What if any advantage is there to less than a 200 gr SWC 45 ACP

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Believe they're mostly an IPSC/IDPA game playing thing. Light bullets giving less recoil. Your pistol has to be set up right for SWC's to feed reliably. Not really a big deal though. It's just extending the feed ramp about half way up the sides of the chamber. Most new pistols come that way.
1.135" OAL.
Cast 230's RN's or FP's are a lot less fuss.
 
I agree, I had given up on SWC do to the hassle of COL but have figured it it.

I have a pretty high end DW 1911 and want to try something different. I have lighter springs to play with also.
 
If you're just plinking then use them if they are cheaper or you run across some. Otherwise their big advantage is that they cut a cleaner hole through paper targets than pure round nose bullets. And that can lead to better or, at least, more accurate scoring in bullseye matches.

For some hunting I've seen it said that they can produce a little more tissue damage than a round nose. I don't hunt though so you'll want to check around and confirm if this is true or not if you plan on using them for any sort of game or varmint control.

Light bullets like the 185's that I've seen have VERY narrow bore riding skirts. I look at the ratio of skirt depth to diameter and can't help wondering if it's wide enough to avoid the bullet being skewed a little to one side and coming out wobbly. It's probably nothing but if you find that they don't perform as accurately as your other bullets this may be a reason why.
 
I have the 200 gr SWC just didn't know if the 185 reduced recoil enough to matter or were more accurate or less or what?
 
I use only 230 round nose plated, gave up on lead years ago and swc. ball 230 consistent, clean, easy to load.
 
The price difference is only $1.50/500.

They have a little less recoil than the heavier bullets. They are fine as long as your gun will feed them OK.

OAL is NOT the same! But don't think OAL with lead bullets. Seat so that about a thumbnail's thickness of the bullet's shoulder peeks out of the case. Then the OAL is what it is.
 
moxie said:
The price difference is only $1.50/500.

They have a little less recoil than the heavier bullets. They are fine as long as your gun will feed them OK.

OAL is NOT the same! But don't think OAL with lead bullets. Seat so that about a thumbnail's thickness of the bullet's shoulder peeks out of the case. Then the OAL is what it is.
Click to expand...

That is how I load my 200 gr bullets (a hair of the driving band showing)so is what I meant
Figuring the difference in weight was in the base or driving band. So what I wrote is not what I meant and not what I thought but should have wrote it better..:D;)
 
45 acp

My cast 185 needed more velocity to be accurate. Not good if shooting timed and rapid fire. The Lyman 200 gr Bevel base works best for me..
th_CastBullets_20090207_005.jpg
[/URL][/IMG] Dont know about the bullets your going to try. Testing is part of the fun. This is my OAL
th_45acp947inch_001.jpg
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I use that 200 gr RNFP also as I can shoot it in my 45 Colt. Not the ideal bullet for the Colt but it works. Also the SA XD which is different than the newer XDm
 
Rule3 said:
I have the 200 gr SWC just didn't know if the 185 reduced recoil enough to matter or were more accurate or less or what?
Click to expand...
My 1911 will shoot either 200 or 185 gr with the same reduced bullseye load ( below min start) with no change in RS. Every gun is different when it comes to this. It worst case you have to drop to a 14# RS depending on your load. I seat the bullets with a modified seating stem so I only contact at the top driving band. This way my OAL is the same no matter what SWC I use.
 
I use the same light charge with 185 gr SWC, 200 gr SWC, and 230 gr RN. My National Match feeds all three fine with a 16 lb spring. The recoil difference between the 230 and 185 is very noticeable. The recoil difference in 185 and 200 is very slight.
 
The 185 gr .45 SWC was once The Standard bullet for bullseye target shooting.
Few shooters used the H&G #68S shown in post 10 above, winxb and rider are right that its short bearing surface is detrimental to best accuracy. Its long nose gives good feeding for action shooters wanting a lighter bullet.

The most common cast target bullet was the185 gr H&G #130 with more bearing surface and a very stubby nose that called for a lot of ramp work on the gun.

I tried the 185 in IPSC but did not consider that the recoil was reduced. You have to maintain a minimum power factor and the lighter bullet at higher velocity has a snappy recoil that disturbs the gun more for me.
 
Believe they're mostly an IPSC/IDPA game playing thing. Light bullets giving less recoil.
Click to expand...

Most competitive USPSA/IDPA shooters (non compensated pistols) prefer heavy bullets and fast powders that gives less perceived recoil.

Power factor is not muzzle energy it is just speed X weight / 1000 (E=1/2MV^2). So two different loads can have the same PF and different muzzle energy.
 
Thanks all. I guess I will stick with the 200 SWC, seems to be no great reason to buy the 185's.
 
Not sure if your playing gun games or not but I will expand on my answer above.

If you have to meet say a power factor of 165...

A 230 going 718fps will make 165PF and have a muzzle energy of 263 ft/lbs.

A 200 going 825fps will make the same 165 PF but have 302ft/lbs of energy.
 
No, no games I am not concerned with power factor. I just like to experiment and change things up. Shooting holes in paper gets old after a while. My range does not allow steel or bowling pins (unless of course it is a club sanctioned event and you pay more money on Saturday:rolleyes:) Then it is OK:scrutiny:
 
For a different bullet to play with
Try some of the Hornady 200 grain "swaged" swc's
And their selection of powders.
 
If you're shooting reactive/hard targets (plates, pins, etc.) you really want to avoid using "real slow" moving bullets. I've read the minimum recommended velocity for pin shooting is, IIRC, 750fps. 750fps 230gr = major, though still less recoil than most factory 230gr ammo. 200gr or 185gr at 750-800fps = minor PF and will make your .45 feel more like a 9mm. If shooting paper, you can probably get your pistol to function on 200gr down to 700fps or maybe a little lower, and really cut down on the recoil.
 
You save 30 grains of lead alloy for every 200 grain bullet you cast. That's 3 extra bullets for every twenty cast.
 
just saying

High end S&W Model #52 - 148 grain swaged lead wadcutters - crazy accurate
High end DW 1911 ----------200 grain swaged lead semi wadcutters - why not try?
 
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