hard cast 250 gr LRNFP for Colt .45 ACP?

[JohnnyB]

I currently load 250 gr hard cast LRNFP for my Uberti Cattleman in .45 Colt.
I also have a Colt Series 70 .45ACP. Can I load 250 gr hard cast LRNFP for this pistol without any problems? If not 250 gr, can I use 200 gr? I can get 500 250 gr for $46.00, so it really drops the price per round considerably. I'm fairly new to reloading, so any help would be appreciated.
Thanks guys,
John

 

[Walkalong]

If it will feed, you can use it. I have shot a great many Ranier 250 Gr bullets in .45.

The .45 loves 200 Gr bullets.

 

[jfh]

I'll withhold comment on using 250-gr. LRNFP since I haven't tried it yet--but as Walkalong says, if it will feed, you can use it.

Without knowing the bullet's specs, I would be concerned about seating depth--i.e., how far the bullet fits 'down into' the case--which will cause a couple of problems--possible bulging of the cartridge sidewall (and thereby creating chambering problems) and increased pressure due to reduced case volume.

In sum, if you decide to do it, build dummy rounds first and check them out for fit and function before you even bother to seek (and possibly adjust) recipes and powder weights. I'd try to find a recipe using this exact bullet.

However, other than possibly limiting your component inventory needs, I see no real benefit to using 250-gr. bullets in a .45ACP. As Walkalong said, the .45ACP loves 200-gr. bullets--either in such tried-and-true profiles as the H&G69(68?) LSWC profile, set up for bullseye or as a slightly-higher charge for accuracy, or even in the LRN profiles. Choosing a 200-gr .45 ACP recipe and even tweaking your 1911 for it is a time-honored approach to enjoyable 1911 shooting.

If you can get 250-gr for $46.00/500, can the same supplier do 200-gr. even cheaper?

Jim H.

 

[Slamfire]

Can I load 250 gr hard cast LRNFP for this pistol without any problems? If not 250 gr, can I use 200 gr? I can get 500 250 gr for $46.00, so it really drops the price per round considerably. I'm fairly new to reloading, so any help would be appreciated

.

As stated by a previous poster, a M1911 will feed and function with 250's. But I am not going to recommend it.

And that is based on my experience of having a brand new Colt Combat Elite peen its frame out in under 3000 rounds. And they were not hot rounds, mostly 200's and 230 grain bullets.

This M1911 was defective from the factory, I don't know why but the dwell was too short and the pistol unlocked early in the pressure curve. But it lead to excessive slide speeds and it peened the front of the frame out.

Colt replaced the frame but did not extend the warranty with the new frame and did not fix the early unlock problem.

So I sent the pistol to Wilson Combat. Wilson Combat understands 1911's, something that Colt evidentally forgot, they installed a bunch of goodies and now the pistol functions perfectly.



But even then, that frame peening experience has made me ultra cautious about loading bullets and powders that might cause frame peening. I keep my 230's just at 800 fps, I use shock buffs, and I use heavy recoil springs.

200 grain bullets shoot just fine in the M1911, the H&G 68 200 gr LWSC used to be a very common target bullet. I used 4.0 grains Bullseye with these and the recoil was mild and the accuracy great.

I would be curious to know what loads and velocities Mr. Walkalong is using. Maybe if the 250 is slow enough there won't be any problems.