.45 Auto Loads

I suggest you weigh those bullets before you load them. Unique is an excellent powder for the .45 ACP. "Most effective" is a general term requiring more specificity before anyone could recommend a load. A good reloading handbook like Speer or Lyman would be the place to start.

Yup, buy a good reloading manual. Or two. It's all part of the trip man.

Lyman would be the better manual for lead

I found 5.2gr of Green Dot behind a 200gr Missouri Bullet #4 IDP works really well in a 1911.

Used the Lyman manual to figure out that load.

I use 4.8 gr of red dot under 230gr LRN. I have loaded about 1000 rounds at this spec and they seem to work very well with accuracy that is better than WWB. Red Dot is a little smokey but it smells great when shot.

How is it, that you're not able to weigh the bullets?

A reloading manual is an ABSOLUTE MUST before beginning to reload.
+1 to Lyman's

A scale is an ABSOLUTE MUST as you begin to reload.
The only way to tell how much powder you're adding is to weigh it.

Neither a manual nor a scale are optional.


Please stay safe!

5.9-6.9gr of Unique with 230gr bullets works fine.

Hondo 60 is absolutely correct.

How is it, that you're not able to weigh the bullets?

A reloading manual is an ABSOLUTE MUST before beginning to reload.
+1 to Lyman's

A scale is an ABSOLUTE MUST as you begin to reload.
The only way to tell how much powder you're adding is to weigh it.

Neither a manual nor a scale are optional.


Please stay safe!

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I was thinking the same thing. How did you weigh your powder charges if you cannot weigh your bullets?

mnhntr said:

I was thinking the same thing. How did you weigh your powder charges if you cannot weigh your bullets?

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Some beam scales only go to 100 gr. or a little over. Which is fine for measuring powder charges. Of course we don't know if the OP is using a scale or not, since there is no mention of it. Could just be using those Lee scoopers to throw charges. Not what I would do or recommend, but people have done it for years with no harm done.

Get one of those cheap Harbor Freight Electronic scales. They are worthless for powder measurements, but very good for +/- 1 grain bullet weights as well as counting bullets or cases. When they are on sale they are under $10. Once you know your JHP bullet weights, go to Alliant's website to find the charge of Unique used to shoot that bullet.

For a 185g Speer Gold Dot Hollow Point they say 8.2g max but I would start back at about 6.5 and keep it under 7.5.

Unique shoots fine when using light loads except that since it is a lower pressured powder, you might get blowback, sooty cases and unburned powder flakes when shooting light loads. It cleans up real nice once you get it up to pressure.

I'm not a fan of Unique so I can't give you charge weights but if you decide to change powders try a charge of 5.5gr W231.

I'm not a fan of Unique so I can't give you charge weights but if you decide to change powders try a charge of 5.5gr W231.

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Yes and 4.6 grs. of Bullseye plays nice with the 230 gr. lead R/N. This is an old tried and true Bullseye shooters load.

as well as a very large number of what I believe to be 185 gr. jacketed hollow points, although I can't check the grains right now.

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If you have a scale that only goes to 100grs, cut the bullet in question with bolt cutters and weigh the halves.

I'm not a fan of Unique because it does not meter well in my Hornady powder dispenser, LNL-AP. I can do fine in a single stage press but not AP. I'm a big fan of WST in the 45. It burns a lot cleaner than Unique does. Being a fine ball powder it meters great.

The Hodgdon and Alliant websites have lots of data for 45 ACP loads. I prefer tha efaster powders for relatively light loads and use WST or American Select.

Here is the thing. Bullseye powder or at least its equivalent was the main powder the US government put in the 1911 45 acp. If it was good enough for WW2 its good enough for me.

I use 4.6gr and my 1911 just loves it. You can get 1,521 shots out of a $15 can of Bullseye.
Word of caution though. You can easily double charge a load of Bullseye in a .45 case. You must be careful, over charging this stuff = a very bad outcome.

What would be a good powder to use in a .455 Webley using either .45 acp or .45 auto rim cases and .454 dia 255 grain round nose flat point lead projectiles? My manual says Nobelpis 2 or 3 , but I never heard of that brand.

Kaeto said:

What would be a good powder to use in a .455 Webley using either .45 acp or .45 auto rim cases and .454 dia 255 grain round nose flat point lead projectiles? My manual says Nobelpis 2 or 3 , but I never heard of that brand.

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Probably should start a new thread with that topic, if you haven't already done so. You're more likely to catch someone who has done some reloading for the Webley.

Thanks I'll do that.

I use 4.6gr and my 1911 just loves it. You can get 1,521 shots out of a $15 can of Bullseye.
Word of caution though. You can easily double charge a load of Bullseye in a .45 case. You must be careful, over charging this stuff = a very bad outcome.

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Love the Bullseye. Safe enough if the loader is paying attention. 9.2gr of Bullseye in a .45ACP case is pretty hard to miss unless there is a severe recto-cranial inversion factor.

Where are you getting Bullseye for $15/lb?

Fishslayer said:

Love the Bullseye. Safe enough if the loader is paying attention. 9.2gr of Bullseye in a .45ACP case is pretty hard to miss unless there is a severe recto-cranial inversion factor.

Where are you getting Bullseye for $15/lb?

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I went and looked at my can. I paid $15.99 for my last pound of Bullseye. From a guy in Hugo.MN
I have seen two 45's with the barrel blown out from from double loads. ( not me)
So it does happen.

So it does happen.

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That's why ya need to have yer head in the game.

...and why most of us won't shoot somebody else's reloads.

Couple years ago I was out in Kansas & scored a bunch of BE & 2400 for something like $17/lb & thought I'd made a major score. Here in Kalifornistan I've paid as much as $29/lb.