Looking to Start Loading .45 ACP

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  • Doublehelix

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    Just picked up a new .45 ACP Dan Wesson 1911 which is supposed to be here by the end of the week (fingers crossed), and although I will shoot some factory ammo through her for a couple of weeks to break her in, I want to start thinking about reloading for her as well.

    I have looked around at a bunch of recipes, and although the data is readily available, I can't tell a great load from a poor load.

    I am not looking for recipes, I can find that, but just wondering for you 1911 folks, especially anyone with a Dan Wesson (full-size), what powder/bullet combination have you found to be the best in your gun? I am probably going to stick with 230 gr. RN for now.

    I have Titegroup, W231/HP-38 and PowerPistol already, but would be willing to try something else as well.

    I will of course work up my own loads, but with so many choices, I would love some advice as to a few places to start.

    Thanks in advance.
     

    noylj

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    What do you want to do with it?
    My goal has been accuracy, so:
    I use 231/HP38 almost exclusively.
    TiteGroup is OK, but it is accurate over a very narrow range of charge weights, whereas 231/HP38 is pretty accurate from start to max. Bullseye is, of course, THE .45 Auto powder.
    I have never found any plated bullets to be very accurate (except Gold Dots) and shoot lead bullets, again, almost exclusively--particularly 200gn L-SWC swaged bullets from Zero (check Powder Valley prices for bullets or, if you want jacketed, also check Precision Delta).
    Powders slower than AA5 might get a bit more velocity, but the .45 does not need velocity.
     
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    Always used WIN231...dabbled in some of the CFE Pistol when 231 shortage was happening. CFE does burn cleaner. I started with the 230 grain plated, switched to the 200 grain plated ball. Ultimately shoot MBC lead now...about to try their coated bullets once my lead runs out. My Colt Rail Gun seemed to group the 200 grain better, plus it's a tick cheaper.
     

    mac45

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    Like titegroup w/ 185 & 200 gn
    W231 for 230 gn.

    Lot of guys like Clays.
    Didn't group as well as Titegroup or W231, and metered worse than Unique.
     

    AllenM

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    It's hard to go wrong with 231/HP38 I am not a big fan of tight group. I used to run a lot of power pstol for my performance loads. But I found that AA #5 gave me better accuracy for my full power loads.

    Anymore I run AA#5 for my full power stuff exclusivly and at the moment I am burning up some remaing Solo 1000 I have had sittig around for my plinking loads. I dont know that it is any better then 231 but I will say at 25 yards with coated bullets I am gettig some very impressive groups.
     

    t-squared

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    My SR1911 likes 5gr of HP-38 under a Xtreme 230gr RN. Once I run through my stock of these bullets I'm gonna try their 200gr SWC to see how the gun likes them. The 185/200 gr swc seems to be what a lot of bullseye shooters use.

    I like how the HP-38 meters in my Lee auto drum measure and that it's nearly always available at my local Cabelas if the "need" arises.
     

    Doublehelix

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    I looked at reloading components for .45, and wow, they are expensive! I can buy new S&B or CCI Blazer brass 230 gr. factory rounds in the .25 to .26 a round, and it looks like even discount places like RMR are charging .14-.15 for the FMJ bullets alone. Plates bullets on Midway are more like .17-.18, and FMJ are even more. For example, Hornady FMJ are like .20 - .21 a round, just for the bullet. Dang.

    Sounds like .45 ACP is one of those rounds like 9mm and .223 that are not that economical to reload.

    Regarding Powder:
    I have quite a bit of W231/HP-38, so I can easily start there and see what I get. I see that Bullseye is popular as @noylj mentions, and AA#5 seems to get a lot of love as well as @AllenM mentions. I might also try some Titegroup since I have so much of it.

    Thanks for all of the suggestions.
     

    AmmoManAaron

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    W231/HP38 is a classic powder for 45acp, so it's hard to go wrong there. There is a ton of data for this cartridge with all sorts of powders and bullets - I ended up finding that just about any fast burning powder can be used in one way or another and will usually give good groups when you find the right charge. My personal favorite right now is Red Dot because I have a bunch of it that I got cheap, it runs fine in my Dillon 550B, and it's useable with a very wide variety of bullet types and weights. I use 5.0 grs of Red Dot with everything from 230gr FMJ down to 200gr RN lead. I've got a some 155gr lead SWC "thumb tacks" that I'm going to try soon with this charge just to see if they run, but I've heard you've got to push these bullets fast to get them to stabilize so I may have to bump up the charge.
     

    King31

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    I looked at reloading components for .45, and wow, they are expensive! I can buy new S&B or CCI Blazer brass 230 gr. factory rounds in the .25 to .26 a round, and it looks like even discount places like RMR are charging .14-.15 for the FMJ bullets alone. Plates bullets on Midway are more like .17-.18, and FMJ are even more. For example, Hornady FMJ are like .20 - .21 a round, just for the bullet. Dang.

    Sounds like .45 ACP is one of those rounds like 9mm and .223 that are not that economical to reload.

    Regarding Powder:
    I have quite a bit of W231/HP-38, so I can easily start there and see what I get. I see that Bullseye is popular as @noylj mentions, and AA#5 seems to get a lot of love as well as @AllenM mentions. I might also try some Titegroup since I have so much of it.

    Thanks for all of the suggestions.

    I would use Xtreme Bullets and whatever powder you currently use. I think you can probably tailor a load that is good for your specific gun. Using prices as of right now, including the price of used brass, I come up with about $0.22/round. That decreases significantly once you factor in sale prices (Xtreme always has 10-15% off) and no longer having to purchase brass. I believe you can load 45 for $0.16 or less when it's all said and done.
     

    Leo

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    I am probably going to stick with 230 gr. RN for now.

    I have Titegroup, W231/HP-38 and PowerPistol already, but would be willing to try something else as well.

    I will of course work up my own loads, but with so many choices, I would love some advice as to a few places to start.

    Thanks in advance.

    The 231 route is fine, pretty hard to mess up. Power pistol works best when closest to maximum load levels. Pick a load from the data right in the middle of the minimum/maximum span. That will probably be the perfect load. You would have to be a steady as a shooting vise to tell accuracy advantage with any other load.

    A word of caution, Be sure you watch if the data you use is for a cast lead 230gr round nose or a jacketed 230 gr round nose. They are pretty close for the .45acp but not identical.

    Watch what you are doing at each step of the process and have fun!
     

    gmcttr

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    I looked at reloading components for .45, and wow, they are expensive! I can buy new S&B or CCI Blazer brass 230 gr. factory rounds in the .25 to .26 a round,...

    Regarding Powder:
    I have quite a bit of W231/HP-38, so I can easily start there and see what I get...

    Even though I stocked up ~5000 rds of factory ammo and components to handload another ~8000 rds, I couldn't resist buying 2000 rds of S&B recently and have to stop myself from ordering more at the current pricing.

    I have found that my DW Silverback likes a variety of bullets over 5.0 gr of W231/HP-38.

    Missouri Bullet Co. 200gr SWC w/Hi-Tek coating is becoming a favorite. Get 1000 at a time to spread the shipping cost and they are $0.113 each.

    I MUCH prefer Lyman's M Dies for the expanding die and a Lee factory crimp die to crimp. Don't think about it, just get them.:yesway: The M die bell's the case mouth in a much better way for easy bullet alignment/entry which prevents scraping of coated and plated bullets.
     

    noylj

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    Doublehelix: are you looking at small quantities of bullets?
    Comparing prices that "I" can find:

    MidwayUSA: Blazer 230gn FMJ $390/1000 (that is 39 cents/round)
    Graf and Sons: Blazer aluminum cased 230gn FMJ on sale for $14.99/50 (30 cents/round)

    Jacketed bullets:
    Powder Valley: Zero .45 230gn FMJ $231/2000 (11.6 cents/bullet)
    Precision Delta: .45 230gn FMJ $124/1000 for orders of 2000 or more (12.4 cents/bullet)
    Seems like a good savings to me for EXCELLENT HIGH-QUALITY bullets.
    Of course, I don't shoot 230gn jacketed bullets, as I get much better accuracy from 200gn L-SWCs, so:
    Powder Valley: Zero .45 200gn swaged L-SWC $154/2000 (7.7 cents/bullet)
    These have been the most accurate commercial bullets I have found.
    PS: if saving money is your only reason to reload, don't bother.
     

    Doublehelix

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    I have found that my DW Silverback likes a variety of bullets over 5.0 gr of W231/HP-38.

    Nice! That is my new gun as well, a DW Silverback. I hope to pick it up tomorrow if my money comes in, otherwise, it probably won't be until Tuesday.

    Missouri Bullet Co. 200gr SWC w/Hi-Tek coating is becoming a favorite. Get 1000 at a time to spread the shipping cost and they are $0.113 each.

    I MUCH prefer Lyman's M Dies for the expanding die and a Lee factory crimp die to crimp. Don't think about it, just get them.:yesway: The M die bell's the case mouth in a much better way for easy bullet alignment/entry which prevents scraping of coated and plated bullets.

    Thanks for the tips. I have been using the Redding competition sizing and seating dies on my 9mm rounds, and then letting the Dillon powder/expansion die do the flare and the the Lee Factory Crimp die for the finishing touches.

    Doublehelix: are you looking at small quantities of bullets?
    Comparing prices that "I" can find:

    MidwayUSA: Blazer 230gn FMJ $390/1000 (that is 39 cents/round)
    Graf and Sons: Blazer aluminum cased 230gn FMJ on sale for $14.99/50 (30 cents/round)

    I bought these same rounds in brass for .25/round from Outdoor Limited.

    Jacketed bullets:
    Powder Valley: Zero .45 230gn FMJ $231/2000 (11.6 cents/bullet)
    Precision Delta: .45 230gn FMJ $124/1000 for orders of 2000 or more (12.4 cents/bullet)
    Seems like a good savings to me for EXCELLENT HIGH-QUALITY bullets.
    Of course, I don't shoot 230gn jacketed bullets, as I get much better accuracy from 200gn L-SWCs, so:
    Powder Valley: Zero .45 200gn swaged L-SWC $154/2000 (7.7 cents/bullet)
    These have been the most accurate commercial bullets I have found.
    PS: if saving money is your only reason to reload, don't bother.

    Thanks for some of those prices, very helpful.

    I don't load to save money at all, but I am still surprised nonetheless that I can find factory ammo so closely priced to the component total. And we are talking CCI Blazer and S&B, not just Tula.

    I know there are some calibers that are more economical to reload than others, and I have always heard that 9mm and .223 are really no savings at all, or very little savings, but never heard that about .45. I can load my 9mm for about .11 to .13 each (plated) compared to about .19 or .20 to buy new factory rounds.

    I have been using plated bullets in my 9mm for most plinking rounds, but just bought a few thousand of the RMR FMJ bullets at a decent price. The .45's were just higher than I expected I guess.
     
    Last edited:

    romack991

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    I looked at reloading components for .45, and wow, they are expensive! I can buy new S&B or CCI Blazer brass 230 gr. factory rounds in the .25 to .26 a round, and it looks like even discount places like RMR are charging .14-.15 for the FMJ bullets alone. Plates bullets on Midway are more like .17-.18, and FMJ are even more. For example, Hornady FMJ are like .20 - .21 a round, just for the bullet. Dang.

    Sounds like .45 ACP is one of those rounds like 9mm and .223 that are not that economical to reload.


    You can still easily beat .25/rd.

    .035 cents for the case (5k is 173 shipped) Automatic Accuracy - Aim!
    .03 for the primer
    .013 for the powder
    .11 for SNS 230 gr coated ($230 shipped for 2k) You can get it under .10 if you buy 10k and pick up at a sponsored match. NEW! .45 ACP 230 Grain Round Nose - Red Coated - Case of 2,000 - snscasting

    So roughly .19 cents if your buying cases, .15 cents if you already have cases. So you can shoot 30 to 60% more for the same cost of factory if you are reloading it. Buying in bulk with the good sales and range pickup brass, I'm roughly at .12 to .13 cents.

    Jacketed bullets are nice but expensive. I prefer coated bullets over plated.
     

    Doublehelix

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    You can still easily beat .25/rd.

    <snip!>

    Jacketed bullets are nice but expensive. I prefer coated bullets over plated.

    You know, I am hearing more and more of that lately (coated over plated). I really should consider getting a batch and trying them out and see what I think.

    Thanks for the great advice.
     

    Buzz Saw

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    I shoot cast lead in 45 ACP for reasons of economy. Don't overlook the old Hercules (Alliant) brand powders. Bullseye, Red Dot, Green Dot and Unique will all work well. Buy components in large lots and enjoy the savings. That is, purchase powder in 8 pound containers, bullets by the ten thousand, etc.
    Here is roughly where I am at as far as cost per round:
    Primers at $150 per sleeve of 5000=3 cents
    Powder at $20 per pound=1.4 cents
    Cast lead 230 grain LRN at $84 per thousand=8.4 cents
    That puts me at 12.8 cents per round, more or less, or a third the cost of factory ammo.
    I purposely didn't include brass because it seems to multiply on its own. Start out reloading the brass from the factory rounds that you purchase to run the gun in, a few friends giving you their brass, etc, and pretty soon you'll have a five gallon bucket full.
     

    Doublehelix

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    Thanks everyone for all of the information, very helpful to see what you all are using.

    I am sorry if I made too big of a deal out of the cost, it was just an observation not a real concern. I know when I make my 9mm and .223, it is not a huge cost savings, but I knew that going in. I guess I was just thinking that .45 would be better in that regard.

    I can currently get factory .45 ammo (230 gr pills) for .25 per round (CCI Blazer Brass), and it sounds like if I am careful, I can make them for under .15 with plated or cast, and slightly more for FMJ. I am good with that.

    As I mentioned earlier, I do not do this to save money, (although my wife thinks so!), it is about making better ammo that I can have pride in, and it is a relaxing hobby at the same time. I should not have got into the cost factor since it has sort of turned this thread into a cost thread rather than a "what are you using successfully" thread (to an extent).

    I do plan on picking up some Bullseye and probably some AA#2 to add to my W231/HP-38, TiteGroup and Power Pistol. That should give me some options. I think I have about 5 or 6 lbs of W231 left which is pretty good place to start. I am no longer using it for my 9mm rounds as I have pretty much standardized on Titegroup for 9mm. Might as well shoot it, right? :D
     

    t-squared

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    Just a quick reminder DH, if you are getting the Blazer Brass to break her in, it's spp. Some peeps hate it and some peeps reload it happily.....
     

    romack991

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    I do plan on picking up some Bullseye and probably some AA#2 to add to my W231/HP-38, TiteGroup and Power Pistol. That should give me some options. I think I have about 5 or 6 lbs of W231 left which is pretty good place to start. I am no longer using it for my 9mm rounds as I have pretty much standardized on Titegroup for 9mm. Might as well shoot it, right? :D

    Typically the go to is a heavy bullet and fast powder. Bullseye and Clays are probably the two most popular 45 choices. Titegroup, WST, 231, N310, and N320 are good choices as well. Just punching paper, I'd definitely burn up the 321 and then try titegroup to see how you like it. Then look at other powders if you still aren't happy.

    Additionally, if you are target shooting, it doesn't get much better than 200gr SWC. They make perfect holes compared to a 230gr RN. As a bonus, they are a bit cheaper as well.
     
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