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Alliant "Promo" vs Red Dot

5K views 16 replies 12 participants last post by  Quack Shot 
#1 ·
Alliant

Within the next few weeks I will be buying reloading supplies. I normally use Red Dot powder. I noticed that the Promo powder is supposed to be comparable and is almost $2 a pound cheaper than Red Dot. Anybody use Promo and do you like it? Also, I am thinking about trying some "Downrange" 1 ounce wads. Thanks in advance for the input. Ed
 
#3 ·
Alliant

18 grains promo.ww209,rem or AA hull,downrange 1 oz wad.Just load it like red dot but weigh the powder for the proper amount.I have used 3 keg's of promo and the downrange wads are great. Depending on what type of loader you have,The 1 oz wads come with 4 or 8 petals. It is easier to use the 4 petal wads on a PW loader. PJ
 
#4 ·
Alliant

Same answer At these prices today $2.00 is two dollars. If they just had the same option for shot. I strongly believe that it is way cheaper if you do count up the hours spent reloading to go to new shells at Wally World they are more reliable. Shot here in Ohio is $26.00 to 34.00 a bag.
 
#5 ·
Alliant

OK. You guys are talking me into the Promo. I usually use about 17 grains of Red Dot in my 1 ounce loads. (STS hulls-Fiocchi primer and TGT12 wad). It makes or a nice shooting load. I load on a P/W loader. Why would it be better to use the 4 petal Downrange wad vs the 8 petal? Thanks. Ed
 
#6 ·
Alliant

esoxhunter

Promo is basically the equivalent to Red Dot, just a bit more dense. You wil need a smaller bushing to get the same charge weights. It's one powder that you really need to weigh charges with. It can vary a quite bit from lot to lot. You should try to load so the pressures are high enough for a clean burn (over 8500 PSI or so.). Light loads are usually noticably "dirty". Not much more than Red Dot, but it's noticable. That load of 17 grains seems just a tad on the light side for me, but if it works for you, that's all that matters. I use closer to 18 grains and get a bit over 1200 fps without much difference in recoil. I also use an autoloader, so I need a load that will work the action. I found that reliability dropped a bit after I got much under 17.5 grains. I also had trouble with the Fiocchi primer in colder weather. I got some off sounding loads and they were down by a good 100 fps or more over chronograph. They still broke targets, but I didn't like it. I will use the Winchester 209 in colder weather.

The big advantage to a 4 petal wad over one with 8, is simple. The 8 petal wads usually are more difficult to feed into some loading presses. One or more of the petals seem to get caught or stuck into the wrong place and are usually bent all over the place. I have given up on the 8 petal wads simply since they are a pain to work with. I've seen no major difference in patterns, except a possible tendency for a slightly more open pattern with some 8 petal wads. That's from some limited pattern testing, so it's not sufficient to draw a definite conclusion.
 
#7 ·
Alliant

If you are hand feeding the 8 petal wad onto say a mec "grabber",They work great because this unit drops the shot in at the same time the wad is seated.The wad surrounds the shot so to say,On the PW the wad is seated and then the turret spins to where the shot is dropped. Some of the 8 petal wads have a tendency to fold in when seated thus when the shot is dropped it gets between the wad and the hull."Kevin" at Downrange is working on this problem.You can run them thru the clothes dryer and FLARE them out to avoid this problem,But that can be a PITA.Give him (Kevin) a call and discuss it with him,He may a have solved the problem.Or just use the 4 petal wad like Quack said I have seen little differance in the patterns.PJ
 
#9 ·
Alliant

Everyone that I've seen shoot Promo seemed to like it, but it is the dirtest powder I've ever seen. Might as well butt up to your shotgun when you've got diarreha and take a dump(IT'LL LOOK THE SAME). Buddy of mine shoots 7/8 Oz. WITH 17.5 grains and a Fed 209A primer and while it shoots well it's the nastiest load I've seen. There's no way I'd consider shooting Promo in a autoloader. As for me I'll stick with Nitro 100,Clays,or Red Dot whichever they've got in stock when i need powder. 4andy10
 
#10 ·
Alliant

6 jugs of Promo so far. 6 more jugs in reserve.

I guess that means I like it.

For practice I use 17-17.6 gr with a 1 oz load in AA hulls/Greenduster or Claybuster 1100 wad. Nice light load. It does vary lot to lot but so what?

17.5 in a Federal GM hull/Federal wad - with 1 1/8 oz is my registered shooting load.

Don
 
#11 ·
Alliant

I use the same exact load as you do, except promo powder, around $3 per box, no misfires or off loads, although im only 2000 shells in. The one thing I found with the promo is that its a little dirty, I usually use a factory gun club for my last 3 shots of the day, cleans the barrel out pretty nicely. - Rich
 
#12 ·
Alliant

Ed, you should be able to get Promo for between $6 and $12 less than Red Dot. You can buy Clay Dot for $3 less than Red Dot. If you want to save money over Red Dot, buy Clay Dot if you do not like playing around with bushings after every jug, or Promo if you don't care.
 
#13 ·
Alliant

I've been using WST for many years, but with the price of PROMO, I have used it as my latest powder.

It is dirtier, but I have to say not any more than 700X. Even WST leaves residue in the barrel, so no bid deal.

The manufacturer says to use the same load as Red Dot, but Promo is denser, so I backed it off a bit in my P/W.

I use a load not even on the charts, but I like a super lite load for 16's.

Whiz White<BR>
P/W Distributor
 
#14 ·
Alliant

For the 8 petal wad problem.Put a bag of wads in a pillow case and tie it shut with string and put in clothes dryer for 10 minutes or so.Dump out on loading bech and let cool.No more petal problems.I love my Downrange Jammer 1 oz,great pattern.I know some people have a problem with the extra step of drying wads.If you do they are not for you.I am not in a race to make lots of shells just good quality loads so this extra step for a great wad to make a great load does not bother me......Don
 
#15 ·
Alliant

ks5shooter

For the 8 Petal wad problem, I just buy 4 Petal wads. No pillow cases, no dryer, no problem. I did the dryer routine for a while with some Jammers and gave up when it was just as big a pain in the "A" to load them after "fixing" them. I've not had the urge to go back. The difference in patterns was insignificant and there were no differences in scores. I was just able to load twice as much ammo in the same amount of time.
 
#16 ·
Alliant

Quackshot,pillow case and dryer is no problem to me as I stated in my post.I also stated if you have a problem with that then they are not for you,and for you it seems so.I have seen better patterns and better scores that I have compared when I used a four petal.My personal experience.To me time is not of the essence and I enjoy reloading,also what I stated in my post.Great shooting .....Don
 
#17 ·
Alliant

ks5shooter

Don, If I noticed a difference, I might go the extra mile, but I have not yet found an 8 petal wad that really outperforms the 4 petal wads I'm using. For me it was an effort in futility and certainly not worth the hassle. If it works for you, then by all means, enjoy it! Shoot Well and be happy!
 
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