reducing bullet weight with a file........

If the bullet is a jacketed bullet, you must be sure you do not change the percentage of jacket in relation to the lead core, as it is spelled out by the ATF concerning what is "legal" and what is not legal in terms of weight ratio of jacket with respect to the lead core!

A standard 255 gr .45 Colt round has recoil?

Actually nothing would happen, except you will clog up a perfectly good file with lead shavings you can't get out.
And the gun will shoot low.

I doubt you will notice enough difference in recoil to make it worth the work.
About 5 1/2 ft/lb as opposed to 7 ft/lbs free recoil.

If you want light recoil, buy Cowboy Action loads.
They are so slow they will bounce back at you off a wood backstop.

rc

Why not just buy 200 gr bullets?

http://www.missouribullet.com/details.php?prodId=60&category=5&secondary=14&keywords=

Friendly Don't Fire, what is the deal with BATF and lead core to jacket percentage? I've never heard about any such thing? If there is some percentage that must be maintained, why is a solid copper projectiles, or a solid lead projectile legal?

The only legal issue I've ever heard about regarding bullets, is armor piercing projectiles.

I almost forgot about the OP. I'm sure you could do that, but you must be aware that changing the characteristics and weight of the bullet is going to have a major effect on how it performs, in every aspect. You could wind up with a core blowing straight out of the jacket, tumbling bullets, and if you don't address the powder charge in relation to the bullet weight, you'll have some serious issues there as well.

I knew a guy years ago that actually added some weight to a factory 9mm round and blew his gun up. He filled in the hollow point with lead of course which changed the weight by quite a lot, enough to bring the pressures up significantly.

It's about the old "Cop Killer" armor piercing handgun bullets.

It has nothing at all to do will filing the nose off a jacketed lead bullet.
Or a pure lead bullet in this case.

Since he ask about a "standard 255 grain" .45 Colt load?
I would assume he was asking about soft lead bullets anyway.

rc

Reducing recoil?

This sounds like a job for....
.
.
.
IMR Trailboss.



Maybe?

Seedtick

Any 255gr .45 Colt bullet ahead of 6.0gr of a fast handgun powder such as red dot, solo 1000 or bullseye, is going to recoil very little. My 13 year old daughter handles it with ease.

Don

Friendly said:

If the bullet is a jacketed bullet, you must be sure you do not change the percentage of jacket in relation to the lead core, as it is spelled out by the ATF concerning what is "legal" and what is not legal in terms of weight ratio of jacket with respect to the lead core!

Click to expand...

Huh?