First batch of .45 reloads and some questions

[Synergy]

I have ran 30 of my first ever reloads. All went bang! I was excited. I have searched here and other gun boards on what other have had success with, using 200 gr SWC. I looked in my load books and compared numbers. I have a few questions. Here is my setup:

I am shooting a full size RIA GI 1911, with Novak and CMC mags.
I am shooting X-Treme 200 gr plated SWC .451
Using Win 231 w/ Win LPP
- 10 rounds each of 5.2, 5.4 and 5.6 grains
- 10 w/COL of 1.251-1.255
- 10 w/COL of 1.253-1.256
- 10 w/COL of 1.256-1.259
- All taper crimped to .469-.470

I think something may be wrong with the COL. I have seen COL as short as 1.20 in my load book. With the slide locked I find that I can use 230 gr ball and release the slide lock, holding slight tension, not letting the spring do all the work and the round will feed with no problem. With the SWC if I do the same action it will jam, yet if I release the slide lock and the full power of the spring returns the slide it will feed the SWC. Is that normal, using SWC's?

How do my first numbers look? They all went bang and accuracy was damn good.

 

[ArchAngelCD]

Welcome to reloading and more accurate ammo than you could ever wish to buy!

As for COL, for the most part the manuals are telling you the COL they use when testing the data they are providing. SAAMI sets the Minimum and Maximum COL for a caliber and all the data you will find will fall somewhere between the Min and Max.

The reason the listed COL is important when using load data is pressure. When a company tests a load they provide you with the COL used in that load so the pressures reported are similar when you use that data. Setting the bullet deeper in the case will increase the pressure. If a bullet has a crimp groove it's usually a good idea to crimp the bullet in that provided groove.

Hodgdon, the manufacturer of W231 is recommending a 1.225" COL for a 200gr lead bullet. Anything longer than that COL will work as long as the round fits into the Mag and chamber of the pistol. Be aware though, if you are at the low end of the charge numbers and increase the COL too much you can produce a squib round because the pressure "could" drop too much. I usually try to stay close to the COL provided in the data I'm using.

If all the rounds you made shot well I would suggest picking the ones which were the most accurate and stick with that recipe.

 

[rcmodel]

Is that normal, using SWC's?

Yes.

The 1911 was designed to work 100% with 230 grain FMJ-RN.
It was about 40 - 50 years later before the lighter lead SWC target load became widely available & used by target shooters.

At that point, most GI spec 1911's wouldn't even begin to feed them until some gunsmith did some magic on the feed ramp and barrel throat.

And then, some guns still wouldn't feed them with the same reliability of the big FMJ-RN bullets the gun was designed to work with.

rcmodel

 

[Walkalong]

I load various 200 Gr SWC bullets at 1.260 to 1.265 in the .45 with good results. I think you need to stick with at least 5.4 grs W231 for reliable function. Try some WST for light target loads with your X-Treme SWC's.
I have shot a great many Ranier Pltd 200 Gr SWC's in my .45's over the years and they are very accurate as well. I really like the Berry's 185 Gr SWC & the Berry's 200 Gr HP as well.

Your loads were definitely a good start.

 

[evan price]

5.5 of W231 and 1.250" are what I tried with 200-SWCs; they fed fine, but I wound up standardizing on the 230-RNs since I never know what guns I buy and I wanted generic ammo for any of them.
I no longer use W231 very much, tho' having switched to Titegroup.