Ever since the mid 1970's I've had a M1917 revolver of one sort or another. I started out with a Colt and owned four S&W's over the years. I finally picked up a S&W 625 with a four inch barrel in 1989. I really dispised the half-moon and full moon clips I was forced to use to get the cases out of the chambers after I fired the .45ACP ammo.
I had about 500 .45 Auto Rim cases that I picked up in 1990 and put up until recently. Factory Remington .45AR came with a 230 grain lead bullet loaded to .45 ACP spec's. This did not endear me to round at first.
I had purchased a copy of "Pet Loads" from Wolfe Publishing and found that the author had made .455 Elly ammo from .45 AR brass by turning the rims thinner from the front of the rim.
He then loaded them up with 250 to 265 grain lead bullets on top of some stiff loads of smokeless powder.
He was using these loads in a Colt New Service chambered in .455 Elly.
I took that data and began using it in the .45 AR in my S&W 625. Man! What a difference. The 230 grain bullets had been mild, but fairly accurate. These loads, using the .45 Keith LSW from the Lyman Mold, and sized to .454 were stout and very accurate.
A solid hit on a #10 can of peanut butter litterally split the seam, peeled the lid back and sent a geyser of PB into the air. Yes, the cast bullet was a bit soft, like maybe 15 to 1 lead to tin.
Anyhow, that load not only split that can but I punched a hole through an old car that had been abbandoned in that old quarry with another shot.
I also loaded up some LEE .45RNFP's in the .45 AR with similar results.
Long range shooting at 100 yards at clay pigeons and tin cans was more fun, and required the use of kentucky windage at times to hit them.
The best bullet I fired was a Lyman Gas Cheched SWC at 230 grains.
For my money, give me the .45 AR over the .357 any day.
Anyone else have some info on the .45 AR to share?