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Joined: 16 Jul 2015 Posts: 2126 Location: Hudson,Wy

Anyone else having serious ignition problems with Win 572? I know the stuff is erratic in cold weather, but full on duds?

I tried two 28 ga. loadings with Fed 209A primers. One milder load and one hotter load. Most work fine and kill birds, but random loads, 4 out of 27, were duds. One gave a weak report, and three barely got the shot out of the barrel. One of those three didn't even get the wad out of the barrel. Oddly, there was no mess of unburned powder in the barrels either. Temperatures ranged from 20-35 degrees above zero.

I loaded with light behind the press, and could see the powder drop into the hulls, so it's not an issue of the powder not getting in the case.

I will add that I cut apart some 20 ga. rounds loaded with the 572 (Win Universal hulls refuse to hold a taper at the crimp) and the powder had largely solidified into a solid chunk like a muzzle loader powder pellet. Something screwy going on here.

It seems that Hogdon gave us the first unreliable powder I've ever encountered. I wish I didn't have so much of it. They should have just kept making 800-X.

Joined: 04 Mar 2019 Posts: 1844 Location: Central ND

The clumping is pretty normal, as many powders will clump.

572? What can I say. I did a bunch of cold soak tests with it and only one was worth spit.

Not a good powder when it's cold, and definitely not in WY and ND cold.

Joined: 27 Jan 2016 Posts: 490 Location: Oswego, Kansas

Here in the south I have had good results with 572 the past couple years. Started using it when Universal became obsolete. I don't leave my ammo in the freezer or my van for weeks at a time either. I use it in all of my shotguns 10,16, 20 and 28ga for target and quail and dove loads and use Longshot when needed or even Lil Gun for heavy loads in the 28.

Joined: 03 Sep 2014 Posts: 398 Location: Rochester, MN

Last year at about this time, I was on a late season pheasant hunt in Iowa.

I was using Hevishot 16 gauge bismuth. It was 5 degrees Fahrenheit. Several shells were seriously under powered and bloopers. One stuck a wad in the bore of my gun.

After taking my 16 gauge gun and the failing ammunition to the truck, I was able to easily bag my limit of pheasants with my 12 gauge gun and steel shotshells loaded with Alliant Steel powder.

I contacted Hevishot and returned the remainder of 3 boxes of 16 gauge bismuth to them. They sent me a fair financial settlement.

I do wonder if those cartridges were loaded with the powder referenced in the OP.

Joined: 04 Mar 2019 Posts: 1844 Location: Central ND

I contacted Hodgdon about 572 and cold weather and I have never gotten a reply.

Joined: 16 Jul 2015 Posts: 2126 Location: Hudson,Wy

At this point I'm thinking that the "Extremely Flammable" label was placed on the bottle as a joke. I guess I'm back to my original backup plan of just using the stuff for dove and quail loads that I use in Az & NM.

At least that lets me use my other powders, all of which perform in cold weather, for the rest of my hunting needs.

The only other powder I've used in the past 20 years that showed any issue in the cold is Longshot. With LS I've occasionally (pretty rare) experienced a weaker sounding report at sub zero temperatures, but never a complete dud.

Joined: 04 Mar 2019 Posts: 1844 Location: Central ND

I know how you feel Wyo. No Unique, Universal, 800X, SR7625, SR4756. That's why I have started messing around with the single base Vihtavuori powders. I know they are expensive, but so far so good and they are available more times than not.

I am going to send some loads to Tom Armbrust in the spring. We will see what happens.

Yesterday I loaded up some 7/8 oz. loads with Cheddite primers, RGL hulls, N320 powder and CB0078-16 wads.

Joined: 16 Jul 2015 Posts: 2126 Location: Hudson,Wy

Maybe I should help Hogdon out with their advertising slogans. These pretty well sum it up:

"Winchester 572, helping insure birds die of old age since 2021"

"You'll put your eye out kid. Oh wait, you're using Win 572...carry on."

"Winchester 572. When it absolutely has to work...sometimes."

"Experience ejectile dysfunction with new Winchester 572."

"Winchester 572, it goes south for the winter, just like the birds."

"Winchester 572, because nobody really wants to hunt in cold weather anyway."

Joined: 17 Mar 2007 Posts: 207

LOL. Those are all good slogans, but that one’s got my vote.

Joined: 17 Mar 2007 Posts: 207

Sorry — this one:

"You'll put your eye out kid. Oh wait, you're using Win 572...carry on."

Joined: 26 Apr 2010 Posts: 3178 Location: NCWa

Several of the Winchester/Hodgdon powders are the same. I'm wondering if Winchester 572 has a corresponding Hodgdon number.

one of our better skeeters got an 8# jug - gave 7#'s away . Nobody I know likes it . I'm not a fan of ball powder , but have had great results with WSF for 20/28 and PP for 12 /16 .

Joined: 04 Mar 2019 Posts: 1844 Location: Central ND

American Meet,

No it is a completely different powder, from anything that Hodgdon has or had. 572 is very dense to the point of being too dense with the wads/hulls that we currently have especially for Cheddite and other similar hulls with 1 oz. loads. Much of the Hodgdon data for 1 oz. loads with 572, IMHO, need fillers.

Using 572, I tried 1 oz. of shot in the Remington hull with CB0100-16 wads and I really liked it.....until the cold weather hit.