260gr 45ACP?

[dk17hmr]

Im looking for a load. I have a Lee mold throws a Round Nose Flat point, bullets are made out of about 50% Pure and 50% WW, I water drop all my bullets, they weigh in at 259-260. Only load I can find in my book for this heavy of a bullet is in my Speer book and its for a Jacketed Hollow Point.

I loaded 20 yesterday with 5.0gr of Unique just to see if they might work. I didnt have a hang up out of the 20 rounds in my Springfield 1911. Actually got a big (2") one hole group at 10 yards, my 1911 with the shotout barrel its a pretty good group.

Any suggestions?

My goal is 750-800fps I want to get it that fast so I know I am getting some punch, I have a bear hunt this year and Im going to carry for backup. After I get my new Wilson barrel later this summer.

[Gunload Master]

I can't help you out much there, but I must admit that's a heavy .45 ACP boolit! It's need to see that big a boolit being shot out. I hope you find a good load!

[Slowpoke]

Im looking for a load. I have a Lee mold throws a Round Nose Flat point, bullets are made out of about 50% Pure and 50% WW, I water drop all my bullets, they weigh in at 259-260. Only load I can find in my book for this heavy of a bullet is in my Speer book and its for a Jacketed Hollow Point.

I loaded 20 yesterday with 5.0gr of Unique just to see if they might work. I didnt have a hang up out of the 20 rounds in my Springfield 1911. Actually got a big (2") one hole group at 10 yards, my 1911 with the shotout barrel its a pretty good group.

Any suggestions?

My goal is 750-800fps I want to get it that fast so I know I am getting some punch, I have a bear hunt this year and Im going to carry for backup. After I get my new Wilson barrel later this summer.

If it helps
In the old days I shot a lot of the Speer 260 HP out of my Springfield just for grins.

8 GR of HS 6 gave right at 800 fps with Fed Nickle case., 6.1 gr of the old Unique gave 870 fps with Norinco case, CCi 300.

In 1991 in a No name state on a no name river on a narrow trail I put four of the Speers into a rather large Black bear at about 10 yards using the HS 6 load and ended up rolling him off of the trail and into the river .

good luck

[dk17hmr]

So should I just use the Jacketed data for my cast bullets? That 5.0grs of Unique was nothing for recoil. Starting load was 5.8 of Unique for the JHP.

[9.3X62AL]

A VERY non-specific and generic rule with handguns is that jacketed bullet powder data can be used safely with cast boolits of the same weight and form. As always, back all loads down 10% at the start......but I've never gotten into trouble using that little guideline. Don't run the 260 grainers much past 800 FPS in a self-loader, though--things will start to peen and batter rapidly if you get too vigorous. I'm not too sure that the 230 grain boolit with a good meplat (the BD 45 design comes to mind here) at 875-900 FPS wouldn't do just as well.

[Leftoverdj]

I'm with Al. You'll need a really good buffer system in a 1911 if you are going to shoot bullets that heavy in any quantity.

[versifier]

A VERY non-specific and generic rule with handguns is that jacketed bullet powder data can be used safely with cast boolits of the same weight and form. As always, back all loads down 10% at the start......but I've never gotten into trouble using that little guideline.

For any given weight, the harder gilding metal (copper alloy) of a bullet jacket always generates greater friction as it passes through the barrel than any softer lead alloy. Less friction means less pressure, all else being equal between bullet and boolit. As mentioned by Deputy Al, that's no excuse for omitting SOP when substituting any component, though, and keeping Murphy out of the process, especially with warmer loads. I reduce the charge and experiment, even though I have yet to find I could not use the same charge with a boolit as a bullet. That doesn't mean that the accuracy level was the same or even the POI, but I have never seen a pressure sign when doing it.

[StarMetal]

I'll tell you one thing, if you are going to later on get a Wilson barrel you better rework your loads and start low at first. The reason is that any barrel from a major famous competition shooter supplier, like Wilson, more then likely will have a tigher chamber, maybe even bore and groove, then the run of the mill factory barrels. All those things could raise the pressure dangerously especially if your were at or near the limit with your Springfield barrel.

It's a good idea to run a shock buffer (neopreme/rubber) in any 1911 anyways. A strong recoil spring is also advised.

Joe

[dk17hmr]

Well I casted up 60 or so last night, so today Im going to run them to see if I can get 750fps without screwing something up. I gotta beleive that big of a slug moving that "fast" will penatrate anything a close range.

Depending how it is grouping I might not switch the barrel out for hunting purposes just target shooting after I get the Wilson.

I will be posting tonight on my results.

[dk17hmr]

Well as promised here is a report. I started out at 5.0gr of Unique yesterday and today I made my way up high hit 6.0gr of said powder and once I got to 6grs I said that was enough recoil was starting to get more noticable, actually feeling like Military 230gr FMJs, ball ammo?. 6grs was pretty accurate also so I loaded up 20. I shot them over the Chrony and was quite suprised when the first one read at 856fps, thinkin to myself "self I dont know if this is so good" I shot 5 others over the chrony all were right in there at 850-860fps. I finished shooting the rest of my 20 loaded rounds. Shot a few bowling pins (punched a hole completely through) and a big steel buffalo, think 400 yard steel ram, One shot at 20 yards and it went down I stepped back to 40 yards and it took 3 shots to knock it over.

After the fact I checked out the pistol takin it apart and inspecting nothing wrong my buffer looked the same as before. It functioned without a problem, so I might keep this load not as a plinkin load but as a "hunting" round, probably going to cast out of just WW and water drop them maybe they will be a touch harder then what I have now.

I said hunting in " " because its going to be an Oh **** round for bear and possible a load I will try on deer at close range if the shot is presented.

[curator]

The Lee 452-255 grain boolet has worked well for me in my 1911s. I cast of air-cooled wheel weight alloy with 2% tin added and size/lube to .453 using LBT "blue". I load them with 6 grains of Unique and get about 820fps. I did replace the original recoil springs with a Wolfe 20 pounders and installed a Wilson shoc-buffs. I have put several thousand rounds through my old Remington WWI vintage 1911 without peening or other damage with this load. It is one of the most accurate loads for my guns, shoots to the original fixed sights, and recoil seems less than GI ball ammo.

[Blackwater]

FWIW, back when it was fashionable to hot load the .45, I got a heavier spring (20 or 22 lbs, can't remember which) plus a mechanical recoil buffer that (I think?) was made by Bar Sto. With this setup, you HAD to load the .45 fairly warmish just to get it to work. The recoil buffer was sort of like a slightly lengthened std. recoil spring guide (the short factory original model) but it had a fairly heavy spring inside and a "pin" that protruded out the front. When the slide came back in recoil, the cap of the recoil spring cap in the barrel bushing would strike the spring loaded pin of the recoil buffer, and help dampen the rearward impact of the slide on the frame. I shot some loads back then that I wouldn't shoot now, but never had a minute's problem with them, and that gun got shot a LOT.

It seems I've seen or heard of this type recoil buffer somewhere on the 'net fairly recently, but my CRS disease prevents me from remembering where or when. Wish I could cite further info, but ... just dang that CRS anyway! That recoil buffer plus a stronger spring and also one of the little plastic buffer thingies has let the ol' 1911 shoot some pretty darn stout loads without the shooters blowing themselves up. The 1911's not a particularly wise choice to hot load, and I was yonger and relatively ennocent back then, but if I wanted to shoot warmish loads, I'd consider that setup again in a minute. I tried it in some other guys' .45's, and not all of them took well to it. That spring loaded recoil buffer shot the slide forward with more oomph than a std. stock setup would, and that may affect how a particular gun feeds, and whether it's reliable with a given load, so be advised of that as well.

If they'd worked out as well as the maker said they did, they'd be all over now, but they aren't. That isn't exactly encouraging, but I had other springs and spring guides, and shot a lot of soft ball with a reduced power spring out of that same gun via just a spring and accoutrement change, so be advised of that too. Still, if the gun will feed with that setup, I think I'd try it again, but reserve it only for the hotter or heavier loads .... maybe. FWIW?