Who Else Loves Loading 45 Auto??

ballman6711 said:
I've gone pretty low on my charge weights for 230gr fmj's. I think I got as low as 4.2gr W231 before it wouldn't cycle the slide (I would have to check my notes to be certain). Never had a squib. I will say that the slide was slowing noticeably a couple tenths of a grain above that load, BUT I was also running a torture test to see how long the gun would function without cleaning. IIRC the gun went about 650 rounds before having any stoppages without cleaning, although I did apply a drop or two of oil on it.

Brass thickness can have an effect on function as well. Last week I loaded 200 of the Acme 185gr swc's, 100 in Starline brass, 100 in Winchester brass. All of the Winchester rounds plunked and twisted in my tight chamber gun, most of the Starline rounds plunked but wouldn't twist. The Starline rounds that didn't plunk would fit my chamber with a slight press from my finger.



This ^^^^ 100%

chris
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Smokiness with W231 was a big deal for me this past Monday morning.

At 4.5gr 230RN 1.260” I was choking as bad as Sport Pistol light loads.

Will climb back up closer to 5.0gr next time.

One possible contributor—I was on end lane with wall on my immediate left so air circulation was impeded I suppose.
 
All I shoot is 185gr & 200gr LSWC in my 45acp 1911's. I do use a custom made seating stem that only contacts the shoulder of the bullet. This way my dies are set no matter which weight SWC I choose to load. I mainly use WST as my go to powder for the 45acp, with WSF being 2nd backup followed with W231.

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Blue68f100 said:
All I shoot is 185gr & 200gr LSWC in my 45acp 1911's. I do use a custom made seating stem that only contacts the shoulder of the bullet. This way my dies are set no matter which weight SWC I choose to load. I mainly use WST as my go to powder for the 45acp, with WSF being 2nd backup followed with W231.

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Nice. What did you use to grind out the stem?
 
CQB45ACP said:
Smokiness with W231 was a big deal for me this past Monday morning.

At 4.5gr 230RN 1.260” I was choking as bad as Sport Pistol light loads.

Will climb back up closer to 5.0gr next time.

One possible contributor—I was on end lane with wall on my immediate left so air circulation was impeded I suppose.
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W231 can be a bit smokey at lower charge weights. For 230gr I run either fmj's or Hornady's HAP's (sometimes run XTP's) with 4.7gr W231. I use a col of 1.245". Light recoil, accurate enough for me, and feed and ejection are pretty consistent as well. Ejection is 3~4 o'clock and about 5~7 feet. I have put a flat bottom fps in the tight chambered gun, and plan on doing so with the newer Ultras as well. An added bonus is the gun stays close to flat when firing, allowing a quick follow up shot on target.

Who new that 1911 45acp could be so much fun?

chris
 
Number of years back the wife and I were shooting a lot of indoor ranges and at times with both of us it would get thick. So I purchased some Ramshot Silhouette which is advertised to be smoke and flash suppressed and boy did it make a noticeable difference. Surprisingly my groups shrunk as well.
 
Blue68f100 said:
I have a lathe in my shop so it was pretty easy to make. This is for my Hornady dies. I have a spare for 45acp and 38/357 SWC. I can send you if your using Hornady dies.
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Wow, that’s generous! Unfortunately, I use Lee dies. thanks for the offer.
 
Blue68f100 said:
I have a lathe in my shop so it was pretty easy to make. This is for my Hornady dies. I have a spare for 45acp and 38/357 SWC. I can send you if your using Hornady dies.
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I don't want to be forward, but I would be interested in a Hornady 45acp seating stem specifically for swc bullets.

I would be willing to send you mine to turn, trade even up, or pay for the service. PM me if any of these are an option. Thanks!

chris
 
ballman6711 said:
I don't want to be forward, but I would be interested in a Hornady 45acp seating stem specifically for swc bullets.

I would be willing to send you mine to turn, trade even up, or pay for the service. PM me if any of these are an option. Thanks!

chris
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PM me your contact info and it's yours. I don't need anything in return. Just doing the THR pay it forward.
 
I used to shoot competitions with the 45 auto, 200 grain SWC and AA#5. Loaded thousands of them with that combination. My 8 lb jug of #5 ran out about a year ago so I cracked open my 8 lb jug of BE86. I've found an excellent load with BE86 for the 45 and most other pistol/revolver calibers. I loaded many types of bullets for the 45 but I always come back to the SWC. My Kimber Stainless Gold Match shoots as good today as it did 22 years ago when I bought it. Have 2 other 1911's in 45 but the Kimber sees much more use.
 
King Medallion said:
WST works best in both my guns, in any weight bullets.
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Hmm interesting. I may have to try some out as well. I do like to support Winchester when possible. Anyway, WST seems like more of a titegroup style powder with low charge weight for similar velocity as CFE Pistol and WSF/Autocomp and the WSF/Autocomp load data is slightly lower than CFE Pistol. Hmm Ive always wondered if the faster burn rate works better to have less pressure at the muzzle so the suppressor works better? Or am I thinking to hard?
 
270OKIE said:
So can I ask y'all what dies y'all are using? I'm using a LEE carbide 3 die set and a FCD. Works ok for me.
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For the 45acp I have a set of RCBS and a set of Hornady custom grade. I just got a Lyman M-die about a week or so ago.

I was sizing and decapping with the RCBS, then expanding with RCBS, then seating with Hornady, then crimping with RCBS. I'm currently experimenting with the Lyman for my flare, and it's growing on me but I do have some mixed feelings about it.

I will say I really like the sliding sleeve on the Hornady seater. Just like the FCD some would say it's a solution looking for a problem, and others think it's the best thing since sliced bread. I don't care much for the Hornady expander in my 45acp die set, although I use Hornady expanders in other calibers.

Whatever works for you is what works for you. Not really a wrong way to do it.

chris
 
drband said:
Lee 4-die carbide set like yours. No issues. Turns out great ammo.
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Note: I recently got a NOE “m-type” powder-through expander to use on my Lee AutoDrum powder drop. Had to switch out the regular PTX die to the Lee short charging die to make that work with the NOE expander. It is worth the trouble!
 
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