Unique and bullseye data for 45

[Reefinmike]

Well, after visiting 16, count em SIXTEEN tire stores, I managed to buy a heaping bucket of weights for $20 and ended up with around 115# of clean ingots so Im back to casting! This week I was blessed again and got a hold of some bullseye and unique. I have always used HP38 for everything but I wanted to branch out and see what all the talk is about. Im loading up 230gr cast lee tumble lube mold truncated cone bullets. My go to target load is 4.4gr HP38 seated to 1.170". Very accurate, low recoil and brass stays pretty close to me and leaves a squeaky clean bore.

Ive done a bit of digging around and am seeing numbers all over the place. My lee manual lists unique 5.1 start and 5.8 max. I have seen people posting that they load as low as 4.3 gr and as high as 7.0gr. My lee manual does not have data for bullseye in 230gr lead and nor does alliants website

I know these are the most popular 45 powders out there but im having a heck of a time finding out where to start. What is everybody's favorite range to load up these powders with 230gr lead?

 

[Jesse Heywood]

This might help, don't know which 45 you're asking about. 2004 Alliant manual.

 

[Reefinmike]

45 acp in a 1911. Are those loads listed starting loads? lee has a min of 5.1 unique under 230 lead in my lee manual and alliant lists 5.8 of unique on their website which im assuming is max?

I was thinking about starting at 3.8 or so with bullseye and working up to 5 grains. Unique I was thinking between 4.8 and 5.8

 

[Jesse Heywood]

Where they say target load I would assume they are listing a low-power round that will cycle most guns. Otherwise they should be maximum. You'll have to get an answer from a 45 acp guru, which ain't me. I'm on the 45 Colt side.

 

[ghitch75]

i like 5.3gr of unique behind 230gr RNL......

 

[kwg020]

I shoot Red dot and Unique with 200 grain SWC's. I use 5.0 of Red dot and 6.0 of Unique. I shoot them out of a Colt Lightweight Commander. kwg

 

[Reefinmike]

Well, I went ahead and loaded up a couple hundred, 25 loads of each charge. for bullseye, I did 3.6, 3.9, 4.2 and 4.5gr. For unique I loaded up 4.5, 4.8, 5.2 and 5.5 grains. 230 grain truncated cone seated to 1.170( the max length that will reliably pass the plunk). I would have only loaded up 10 or so of each, but I think 25 is a good number to be able to identify any leading problems that may occur.

Has anyone noticed lees volume to weight chart for unique is way off? Here is what I got

Disk size/ what chart says/ what I got

.49cc/4.5gr/3.9gr
.53cc/4.9gr/4.1gr
.57cc/5.2gr/4.4gr
.61cc/5.6gr/4.8gr
.66cc/6.0gr/5.2gr
.71cc/6.5gr/5.5gr

I cranked a few charges in the case, dumped it back in the hopper, replaced the empty case and actuated the turret several times to get back to the hopper so its throwing like its in real use. Weighed the first two, then weighed at round 10, then round 20 and round 25. pretty consistent charges, within a half grain but way off from what lee says the disks are supposed to throw. Ill test them on wednesday and report back!

 

[jay bird id]

Lee's disk chart is notoriously and considerably shy.
One can only speculate.
Seems somewhat negligent.

Also, note that Lee's manual is generally nonspecific to bullet shape, and is more an amalgam of various load data.