Round Ball in .45 ACP

[skeet1]

Does anyone have any experience in shooting round balls in a .45 ACP 1911? I recently pulled out a .454 RB mould that I haven't used in 30 years and cast some RB's of WW metal and lubed them with LLA. I loaded them over 3.5 Gr. of Bullseye and shot them. It was kind of like shooting a .22. They functioned in my pistol and were reasonably accurate. Just wondering if anyone else has tried this?

Ken

[Harter66]

While I have not I've been looking into it in 9mm . I recently aquired a .358" RB mould just for that,and 38s to save some lead.

[skeet1]

I just thought it was interesting as I didn't expect it to function the action, but it did. When seating the RB I just flared the mouth of the case just like I was going to seat a regular bullet. I then dropped in the RB, sprue down and taper crimped it in place. Simple.

Ken

[45 2.1]

I've shot RB at low to high velocities, it'll even feed in a 1911. The Collar Button, which weighs the same and can be lubed, is better in this cartridge. You'll have good results either way.

[JIMinPHX]

Round balls were used in the old "gallery loads" of years gone by. They were accurate at short ranges. Loading data for them, in several calibers, can be found in the old Speer #11 manual. The newer manuals do not list gallery data any more. I can only assume that the lawyers had something to do with that.

[shotman]

I didnt try in the auto, but in a Ruger BH in a 7 1/2 they were very good. I dont remember load but , I used Unique. One thing, if you had a soft type back stop you could reuse them. I shot about 100 in a sand back stop and they didnt get hurt unless they hit another ball. But did have sand in them so I wouldnt reuse

[geraldsd]

I load three triple XXX (.360) in a .38 over 3.5 gr bullseye. 180gr total weight projectiles. Gives me approximately 6" group in 25'. I estimate 800 fps. I load this in my bedside gun...

[Catshooter]

gerald,

I'll see your three balls in the .38 spl and raise them with this recipe:

H&R heavy rifled barrel 20 gauge, Mag-Tec all brass shell, three .646 392 grain balls with other sundry parts do 1050 fps. It does recoil a bit. My brother keeps it to repel borders.


Cat

[HollowPoint]

Questions for those of you who have tried round balls out of your 45; did you get any leading?

I'm wondering if the thin outer edges of the lead ball would allow gas-cutting?

If it does work well I think it would be something I might try in my little 380 acp. It may require the making up of a round ball mold of the correct diameter but, might be worth trying. I think it would make a good, cheap plinking load.

HollowPoint

[BAGTIC]

gerald,

I'll see your three balls in the .38 spl and raise them with this recipe:

H&R heavy rifled barrel 20 gauge, Mag-Tec all brass shell, three .646 392 grain balls with other sundry parts do 1050 fps. It does recoil a bit. My brother keeps it to repel borders.


Cat

I shoot 20 gauge RB from a rifled barrel. Funny though as mine are only .615 diameter, same as standard 20 bore. I am surprised that H&R is bored that large.

[BAGTIC]

Are you shooting those .45 ACP RB loads single shot or will they actually feed from the magazine?.

[Bob Krack]

My first reloading experience (experiment) was loading a round ball in an 1911 over a charge of Unique. I don't remember the charge weight nor would I publish it if I did remember.

This was in the early 1970s. Cycled the action but would not ALWAYS feed/chamber - usually would but not always.

I did this based on a ?Guns and Ammo? article?

Bob

[firefly1957]

Years ago I tried some R.B. in 45 never got the slide to function the fun ones were loaded with 1 gr bullseye and pushed down in the case. On a sunny day you could see them in flight but they would still go though a chipmunk.

[rockrat]

I used to (college) shoot them thru a 45 Star P and had to go to a lighter spring for them to function, but function they did, and shot fairly well. Suprised some of the bullseye shooters at the range

[Thumbcocker]

Did Rb of acww over 3.0 of red dot in acp cases in a Blackhawk. Lubed with thinned liquid alox. Very accurate at close range 15 yards or so. Lots of fun. Biggest problem with rb loads in handguns is getting sight to adjust to poi.

[DLCTEX]

+1 on lubing with LLA.

[skeet1]

BAGTIC,
Yes I shot them in my Charles Daly 1911 and they functioned the action and fed ok. As I said I just expanded the mouth like I would for a regular boolit and dropped the .454 RB in with sprue down and crimped in place. Using 3.5 gr. of BE. It shoots fairly well without leading when lubed with LLA. The recovered RB's show a band about 1/8" wide all the way around with the rifling engraved.

Ken

[Catshooter]

I shoot 20 gauge RB from a rifled barrel. Funny though as mine are only .615 diameter, same as standard 20 bore. I am surprised that H&R is bored that large.

The bore is actually .626 but we use a .646 ball. It slips nicely down into the brass. The .626 balls needed to have a paper wrap to fit the shells.

With a nearly two ounce payload it does kick a bit.

Firing them seems to size them nicely. :)


Cat

[Treetop]

Wow, does this thread bring back some memories. In 1959 or 60, there was an article in the Gun Digest named "Kitchen Table Handloads" I think. The article described how to make your own decapping pin, how to reprime using your muscle and how to charge your cases with an empty .22 long rifle case with a wire handle soldered on it to measure the correct charge of Bullseye. The bullets were .454 round balls. My Dad and I (mostly my Dad) made a wadcutter by sharpening a .45 ACP WW II steel case and punching them out of the back of a red "Big Chief" tablet. Anyone else remember those?

The handgun was a S&W model 1917 revolver that my Dad paid $5 for a year or so earlier at an Army/Navy surplus store. I can't tell you how many of those rounds that we loaded and fired through that old S&W, but it was a bunch. It accounted for at least one cottontail and one fox squirrel before we finally bought our first "real" reloading press and dies ( a Lyman Spar-T turret press with .45 ACP dies and .30-06 dies) I still have and use the press occasionally. I also still have the dies but they have since been replaced with carbide for the pistol and Bonanza bench rest dies for the .30-06. Thanks for the memories.

[Me not you]

If you think about it, the percussion revolvers use(d) round balls. They can shoot pretty well with them too!:holysheep

[evan price]

I load a #0 buck pellet in 32 Longs with a charge of 3.5 grains of Titegroup and they are actually surprisingly accurate and powerful in my 32 revolvers. Just flare a good bit and seat the ball to where the roll crimp retains it in the case. The seater/crimp die winds up swaging the ball into the case and leaves a sort of wadcutter looking end. I've recovered them from shooting up a junk car and they'll go through a car door and flatten nicely.

Too bad Hornady discontinued #0 buckshot in the 5# boxes. Lucky I heard about it and bought 3 more boxes!

[GhostHawk]

I am on the cusp of doing this. Picked up a SA 1911 for my father in law to hold. (Long story)

I did shoot factory loads in it but it does bark a lot louder than I like.

Since I have an old .455 muzzle loader round ball mold I thought I'd try this.

I was looking at 3-4 grains of red dot with one of those 137 gr round balls.

I made up a dummy round one day and it does seem to load with no problems at all. Well it did until the ball got shoved further and further back in the case.

Flaring the mouth is a good tip, just got my lee flaring tool, will give me a chance to play with it.