Alliant Pistol/Shotshell
Alliant Blue Dot
Alliant's magnum lead shotshell powder, also used for magnum handgun loads.
A slow flake with two lives: magnum lead shotshell hunting loads, where it is very good, and magnum revolver loads, where it needs care. Alliant itself has warned against particular magnum revolver applications with this powder and points loaders at current published data rather than old tables — that warning is real and worth respecting rather than arguing with. It also carries a long-standing reputation for temperature sensitivity, so a load worked up in cool weather is not the same load in August. In heavy waterfowl and turkey loads it does its job and does it consistently.
- magnum lead waterfowl loads
- heavy 12 gauge hunting loads
- 10 gauge magnum loads
- heavy .44 Magnum
Who has Alliant Blue Dot today
Checked October 10Out of stock at every store we track
| Store | Size | Shelf | In hand /lb | Stock |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lohman ArmsHazmat charged, amount not published | 5 lb | $139.99 | $34.29 est. | Out |
| Lohman ArmsHazmat charged, amount not published | 4 lb | $119.99 | $37.86 est. | Out |
| Graf & Sons$23.50 hazmat per package | 4 lb | $170.99 | $52.11 | Out |
| Bruno Shooters Supply$26.95 hazmat + $19.95 ship | 4 lb | $187.99 | $58.72 | Out |
| Lohman ArmsHazmat charged, amount not published | 1 lb | $40.95 | $72.39 est. | Out |
| Graf & Sons$23.50 hazmat per package | 1 lb | $49.99 | $87.44 | Out |
| Bruno Shooters Supply$26.95 hazmat + $19.95 ship | 1 lb | $52.99 | $99.89 | Out |
“In hand” is the shelf price plus that store’s hazmat fee and shipping, spread over one container. Stock is checked once a day — confirm on the store’s page before ordering. Compare all powders →
Specifications
| Manufacturer | Alliant |
|---|---|
| Product family | Alliant Pistol/Shotshell |
| Status | Currently produced |
| Application | shotshell, pistol |
| Grain form | flake |
| Lee VMD (bulk density) | 0.0865 cc per grain · 0.75 g/cc |
| Burn-rate position | 57 of 198 (fastest = 1) — what this means |
| Typical cartridges | 10 gauge, 12 gauge, 16 gauge, 20 gauge, .44 Magnum, .41 Magnum |
Grain shape
Thick-web cut flake — the same flake family as Red Dot and Unique, just with a much heavier wall for the flame to burn through, which is the entire reason it sits so far down the chart on related chemistry. Degressive burn plus that slow web means it wants a heavy payload and real pressure behind it; light loads leave residue and unburned flake.
Why geometry decides burn rate more than chemistry does: Shape Is the Product.
Alliant calls it consistent and accurate and the powder of choice for magnum hunting loads. Always work from Alliant's current published data for this powder rather than older tables.
Burn rate
Slow for a shotshell powder; between Herco and Pro Reach.
Chart agreement: consistent across charts - listed in the same relative neighbourhood by every publisher that carries it Ranked by: Hodgdon, Alliant, Vihtavuori, Shooters World, Wolfe/LoadData.
Powders charted near it — neighbours on the chart are not substitutes, and adjacency tells you nothing about what charge either one takes:
- Vihtavuori 3N38 (position 54)
- Winchester 572 (position 55)
- Shooters World Major Pistol (position 56)
- Accurate No. 7 (position 58)
- Alliant Pro Reach (position 59)
- Hodgdon Longshot (position 60)
Sources
The specifications above come from Alliant's own published documentation, linked below. The two “RCM's read” sections are ours, not theirs — our assessment of what this powder is like to load, drawn from its published characteristics and from what handloaders consistently report. No manufacturer endorses them and no source below backs them. If you think we have one wrong, tell us — we would rather fix it.