Red Dot vs Promo powder in pistol loads and/or in reduced rifle loads like "The Load".

arakboss · Nov 9, 2021

Alliant supposedly suggest you can use Red Dot load data when using Promo powder in pistol loads?

Has anybody here had success with using Promo powder in pistol loads or reduced rifle loads with Red Dot data?

nammac · Nov 9, 2021

I've done Promo in .45 ACP, 4.8 gr under 200 gr LSWC's. Can quote the load because I just shot it this past Friday breaking in a SA Ronin. Accuracy was decent, certainly more accurate than I. No leading issues, no troubles cycling a commander size 1911 with reasonable recoil.

I've also used it in .45 Long Colt and 9mm with decent results. Not necessarily the cleanest burning, but having several jugs on the shelf, I'll be working with this for awhile.

I've used Red Dot recipes for the above, working up my loads. I highly recommend ferreting out loads from several resources to formulate your starting loads.

arakboss · Nov 9, 2021

nammac said:
I've done Promo in .45 ACP, 4.8 gr under 200 gr LSWC's. Can quote the load because I just shot it this past Friday breaking in a SA Ronin. Accuracy was decent, certainly more accurate than I. No leading issues, no troubles cycling a commander size 1911 with reasonable recoil.

I've also used it in .45 Long Colt and 9mm with decent results. Not necessarily the cleanest burning, but having several jugs on the shelf, I'll be working with this for awhile.

I've used Red Dot recipes for the above, working up my loads. I highly recommend ferreting out loads from several resources to formulate your starting loads.

Excellent info thanks.

jordanka16 · Nov 9, 2021

Promo is like a leftover blend of powder that is formulated to be the same burn rate as Red dot, but the density is different.

Back in my shotgun days, we would buy promo because it was cheaper, the same weight of powder would give identical performance, but we had to change out powder bushings on the mec press to get the same charge weight. It will work the same in a pistol I would assume, I don't use red dot in pistols because it's dirty, but you won't be able to use the same charge bar or powder measure setting.

arakboss · Nov 10, 2021

jordanka16 said:
Promo is like a leftover blend of powder that is formulated to be the same burn rate as Red dot, but the density is different.

Back in my shotgun days, we would buy promo because it was cheaper, the same weight of powder would give identical performance, but we had to change out powder bushings on the mec press to get the same charge weight. It will work the same in a pistol I would assume, I don't use red dot in pistols because it's dirty, but you won't be able to use the same charge bar or powder measure setting.

I have a lee powder measure and I adjust volume of charge by weighing the charges until I get the right volume to weight measurement set. I have read that the Promo is denser.