I really just see the bigness of it all

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I cast some that I really Like, 200gr SWC-HP. they shoot well behind HP-38 so far, haven't been able to try the Power Pistol yet (Surgery on Leg, Range Closed,,etc) but it won't be long.

So far, I have found only 2 HP Molds, 45 and 9/38sp. Would love to find a 30 Cal around 200gr.

dg
 
Thanks to everybody for your informative comments. As stated in one of my previous posts, for now I have decided to with the 200gr bullet, and picked up some Berry's 200gr round shoulder bullets. It seems they have a wide variety profiles in 200gr, which also steered me toward 200gr.

I took some quick measurements to determine my target COL, and it seems like I will probably target between 1.15" and 1.2". Berry's specified a COL of 1.2" for this bullet, but I normally like to load to a lower COL, so I will see what I finally decide on. SAAMI min/max COL is 1.19"/1.275", so I will probably start at 1.19", but a plunk test will have to confirm.

The starting powder decision hasn't been made yet, but I would think all my powders are still in play, except maybe CFE Pistol, Longshot and BE-86. Currently I am leaning towards starting with HP-38, Power Pistol or Unique.

I should be able to pick up my gun this weekend or latest Monday since it is still in transit. Luckily there is no waiting period, unless my wife decides to wrap it up and only release it on a specific day. We will see.
 
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200 gr LSWC for me. Over 5 grains red dot.
I have a couple 230 round nose molds. But I prefer the wadcutter bullet because I occasionally use a 45 to shoot a coyote or as a backup hunting.
 
I can't recommend a powder because I'm still trying to burn up a stockpile of SR4756. But I shoot the Hornady 200 swc. Light recoil and accurate.
 
For me personally, I don't prefer any bullet over another. It's just all I have reloaded have been Xtreme 230gr rn. I've got to the point (testing) of a really nice load (5.8 gr/HP38/1.265OAl) that my FNX45T really likes. I just loaded some Hornady (free) 185 gr XTP's with some Bullseye, but haven't had the chance to try them yet.

My brother got me hooked on shooting bowling pins, so I may have to start loading some heavier grain bullets.:)
 
CAUTION: The following post includes loading data beyond currently published minimums for this cartridge. USE AT YOUR OWN RISK. Neither the writer, The High Road, nor the staff of THR assume any liability for any damage or injury resulting from use of this information.

For those that are a bit more adventurous, 230 grain can offer much reduced recoil with the right setup. Awhile back I was teaching someone to shoot but they didn't like the recoil of my subcompact .45, so I set out to experiment. I had been using 5.7gr of Unique with a 230 grain bullet (near max listed charge). I knew Unique has a wide range of applications, so I started adjusting my charges DOWN and ended up in the mid-to-low 4-ish grain range while still getting cycling out of several different guns including a full-size and subcompact 1911. I was also looking for any sign of powder instability and checked powder forward and powder back situations. It does work and the sights never move. Just something to think about for those interested.
 
[QUOTE="glc24, post: 10737648, member: 144077]
My brother got me hooked on shooting bowling pins, so I may have to start loading some heavier grain bullets.:)[/QUOTE]
I love shooting some pins! I wish I had bought more back when I was buying them for $15 a set. I think a swc does far better than a round nose. A full wadcutter if your not shooting an auto. The flat edges grab the pins a lot better than a big round nose.
 
180 grain lead swc over 5 grains of w231 is my pet load for both my 1911's and tnw aero carbine. They go where I point.
 
Dudedog said:
Na, I think we're even:)

Honestly, please don't worry about it.
By accepting the gift you honor the giver.

PS: You always to excellent write ups so your testing helps us all:cool:
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Sure. It all evens out. 80/20% giving/receiving from your side and 20/80% giving/receiving from my side. All evens out to 100%.
 
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Havok7416 said:
CAUTION: The following post includes loading data beyond currently published minimums for this cartridge. USE AT YOUR OWN RISK. Neither the writer, The High Road, nor the staff of THR assume any liability for any damage or injury resulting from use of this information.

For those that are a bit more adventurous, 230 grain can offer much reduced recoil with the right setup. Awhile back I was teaching someone to shoot but they didn't like the recoil of my subcompact .45, so I set out to experiment. I had been using 5.7gr of Unique with a 230 grain bullet (near max listed charge). I knew Unique has a wide range of applications, so I started adjusting my charges DOWN and ended up in the mid-to-low 4-ish grain range while still getting cycling out of several different guns including a full-size and subcompact 1911. I was also looking for any sign of powder instability and checked powder forward and powder back situations. It does work and the sights never move. Just something to think about for those interested.
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Thanks for the information. The general consensus is that Unique needs a full charge to burn clean, which is probably true, but it can be accurate at lower charges. In 357sig I found it to be very accurate at a lower range.
 
vaalpens said:
Thanks for the information. The general consensus is that Unique needs a full charge to burn clean, which is probably true, but it can be accurate at lower charges. In 357sig I found it to be very accurate at a lower range.
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It is a bit dirty at the lower end, but that has never stopped me. I'm not sure why it's seen as such a big deal, but if it's too dirty for some it's no skin off my back.
 
I like Red Dot, too!
MBC 200gr coated LSWC @ 4.6gr Red Dot will cycle anything you shoot and is a mild load.
If you shoot it in a revolver (like my s&w 625) 4.0gr Red Dot is like shooting a .22 and very accurate.
 
45acp has a reputation for big and slow, which works. By that logic, one would think bigger and slower would be the way to go. I would be looking seriously at 230gr conical and round nose bullets. The big part leads some guns to have issues feeding so the conical will help that a bit, round nose is classic and what most guns are built to feed.

I don't reload 45 anymore...sold my 1911s, reloaded ammo til I ran out of brass, then sold dies and bulk components. Its not a caliber that interests me anymore. I will look in my gear and see if I have anything left, if I have anything worth a flip I will PM you asking for an address to send you a present.
 
splattergun said:
My SR1911 likes 200 gn LSWC......
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Same for me in my Remington 1911 R-1. I use either Titegroup or WST. But for bullets 200g LSWC work best for me. I don't shoot anywhere near as much 45 acp as 9mm or 38 spl. Fun to shoot and a good old American caliber. But in reality I just plink with it.
 
Havok7416 said:
It is a bit dirty at the lower end, but that has never stopped me. I'm not sure why it's seen as such a big deal, but if it's too dirty for some it's no skin off my back.
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Correct. I have never look for a clean load. It is a bonus if it is clean burning, but it is not priority number 1 for me.
 
vaalpens said:
Thanks for putting some extra pressure on me by saying "It is so easy to find a good .45 ACP load"
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Lol, it really is, and you have a great methodology, it shows in your results you have posted in other calibers.
 
vaalpens said:
or now I have decided to with the 200gr bullet, and picked up some Berry's 200gr round shoulder bullets.
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That didn't make 200 Gr RS bullet when I was experimenting with various Berrys bullets in .45, and their 200 Gr HP has changed dramatically. The old one was well rounded on the front. The new one is more like a trucated flat point with a hollow in it. I like the large bearing surface it has. I might have started there, but I bet the 200 Gr round shoulder bullet shoots well.
 
WestKentucky said:
45acp has a reputation for big and slow, which works. By that logic, one would think bigger and slower would be the way to go. I would be looking seriously at 230gr conical and round nose bullets. The big part leads some guns to have issues feeding so the conical will help that a bit, round nose is classic and what most guns are built to feed.

I don't reload 45 anymore...sold my 1911s, reloaded ammo til I ran out of brass, then sold dies and bulk components. Its not a caliber that interests me anymore. I will look in my gear and see if I have anything left, if I have anything worth a flip I will PM you asking for an address to send you a present.
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Thanks for the insight. It is probably why I went with the round shoulder which looks like a round nose flat point. These feed well in 40, so there is not reason it shouldn't feed well in the p220. Thanks for the offer if you find something left over, and I obviously would appreciate it.

Can you elaborate why the 45 caliber doesn't interest you anymore. I had to think long and hard about joining the 45 club and I know the bullets are more expensive, but it is something I always wanted to expand to, so hopefully I will enjoy it as much as my other calibers.
 
thomas15 said:
Same for me in my Remington 1911 R-1. I use either Titegroup or WST. But for bullets 200g LSWC work best for me. I don't shoot anywhere near as much 45 acp as 9mm or 38 spl. Fun to shoot and a good old American caliber. But in reality I just plink with it.
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Thanks for the comments. There is nothing wrong with just plinking with it. When I am out in the forest I prefer to open carry my 357sig. This P220 will also be an open carry type gun for me, so I think I will put the P220 also in the rotation. It should have a great trigger with the short reset trigger, so I am definitely looking forward shooting the P220.
 
Walkalong said:
Lol, it really is, and you have a great methodology, it shows in your results you have posted in other calibers.
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Thanks for the kind words. It really make me feel that I have been able to follow the good advice I have received at THR.

Walkalong said:
That didn't make 200 Gr RS bullet when I was experimenting with various Berrys bullets in .45, and their 200 Gr HP has changed dramatically. The old one was well rounded on the front. The new one is more like a trucated flat point with a hollow in it. I like the large bearing surface it has. I might have started there, but I bet the 200 Gr round shoulder bullet shoots well.
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I think you really need a short round nose to have a decent length bearing surface, so without much experience, I was hoping that the round shoulder and flat point would give some increase in bearing surface. I am also going to try and keep the COL as short as possible to ensure I have as much neck tension as possible. With the dummy round I created I settled on a COL of 1.175" for now, but will still need to do the plunk test and maybe a quick setback test. I don't expect any setback issues with what I have seen so far.
 
vaalpens said:
Can you elaborate why the 45 caliber doesn't interest you anymore. I had to think long and hard about joining the 45 club and I know the bullets are more expensive, but it is something I always wanted to expand to, so hopefully I will enjoy it as much as my other calibers.
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Cost of components was a big chunk of it, but for me a gun has to have some sort of hunting ability to interest me. .45acp is (in that regard) inferior to a lot of other handgun calibers. My dad killed a decent whitetail buck with his govt model several years ago and i was less than impressed at what it did with good ammo, so my preference in a hunting handgun is a smaller bullet at higher velocity, especially revolvers where you can load different ammo and shoot accordingly depending on whether your trying to get a rabbit for the campfire stew or a whitetail to take home. The .45 is a good defensive round but it doesn't do what I like to do very well.

To add to that, the .45acp at 20 yards expanded very little, and retained most of its weight but didn't penetrate well after hitting the edge of the front shoulder. The 30-30 did the trick to put that injured deer down. Similar in size and weight of gun and bullet, my 44 mag on a similar shot shattered both front shoulders and was the size of a nickle stuck just under the skin on opposite side. Deer dropped instantly and required no second shot.
 
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Nothing I can really are to all the good information already posted. I'll just add my opinion.

There are at least a dozen good powders I can think of right a way for the 45 ACP. I mostly use W231/HP-38. I have used others and always come back to W231. (in the .38 Special too)

I prefer a 230gr bullet especially in a 1911. I shoot a lot of cast bullets but in any event, they are mostly 230gr bullets.

The Sig P220 is a really nice gun, good luck with it.
 
vaalpens said:
to Unique or Bullseye and 230gr FMJ
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I know some guys like Unique. I tried even the new and improved. It was filthy beyond belief, particularly in larger capacity cases like the .45. Bullseye is the old standby, but I refer something with more bulk.

I use Universal Clays, WST, or AA5. Universal was made to replace Unique without the mess
 
One of my early fond memories was when I was about 17 and was of taking a Remington Rand (Wish I had known what I had) 1911 out in the woods and shooting at 55 gallon steel drums at 75 and 100 yards. Boom...........wait for it.............thump. It was soo cool, and if you had the right light, you could see them trace through the air. Very cool. Nothing but factory ammo, and it was "expensive" and didn't last long. Hmm, reloading, that sounds like the ticket to me. :)

Shot a lot of full load stuff with W-231 (Steel cans) and AA #5. The realized I could use AA #2 and get more shots per pound. These days WST is hard to beat for plinkers at less than full power. Accurate, low charge weight, light colored and easy to see in the case.....lot's of stuff shoots well though

An old target when working up a load with Zip (Near ballistic cousin to W-231). My usual 7 yards with the chrono at 5.
Zip & Berrys 230 Gr RN - Colt Series 80.JPG
 
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