.45 ACP Loads

[Texas1911]

I would like to hear from you guys what you are getting good results with in your .45 ACP loads. I have some Titegroup powder and some misc. bullets coming to me to get my Dillon setup with, but I plan to primarily load 200 gr. SWC cast bullets. I don't care to soft-load or drive them hard, just somewhere in the middle with good accuracy.

 

[JMATT199]

I have had good luck with 200gr with 6.0gr of Bullseye.

 

[randmplumbingllc]

.45 ACP, 200 grn SWC plated FMJ, 4.7 grn titegroup

Don't have a chrono, yet, but they shoot sweet IMO.

 

[Okierifleman]

230gr Rainier FMJ, 5.5 grains W231 1.269" oal. Not too fast, not too slow, pretty good accuracy

 

[jfrey]

200 gr. Berry's RNFP over 6.0 gr. Unique. Very accurate load in my pistols.

 

[PopsXD9sc]

230 gr Precision Delta FMJ over 4.8 gr W231. Maybe a little soft but runs well in Kimber Ultra, PT1911, and XD45c. Accurate at least to 15 yds; never practice past that.

 

[Texasjack]

The .45 is a pretty well behaved cartridge and can take a pretty wide range of powders. My favorite load is about 5.5 gr of Bullseye (230 gr FMJ). Burns clean and is accurate. For 200 gr cast, that should be backed down to probably 4.5 gr. Win 231 also works great. Unique is a very old powder and it works great, but is dirty. (I understand it has been re-formulated and the new stuff is cleaner.) PowerPistol also works very good.

I had a chance to talk to the Hogdgon folks one day and asked what they recommended as best for 230 gr bullet in .45 ACP. Their response was that Titegroup was the very best. It was designed to burn the same whether the powder is against the primer or not. You also get a lot of reloads per pound.

So, based on their recommendation, I tried it. It does burn clean and it's pretty easy to duplicate factory loading. HOWEVER, unless you want to weigh each charge, it's very hard to get the same amount in each cartridge. The load range for it is very tight - the entire load range for a 230 gr bullet is 4.4 to 4.8 grains. That's only 4/10ths of a grain from minimum to maximum. Any variation from your metering device or hand scoop will give you velocity variations in your cartridges. It's also very easy to double charge, because you're using so little. A good powder, but not without some caution.

I looked up Hogdon's data for 200 gr. LSWC and Titegroup and it says 4.8 to 5.4 (max) grains. If you go to their web site, you can get more info than what they print in their basic manual.

 

[RetArmySgt]

I use 5.2gr of titegroup with 230gr FMJ rounds.

 

[JesseCJC]

6.4gr of Win 231 pushing 185gr Hornady XTPs are my favorite practice loads. Great accuracy and about 920fps with very little felt recoil. A bit dirty though.

 

[barhob]

5'' 1911.
5.1 to 5.2 of 231 pushing a 200 gr hard cast SWC.
16 to 18 # spring.
adjustable rear sight.
same load for 30 years.

4.2 of bullseye is a good load also.

 

[TexMex247]

45acp loads

I have heard that titegroup is a bad choice for lead bullets. Fast burning powders tend to vaporize the lead more at their bases as they fire off. Personally I have had great success with 7.9gr of AA#5(most books say to start at 7.8). This load is my "go to" load for SWC in both lead or jacketed. I have also had great results with BlueDot at around 10.0gr. Both of these loads are similar to factory standard loads in terms of recoil but both group tighter than factory 230gr rounds in my gun. These 2 are golden in my SW1911sc w/5"bbl. My most recent creation is a load using 45colt 200gr LRN bullets and unique. These are smoky low recoil loads that seem to cycle the action w/100% reliability and produce better than factory accuracy at 5.3gr. After shooting 200gr SWCs and LRNs in my 45, I may never buy FMJ RN bullets again.

 

[Texas1911]

I got one pound of Titegroup and about 300 230 gr. FMJ bullets as of today. Gotta get the rig setup and get it ready to go.

 

[RetArmySgt]

Best load with that is 5.2gr titegroup.

 

[OLDVET]

I have reloaded .45 ACP shells for several years. I usually shoot 200 to 250 rounds a week. This makes reloading essential. I use 5.6 grains of Winchester 231 powder. This powder falls about midway on a burn chart. I load Oregan Trail Laser Cast 200 grain SWC bullets. This load is taken directly from Winchester's Reloading pamplet. Winchester claims this load will propel the 200 grain SWC bullet at speeds in excess of 900 fps. I have never chronographed any of my loads, so I can't verify their claim. I do know that these loads are very accurate and the felt recoil is very nice. The Laser Cast bullets are hard cast, so leading of my barrel is not an issue. This is another load you might consider. I love the .45 ACP round. You can reload the brass numerous times before it finally splits.

 

[Major Woody]

230 JHP's :
4 gr Clays
4.8 gr Titegroup
5 gr Bullseye
6 gr Unique

 

[Cyberlink]

I have been reloading 45 ACP rounds for a while. Use them in my Mil issue M1911A1.

It took me a couple of weekends at the range to work out what worked best in it. Made up 7 rounds at a time starting at 4gn of Bullseye Pistol powder and a 230gn FMJ bullet. brought it up .1g at a time and just tested tell I found out what worked best.

Currently running

4.4gn
230gn FMJ
CCI primer

The Colt 45 was issued in 1940 and retired in 1947 so it has quite a few years and rounds on it.

 

[TxSgt1911]

I use a 200 grain LSWC with 4.8 grains of Titegroup, or 4.1 grains of Clays. Clays is now my favorite for .45 cast target loads.

 

[jbcalhoun]

Vihtavuori powder is some of the cleanest and most accurate powder I have ever tried. I shoot a lot of 200 grain semi-wadcutters with anywhere from 3.8 to 4.2 grains of powder. N310 is the powder. At 25 yards the accuracy in a typical bullseye pistol is "one hole capability".

You will have never seen a cleaner pistol after shooting this powder. You will be impressed, guaranteed!

Brad

 

[txgolfer45]

I'm currently loading 4.7 grs Bullseye with an OAL of 1.265 and 230 gr. fmj bullets.