45ACP predictions

[Jeff H]

OK, so my 45 dies finally got my 45 dies in the mail today and prmptly headed down to put together some test load to try and work up a load for my 1911.

After much research I settled on trying 3 different loads with an OAL at 1.25" and a crimp between.470 and .471, I loaded 200gr LSWC with Bullseye at 4.3, 4.6, and 5 grains.

I have both 16 and 18# recoil springs to try.


Now waiting is the problem. I can't get to the range for a few days to test these out and the wait is annoying....Anyone have any predictions which load will shoot fairly close to factory loads? I'm looking for a load with good power but also one that won't throw my brass all the way across the range.

Oddly enough, these loads are on the lower end of my Lyman manual but are middle of the road or high looking at other sources.

 

[Claude Clay]

my pet loads--4.5 is a touch on the light side and can be shot all day without fatigue. even in a defender.
4.9 is a taste above a factory load and comes close to replicationg many sd rounds.

have fun

 

[Unclenick]

There are no factory 200 grain lead loads I am aware of, unless they are by a small reloading outfit, so there is no factory load to duplicate. If, however, you mean that you want the gun to cycle properly, then you have no problem. All the loads you mention should work with the 16 lb spring. A factory duplicate 185 grain JSWC target load is 4.2 grains of Bullseye, and it functions a 16 lb spring (though 14 lbs is more commonly used with it).

The difference you see in load manuals is due both to the fact they are using different brands of bullets and different guns. When it comes to pressure of a given load, what matters most is how much space you have for the powder to start burning in under the base of the bullet. So, it is not COL, but rather seating depth — how far the base sticks down into the case — that matters.

For lead bullets with lubricant you want enough crimp that the greased bullet can't be pushed deeper into the case by the forces it experiences being stripped from the magazine and run up into the chamber. You should not be able to force a bullet to seat deeper by thumb pressure. If you have too little crimp, have no fear. The SAAMI spec for hardball is a diameter of 0.472" plus nothing (that number's a maximum) and minus 0.006". So you can have the case mouth anywhere from 0.466"-0.472" and be within spec. There is actually a second spec for match SWC's that allows up to 0.473" with a 0.467" minimum, which you may observe if you prefer. Either way, you can crimp more.

As to how far you seat, with lead SWC's it is pretty common for the shoulder at the case mouth to stick out about 0.020". The COL you wind up with depends on the bullet shape, as the old H&G 68 style has a longer tip than some other shapes, like Lee's 200 grian SWC. So it won't be the same. There isn't a "right" COL so much as a right seating depth. About 0.3" seating depth is perfectly safe with all the loads you mentioned.

 

[Slamfire]

I was looking for a target load. This one shot well and functioned each time.

M1911 Kimber Custom Classic


200 LSWC 4.0 grs Bullseye Mixed cases CCI300
OAL 1.250" taper crimp 0.469"
11-Sep-05 T = 88 °F

Ave Vel = 738.9
Std Dev = 10.34
ES 37.98
High 755.8
Low 717.8
N = 32

 

[bignz]

I load 45acp 200 lswc rounds with Bullseye. I went in the opposite direction of how I normally work up loads. I started at 4.3 (I too saw all different sorts of starting and max loads and figured 4.3 was safely low). 4.3 worked great but did not feel like a starting load (as near I could tell without a chrono it had the full recoil of a factory 230). So I worked down to see when accuracy/feeding with a standard spring would start to be a problem. When I went below 4.0gr I started to notice accuracy fall off, but I had to get to 3.7gr before I got my first stovepipe. I have settled on 4.1 as a nice light practice round. I've shot about 500 at this level and never had a single feeding/extraction problem and have shot some nice groups.

 

[orionengnr]

If you have some 231, the book load of 5 gr gives 803 fps.
Being a newb reloader, I backed off 10%, and use 4.5 gr. Works just fine for me, in 3, 4 and 5" 1911s.
One of these days I'll bump it up to 5 gr., but in the meantime, I am getting (mathematically anyway) 1555 rounds per pound of powder.

 

[Jeff H]

Well I got free for an hour or so to test out the new rounds and I can say that they all did very well. 4.3g seemed to be a nice target type round and 5.0 seemed to mimic the recoil and distance that brass was tossed as factory 230ball.

All in all, I think I'll run 4.3 with the 16# spring and 4.6 with the 18# for no other reason than trying to keep the brass fairly close and not all teh way across the range. I can't decide which I prefer though, they both did well. Need to load and fire more to find a favorite

I just shot off hand at 10-15 yds and while almost every shot hit the 7" disk on my 8.5x11 targets, I am not a good enough shot to tell if these were accurate loads or not, for me, they seemed about average vs.factory ammo.