New to me powder: Green Dot

N555 said:
I was at a yard sale and got a keg of green dot. Never used it before. It's in the new style Alliant container so it's not ancient.
I was going to at least load 45acp with it, probably pack some 12ga shells with it maybe 9mm, maybe 380.

Who uses it and what you use it for?
What do you like about it?
What do you dislike about it?
If you load 45acp with it, is it burning dirt, how does it like to run? Is it like WST and like to run at start to medium loads, or is it more like HP38/w231 and like to run near the top, is it like unique and runs dirty for start loads powder puff loads?
Click to expand...

It is my favorite 12 Ga. Trap load powder for 1 1/8 oz. loads, and works well for 1 oz. loads also. I have also used it in .45 ACP, never tried it in .38 or .357.

I was lucky enough to score an 8# keg last year, but I'm down to about 2#, and I have been using Ramshot Competition for 7/8 &1oz. loads to forestall the day when I have to search for another keg of GD.
 
Well its reloading season and I didn't have any LPP and I wasn't going to pay $100+ per brick so I was just going to shelve my 45acp loading ambitions.
Which is sad because now that 45acp ammo is back on the shelves I have been finding a lot of 45acp brass.
Well I found 2 bricks of LPP at a yard sale for a little more than what 1 brick typically costs if you can find them. So 45acp loads are back on the menu.
Need to figure what Greendot does best, is it a wst replacement for lobbing 230gr bullets at 700fps in tight formations or can it replace HP38 and shoot fairly accurate 230gr at standard velocity so my berry's plated hollow points will open up?
 
N555 said:
Well its reloading season and I didn't have any LPP and I wasn't going to pay $100+ per brick so I was just going to shelve my 45acp loading ambitions.
Which is sad because now that 45acp ammo is back on the shelves I have been finding a lot of 45acp brass.
Well I found 2 bricks of LPP at a yard sale for a little more than what 1 brick typically costs if you can find them. So 45acp loads are back on the menu.
Need to figure what Greendot does best, is it a wst replacement for lobbing 230gr bullets at 700fps in tight formations or can it replace HP38 and shoot fairly accurate 230gr at standard velocity so my berry's plated hollow points will open up?
Click to expand...

Green Dot is about a half grain slower than Bullseye in the 45 ACP. I think at that burn rate it should function the slide, as long as you use a 13 or 14 lb recoil spring. As for accuracy, I tested it at 800 fps and it shot well with 230's. But at 700 fps, don't know. In fact, I don't know how stable 230 gr bullets are at 700 fps. They might be tumbling between 25 yards and 50 yards, you just have to shoot them and see how it goes.

For the low speed stuff, you ought to be using Bullseye or Titegroup powders. Never tried WST, some use it.
 
N555 said:
Need to figure what Greendot does best, is it a wst replacement for lobbing 230gr bullets at 700fps in tight formations or can it replace HP38 and shoot fairly accurate 230gr at standard velocity so my berry's plated hollow points will open up?
Click to expand...
No, Green Dot is slower burning than WST and IMO, more in the burn rate around W231/HP-38 - https://www.thehighroad.org/index.p...ble-powders-during-component-shortage.890865/

For me, I needed to use .2-.3 gr more Green Dot to be comparable to my 45ACP loads using W231/HP-38 with less accuracy - https://www.thehighroad.org/index.php?threads/i-give-up.910844/#post-12420196

Faster burning pistol powders:

E3 - Competition - Nitro 100 - N310 - Norma R1

Red Dot/Promo - IMR Red - Clays - 700X - Bullseye - Vectan Ba 10 - IMR Target - TiteGroup - Vectan AS - Am. Select - Solo 1000 - WST - International - Trail Boss - N320 - Sport Pistol - Vectan Ba 9.5 - No. 2 - Clean Shot/Lovex D032.03

W231/HP-38 - Zip - Green Dot - IMR Green

Slower burning pistol powders:

Unique - Universal - W244 - IMR Unequal - Vectan Ba 9 - BE-86 - Power Pistol - N330 - Vectan A1 - Herco - Vectan A0 - WSF - N340 - 800X

No. 5 - Auto Pistol/Lovex D036-03 - True Blue - HS6 - AutoComp - Ultimate Pistol/Lovex D036-07 - CFE Pistol - Silhouette - 3N37
 
I’m burning up most of a keg of ‘80’s vintage Green Dot. Newer specimens are faster burning and cleaner burning.

I started at 4.5gr under a Lee 230gr Rn and LFN bullet. Both functioned and shot well. But left a LOT of “old maids”... unburned powder granules. Upping to 5.3 gave normal operating and clean functioning. Newer lot#s may differ.

It’s between Bullseye and closer to “Old” Unique..
I’ll miss it when it’s gone, but won’t replace it.
It would be different if I was shooting/reloading shot shells...
 
GooseGestapo said:
It’s between Bullseye and closer to “Old” Unique..
I’ll miss it when it’s gone, but won’t replace it.
It would be different if I was shooting/reloading shot shells...
Click to expand...

Mine was an estate sale can. It shot well in the 38 Special and 45 ACP, I don't mind unburnt powder particles, I just wipe them out when cleaning. If I got a real bargain on Green Dot I would buy it, but short of winning the lottery, I won't be buying it again. I prefer Bullseye pistol for the 45 ACP.

All I have is old Unique. Still shoots well enough for my purposes. There are a few off, but most were on the plates.

H1kiOsu.jpg


0DIUO5P.jpg
 
I too have been burning up the green dot in a Tisas!
I think mine may be a bit more accurate, though...
But then I’m using only 5.3gr....


(Smirk...)
 
Last edited:
I have a couple of lbs of the stuff. Really don’t know what I’ll use it for but when I bought it, Brownells had a 2 lb limit and I wanted maximize my hazmat fee. So I added 2 lbs to the order.

I was looking primarily for shotgun powder at the time. Since then I’ve stocked up on AA Superhandicap which I love. So it may be a .38 special powder for me.

Regardless, it’s insurance!
 
LiveLife said:
No, Green Dot is slower burning than WST and IMO, more in the burn rate around W231/HP-38 - https://www.thehighroad.org/index.p...ble-powders-during-component-shortage.890865/

For me, I needed to use .2-.3 gr more Green Dot to be comparable to my 45ACP loads using W231/HP-38 with less accuracy - https://www.thehighroad.org/index.php?threads/i-give-up.910844/#post-12420196

Faster burning pistol powders:

E3 - Competition - Nitro 100 - N310 - Norma R1

Red Dot/Promo - IMR Red - Clays - 700X - Bullseye - Vectan Ba 10 - IMR Target - TiteGroup - Vectan AS - Am. Select - Solo 1000 - WST - International - Trail Boss - N320 - Sport Pistol - Vectan Ba 9.5 - No. 2 - Clean Shot/Lovex D032.03

W231/HP-38 - Zip - Green Dot - IMR Green

Slower burning pistol powders:

Unique - Universal - W244 - IMR Unequal - Vectan Ba 9 - BE-86 - Power Pistol - N330 - Vectan A1 - Herco - Vectan A0 - WSF - N340 - 800X

No. 5 - Auto Pistol/Lovex D036-03 - True Blue - HS6 - AutoComp - Ultimate Pistol/Lovex D036-07 - CFE Pistol - Silhouette - 3N37
Click to expand...
I like the sound of that. I would prefer a HP38 replacement over a wst replacement.
HP38 accuracy is decent. If greendot is usually giving better accuracy then I'm all for it.
 
GooseGestapo said:
I’m burning up most of a keg of ‘80’s vintage Green Dot. Newer specimens are faster burning and cleaner burning.

I started at 4.5gr under a Lee 230gr Rn and LFN bullet. Both functioned and shot well. But left a LOT of “old maids”... unburned powder granules. Upping to 5.3 gave normal operating and clean functioning. Newer lot#s may differ.

It’s between Bullseye and closer to “Old” Unique..
I’ll miss it when it’s gone, but won’t replace it.
It would be different if I was shooting/reloading shot shells...
Click to expand...
That definitely sounds slower burning than wst. If I load about 4.5 to 4.6gr of wst it burns clean. Sounds more like loading with HP38.
And that's what I want.
 
N555 said:
HP38 accuracy is decent. If greendot is usually giving better accuracy then I'm all for it.
Click to expand...
Well, Green Dot accuracy was less than W231/HP-38 ... :p

And while W231/HP-38 is my reference powder for 9mm, Bullseye/WST/Titegroup/Ba9.5/Target/Sport Pistol/BE-86 produced greater accuracy out of my barrels - https://www.thehighroad.org/index.p...ectan-ba-9-5-ba-9.817796/page-2#post-10519646

And Promo produced smaller groups out of my PCCs than W231/HP-38 - https://www.thehighroad.org/index.php?threads/anyone-using-red-dot-in-9mm.894187/#post-12040827
 
Last edited:
Oh, maybe I will get lucky.
I guess you think greendot is accurate enough?
WST is ridiculous, I can just about stack holes on top of each other at 5yd but the bullets are only moving at about 700fps.
I didn't know how accurate wst was, during load development I was chronographing them and using a log as a backstop and I would aim an exposed knot through the chronograph and I was hitting or almost touching the previous bullet holes from wst shots.
 
N555 said:
I guess you think greendot is accurate enough?
Click to expand...
Green Dot is tertiary powder option for me.

Primary powder choices for 9mm based on accuracy for me are WST, Titegroup, Bullseye, BE-86, Target (discontinued), N320, Sport Pistol, WSF (And got AA No 2 to test next).

Secondary powder choices for 9mm are W231/HP-38 and Promo for more accurate carbine loads (Vectan Ba9.5 if powders are not available)

Tertiary powder choices for 9mm are Red Dot, Green Dot, Herco (If above powders are not available)

N555 said:
I didn't know how accurate wst
Click to expand...
WST is very accurate. I consider 2" groups at 25 yards very accurate for pistol loads and WST can produce sub 2" groups.

Here's WST thread using published load data including powder case fill calculations for load development - https://www.thehighroad.org/index.p...er-target-published-load-data-for-9mm.870180/
 
My main powders for 9mm right now are nitro100nf for my main extra quiet silencer load.
Unique for my 147gr heavy silencer load.
HS-6 for my sten gun only ultra hot loads.

HP38 is mostly for 45acp.
For load developing hp38 vs unique for my heavy 9mm silencer load, unique just did a little better for me.
 
Did some 45acp testing today.
5gr of greendot under a 230gr berry's hollow point loaded to 1.24'' using cci aluminum small primer cases, seated and crimped separately with Lee factory crimp die.
Fired from 1911 with silencerCo osprey.
Got 5 chronograph readings at 5gr.
They were 766 to 820fps.
5gr was very pleasant to shoot even with a recoil boosted can. May not cycle reliability in all 1911s.
Then tested 5.2gr. Captured v on 5 and they ran between 800 and 830. That felt more like factory ammo.
So it looks if I want berry's hollow points to think about opening up I need at least 5.2gr of greendot.
Then my range day tests will be 5.2, 5.4, 5.5 and a few at 5.6gr only because I'm about +1mm over normal C.O.A.L.
 
As it got dark I loaded up and shot a few at 5.6gr and they didn't seem scary.
Wanted to make sure I didn't load up about 25, shoot 1 or 2 just to find out they are too hot and have to break them down.
I have shot factory 230gr +p ammo that's way scarier.
 
Last edited:
I loaded up 25 of each 5.2, 5.4 and 5.6gr under berry's 230gr HP and shot them at the indoor range. The 5.2gr shots seemed to be the worst and 5.6gr was a little better than 5.4gr. I'm thinking set the powder measure to 5.5 and crank some out.
Probably set the COAL to 1.24'' I had the die set to 1.25ish and had one that wouldn't go into battery. Bullet hit the lands.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Similar threads

Ret.CWO
  • Locked
Alliant Green Dot
2
Replies
35
Views
6K
armarsh
armarsh
P
  • Locked
Green Dot
Replies
6
Views
2K
Galil5.56
Galil5.56
Texas10mm
  • Locked
What happened to Green Dot?
2
Replies
35
Views
2K
George P
George P
W
  • Locked
Green Dot 9mm Luger Data
Replies
6
Views
5K
bluetopper
bluetopper
M
  • Locked
Green Dot Powder
Replies
13
Views
3K
Slamfire
Slamfire
Back
Top