Ramshot
Ramshot True Blue
Aimed at the classic large-case, moderate-pressure revolver cartridges, and also offered for 9mm duty-type loads.
A medium-speed pistol ball aimed at the big low-pressure revolver cases - .38 Special, .44 Special, .45 Colt - where it fills the case better than a fast target powder and works well with cast bullets. It is also offered for 9mm duty-type loads. The thing you need to know: Hodgdon's own burn chart moved True Blue substantially between revisions and the other publishers disagree with each other about where it belongs. Work from current published load data and do not interpolate it against a chart neighbour.
- 45 Colt cast-bullet loads
- 44 Special
- 38 Special
- 9mm Luger practice
Who has Ramshot True Blue today
Checked October 10Out of stock at every store we track
| Store | Size | Shelf | In hand /lb | Stock |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bruno Shooters Supply$26.95 hazmat + $19.95 ship | 4 lb | $131.99 | $44.72 | Out |
| Lohman ArmsHazmat charged, amount not published | 4 lb | $155.95 | $46.85 est. | Out |
| Graf & Sons$23.50 hazmat per package | 4 lb | $152.99 | $47.61 | Out |
| Lohman ArmsHazmat charged, amount not published | 1 lb | $33.95 | $65.39 est. | Out |
| Graf & Sons$23.50 hazmat per package | 1 lb | $42.99 | $80.44 | Out |
| Bruno Shooters Supply$26.95 hazmat + $19.95 ship | 1 lb | $35.99 | $82.89 | 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 | Ramshot |
|---|---|
| Product family | Ramshot |
| Status | Currently produced |
| Application | pistol |
| Grain form | spherical |
| Lee VMD (bulk density) | 0.0684 cc per grain · 0.95 g/cc |
| Composition | double-base |
| Temperature stable | Not marketed as temperature-stable |
| Burn-rate position | 50 of 198 (fastest = 1) — what this means |
| Typical cartridges | 38 Special, 44 Special, 45 Colt, 9mm Luger |
Grain shape
Spherical and degressive; it meters cleanly on a progressive, and its bulk works in favour of case fill in the long revolver cases where a denser or faster powder leaves a lot of air under the bullet.
Why geometry decides burn rate more than chemistry does: Shape Is the Product.
Manufacturer highlights metering for progressive presses and states it works well with cast bullets. Made in Belgium. Note the burn-chart discrepancy described above: the previous chart placed True Blue in the medium handgun range near Hodgdon CFE Pistol and Ramshot Silhouette, while the current chart places it markedly faster.
Burn rate
A medium-speed handgun powder. Hodgdon's chart placement for True Blue moved substantially between its two most recent burn-rate chart revisions, so treat any precise ranking with caution and work from published load data instead.
Chart agreement: MAJOR DISAGREEMENT — the publishers are far apart on this powder. Hodgdon's current chart ranks it much faster than its previous revision did, Wolfe/LoadData ranks it far slower, and Vihtavuori bands it slower still. The position shown follows the majority of charts, but treat this neighbourhood as unresolved. Ranked by: Hodgdon, Vihtavuori, Wolfe/LoadData.
Powders charted near it — neighbours on the chart are not substitutes, and adjacency tells you nothing about what charge either one takes:
- Hodgdon HS-6 (position 47)
- Winchester AutoComp (position 48)
- Hodgdon CFE Pistol (position 49)
- Ramshot Silhouette (position 51)
- Vihtavuori 3N37 (position 52)
- Vihtavuori N350 (position 53)
Sources
The specifications above come from Ramshot'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.