Favorite .45ACP powder

[jluther820]

Clays or trail boss get my vote

I have tried a ton of powders through the whole range of charges. my process was to chrono each and keep the cases for a comparison of cleanliness, etc. I shoot a 200 gr lswc. The top for cleanliness an soft recoil were Trail Boss, clays, solo 1000 in that order. (I did have a bad batch of solo 1000 so look out). The other powders were all much more dirty such as WSF and wst. I can't remember all the others, but when I run out of clays and tb, I'll probably pick the lowest cost per round as I think tb might be hi due to its fluffiness.

 

[JLDickmon]

In a heart beat..
Vihtavouri N340

published data for nearly every bullet available.

I shoot 200 gr lead trunc cone and 230 hardball, normally

 

[GaryL]

If I'm going for accuracy and not caring about a few unburnt flakes, Herco is a dandy powder in 45 acp.

 

[Red Cent]

I use American Select for everythng. SASS revolvers, rifle, shotgun. And I load the 45 Colt and 45ACP for Wild Bunch. 5gr AS with a 200gr bullet puts it around 785-790fps. Need a power factor of 150.

"Our newest "ultra clean" burning premium powder makes a versatile target load and superior 1-oz. load for improving clay target scores. Great for Cowboy Action handgun loading, too!
•Designed for 12 gauge target loads
•Optimal recoil and patterns
•Great pistol powder, too"

http://www.alliantpowder.com/products/powder/american_select.aspx

 

[blarby]

Thats some fine shootin !

You have the same tight match chamber my wife has in her Royal II, but with the addition of a better trigger job.

I'm glad the results you are having shows that the Mo bullet / powder combination gives you and I the same results.

 

[1KPerDay]

If I'm going for accuracy and not caring about a few unburnt flakes, Herco is a dandy powder in 45 acp.

Can you direct me to some favorite loads? I have 4 lbs of Herco ready to go.

 

[tglazie]

Its a tossup between HP38/W231 and N320.

I did just order a 4# jug of N320 though, but mostly because I know I can always get HP38/W231 local.

Both are deadly accurate, N320 is just a tad cleaner and for me has a smoother recoil.

 

[CZ57]

My favorite powder for the .45 ACP is a newer one. Ramshot ZIP is close in burn rate to W-231 but yields less smoke with cast loads, burns cleaner and has higher performance capability when you load up jacketed bullets. I use 6.0 grs. of ZIP with both the Missouri Bullet 200 gr. SWC as well as the 230 gr. ZERO JHP.

As Walkalong can confirm with a pic he puts up from time to time, ZIP and W-231 are almost identical in appearance. ZIP is from Belgium. I have been using Ramshot powders since they first became available. Mostly as a replacement for the expensive Vihta Vouri powders I had been using and there lies the bonus; Ramshot powders are about the least expensive on the market. For those that don't have the latest SIERRA manual, I can report that with their 200 gr. "Match" bullet, the "Tournament Master", ZIP yielded the highest accuracy among all of the powders tested in .45 ACP. www.ramshot.com

 

[tglazie]

Good call on the ZIP. Excellent powder. I dont stock it but would not hesitate to use it anywhere I use HP38/W231 or N320

 

[Walkalong]

Absolute favorite?

N310 for light target, N320 for medium loads, and N340 for full power jacketed stuff.

Other favorites. AA #2, W-231, Zip, Solo 1000 for light to medium stuff, and then AA #5 for full power jacketed stuff. True Blue is one I would like to try for full power stuff with 230 Gr jacketed, I just haven't ever gotten around to it.

The best thing about reloading the .45 ACP is that it's so easy to get a good load it makes you look like a genius right away.

 

[bdejong11129]

If we are talking pet loads, I charge 5.5gr W231 under and 230gr bullet, both lead and jacketed. That is my goto load for the 45 Auto. I charge either the same 5.5gr W231 or 5.6gr W231 under a 200gr SWC bullet on the rare times i use a 200gr bullet...

+100 on this one. I have used both unique and bulls eye before a friend of mine had me try Win231. I am not looking back. I can use Win231 for my 45, 9mm, and 38 special loads. I like having one powder in the loading room. Makes it easy for loading and easy for ordering.

I use 5.3 under 185gr Berry's hollow base and they are very accurate with acceptable recoil. Unique used to leave some flakes on my hand. It may have been due to my low loads but that problem is now gone.

Main benefit is one powder for all of my loads.. priceless..

Disclaimer-this is my opinion and yours may vary... I am not a troll or attempting in anyway to steer the conversation in a negative way.

 

[GaryL]

Can you direct me to some favorite loads? I have 4 lbs of Herco ready to go.

Sure
*Caution* - the following data exceeds max in some manuals - use at your own risk

Now that we have that out of the way, just happen to have a target here that looks like the pattern is right around 2" at 25yds. I have written on it 185gr HBRN (Berry's), 7.5gr Herco, 1.20" OAL.

My Hornady manual lists a max of 6.9gr Herco with 185gr HP/XTP.
My Alliant manual lists a max of 8.2gr Herco with 185gr JHP.

 

[AnthonyRSS]

I use 5.0gr of Titegroup behind a 230gr LRN. I find it to meter consistently well and shoot fine. I don't play around much with the plinking load but I have loaded up some with Power Pistol. Loaded some hot rounds with Blue Dot.

 

[1KPerDay]

Sure
*Caution* - the following data exceeds max in some manuals - use at your own risk

Now that we have that out of the way, just happen to have a target here that looks like the pattern is right around 2" at 25yds. I have written on it 185gr HBRN (Berry's), 7.5gr Herco, 1.20" OAL.

My Hornady manual lists a max of 6.9gr Herco with 185gr HP/XTP.
My Alliant manual lists a max of 8.2gr Herco with 185gr JHP.

Thanks.

 

[blarby]

I'd like to add one last bit :

"clean and accurate" I believe, is much more a function of your chosen bullet, than it is with your chosen powder.

The cleanest powder with the most accurate charge load for your cartridge will yield messy, inaccurate shooting with the wrong lead projectile.

The "right" lead projectile is a matter of some debate and happenstance- but I would have to do extensive testing across all of these powders, with 5 or 6 bullets to determine which one was best for me.

 

[cfullgraf]

700-X

 

[FROGO207]

I am with Chuck----700-X is best and will add that Promo is a really close second with Lead, plated and Jacketed bullets.

 

[Dudemeister]

I just got back from the range, where I shot 100 rounds of a new recipe.

Someone mentioned that Trail Boss would burn cleaner if the load were upped a bit, so this time I went for 5gr. instead of 4.5gr. The results were very disappointing.

Much dirtier than before, sooty cartridges, filthy hands, and accuracy went into the toilet. 3-4 shots right on the mark, one way off, another 2 OK then another one 4-5 inches off. And all this at 10 and 15 yards!

I really don't know what that was all about, but it went like that for 100 rounds.

So I'll relegate Trail Boss to my 30-30 and the .45LC, and move on. Next I'll try some Clays. I used it before in the .45LC and thought it was pretty good.

One of my local gun stores is closing down (the owner is retiring), so he's discounting everything. I bought 5 cans of Trail Boss and 3 cans of Clays from him for $12 and $15 per can respectively. I wanted to get some W231 and some RedDot, but he had ran out.

 

[James2]

I have not been loading for 45 ACP for very long. I have had good luck with W231 and Unique. I haven't tried most of the other powders mentioned. I just don't want to have such a big powder inventory. Unique is one powder I have had on hand since I started loading many years ago. It is versatile. If I had to pick a favorite at this point, I guess its W231 for the 45 ACP.

 

[Hondo 60]

5.0gr. Titegroup

Pros: Much cleaner than Unique, reliable cycling, a bit more recoil than Unique, but still pretty easy on the hands.
Cons: Does not meter well, has a tendency to "gum up" the Layman measure. Inconsistent drops vary as much as 0.3-0.4gr. which translated into inaccurate shots and variable felt recoil.

Hmmm curious.
I have NOT seen the inconsistent drops.
I use a Dillon powder measure & get +-.1 gr.
At 4.7 grains, it will reliably cycle my 1911.
Has a nice soft recoil & about 775-825 fps across my chronograph.

For a bit more energy I'll use 9 gr of AA5.
That'll get me 850-900 fps

The above data is all with a 200 gr LRNFP

 

[orionengnr]

I have only been doing this for about four years (seems like the day before yesterday).

The vast majority of my hand loads have been using .45 acp 200 gr lead SWCs and a Dillon (started with a 450, then moved to a 550).
All loads are nominally 5gr, give or take a small bit.

--I started with W231, which was very satisfactory.
--Being the tinkerer that I am, I then tried Bullseye, which also worked fine.
--I then tried Unique, which burned fine but was less precise in metering.
--I got a great deal on a bulk purchase (12 lbs) of Green Dot and have been using it ever since.

In my admittedly limited experience, I believe the Green Dot is a bit softer-shooting and every bit as accurate as any of the others.

My friend shoots .45 acp with Bullseye. He is happy with it, but I "think" I can tell the difference, and his seem just a bit snappier.

I don't know if you hand load any other cartridges. If you do, that might be a factor. being able to buy an 8-lb jug is a money saver, so if you load sevearal cartridges, and can find a powder that works with several, so much the better.

Bottom line--you have a lot of choices with .45 acp. It and the .38 Spl are (respectively) probably two of the most forgiving choices in semi auto and revolver hand loader's cartridges. Try a pound of this, a pound of that, and when you find something you really like, buy an 8-lb jug.

Enjoy.

Best regards, Rich