gets 538 rounds per pound at a cost of 2.6
cents which is a savings of over $7 per hundred rounds in powder alone! Greater

savings are possible if you get the best price and buy powder by the caddy.
Velocity and point of impact of "The Load" is not noticeably affected by varying
powder position in the case. I shoot them either slow fire, or clip-fed and flipped
through rapid-fire in the boltgun with equal accuracy. Red Dot is very clean burning
and is economical both on the basis of its lower charge weight, and its lower basic
cost per pound compared to other "rifle" powders.
Best of all, using a shotshell powder I already have reduces the kinds of powder I
keep and eliminates the need for a special "reduced load" powder. This approach is
ideal for rifle shooters who are also shotgunners, since almost everybody who
reloads for 12-ga. probably has a keg of Red Dot already!
I now realize it is foolish to use heavier charges of more expensive powder for
routine practice, varmint or small game loads in my center-fire rifles. I seldom shoot
at over 200 yards, and don't enjoy wearing out expensive target barrels
unnecessarily. Since I already have good sight dope and need to work more on
technique and save my remaining barrel accuracy life for matches.
I am glad I found the way to get alot more shooting for the dollar. Economical
powder choice IS possible, and my reloading has become less complicated and
more enjoyable simple since I realized I could do most of my rifle shooting with 13
grains of Red Dot!
In Home Mix We Trust, Regards, Ed