Ironicaintit
Member
My plinkers are 5.0gr of bullseye with a 230 gr FMJ.
My heavy hitters are loaded with 6.5gr of Unique under a 230XTP.
My heavy hitters are loaded with 6.5gr of Unique under a 230XTP.
favorite loads for 45 acp 1911
- Thread starter LUCKYDAWG13
- Start date
- Status
OP
OP
LUCKYDAWG13
Member
2bfree
Member
5.2 231 230 FMJ OAL 1.240. Works for me.
ArchAngelCD
Member.
I have been using 5.5gr W231 for as long as I can remember. If you look at the Hodgdon data closely you will see they use an OAL of 1.200" which puts the bullet deep into the case and limiting the powder cavity which will rise pressures. I have never set a 45 Auto round to 1.200" and probably never will. I'm using between 1.255" and 1.265". You should never do anything you are uncomfortable with.5.5 or 5.6 grs. of W231 are over Hodgdons recommended maximums for 230 gr bullets on their Reloading Data Center and Their 2017 Annual Manual.
If you check the Winchester powder manuals from before the Hodgdon merge you will see my charge is not to the max according to Winchester. Hornady lists a max charge of W231 @5.8gr. Lyman lists a max charge of 5.5gr W231. I'm good with my load but like I said, don't do anything you are not comfortable doing.
Old Midway "Load Map" for .45 ACP. Data for W-231 has come down over the years. 5.0 for plinking and 5.5 for full power are age old loads for W-231 & 230 Gr RN bullets in .45 ACP.
Out of curiosity, I worked all the way up to 6.1 Grs of W-231 with a 230 Gr plated bullet. Talk about snappy! I shot mostly 5.0 for plinking, and the occasional 5.5 for full power. Two loads folks all over came to on their own long before the internet. After the internet we all figured out how many people came to the same conclusion. 5.2 and 5.3 were/are also popular. I used 5.0 with any 225/230 gr lead, plated, or jacketed bullet.
Out of curiosity, I worked all the way up to 6.1 Grs of W-231 with a 230 Gr plated bullet. Talk about snappy! I shot mostly 5.0 for plinking, and the occasional 5.5 for full power. Two loads folks all over came to on their own long before the internet. After the internet we all figured out how many people came to the same conclusion. 5.2 and 5.3 were/are also popular. I used 5.0 with any 225/230 gr lead, plated, or jacketed bullet.
For league, 7 to 25 yards, I shoot Sellier Bellot 230 gr FMJ that I buy shipped to my home for $12.50 per 50 rounds. Bought 2000 in May for summer league. Absolutely clean burning and beautiful shiny brass.
For 25 to 100 yards and hunting, I load Missouri Bullet Company 45 Express Hi-Tek coated 215 gr WFN, 1.155" OAL, 6.7 grains Hodgdon Universal, 1080 fps 6" barrel, 1060 fps 5" barrel, both with standard deviation less than 10 fps for 10 shot strings. Components cost $8.84 per 50 rounds.
Both 230 and 215 loads sighted for 1" high at 15 yards. The 215 is dead on at 100 yards, no hold over with the 6" barrel. I practice shooting at clay pigeons set on side of 100 yard berm, off hand. Humbling experience, but the only way to get good is by practice.
For 25 to 100 yards and hunting, I load Missouri Bullet Company 45 Express Hi-Tek coated 215 gr WFN, 1.155" OAL, 6.7 grains Hodgdon Universal, 1080 fps 6" barrel, 1060 fps 5" barrel, both with standard deviation less than 10 fps for 10 shot strings. Components cost $8.84 per 50 rounds.
Both 230 and 215 loads sighted for 1" high at 15 yards. The 215 is dead on at 100 yards, no hold over with the 6" barrel. I practice shooting at clay pigeons set on side of 100 yard berm, off hand. Humbling experience, but the only way to get good is by practice.
LiveLife
Member
RugerOldArmy
Member
Shooting clays on a berm is a GREAT way to shoot better.
It gives immediate feedback...I've taken several folks shooting, and this helped a lot of people shoot better.
I thought I was the only one who did that. Yes, humbling, but it really forces one to concentrate, and it gives us great feedback. Makes hits at close range much easier.
I guess the secrete is out now. Yes, on the 100 yard berm (dirt pile) for instant feedback using the same guns and sights (unscoped) that I also use for league.
Any slight error you make, like poor trigger control, shows up instantly with a berm hit a foot or two from the pigeon. IMO, most importantly it stresses "aim small, miss small", like Bullseye but unlike IDPA, for example. Shooting 100y has greatly improved my league scores.
Back on topic, my goal in hand loading is to have multiple load selections without sight adjustments, for all guns I shoot.
Any slight error you make, like poor trigger control, shows up instantly with a berm hit a foot or two from the pigeon. IMO, most importantly it stresses "aim small, miss small", like Bullseye but unlike IDPA, for example. Shooting 100y has greatly improved my league scores.
Back on topic, my goal in hand loading is to have multiple load selections without sight adjustments, for all guns I shoot.
OP
OP
LUCKYDAWG13
Member
When shooting at clay pigeons at a 100 yd are you aiming at the target or are you holding over if so how much
Depends on the gun.
But to your original question, I think your sights are off, that load shouldn't be dropping 9 inches at 25 yards.
glc24
Member
Curious as to what OAL they used/recommended.
I load 230gr plated with 5.6, 5.7, and 5.8 gr of HP38 with a long (1.265-270) OAL and my loads aren't snappy at all out of my FNX45T.
Perhaps your shooting? "breaking" your wrist or pushing forward often make groups print low. I use a rest when I'm testing my reloads...
anothernewb
Member
11,000+ rounds of 200gr SWC over 4 grains of bullseye and counting. shoots virtually equally out of every one of my 1911's
GBExpat
Member
Blue68f100
Member
I have problem seeing the target at 50 yds besides at 100yds. And forget the iron sights I don't see them either any more, the reason I use a dot sight. I've played with a 22lr pistol at 100 yrds though. It was fun, once you learned the hold over it was fairly easy.
Jim Watson
Member
The Midway LoadMAP can be hazardous to your health.
They tested all loads at the SAAMI maximum OAL without regard to feeding or chambering in a real gun. This leaves a lot of case volume and allows substantially heavier loads than you will find elsewhere. (Except the bullets so short and light that they had to go shorter OAL to get the bullet in the case neck.)
The roundnose in Walkalong's example is not bad because it can be loaded to maximum OAL.
They tested all loads at the SAAMI maximum OAL without regard to feeding or chambering in a real gun. This leaves a lot of case volume and allows substantially heavier loads than you will find elsewhere. (Except the bullets so short and light that they had to go shorter OAL to get the bullet in the case neck.)
The roundnose in Walkalong's example is not bad because it can be loaded to maximum OAL.
Yep.
LiveLife
Member
My immediate response upon reading that was to think, "Well, DUH!" ... and then I realized that some folks may not have tumble to this fundamental aspect that is so obvious to the rest of us.
For 25/50/100 yard testing of pistol loads, I now prefer to use carbines with bipod and scope to remove more of shooter contributed variables from holes on target. It's one of many reasons why I prefer to do load/comparison testing with Just Right carbine and 9mm/40S&W/45ACP caliber conversions.
Recent load development with IMR Target showed accuracy trend shift with only .2 grain change and shooting a pistol at 25 yards with shooter contributed variables may not have shown this - https://www.thehighroad.org/index.p...-and-vectan-ba-9-5-ba-9.817796/#post-10508215
Last edited:
When I shoot from a rest with a hand gun I don't think I hold the gun the same way as when I shoot off hand. I think this can have a effect on the POI.My immediate response upon reading that was to think, "Well, DUH!" ... and then I realized that some folks may not have tumble to this fundamental aspect that is so obvious to the rest of us.
RugerBob
Member
I use 5.0 grs of 700x. 200gr lead TC that I cast myself.
- Status
Similar threads
- Locked
