Fired First Batch of .45 Reloads

[bigdawgbeav]

I'm posting the accuracy video of my first reloads in a little bit, but first I had to get up this one:


Is that normal for brass to be tarnished like that from reloads? After I picked them up they looked nasty.

Also, when firing, I was getting a butt-load of smoke from a "smokeless" powder. Am I doing something wrong?

Lastly, I noticed a lot of fouling after only 24 rounds. Should I be concerned?

My reloads are as follows:
200 gr. cast SWC
5.2 gr. Winchester 231
Federal Large Pistol Primers
Unfired Starline brass

I really hope someone can help before I start another batch.

Thanks.

[Pagoda240]

Two separte problems / resolutions.

1. cast loads in my experience always smoke.

2. Tarnish/unburned powder is because load is not hot enough to expand the brass to seal the chamber and its coming back around the mouth of the brass.

[brian]

the brass looks like any other brass i have fired or picked up.

what do you mean fouling?
the gun is dirty or the bore is leading?
as far as for the gun showing more dirt, that all goes on the powder and amount of said powder used. some burn cleaner, and some burn dirtier.
the smoke is mostly from the lube on the bullet.

[Maryland_Shooter]

Two separte problems / resolutions.

1. cast loads in my experience always smoke.

2. Tarnish/unburned powder is because load is not hot enough to expand the brass to seal the chamber and its coming back around the mouth of the brass.

Spot on, load is about what I use on a 230g FMJ.

[Guns N'at]

Cast bullets using most traditional lube-in-groove lube, and tumble lube, smoke like crazy; just the nature of the beast with these types of lube. Hornady swaged bullets with the mica coating will smoke less in my experience, and of course plated act pretty much like jacketed. 5.2 grains of WW231, and a commodity type 200 grain cast bullet... Your loading is around 14k psi, and around 800 or so fps. Nothing "wrong" with that at all, but I like to run WW231 a bit harder, say 5.7/5.8 grains which gets around 17k psi, and 885 or so fps.

Fairly clean running and very light pressures using 200 grain cast, for me means Clays, or International. Solo 1000 does OK too if I recall my my results from a long way back.

[Pkspawn]

The smoke is from the lube on the cast bullets burning off mostly.

Brass looks fine. Like mentioned prob just not sealing up your chamber fully.

It is not a problem really. If you want the lighter load, it is fine. If you want a hotter load, then step up the powder until you get what you want. Just examine the brass and primer for signs of over pressure. With the hotter round, the brass will be cleaner looking.

I'm doubting you are leading up your barrel with Roger's bullets.. They are pretty hard. And most leading doesn't occur until you hit the 1000+ fps..

I've never seen leading yet in my 45, or 40 with Rogers bullets.

[brian]

I'm doubting you are leading up your barrel with Roger's bullets.. They are pretty hard. And most leading doesn't occur until you hit the 1000+ fps..

there in lays another problem. if the lead is to hard and the powder load to light, the base of the bullet will not expand to seal the bore. the escaping gas will then melt the edges of the base.

[bigdawgbeav]

So it sounds like the recipe in the loading manuals of 4.4 - 5.6 grains of 231 might be a little on the light side. I figured I'd just go down the middle. So hotter loads then. I'll step up to the next disk in the Lee press.

The barrel was dirty, not leaded. I'm guessing it was powder residue?

Nice to know that cast bullets will smoke more. Makes me feel better. I was thinking that my loads might have been too hot and I was going to have a problem. And that it's not the powder.

However, I did love the feel and accuracy of the reloads. Was almost sorry to send them into a dirt backstop.

I guess I should pickup some TMJ's and try those as well. Any suggestions?

[brian]

lead is perfect for 45acp. 1000fps is generally accepted as the max speed for msot lead loads to avoid leading...and with 45acp 1000fps is a pretty warm load.
45acp is one of the few calibers that i don't shoot jacketed rounds much at all.

[tabasco_joe]

I always had a bit of soot from W231 no matter what I was loading for.