.45 acp load

[acemedic13]

I was wondering if anybody had any good load data using bullseye and .45 230 grain cast boolits for .45 acp. I have been working with a few loads, and accuracy is decent. I am not opposed to using other powders, its just that I have a good connect for that particular one and would like to continue with its use. ANY input would be appreciated. I am working with a few other powder types...But.........Y'all know how it is when you can get a good deal on something like powder. Thank's in advance.

[bobk]

acemedic13,
I have never used Bullseye in anything, although I have used similar burning rate powders, such as PB and 700-X. That said, as a general rule I don't use powder charges that are so light that a double charge wouldn't overflow the case. Messy, but a very noticeable indicator of an impending screwup. I have burned a lot of Unique in .45 and .38 with mostly satisfactory results. My do-it-all load for .45 uses 800-X, which doesn't meter well, but is just the right burning rate for carbine-length barrels. Slower powders that worked fine in the pistol bulged the cases in the longer barrel, due to more barrel time. With 800-X, I got 900+ out of 4 1/4", and 1200 out of 16", with a 230 gr, TC, and good accuracy.

Bob K

[dale2242]

ANY loading manual will have data for Bullseye in the 45 ACP with 230gr bullets. It is one of the most popular powders for that application---dale

[acemedic13]

Thanks guys for the input. I have a ton of data for 230 grain jacketed bullets, but not too many for cast boolits. I guess i will just keep trying with a few different powders and charges and work my around with it. Thanks again for the time. Joel

[azrednek]

I was wondering if anybody had any good load data using bullseye and .45 230 grain cast boolits for .45 acp. :

I've been shooting 4.0 grs of Bullseye in booth 200 and 230 gr lead for apx 30 years. I use the load in my home cast and store bought. I check each and every one for a double charge before putting in the boolit. I shoot the load in 3 autos and three revolvers and it works just fine for me. I have done some with 4.5-5.0 but accuracy goes south and it is allot harder on brass. Unique works well also but I don't recall the specific load.

Bob K's recommendation of PB is also an excellent choice. Although I haven't used it in years. A close friend of mine that shoots NFA legal full-autos, wont use anything else but PB in his Thompsons.

[randyrat]

Don't get disappointed with Bullseye. Start at about 3.8 grs of bullseye and work your way up to about 5. You'll find a load for your gun and alloy in that range. If you don't i'll eat my Sh...... no i won't.... It will work.. Start low work your loads up ALWAYS anytime you change anything. Verify data, because i don't memorize load data.

[Railbuggy]

My old Lyman Cast Bullet Handbook says,4 to 5grs of Bullseye for a 225gr cast boolit.680 & 815fps.Third Edition 1980.

[kooz]

5gr/Bullseye is a good load for the 230gr

[Shiloh]

I've been shooting 4.0 grs of Bullseye in booth 200 and 230 gr lead for apx 30 years. I use the load in my home cast and store bought. I check each and every one for a double charge before putting in the boolit. I shoot the load in 3 autos and three revolvers and it works just fine for me. I have done some with 4.5-5.0 but accuracy goes south and it is allot harder on brass. Unique works well also but I don't recall the specific load.

Bob K's recommendation of PB is also an excellent choice. Although I haven't used it in years. A close friend of mine that shoots NFA legal full-autos, wont use anything else but PB in his Thompsons.

I've been using 4.0 grains of Bullseye for cast boolits in the .45 ACP longer than I have casting my own. I use up to 4.2 for the 625 auto-rim cartridge. Both are with 230 RN or 200 SWC. accuracy is superb.

I have lowered the charge to 3.8 grains for a little softer recoil, while maintaining accuracy. 3.6 grains cycles my gun with both boolits, and a Bullseye League friend has used as little as 3.3 grains with reduced power recoil springs in his Match gun.
It is a fine powder that has been around since about 1900.

There are MANY powders that will work well with the .45 ACP. I settled on Bullseye because it is the powder that I use for .38 Special wad-cutters commercial and now my own.

There is a possibility of a double or even triple charge of fast burning powders like Bullseye, and there is something to be said for having a double charge overflow.
I use AA 5 in my 9mm and at 6.4 gr. with a 115 gr condom bullet, it will overflow

Safe, sane, and sober reloading practices in a non distracting environment will greatly diminish this from happening

Shiloh

[Boomer Mikey]

I believe every cast bullet load book I've ever seen has Bullseye 45 ACP loads listed in them. Any jacketed bullet load's powder charge can be used with a simillar weight cast bullet as long as the bullet's base isn't seated deeper in the case. Cast bullet loads will produce lower pressures and higher velocities compared to jacketed bullets due to the lower friction of a softer metal body and bullet lube.

Bullseye

Relative Quickness: 100%
Principal Purpose: Handgun loads

Remarks: America's best known pistol powder. Unsurpassed for .45 ACP target loads.

I just checked the Alliant website for Bullseye load data with 230 grain lead bullets and it didn't list a bullseye load... hard to believe.

I'm using Titegroup and Universal for most of my 45 ACP loads and I find them equally as versatile as Bullseye and Unique for the 45's.

Check out this article by Charles Petty:
http://findarticles.com/p/articles/m..._/ai_n16741370

And this excellent article by John Taffin:
http://findarticles.com/p/articles/m...s_/ai_70650327

Most of the pistol powders won't overflow the case with a double charge... checking every charge in every case is an absolute necessity regardless of caliber and powder used before seating bullets. Double charges are easily detected visually in streight wall cases. I select powders that fill bottleneck cases at least 55% as it's difficult to visually check charges in them but I look at them anyway... it's part of my standard routine.

Have fun,

Boomer

[ddeaton]

I have been running 4.3 gr bullseye with 200 gr swc. nice soft load just for plinking, runs great through my Glocks. I havent run it through my Colt yet.

[acemedic13]

working on a load of 4.2 bullseye and a 230 gr. lead boolit. Works great out of my sigs. Thanks for the input guys. You see what I meant Boomer? It was a lil shakey here and there with factory load data. There was a ton of stuff out there, just not a lot from the factory. Lyman and lee both have a good load, and I am working a good one now. Its all part of the fun of reloading. Finding that one round, that one charge that works on that gun......I call it......The circle of life......lol..... Take care, Joel

[yondering]

I personally don't care much for Bullseye with 230gr boolits in the 45 ACP. I do use it for 200gr SWC loads, but for the heavier 230gr and up boolits, I prefer a slower powder. I've found much better accuracy in my guns with Universal, and Unique is a close second. 6gr Universal with a 230gr RN cast has been an excellent load in my 1911 and my Mech-Tech carbine.

[Boomer Mikey]

I personally don't care much for Bullseye with 230gr boolits in the 45 ACP. I do use it for 200gr SWC loads, but for the heavier 230gr and up boolits, I prefer a slower powder. I've found much better accuracy in my guns with Universal, and Unique is a close second. 6gr Universal with a 230gr RN cast has been an excellent load in my 1911 and my Mech-Tech carbine.

This agrees with my experience as well... Universal has been real good in my 225 - 260 grain 45 ACP loads, pressures are linear compared to Bullseye and Titegroup while my 200 grain 45 ACP loads prefer Titegroup and Bullseye.

6 grains of Universal with 225-230's and 5.5 grains with 250-260's is excellent in my 4-5/8" Blackhawk convertible, 3.3" Taurus PT145 and 1911's.

Boomer

[686]

for a cleaner and less smoke try 4.0 gr win wst powder. good for 200-230 gr cast bullet .

[jimkim]

Notes: 5" barrel. Test gun was Colt Double Eagle with five-inch barrel. All groups five shots each from sandbag rest; 20-yard indoor range. (Handloader Issue 146 - July/August, 1990)

230 Bull-X FN Alliant Bullseye 4.8 828
Remarks: case: W-W; primer: WLP; maximum

230 Bull-X FN Alliant Red Dot 4.7 808
Remarks: case: W-W; primer: WLP; near max; best accuracy this bullet

230 Bull-X FN Alliant Red Dot 5.0 842
Remarks: case: W-W; primer: WLP; maximum; not as accurate as 4.7 grains

230 Bull-X FN Accurate AAC-2 5.3 827
Remarks: case: W-W; primer: WLP; near max; good load

230 Bull-X FN Hodgdon HP-38 5.3 793
Remarks: case: W-W; primer: WLP; near max

230 Bull-X FN Hodgdon HP-38 5.5 838
Remarks: case: W-W; primer: WLP; maximum

230 Bull-X FN Alliant Unique 6.3 793
Remarks: case: W-W; primer: WLP; near max; accurate

230 Bull-X FN Alliant Herco 6.8 860
Remarks: case: W-W; primer: WLP; near max

230 Bull-X FN IMR 800-X 6.8 845
Remarks: case: W-W; primer: WLP; near max; accurate

230 Bull-X FN IMR SR-4756 7.0 733
Remarks: case: W-W; primer: WLP; normal; very accurate

230 Bull-X FN Accurate AAC-5 7.2 833
Remarks: case: W-W; primer: WLP; near max

230 Bull-X FN Alliant Blue Dot 8.5 785
Remarks: case: W-W; primer: WLP; normal

230 Bull-X FN Alliant Blue Dot 9.0 881
Remarks: case: W-W; primer: WLP; near max

230 Carroll RN Alliant Bullseye 4.5 806
Remarks: case: Speer; primer: WLP; near max

230 Carroll RN Alliant Bullseye 4.8 827
Remarks: case: Speer; primer: WLP; maximum

230 Carroll RN Alliant Red Dot 4.8 824
Remarks: case: Speer; primer: WLP; near max; accurate

230 Carroll RN Accurate AAC-2 5.0 782
Remarks: case: Speer; primer: WLP; normal

230 Carroll RN Accurate AAC-2 5.5 858
Remarks: case: Speer; primer: WLP; maximum

230 Carroll RN Hodgdon HP-38 5.2 792
Remarks: case: Speer; primer: WLP; near max; accurate

230 Carroll RN Hodgdon HP-38 5.5 851
Remarks: case: Speer; primer: WLP; maximum

230 Carroll RN Winchester W-231 5.5 795
Remarks: case: Speer; primer: WLP; near max

230 Carroll RN Winchester W-231 5.8 878
Remarks: case: Speer; primer: WLP; maximum

230 Carroll RN Alliant Unique 6.5 843
Remarks: case: Speer; primer: WLP; near max

230 Carroll RN Alliant Herco 6.2 792
Remarks: case: Speer; primer: WLP; normal; very accurate

230 Carroll RN Alliant Herco 7.0 887
Remarks: case: Speer; primer: WLP; maximum; accurate

230 Carroll RN Accurate AAC-5 7.0 829
Remarks: case: Speer; primer: WLP; maximum

230 Carroll RN IMR 800-X 6.5 833
Remarks: case: Speer; primer: WLP; near max

230 Carroll RN IMR 800-X 7.0 886
Remarks: case: Speer; primer: WLP; maximum; accurate

230 Carroll RN Alliant Blue Dot 8.5 820
Remarks: case: Speer; primer: WLP; normal; very accurate

230 Carroll RN Alliant Blue Dot 9.0 895
Remarks: case: Speer; primer: WLP; maximum

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.45 ACP - IPSC Major Loads (Oregon Trail Handgun Data)

Notes: test gun: Entreprise 1911 frame, 5" Bar-Sto barrel, WLP; 200 gr Semi Wad Cutter OAL: 1.250; 230 gr Round Nose OAL: 1.260; do not exceed maximum loads; never reduce stated overall lengths


230 Round Nose IMR 700-X 4.2 782

230 Round Nose Winchester W-231 4.9 796

230 Round Nose Alliant Bullseye 4.5 819

230 Round Nose Hodgdon HP-38 5.2 822

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I hope these will do. PM me if you need some more. Welcome home.

[acemedic13]

Thanks jim, thats a ton of data and ,just what i was looking for. I have most of those powders in one amount or other here. Gonna try the red dot, clays, and h- powders first. I will work them from what you recommend on the post. Thanks for the input. Its good to be home.