255 gr Keith style .452 bullets

[1946]

Has anyone out there had any experience with the 45LC 255 grain Elmer Keith bullets, that have been sized to .452. With that sizing, I'm wondering if you can use them in a 1911 .45acp pistol.
Any load data for that weight bullet for .45acp?

 

[Leadeye]

I tried something similar with the cast RCBS 45-250 FN a long time ago. Can't rememeber much about it other that it worked in my 1911. Didn't see any big advantage over the 230.

 

[1946]

Yeah, I don't see much advantage with 20 gr. difference. But man, those sure would cut a nice round hole. I wonder how they would do at a bowling pin shoot?

 

[Slow Hand]

Most post WWII .45 Colt barrels are .452" so they should work fine in whatever revolver you have. 'Keith' has been generealized to cover about any 250-ish SWC out there, but the original Keith design has specific attributes which help with accuraccy. I'm lucky enough to have older Lyman/Ideal 454424's in both solid and hollow point designs and they've been accurate in dozens of revolvers and leverguns I've tried them in.

As to useing the 250 in a 1911, there is proof that the extra weight increases slide velocity enough to cause enough extra wear on a 1911 to make it a bad idea. If you want to shoot a bunch of them, I"d reccomend a stronger recoil spring and a slide buffer. For a few rounds now an then, I doubt it'd do much damage. I've got a 230gr round nose mould that someone has reamed out to have a big flat point and increase the weight to 245gr. It knocks the pins off the table in short order! I bet a 230gr Trunicated bullet with it's flat point would do a fine job as well. For punching clean holes in paper I'd definately reccomend a 200gr SWC. They are a bit lighter in the recoil department and usually shoot very well. They were actually touted as a good defensive bullet before reliable JHP's were available.

Doug K