You're right Ted.

Although thumb rules do have exceptions... like the one about promo loads having soft shot.

Federal 'Field and Range' had some of the hardest shot I've ever seen. That was an incredibly tight patterning load which we traced to ultra hard lead.

The cheapest crap powder had to be the early Estate stuff. I saw one box of that bring a 390 to it's knees. Semi-smokeless with emphasis on the 'semi' part. Estate is a very good brand now though... their 'dove' loads are Cheddite France, and clean as a whistle.

"The price of good shotgunnery is constant practice" - Fred Kimble