The ultimate 12 ga. propellant

[esheato]

I'm looking for the good stuff. The supreme light target load for busting clays. Low charge weight, clean, approximately 1150 fps, and meters consistently in my Dillon SL900. I'm only throwing 1 oz. loads.

I've tried 700-X, Clays, Intl. Clays, TiteWad, and Alliant E^3.

The Clays didn't meter well enough to satisfy me. (+/- .3 from my selected charge), but its cleanliness was phenomenal. TiteWad was nice; extremely consistent but dirty when compared to the Clays. I have a few boxes loaded up of the Alliant stuff, but I'm not expecting it to be THE ONE.

I haven't tried any of the Dots yet.

What's your recipe?

Ed

 

[warddc]

I've tried quite a few from all the players and ended up with Red Dot as my favorite.

d.

 

[Jim Watson]

I have tried several 12 ga powders but have always gone back to 700X.
Not the cleanest, but clean enough. Not the closest metering, but close enough.
And it has JUST the right bulk for the AA and RTL hulls I use to crimp well.

 

[taliv]

esheato, if you're looking to experiment, give solo 1250 a go

 

[oscar]

Have you tried WST?

 

[enfield]

I've used nothing but Red Dot for years.

 

[HSMITH]

Ed, I have used Clays, Int Clays, Univ Clays, Red Dot, Green Dot, Blue Dot, Super Field, Super Target, Herco, Unique, PB, American Select, Solo 1250, Promo, 700X, 800X, Longshot and some discontinued powders. I probably forgot a few too.

I ended up with Clays and Red Dot for light target loads. Clays is dead clean and economical. Red Dot smells better than any other powder could even approach. Both pattern quite well too.


What loader are you using? Are you using a baffle in the powder hopper?

What clay games do you shoot? I like certain pattern types for certain games, for example in skeet I want a nice even pattern that opens fairly quickly and for trap I want a load with a little more center density and holds tight a little longer. Clays and Red Dot work well for skeet patterns, and powders a touch slower like Green Dot or Super Field throw a little hotter centers.

 

[esheato]

Solo 1250, WST and Red Dot for starters. I'll definitely look into them and I appreciate the suggestions.

HSMITH, I'm loading on a Dillon SL900 and I do not have a powder baffle. I didn't believe the Dillons required them. I never had any metering problems with TiteWad or with my 650 which has the same type of measure on it.

I shoot just about all the clay games. Just finished a skeet league last week, starting a trap league beginning of Jan. Shot an Ironman (skeet, 5-stand, singles, handicap and double wobble trap) yesterday and an ATA event in a few hours.

Like you, I have specific loads for specific applications. I have 3 basic loads. Skeet, trap and sporting. Skeet is 1 oz 9 @ 1150fps with a skeet choke. Trap is 1 1/8 oz 8 @ 1200 or so with a modified choke (16-20 yards). Sporting is 1 1/8 oz of 8 and 9 at 1250 and a multitude of chokes.

With those three loads and smart choke selection, I can shoot just about any game and be faily successful, but I need a powder to do it all.

Ed

 

[HSMITH]

Ed, just for kicks I would call Dillon and ask about a baffle. I don't remember what the SL powder measure looks like. My MEC's throw Clays within .1 grain after I added the baffle, before the baffle it was .3 or so + or -, a FULL half grain variation.

I don't think you can get what you are looking for if you want to run one ounce and 1 1/8 ounce loads, at least not with any of the powders I have tried. Green Dot would be a good choice, but you will find your skeet loads get a hotter center and lighten up a little on the fringes. They will shoot one or two constrictions tighter than the loads you are using now. Your trap loads would be very nice with GD, and so would your sporting loads.

I have found that patterns change pretty dramatically with powder selection, much more so than a wad change and primer changes are transparent.

I went to one ounce loads for everything in leauges and competition, and settled on Clays. I brought the speed UP a little for skeet to about 1250, it helps to open the patterns and even out distribution. I dropped the speed DOWN a little for trap to about 1100, centers stay fairly hot and they will reach with the best 1 1/8 ounce loads. For sporting I settled on the skeet load, it works nicely.

For fun and practice I shoot 7/8 ounce loads for skeet, loaded down about 1100 FPS. One ounce loads for trap and sporting.

I guess you could just look at this as an opportunity to spend some quality time with your loader, gun and the pattern board.

 

[esheato]

HSMITH,

I'll phone Dillon and ask about the baffle. Either way, it wouldn't hurt to add one.

I have found that patterns change pretty dramatically with powder selection, much more so than a wad change and primer changes are transparent.

Pattern changes due to powder selection doesn't surprise me....but the fact that it effects the pattern more so than wad selection is surprising. I always thought the wad played a significant role in patterns.

I have yet to really experiment at the pattern board. It's on my list of things to get to...I'm up to my eyeballs in pistol experiments utilizing a Fackler box.

I did make it to the skeet range today to try out those Intl. Clays and E^3 loads. I wasn't too impressed with Intl. Clays in a light tgt. load. (1 oz, 1150 fps) The E^3 on the other hand....this powder runs clean. Probably as clean or cleaner than Clays. I started at 17.0, but I believe I could probably back it down a half grain. Time to chrono I suppose. I put an order in today for 4 lbs. of it....I need to play a little more with it before I decide.

I really appreciate the information.

Ed

 

[HSMITH]

Glad I could help Ed. I should also clarify, by 'more influence than wad selection' I meant more than the difference between target grade wads from Winchester, Remington and Federal. I didn't mean that it was more than t he difference between the best wads and the cheapest wads made. Sorry about that.