LiveLife
Member
Back in April/May, I did some range testing with Promo in 9mm/40S&W/45ACP with promising results.
With economy continuing to slide, I have been suggesting to other reloaders to try this cheap powder. In case you are not familiar with Promo, it's a large flake shotgun powder many reloaders have used with Red Dot load data. It only comes in 8 lb container and currently the lowest priced powder ($82.60 at Powder Valley).
Being a large flake powder, it initially did not meter well in my new Pro Auto Disk and charges thrown varied 0.1-0.3 gr. After some trial and error, I found that my 15 year old Pro Auto Disk threw charges more consistently and only varied by 0.1 gr charge-to-charge average. Many suggested using Powder baffle, tapping the hopper to settle the powder, using the Lee adjustable charge bar or slightly loosening the thumb nuts. All in all, what the range tests showed was that even though the charges varies by 0.1-0.3 gr, shot groups stayed fairly consistent.
Various 9mm/40S&W loads (jacketed/plated/lead) were tested using Glock22/27 (factory barrels for jacketed/plated and Lone Wolf barrels for lead) and produced average shot groups of 1"-2" at 7-10 yards and 2"-3" at 15 yards. My brief initial testing of 45ACP loads did not do very well shot out of PT145 even though my W231/HP38 reference loads produced 1"-1.5" groups at 7-10-15 yards.
My new M&P45 with a trigger job has been producing 1.5"-2.0" shot groups at 20 yards with my reference load (200 gr LSWC and 5.0 gr W231/HP38), so I decided to test the Promo loads at 7-10-15 yards. Missouri Bullets 200 gr SWC were loaded with 3.8 gr and 4.0 gr of Promo at 1.25" OAL.
I started out with 4.0 gr load first which cycled the slide of 4.5" M&P45 reliably and ejected cases went behind me and to the right. Recoil was snappy but mild. Shot groups at 7-10 yards averaged 1"-2" with the best group measurement of 1.25" at 10 yards and 2.0" at 15 yards.
3.8 gr load also cycled the slide reliably but ejected the cases just to the right of my right foot. Recoil was snappy and light. Best 10 yard group was 1.75" and 3.0" at 15 yards.
Although Promo does not meter as well, I can certainly live with these shot groups. If you are pinching pennies, even the 3.8 gr will be more than good enough for plinking. Using the Handloading Cost Calculator, I get reloading cost range of around $5/50 depending on component source and cost. If anyone is feeling the financial pinch, Promo should provide some relief, even for 45ACP loads.
With economy continuing to slide, I have been suggesting to other reloaders to try this cheap powder. In case you are not familiar with Promo, it's a large flake shotgun powder many reloaders have used with Red Dot load data. It only comes in 8 lb container and currently the lowest priced powder ($82.60 at Powder Valley).
Being a large flake powder, it initially did not meter well in my new Pro Auto Disk and charges thrown varied 0.1-0.3 gr. After some trial and error, I found that my 15 year old Pro Auto Disk threw charges more consistently and only varied by 0.1 gr charge-to-charge average. Many suggested using Powder baffle, tapping the hopper to settle the powder, using the Lee adjustable charge bar or slightly loosening the thumb nuts. All in all, what the range tests showed was that even though the charges varies by 0.1-0.3 gr, shot groups stayed fairly consistent.
Various 9mm/40S&W loads (jacketed/plated/lead) were tested using Glock22/27 (factory barrels for jacketed/plated and Lone Wolf barrels for lead) and produced average shot groups of 1"-2" at 7-10 yards and 2"-3" at 15 yards. My brief initial testing of 45ACP loads did not do very well shot out of PT145 even though my W231/HP38 reference loads produced 1"-1.5" groups at 7-10-15 yards.
My new M&P45 with a trigger job has been producing 1.5"-2.0" shot groups at 20 yards with my reference load (200 gr LSWC and 5.0 gr W231/HP38), so I decided to test the Promo loads at 7-10-15 yards. Missouri Bullets 200 gr SWC were loaded with 3.8 gr and 4.0 gr of Promo at 1.25" OAL.
I started out with 4.0 gr load first which cycled the slide of 4.5" M&P45 reliably and ejected cases went behind me and to the right. Recoil was snappy but mild. Shot groups at 7-10 yards averaged 1"-2" with the best group measurement of 1.25" at 10 yards and 2.0" at 15 yards.
3.8 gr load also cycled the slide reliably but ejected the cases just to the right of my right foot. Recoil was snappy and light. Best 10 yard group was 1.75" and 3.0" at 15 yards.
Although Promo does not meter as well, I can certainly live with these shot groups. If you are pinching pennies, even the 3.8 gr will be more than good enough for plinking. Using the Handloading Cost Calculator, I get reloading cost range of around $5/50 depending on component source and cost. If anyone is feeling the financial pinch, Promo should provide some relief, even for 45ACP loads.