I need some 45ACP loads..

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PaFrank

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I'm an experienced reloader as but have only ever loaded cast bullets for 45acp (the H&G 185 gr semi-wadcutter with 3.7 gr of Bullseye)

I came into a few boxes of jacketed bullets. 185 JHP's and 230 FMJ's,

I want a advice for a CLEAN burning powder, that provides consistent results.

These loads will be just for paper puching so no heavy or max loads needed... thanks!
 
Four and eight tenths grains of Hp-thirty eight, under a two hundred thirty grain hollow point is very soft and quite accurate. I have found it very clean.

It would seem to me Bullseye is already a suitable powder though.

It appears that the faster the powder the cleaner it burns. Of course that is only a generality. My next endeavor will be with Ramshot Zip. It looks appropriate, but I have no experience with it yet.
 
N320, 700X, maybe the new Sport Pistol, AA #2, .......depends on the power level, but it sounds like you want a fast to medium fast powder. Lots of choices.
 
Walkalong said:
PaFrank said:
CLEAN burning powder, that provides consistent results ... for paper punching so no heavy or max loads
Click to expand...
maybe the new Sport Pistol
Click to expand...
I will second Walkalong's suggestion for Sport Pistol.

Sport Pistol burn rate is around Titegroup/N320/W231/HP-38 but burns cleaner - https://www.thehighroad.org/index.p...-performance-info-for-shot-011017-pdf.235432/

So far, I am finding Sport Pistol and 9mm/45ACP loads use similar powder charges as with W231/HP-38.

And while I can meter W231/HP-38 with around .1 gr variance, I can meter Sport Pistol with less than .05 gr variance consistently.
 
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I charge 5.5gr W231/HP-38 under any 230gr bullet in the 45 ACP. As for a 185gr bullet, on the rare occasions I load that bullet it's a charge of 5.6gr.

IMO W231/HP-38 is a powder perfectly suited for the 45 ACP and .38 Special.
 
PaFrank said:
I came into a few boxes of jacketed bullets. 185 JHP's and 230 FMJ's,

I want a advice for a CLEAN burning powder, that provides consistent results.

These loads will be just for paper puching so no heavy or max loads needed... thanks!
Click to expand...

What powders do you have?
What brand of bullets did you come into?
Thanks
JD
 
I like 4.7 gr of win231 under a 230gr bullet but I'm just punching paper I used a lot of Bullseye and RedDot too
 
If you want something clean and you got to buy some powder any way sport pistol is a good choice its been working out great for me in the 45acp and 9mm. I've went thur about three pounds of it so far.
 
PaFrank,
Of the powders you list, these are the ones I have data on:
from Alliant Powder Reload Recipes RELOADER'S GUIDE
45 Auto 185 gr Speer GDHP Speer 1.20 COA CCI 300 Bullseye 6.4 gr MAX (REDUCE BY 10% to 15%) 986 fps
45 Auto 230 gr Speer TJM RN Speer 1.26 COA CCI 300 Bullseye 5.7gr MAX (REDUCE BY 10% to 15%) 840 FPS
45 Auto 185 gr Speer GDHP Speer 1.20 COA CCI 300 Unique 8.2gr MAX (REDUCE BY 10% to 15%)1,015 fps
45 Auto 230 gr Speer TJM RN Speer 1.26 CCI 300 Unique 6.5 gr MAX (REDUCE BY 10% to 15%) 832 fps

These are my most accurate paper punching loads:
230 P-RN XTREME TightGROUP 4.3g CCI-500 BLAZER 1.260” COA
230 P-RN XTREME BULEYE 4.8g CCI-500 BLAZER 1.260”COA
230 P-RN BERRYS HP-38 4.9g CCI-500 BLAZER 1.260”COA
Work up to these loads, they work great in my gun but may not in yours.
Not over published loads, user beware!
Good luck!
JD
 
I go back and forth between 4.7 or 5gr of HP38(W231) with a 230 RN.
4.7 is a little softer, 5 sometimes seems to shoot a little better if I do my part.
A little cleaner at 5gr than 4.7.

String: 2
Date: 9/11/2016
Time: 9:25:57 AM
Grains: 230
Hi Vel: 762
Low Vel: 714
Ave Vel: 734
Ext Spread: 48
Std Dev: 16
45 RMR 230 4.7 HP38
Velocity Power Factor Ft/Lbs
762 175.26 296.51
735 169.05 275.87
725 166.75 268.414
748 172.04 285.715
739 169.97 278.881
721 165.83 265.461
714 164.22 260.331
 
I shot a ton of 185 to 230 Gr bullets over 5.0 Grs of W-231 and they shoot very well and it's pretty clean. You can't go wrong with it in .45 ACP.

Sport Pistol is definitely worth a try. Many of us here will buy a new pound of something just to try, but many others want to buy one pound and get it right the first time, and can't blame them, I surely used to fall into that boat.

Can't go wrong with W-231, AA #2, N310, N320, 700X, AA #5......

I just haven't really played with new powders and .45 ACP, so am guessing which ones would be suitable. My one try of Sport Pistol was a positive one, so it's something worth trying. Sometimes I try a powder and quit on it, but Sport Pistol won't be one of those. Neither will BE-86. I tried the new IMR Target and was unimpressed, it may not get used again. Not saying it is bad stuff, it just didn't grab my attention. I quit on Titegroup and have most of a pound laying around, but it's very popular, so what do I know. :)
 
45acp is a low pressure round, compared to 9mm, 40, 380, etc. Pretty much all powders will burn cleaner at higher pressures, and that pretty much means you need to stay at the top end of their charge range in 45acp (and 38spl too, for that matter). Which powder you want to use depends on what you want out of the round. If you want low recoil/velocity loads, then use faster burning powders near the top of their charge ranges. I've tried a lot of powders, and I have settled on Clays for low velocity loads (700-750fps 230gn plated). I am using Nitro 100NF right now, and I am beginning to like it as well. And a little bit goes a long way!

If you decide to start going up in velocity, then you can try slower burning powders, but again you need to be at the top end of the charge range to burn clean. JMHO.
 
I've been loading 230gr FMJ over 4.7-5.1 of W231. Gone as low as 4.2. Accuracy and clean burn are best at higher loads, 4.9 and higher. Shooting them out of a S&W .45c, it's a four inch barrel.
 
I'm pretty new to reloading, and haven't gotten to reload a lot of different powders yet. however, I find 6.4 grs of Unique under a 230 FMJ with an OAL of 1.26" to be pretty accurate in my guns.

Not terribly clean, but not horribly dirty either.
 
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