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View Full Version : Green Dot & 45ACP--this could be a challenge



Recluse
04-17-2014, 12:24 AM
When it comes to 230 gr RN in 45ACP, W231 is still my favorite powder. I've tried some slower powders with limited to lousy success, and today's trial with Green Dot was no exception.

I pulled up load data and burn comparison rate charts and reloading manual data/suggested loads from four different sources and found four different beginning and max loads.

Loaded them up with 4.8 grains of Green Dot a few weeks ago. Today I headed out to see how they shot.

Garbage.

Nothing but one flyer after another through the Colt Gov't Series 70, the Sig 220 and even my beloved Long Slide which generally will shoot just about anything well.

I didn't get any leading in any of the barrels, but just could not get anything remotely consistent. What's more, the flyers were wild ones at that--sometimes flying as much as ten inches. Range was 50' shooting handheld. I was concerned about maybe too much caffeine combined with being overly tired, so I actually even used a rest after seeing the flyers.

Not one iota of difference.

Now I'm trying to decide if I want to experiment some more with Green Dot in this caliber or simply relegate it back to solely shotgun loads.

Has anyone else had any success with Green Dot in .45ACP?

:coffee:

MtGun44
04-17-2014, 12:49 AM
Never tried. Recommend about 4.6 of TG or the same amount of BE for a 230 RN - superb in the
cartridge. W231 is my third favorite for the .45 ACP, good but uses too much powder - since it
all costs about the same - altho actually I seem to be able to get TG cheaper than most.

Bill

runfiverun
04-17-2014, 01:16 AM
if nothing else you saved me some trouble.
I have used titegroup, 231, etc, and went to unique for the different recoil impulse, but don't like it for other reasons.
i was about to try some green-dot area powders to see if I couldn't split the difference between the two.

Recluse
04-17-2014, 01:35 AM
Never tried. Recommend about 4.6 of TG or the same amount of BE for a 230 RN - superb in the
cartridge. W231 is my third favorite for the .45 ACP, good but uses too much powder - since it
all costs about the same - altho actually I seem to be able to get TG cheaper than most.

Bill

For my 185 and 200 grain SWCs, I'm actually liking Red Dot better than even Bullseye. In fairness, I have yet to try TG. It's on my extreme-high priority list to try as soon as I can find some. I've just read too much good stuff about it in the past ten years.

I've found some superb loads with Bullseye for the 230 grain boolits, but to date for my guns and the way I shoot, W231/HP38 is king for me.


if nothing else you saved me some trouble.
I have used titegroup, 231, etc, and went to unique for the different recoil impulse, but don't like it for other reasons.
i was about to try some green-dot area powders to see if I couldn't split the difference between the two.

I tried some AA#5 loads a few years back. AA#5 is probably my overall favorite powder for a number of loads, especially jacketed 9mm. I wanted to see if I could get a slower powder to give me some good results with the heavier 45ACP boolits like 230RN and TC.

What I found was that I had to load way too hot to get consistent accuracy. If I loaded mid-range and lower, I got a lot of inconsistency--simply could not hold a pattern or grouping. It wasn't until I started flattening some primers that the groups closed in, but I don't like running a steady diet of absolute max-power loads through any of my guns--especially simply to just acquire a decent group.

I didn't chrono these (Green Dot) loads, but having easily shot over a hundred thousand 45ACP rounds over the course of my lifetime, these were running far hotter than I care for. Didn't get any flattened primers, but didn't get any accuracy either--and that was with three different guns at 50', both handheld and on a rest.

I may try an absolute minimal load and see what happens and if I'm not impressed or see no utility in carrying on, relegate the GD back to the shotgun press.

:coffee:

Mk42gunner
04-17-2014, 01:52 AM
Recluse,

Like you, W231 is my favorite powder for the .45 ACP. It may not be the best, but it is what I started with, it works, and it runs through a measure easily.

With that said, I have used Green Dot in the past, (roughly twenty years ago). $68.00 for an 8# keg at the on base skeet club might have had something to do with it. I don't remember any gross flyers using it behind commercial 200 SWC's in the .45 or any real bad groups with the .40 S&W either.

It has been so many years and moves ago, I will not even try to guess at the charges we used; so I looked in the second edition Lee handbook. He lists 4.3 grains for 230 grain lead bullets with 805 fps, however he lists the same charge and velocity for 200 gr lead (different pressures though) so I wouldn't put much faith in that source.

Robert

gray wolf
04-17-2014, 09:53 AM
200 grain # 68 SWC equals = 4.6/4.7 tite group, it just flat out works, so does 4 grains of BE

JD -- nice to see you posting old friend, the best to you and the family.

Sam and Miss Julie

DLCTEX
04-17-2014, 05:02 PM
The only Green Dot 45 loads I have tried was using J words some years ago when I was trying for velocity with hollowpoints. It worked well in that application. Red dot works for me with cast in 9mm, 38 Spc. and 45 acp.

h8dirt
04-17-2014, 05:13 PM
4.5 grains of WST for me -- can't beat it.

Whitespider
04-17-2014, 06:53 PM
I've never used Green Dot in the .45 ACP (actually, primarily a revolver man, I don't own a .45 ACP and never have) but I have messed with it in such cartridges as the .32 ACP, .32 S&W Long, .32 Mag, .38 Special and .44 Special. In those cartridges I noticed it needs a certain pressure level to "come in"... unlike Red Dot it didn't like low(er) charge weights. Alliant lists 5.3 grains for 230 gr. lead (842 fps), you might try bumping that load just a bit before giving up on it totally.

MT Gianni
04-17-2014, 07:13 PM
Before you relocate it to the shot gun press, it is a great mid range 44 mag powder with a 250 gr boolit. Work up from 6 gr to around 7 and it is a nice shooting 1000 fps load. Start @ 5 gr with the special. It does almost as well with the 45 Colt so it may be a question of cartridge length, heavier bullet or available space.

tazman
04-17-2014, 07:53 PM
I have an Alliant reloading data manual from 2001 that lists data from the powder manufacturer. It shows 45acp loads using green dot for a 230 grain lead boolit.
It lists the load as a target load rather than full power.
Data as follows

Green dot 4.3 grains speed 805 pressure 13,200 psi which is a low pressure load.

The manual also shows loads for Bullseye, Red dot, American select, Unique, Power pistol, Herco, and Blue dot.
The manual and others can be downloaded here for free
http://www.castpics.net/LoadData/Fre...M/Alliant.html

Old School Big Bore
04-17-2014, 08:03 PM
You might have to bump it up a bit to find the sweet spot. I used Green Dot about a decade ago to work up some .400 CorBon loads in a 1911 and it straightened out and flew right with about 1000 f/s worth under a 135 gr SWC.

dougader
04-17-2014, 09:15 PM
You might have to bump it up a bit to find the sweet spot. I used Green Dot about a decade ago to work up some .400 CorBon loads in a 1911 and it straightened out and flew right with about 1000 f/s worth under a 135 gr SWC.

This is what I was thinking. I run 5.4 grains of WW231 with a 230 grain RN bullet, and think Green Dot would burn better closer to something like 5.2 - 5.6 grains under a 230.