Santa is going to bring some 1911 goodies for shooting 255's

[tek4260]

I have heard Santa is bringing me:

Wilson Combat flat bottom firing pin stop
Wolf 20# recoil spring
Shock buffs
45 ACP RCBS Carbide dies
Unique
and some brass

I have some of the 255 Lee's cast and sized to .452 and am thinking of 5.5gr Unique as a load.

Anything else I am missing to shoot the 255's in my 1911?

Any thoughts on the spring weight I selected? I didn't want to go too heavy, but also didn't want to batter it and felt the factory spring would be a bit too light.

Do I need to break the edge on the bottom of the FP Stop a bit or leave it alone?

Also, what OAL?

Thanks, and Merry Christmas!

[bobthenailer]

As in all semiauto pistols bullet weight & velocity dictate what recoil spring to use ! In most 1911s ive had in 45 acp it seems like 16 to 18 ib springs work the best with standard bullet weights from 200 to 230 gr, with your 255 + gr bullet the 20 lb spring will be ok depends on the velocity you will be shooting them at ? .
I personaly think every serious 1911 shooter should buy Wolff gunsprings recoil calibration pack to tune your gun perfectly ! also keep a eye on the shock buff for damage & replace what ever weight recoil spring you end up with when its 2 coils shorter than a new one.

[saz]

I do have a red dot load using that boolit but I only pushed it to 780ish FPS, as I didnt want to batter the gun too much. It turned out to be a pretty accurate load. I worked it up initially to ping bowling pins, but it turns out that my wife could shoot it pretty well and that is what she carries in bear country- the ballistics are not that impressive, but it's more effective than harsh language! PM me for the load if you would like it-

[gray wolf]

I hope that 20# spring wont batter your frame going foreword. The shock buff works going back only and if the travel to the rear is on the short side it may not work at all. Try it and find out.
As for the flat bottom firing pin stop, it's not drop in. You have to fit it to each side of the frame. go slow --a little at a time. to much from one side and the pin may jam as the hole could be off center for the pin. to loose a fit and it could drop down and tie up the piece. When you do get it in make sure it is smooth with the dis connector rail in the middle of the bottom of the slide.
If it protrudes to low the pistol will not cock.
Yes break the bottom edge --make a small radius, paint the the hammer area that the stop makes contact with ( use a sharpie marker ) try to get even contact against the hammer. If it hits to hard on one side you could elongate the hammer pin holes in the frame.
There are about 50 pages for the procedure over on the 1911 forum.
I would get a spare stop, it's easy to screw one up.
It took me 2 1/2 hours to fit mine in my 1911-A1 Springfield loaded, and 20 minutes to do one for my friends kimber. Do a little research before you start.

[jmsj]

tek4260,
I shoot a similar load in a Taurus 1911. It seems to be the only load this psitol likes. Using a standard recoil spring, Lee 452-255-RF and Unique, I was able to go up to 5.8 grains and got good accuracy (for me). I did notice that after a few hundred round the Shock buff was pretty chewed up.
I have been thinking about going up in spring weight also. Let us know how your load development goes.
I set the OAL to my gun so what works in mine may not work in yours.
Good luck, jmsj

[tek4260]

I have no experience with shock buffs to speak of, but it seems the sharp end of the spring would chew one up regardless of weather it was stopping battering or not.

[tek4260]

Have the parts fitted to the pistol and the brass ready to go. Now I just need to figure out how to load a 45 ACP :) Will be doing some research on crimping, diameter at the crimp, and using my barrel to figure OAL...

[Ziptar]

This thread will get you started, http://castboolits.gunloads.com/showthread.php?t=116406

[tek4260]

http://i292.photobucket.com/albums/mm35/tk3945/DSCN0653.jpg
http://i292.photobucket.com/albums/mm35/tk3945/DSCN0656.jpg

Finally got around to loading a few different boolit designs. The leade on the Springfield is pretty much non existent so I had to load the Lee to a short OAL

Lee 255 RNFP- 1.135
Lyman 255 SWCGC- 1.238
Commercial 260 SWC- 1.217

All are loaded over 5.5gr of Unique. The pistol has a 20# Wolf mainspring, Wilson flat bottom FP stop, full length guide rod, and a shock buff thrown in for good measure. I hope to get a chance to test them in a day or two.

I guess this is a heck of a way to start loading for the ACP :) Maybe one day I will even load some regular 230 gr fodder.

[saz]

The Lee 255 is my favorite. Have fun!

[Wireman134]

I load and cycle that Lee at 1.210" OAL with 5.7gr. to 6.1gr. of Unique no ill effects with a 18.5lb. Variable Wolf spring and Wilson buff. Most accurate boolit used in my tuned "Loaded" pistol.

[tek4260]

I'll also have to shoot some facory fodder. I am curious if the pistol will cycle it now with the spring and firing pin stop. Its a bear to cycle with the hammer down.

[subsonic]

You can kill CB accuracy in a heartbeat with the taper crimp die. Neck tension is the hero here again.

[35remington]

With a small radius stop I see a 20 lb spring as unnecessary, more likely to make the gun malfunction, and somewhat more damaging to the pistol than a small radius stop and a 16 lb spring.

Your seating of the 255 is very much verging on excessively deep. Start lower than planned because of this, as you're noticeably shy on case space now.

[tek4260]

Your seating of the 255 is very much verging on excessively deep. .


That is what I was afraid of.

[tek4260]

Got around to shooting them today. They all shot great. I started with some factory 230's with the heavy spring and flat bottom firing pin stop to check function. It ran without a hiccup and was ejecting the brass about 3 ft. I tried all the 255s without an issue. They ejected about 4 ft. No recoil to speak of. The brass all looks great with no bulges or flattened primers. I was shocked at how well they shot on paper. All 3 loads were shooting 1-1.5" groups at 20 yards from a sandbag rest. I hope to get to run them across the Chrony here in the next few days to see exactly how fast they are running. I think I will stick with the SWC's since I don't like the seating depth required for the Lee

[35remington]

You absolutely, positively can't load the Lee longer? Since I have the bullet myself, I seem to recall the portion of the bullet in front of the crimp groove is subcaliber; that is, smaller than .452." I would think that would allow the bullet to be seated out a bit more and still chamber.

Since you own the gun and I don't, you very well may be right that it won't chamber if loaded longer but give it a try and humor me a bit. If you could load it as long as possible, in the 1.180 to 1.200" range, that would be better. I can do this even in my short throated Ruger P97 due to the fact the bullet is subcaliber forward of the crimp groove.

I'm a little surprised by your statement that you cannot, which is why I'm mentioning trying again.

Also, check for bullet setback with all these bullets on the first, middle, and last rounds from the magazine by withdrawing a bullet during the feeding cycle and measuring it after the gun feeds it into the chamber under the forces of cycling during live fire. This will tell you if any "kachunk" you hear or don't hear is causing the bullets to set back in the case under the forces of feeding which is very important to know.

If the bullets don't set back, feed reliably, and can do so at the longer overall length that would be great and I can't think of a reason why you can't blaze away with them as long as they don't go too fast.

And I'd still ditch the 20 lb. spring. You don't need it. It doesn't help and very well could be a reliability downside as well as battering the pistol more than is needed.

[tek4260]

You absolutely, positively can't load the Lee longer? Since I have the bullet myself, I seem to recall the portion of the bullet in front of the crimp groove is subcaliber; that is, smaller than .452." I would think that would allow the bullet to be seated out a bit more and still chamber.

Since you own the gun and I don't, you very well may be right that it won't chamber if loaded longer but give it a try and humor me a bit. If you could load it as long as possible, in the 1.180 to 1.200" range, that would be better. I can do this even in my short throated Ruger P97 due to the fact the bullet is subcaliber forward of the crimp groove.

I'm a little surprised by your statement that you cannot, which is why I'm mentioning trying again.


I am going to try again just to be sure, but no I can't load it longer. I started with 1.200 for 5 test rounds. I was sure they would work but when I pulled the barrel and dropped them in the chamber, they were not even close. I checked my diameter of crimp and even went so far as to take a fired case and check if it would chamber as it was larger at the crimp than my loaded round. The fired case would chamber properly. I guess the leade is really that short. Those SWC's pictured are also loaded as long as the chamber, not the mag, will allow. Anyway, I took the Lee's and gradually seated them deeper and tested, probably turning the seater stem 1/8 of a turn at a time, until the case head was even with the hood. If I had a spare barrel on hand, I'd send it to ya to check as well :) 1.200 seemed to be the "standard" for the Lee 255 from what I could tell in all the searching I did on the various forums.

[tek4260]

The middle cast boolit pictured above runs 806-832fps from my Springfield over the 5.5gr Unique load. I only ran 7 across the Chrony and that is the low and high for the 7 shots.

[jmsj]

tek4260,
Sounds like you are getting this load figured out.
My wife got me a chronograph for Christmas this year and I shot some 45 ACP's w/ the Lee 452-255-RNFP and 5.8 grains of Unique through it the other day. I shot this same load in 2 pistols, a Commander length 1911 and a 4 5/8" Ruger Bisley/Vaquero, and they both averaged around 850 fps.
Good luck and keep us posted on your progress, jmsj

[tek4260]

And now a few Mihec 270 SAA HP's to try

http://i292.photobucket.com/albums/mm35/tk3945/DSCN0664.jpg

[tek4260]

Got to run a few over the chrony at lunch.

5.0gr Unique ran 797-822
5.5gr Unique ran 848-853

The 5.5gr load may be a bit much considering I am getting that velocity with a 270gr boolit. At any rate, it is right on the heels of a standard 45 Colt load.

My wife also commented on how much louder the second group, the 5.5gr load was? The brass was all in thrown about the same distance.

[tek4260]

http://imageshack.us/a/img805/258/photomay04100534.jpg


Traded into a 500ct box of Rim Rock 255gr SWC and tried them out this weekend in the 1911, still set up the same. 5.5gr of Unique gave 878, 891, 877, 876, 878 for 5 shots. Shot great with no leading. They have a shorter nose than the others I have loaded, so they didn't sit as deep in the case.

Definitely a "keeper" load!

Since I last posted, I have given up on the Mihecs for the 1911. They simply sit too deep for my liking and are at the point of compressing the powder.

[44MAG#1]

I know no one cares about my opinion but here goes anyway. I shoot the Lyman 454424 cast hard over 3.8 gr Bullseye and 5.0 gr of Power Pistol so far.
It has never failed to function any of my 3 45 ACP's and shoots very well although maybe not quite as good as the 5.0 gr Power Pistol.
Pressure indications on the cases seem far less than factory 230 gr loads at standard pressure.
Now the funny thing is I have shot them into hard packed clay and there is not one whit of difference in penetration between the Bullseye load and the Power Pistol load and the 230 gr Hardball factory loads plus the flat point loads make a slightly larger hole.
Now the Saeco 058 215 gr SWC with 4.0 gr Bullseye will go just as deep with a larger hole than the 230 gr hardball bullets.
I know this has nothing to do with flesh before this is brought up but, it makes one pause to wonder if one needs any more velocity with a hardcast bullet in the 45 ACP.
I know with jacketed expanding bullet one does to ensure expansion.
Just thought I would throw this out there.
Make out of it what you will.

[tek4260]

I believe the ability to shoot 250+ gr SWC's at nearly 900fps turns the 1911 into a fine hunting pistol. It should work much better than ball on game. That is my whole reason for experimenting.

[44MAG#1]

No doubt about it. I was just throwing out something I've found out concerning the heavier bullets with a flat nose configuration.
I am very sure 900 fps will give one more penetration but probably not much.
I also shot a 315 gr H&G SWC from a 44 mag into the same area as the 45 ACP loads I mentioned and it went about a 1/3 deeper at 1325 fps but did make a larger hole.
So with that being said I am most certain you are right provided one hits a good area on said game.