Blue dot & cold weather

[Mr. 16 gauge]

FOrgive me if this has been discussed before, but I have some questions re: Blue dot and cold weather. I have seen on some other reloading sites were people have had problems with erratic performance while using Blue dot in cold weather. I have used it in shotshells for 30+ years (including some very cold weather), and have not had a problem. Most of the claims have been with handgun rounds, but some folks insist that they've had problems with shotshells. When asked at what temps, I'm told 32F I can't believe that a powder that has been around as long as Blue dot would still be around if it failed at 32 degrees!
Still, I'm curious and no one can seem to answer one simple question: What is the critical temperature at which blue dot fails or becomes erractic?

Like I said, I've used the powder for a number of years....it is the ONLY powder available anymore for 1 1/4 oz loads in 16 gauge (not that I load that many 1 1/4 oz loads), and is a top performer in my .357, .38 Super, and 9mm. Seeing as how Alliant changed a whole lot of loading data this fall, including eliminating some loads for the .357 & .41 mags that were 'safe' for decades, and now all the sudden are 'unsafe', I"m wondering if the powder will eventually be phased out, as was HS7.

Anyone with an opinion?

[fabsroman]

I used it a lot in 1 1/2 oz. 12 gauge crow hunting loads and never had a problem with it, and I hunted in some pretty cold weather. You probably know this already, but the cold has an effect on all powder/velocity. The colder it is, the less velocity you get. Who knows, maybe those people that had problems with Blue Dot just had a bad primer, or the loads might have been so old that the powder had gotten wet somehow. I seriously doubt there would be a problem with the powder igniting in below freezing temps, or Alliant would have pulled it a while ago.

[Catfish]

I used to load alot of pretty heavy fox loads with Blue Dot and I could never tell the difference in preformance between cool and down right cold weather, I don`t think the fox could eather. I can see how ignation could become a problem in handgun ammo as the primer doesn`t have as much fire and the case does not have powder compresed as does shotgun ammo.