Shield 45 best bullet

I was going to post this on the handgun:autoloaders forum, but since I am reloading, I figured this would be the better forum. I have used 185 gr LRNFP bullets from RMR as well as 230 gr bullets from ACME with good results on my Shield 45. I am looking for the best type of bullet and heard multiple sources recommend the 200 gr LSWC on a 3.3 inch barrel. I purchased 500 bullets from Brazos (200 gr LSWC). I started with 4.6 gr and 5.0 gr of Bullseye and seated them to 1.200-the recommended seat height. They make perfect holes, feel excellent and give me excellent shot placement. The only issue is the last bullet always jams. I read on this sight a recommendation to seat the bullet higher to eliminate jams and ensure good cycling. I changed the diameter to 1.250 for both the 4.6 and 5.0 loads. I know the maximum seat height is 1.275 for the 45 acp, so I have more room to play with. I have performed the plunk test and cartridge sits perfectly as it should, but the last bullet still fails to load. I do have other options in bullets, but would like to get the LSWC bullet to work. The question I have is if any Shield 45 owners have successfully fired 45 LSWC with no jamming of the last bullet? If so, what COAL did you use? I have used 1.260 with other bullet types and can go higher, but would like to know if anyone has shot a 200gr LSWC successfully and reliable on a Shield 45acp (2.0) before continuing. Or am I wasting time and should just use 185gr RNFP or 230 grain RN bullets.

TIA

I tried seating the bullet to 1.20 but it jammed. As you stated, in my case the bullet type cycles in my 1911 and XDM with no issues. It's just the S&W Shield that it jams and it does it with all 3 of my magazines. At 1.200 there is almost no body above the case. Based on a thread within the site, I was under the impression that the bullet may have been seated too low, which is why I raised the bullet height to 1.250. I was looking at raising the bullet to 1.260-1.270 to see if that would eliminate the problem. But based on your comments, it's not that the bullet needs to be raised higher, but rather it needs to be lower? If that's the case, I have to refer to the lowest bullet seat height before proceeding-I thought 1.200 was the lowest the bullet could be seated safely.

I will take your advice and provide photos of the jam. I read LaneP's recommendation to switch bullets to a TC, but have not seen such types of bullets in the 200gr variety-at least not in the RMR, ACME, or Brazos precision sites. I have seen 200 gr RN bullets from ACME and RMR, but have not seen load data for that type of bullet, only data for RNFP in 185 gr and 200 gr.

I may have to keep it at 230 gr RN if I can't find a good 200 gr solution as the 185gr is a bit light-in my opinion.

Thanks for the recommendations, I'll keep you posted.

BC17A said:

I found these to be a very reliable 200 grainer in the Shield. I stopped buying them when I started casting ,and the funny thing is that the only mold I have for 45 is a 200gn SWC which also gave me fits in the Shield. Lee makes a mold for the 200-RF and is next on my list to buy. The SNS 200-RF is about .100" shorter than the SWC so it's a good one to work up loads from any 200gn data.

https://www.snscasting.com/45-acp-45lc-200-grain-round-nose-flat-point-red-coated-500ct/

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Awesome. Looks like RMR is out of 185gr RNFP bullets and only has 250gr RNFPs or 200 RN bullets. I'll definitely be looking those at SNS, but this time I'll get a sample first. Don't want to get stuck with 14lbs of bullets that won't function properly on my Shield. Still not giving up on the LSWC though. But, I do like the aesthetics of a RNFP over a LSWC. THX

I planned on only using the LSWC for targets/plinking.

Is your professional opinion because of the problems encountered such as the cycling issues I experienced? Or are you referring to other applications.

Slamfire said:

Looked at pictures of Shield 45's, what a short stubby pistol. I think the problem is, you are not shooting 230 RN bullets in your Shield. Your loads are well above what I use in Bullseye Competition. I use with a 200 LSWC 4.0 to 4.1 grains Bullseye. That gives me 740 fps. That bullet was developed as a target bullet. It is finicky compared to RN bullets. My OAL is 1.250" plus or minus a couple of thousandths.

I think your pistol is cycling too fast. As you seat the bullet deeper, you are increasing pressures, and increasing the recoil velocity of the slide. The absolute wrong direction to go, in my opinion. I know the spring tension gets less as the stack clears, and if your slide is moving too fast, the last round in the stack does not have time to reach the top. Semi wadcutters are not as fault tolerance as RN bullets, and then, you are shooting them in a pistol with a light slide compared to a 5 inch 1911.

Try cutting your loads, set the bullets out to 1.25" or so, I seem to recall @Walkalong had pictures which showed the amount of shoulder necessary for 200 LSWC's. But you know, for best function in your pocket pistol, go with round nose bullets.

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Slamfire,

So you recommend (along than sticking with 230gr RN bullets) decreasing the amount of powder for 4.6-5.0 to 4.0-4.1 grains of Bullseye so it cycles slower? I was using 4.6-5.0 to get 800-850 fps (based on Hornady reloading 10th ed). I didn't think about reducing the amount of powder since I was looking at a specific fps. ~800 fps in my opinion seems like the sweet spot from all the 45 acp's I own.

I ordered a 100 pack of RNFP 200gr lead coated bullets from SNS casting. I like the dimensions of that bullet and the weight. I did shoot a RNFP 185gr bullet out of the shield and while light , I found that it did cycle properly when using Bullseye loaded to ~800 fps according to the Speer manual. I will add that I had previously used the 185 gr RNFP with CFE pistol powder, but those starting loads put it at ~1000 fps. A bit hot. That cartridge shot excellent (albeit more snap) in the XDM, M&P 45, and 1911. However while it cycled properly in my Shield 45, it seemed harder and was less accurate-probably due to the amount of recoil.

At this point, I'm going to try your recommendation (of course until I can test the 200gr RNFP from SNS): 1. reduce the powder to 4.0-4.1 grains of Bullseye with a COAL of 1.20-1.25 (10 rounds of each) as well as a different load seated to 1.450-1.250 (10 rounds of each) giving me a total of 40 rounds to test. That's the good thing about reloading, you can try different combinations to see what works. Thx.

Slamfire said:

For a 230 LRN I use 4.5 grains Bullseye and in a five inch barreled 1911, the velocity is just at 800 fps. For a 230 RN FMJ, I will use a maximum of 5.0 grains Bullseye, seated to 1.26 ish and that gives a velocity just at 800 fps. In a five inch barrel Your 3.9 inch barrel will not provide 800 fps with this load, nor should you try to up load to try to push a 230 grain bullet to 800 fps in your pistol. The pressures will be too high.

The load of 5.0 grains of Bullseye with a 230 FMJ was the load used in the 1910 cartridges that Colt and Savage shot in their pistols. The 1911 was developed with, and used this load, in two World Wars, Korea, Vietnam, and a whole bunch of bush wars that hardly anyone knows about. This is the standard load. The pressure curve is appropriate for any and all 45 ACP semi automatic pistols as this was the baseline cartridge. I do not recommend increasing the powder charge, decreasing the charge is not a problem as long as the gun functions. I have been surprised how low you can go and still have acceptable function in a 1911. Your pistol is different, particularly the short stubby barrel. My experience at the range, seeing the malfunctions others have with compact 45 ACP's, be they 1911's and other makes, my opinion is that the shorty pistols are more finicky about their ammunition.

The last I took my RIA GI 1911 out, it shot most accurately with a load that pushed a 230 FMJ at 715 fps. However, the 230 grain, 5.0 grains Bullseye functioned each and every time.

I am hopeful that I properly diagnosed your problem. If it works, or does not work, please tell us. Nothing like getting your bubble popped by offering bad advice!

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I sure will. I love Bullseye as it was the powder I started with (most versatility). Lately, I've been using CFE pistol, that one calls for 5.6 grains for a 230 LRN for ~809 fps with a COAL of 1.240. It's a nice shooting load, but there's no powder like your first, so I have started back up with Bullseye. I did figure not being able to get to the 800 fps sweet spot due to the size of barrel, which is why I purchased a lighter bullet, unfortunately, the lightest charge for a 185gr using CFE pistol puts it at 1000 fps. I initially figured that would compensate for the short barrel. However after shooting it, I decided against it. It didn't feel comfortable and shot placement was not to my liking. I have found a good shooting load combination using Bullseye, but prefer to use 200gr bullets-made a mistake when I ordered the 185br RNFP, thinking I selected 200gr.

The Shield45 is/has been super reliable, at least until I used the LSWC-I've put well over 500 rounds through it with different types of ammo from manufacturers and reloads. It has cycled everything else I've used without any jams. It's also super concealable which is why i've been on the hunt for the best bullet/powder combination.

I'll be reloading tonight and tomorrow and plan to visit the range on Sunday. I'll make sure to post results and pics. Thanks for the conversation and recommendations, as there aren't many reloaders-at least not any that will admit to it- near me.

Slamfire,

Quick update. As you can see I reloaded the LSWC as pictured with 1.200. It did seem a bit low. The 1.250 seemed more flush. Still I created 4 different types of loads. It turned out your original thought was correct. due to the high amount of powder, the gun was cycling too quick to properly insert the new cartridge in the barrel. The gun cycled perfectly with each of the 4 different combinations. Plus, 4.0 grains felt smooth with minimal recoil. Even though it felt softer on recoil, I think I'm going to utilize 4.1 grains with a bullet seating of 1.250. The higher diameter, mainly because if you look at the photo, it seems like the bullet seats lower than the case edge. 1.250 keeps the base of the bullet a tad higher. As for 4.0 vs 4.1, I wish I had a chrono to get accurate FPS data. But I do know 4.1 propels the bullet faster than 4.0 grains of powder, so I'll use the 4.1 grains.

As a side note, I shot the 185 grains of RMR RNFP bullets at 7 yards. They were reliable:



Pretty holes, and cycled perfectly, but the recoil was a little more than I would like. I can't wait to try the 200gr RNFP bullets from SNS casting, which calls for 5.2 grains of Bullseye. That load is lower than the 5.7 grains the load calls for when using 185gr bullets, so the recoil will be less and should feel more comfortable.

The good thing though, is that I have a good supply of LSWCs and a good recipe to create cartridges that now function properly on my Shield 45, so that's definitely a good thing as LSWCs from Brazos precision are the cheapest bullets I've found (when factoring in shipping) to date.

Thanks again for your recommendations. Take care.

BC17A,
I sure did. The first batch performed excellent on my Shield45 2.0. I created a batch of 50 using Bullseye.


Unfortunately, my Shield jammed after the third round. It was unusual. One of the range employees was nice enough to help. We eventually got the round extracted. The extracted round was find, so we couldn't figure out what was the issue. I'll return next week to try out some 230 grain rounds on the Shield and try the 200 gr RNFP bullets again. I did try the same 200 grain rounds in my RIA 1911. I fired 8 with no jams. The recoil on the 1911 is light, so I'll go back to the 230 gr RN polymer bullets as I like the way the recoil feels in the 1911.

I don't think your rounds are short. Here's a pic of the rounds I created.




The second pic shows that the round is seated high based on the grooves, but They fired fine and I seated them according to the Speer reloading specs (1.230).

The lowest I seat the bullet is 1.20-1.30 for the RNFP. I have been told to seat to the groove lines, but I tend to stay within what the Speer and Hornady bullet reloading recommend. However, when loading LSWC, I've had to adjust to what Slamfire recommended. Any lower than 1.20 and I kept having FTE issues. Of course, I also lowered the amount of powder to the minimum level. For LSWC, it worked well on my Shield when seating to 1.25.

I may just go back to 230 grn LRN polymer coated bullets. They work just fine on the Shield45. As Hickock45 recommended in one of his videos, stick with what works.

Makes me think maybe I should lower the seating on the 40 remaining SNS 200gr RNFP cartridges I have. I seated them down to 1.230. I know for the Brazos precision 200gr LSWC, 1.25 was the majgc number. Anything lower than that, and the second to last bullet would FTE. As for the 200gr 200gr RNFP from SNS, I experienced a hard jam as previously mentioned. I'm hoping it was a one time event as I didn't have any issues with the first batch of 20 cartridges I reloaded.