cast boolits in 45ACP

[Kramer]

Favorite propellants are Bullseye, 700x

Bullseye and 700X for all of my non magnum pistol rounds. I found Unique way too dirty for my taste.

[Guns N'at]

Bullseye and 700X for all of my non magnum pistol rounds. I found Unique way too dirty for my taste.

Yeah, it can be at .45 auto std working pressures; works like magic in 9mm service and +V (velocity) cast and jacketed loads, and is pretty clean in my experience at those pressures. If you might want to stick with an Alliant branded propellant for .45 Auto in a similar pressure curve, try Power Pistol. Meters better, is very clean in my experience even at less than full pressure intensity and is very ACCURATE.

My 200 LSWC's driven by 6.7 grains of PP clock 870 fps avg, and group nearly a ragged hole @ 15 yards from My P220 all the while being very clean. Not the best ratio of charge weight to velocity, but another option out there FWIW.

[Pete D.]

The classic match load 4.0 grains of Bullseye and a 200 grain LSWC. I shoot thousands of them every year.
Pete

[Guns N'at]

Really? I loaded up some Hornady 230gr XTP/JHP's with 6.9gr of PP and although I don't have a chrony, they seemed "very warm" out of my P220. Using PP over my W231 would be about 16% less cost efficient, but I would consider if it increased feeding reliability.

According to Alliant, you have a long way to go til max charge weights are hit!... Hard to believe, and I know what you mean... PP does feel stout by virtue of it's action; very boomy/flashy, and concussive when doing it's thing. I have not chronographed any PP in jacketed loads, but did with some 225 LTC's:

7 grains Power Pistol CCI 300 MC 225 TC
856 877 858 866 877 AV 866 ES 21 SD 10

Pretty darn good velocity for a 4.4" barrel, nice and accurate and they simply 'feel good'. I may push them a bit more to see how linear they progress, and I find PP to be very easy going, not peaky, and well behaved. FWIW, PP is pure magic in 9mm and .38 Spec HV loads, especially a very stout .38 Spec, +P rated 158 LSWC 'FBI' load. This FBI load is the max load from Alliant, and my 3" model 60 avg's 927 fps!

[Brick]

I have recently acquired a 1911 and plan on using it in comp shooting, .... there are 3 I like, 230 RN, 200 SWC and 185 SWC. I'll be using either Titegroup (my standard) or HP38 just got it and have not tried it yet. What do you 45 loaders like and what is the reason for your choice?

My first question is what kind of competition?

Bullseye (NRA Conventional) Why shoot hardball or equal when you don't have to? Use a 185 or 200 gr SWC at a velocity of 730 to 750 fps something in the range of 4.5 to 5.0 grs of HP-38 or W231 for a 200 gr bullet. 4.8 grs of Titegroup might be OK depending on your gun, but velocities run a little high again 200 gr bullet.

IDPA or any other where you must make some sort of power factor? 5.1 grs. of Titegroup will make around 830 fps with a 200 gr. bullet, which is good for IDPA's 165,000 power factor. But only from a semi-auto, you'll drop a lot of velocity out of a revolver.

I reload for 6 different .45 caliber guns, semi-autos, revolvers and carbines. So I like to keep my supplies simple. I tend to prefer Lead Round Nose Flat Point and Lead Truncated Cone bullets these days and 200 grainers work just fine in my .45 ACP and .45 Colt guns. I no longer shoot Bullsye and in my area IDPA is darn near the only game in town so a bullet profile that makes for reliable feeding in a semi-auto and easy reloads in revolvers is needed. Doesn't hurt any that they are safe in a tubular magazine either.

[Kramer]

Yeah, it can be at .45 auto std working pressures; works like magic in 9mm service and +V (velocity) cast and jacketed loads, and is pretty clean in my experience at those pressures.

Not in my experiance. This summer I went shooting with a buddy and he ran mags of his ammo through my suppressed mini Uzi, 125 gr cast on top of unique and they were not slow by any means. After we went home and I decided to clean my guns and cans (thank God that one comes apart) I found what looked like charcoal caked on the inside of the can. It took quite abit to get that sucker scraped out and clean.

[Guns N'at]

Not in my experiance. This summer I went shooting with a buddy and he ran mags of his ammo through my suppressed mini Uzi, 125 gr cast on top of unique and they were not slow by any means. After we went home and I decided to clean my guns and cans (thank God that one comes apart) I found what looked like charcoal caked on the inside of the can. It took quite abit to get that sucker scraped out and clean.

Have you tried other propellants with the same bullet and gotten a similar result? Perhaps the lube is a big/biggest part of the problem in this situation? I know every gun I shoot with commercial cast spits a ton of lube at the muzzle, so it would seem to make sense that you are experiencing the lube 'coking' in the can. I have used 6.1 grains of Unique in a 16" IMI Uzi carbine w/o a can with 115 grain FMJ's, and pretty much it's all a soft soot coating, with some flakes in the action/barrel.

Never have used cast yet in the Uzi. I also used a lot of HS-6 with the same bullet and weapon, and even when stoked at Hodgdon max (low psi), the stuff leaves alot of gritty unburned granules. I love the way HS-6 meters, its load density in 9mm, but in every caliber and gauge I have used it in, I get the same nasty grit by the ton. Always wanted to try some supressed weapons... Sounds (no pun intended) like fun.

[*Klutch*]

My first question is what kind of competition?

Bullseye (NRA Conventional) Why shoot hardball or equal when you don't have to? Use a 185 or 200 gr SWC at a velocity of 730 to 750 fps something in the range of 4.5 to 5.0 grs of HP-38 or W231 for a 200 gr bullet. 4.8 grs of Titegroup might be OK depending on your gun, but velocities run a little high again 200 gr bullet.

IDPA or any other where you must make some sort of power factor? 5.1 grs. of Titegroup will make around 830 fps with a 200 gr. bullet, which is good for IDPA's 165,000 power factor. But only from a semi-auto, you'll drop a lot of velocity out of a revolver.

I reload for 6 different .45 caliber guns, semi-autos, revolvers and carbines. So I like to keep my supplies simple. I tend to prefer Lead Round Nose Flat Point and Lead Truncated Cone bullets these days and 200 grainers work just fine in my .45 ACP and .45 Colt guns. I no longer shoot Bullsye and in my area IDPA is darn near the only game in town so a bullet profile that makes for reliable feeding in a semi-auto and easy reloads in revolvers is needed. Doesn't hurt any that they are safe in a tubular magazine either.

This is a very good answer to my questions. Thank you for the info. I will be shooting IDPA and making a PF with my loads, and from what I can guess, 200gr SWC over Bullseye or my powders will be my direction. I will have to test some loads and see how they work. I will not use Unique in 45ACP it'just burns dirty as hell and I don't like it, but I don't think Titegroup is the right powder either, that's why I'll try HP38 and get some Bullseye.

[tdyoung58]

200g SWC w/ Bullseye

also use a 4 die press, resizing the last step, feed better in my Sig

[eightshot627]

A 200gr LSWC from Roger's Better Bullets, over 4.7gr WST has been my USPSA/ IDPA load for more than 10 years now. It makes power factor, is accurate and is about as clean as shooting lead gets.

Walt