Good 45acp trail load.

[222]

I have a 1911 45acp I carry in my trampling out on farms. No worries about bears (Nebraska) but maybe a mtg lion but mostly skunks but could run into dopes. I've always carried 200gr swc and good dose of Unique but am wondering what others use?

[MT Gianni]

200 gr swc [454460] and a dose of Unique. I use this in SW Montana when I carry a semi-auto pistol.

[saz]

200gr + 4.0grs Red Dot.

[NickSS]

I use a 230 gr RN and 5 gr of Red Dot for most of my shooting.

[grrifles]

200 SWC with 4.5 grains of wst.


Chris

[The Black Spot]

6.4 gr of bluedot with 260 gr cast wheel weight bullet.

[bobthenailer]

Mt Lions you say! i would use some preminum hollowpoints for them critters or at least a flat point cast bullet like Saecos #058 215 gr swc, or something along thoses lines.

[JohnnyFlake]

Good old standard 230gn Barry's Copper Plated Cast RN over 4.8gn of W231.
Oh Yea, it works real well!

[gray wolf]

So what is a good low, med, and high dose of Unique
for the 200 grain lead bullet ? Sorry I don't have an up to date load book.
Need one but don't have one.

[DanWalker]

200gr + 4.0grs Red Dot.

DITTO!That's what's in my kimber when it's in my shoulder holster on my backpack.

[Char-Gar]

I don't see anything wrong with what you are using.

[Matthew 25]

200 swc with 5.2g bullseye (my old IPSC major load).

Now I use the 200 RNFP with same. It flows through all my 45s, even the picky ones.

[Lonegun1894]

I also use the 200gr SWC over some Unique. It is a very accurate load, that feeds very well in my 1911s, and has worked very well for everything it has been used for, including hunting.

[Alan]

230 gr. commercial lead, 4.9gr of Red Dot. about .3 of max according to Lyman. The bullets are all real friendly on the paper all the way out to 50 yards.

[BD]

230 Grain BD acp over 5.0 grains of HPC-18, (surplus 231). The 200 grain H&G style SWC has proven to be one of the worst game boolits I've ever tried. Just about equal to RN ball. And I've shot a truck load of critters with a .45, from 'coons to deer. Why anyone thinks it would work better on dopes is beyond me. It's other drawback is that it doesn't fly for beans out past 50 yards or so.

This is exactly why I designed the BD acp in the first place. What you are looking for is the largest meplat that will feed reliably, going as fast as you can safely and accurately drive it. I've run this boolit over 6.5 grains of Unique, or 9 grains of Blue Dot with good +P results. I just happen to have a good supply of the HPC-18. I started out with a 200 grain version that I was running close to 1,000 fps. However, if you keep the minimum rear drive band of .10", (IMHO). and a sufficent lube groove of .10", the 200 grainer does not allow for a sufficient front drive band for a reliable taper crimp. The 230 grainer with a big meplat at 875-900 fps will do what needs doing.

BD

[puddledog]

228gn LRN and 5gns bullseye.

[35remington]

I use the RCBS 230 Cowboy bullet, which is almost but not quite as wide in the meplat as BD's bullet (BD's also has a sharper edge to the meplat) over around 4.8 to 4.9 grains Red Dot (depends upon lot number in my Lee Pro Auto Disk measure, the 0.71 cavity) for around 850-855 fps. I load to an OAL of around 1.208" and the flat point bullet feeds well through my Colt pattern, hybrid/taper lip seven shot magazines in my 1911.

If more suds is desired, the charge of Red Dot can be increased a bit, to 5.2 grains (Alliant and Lyman go to that range) or you may want to move to Unique in the above mentioned charges of 6.5 grains or 6.7 grains of Herco. These give something over 920 fps and define "near Plus P but not quite" loads. Close enough, anyway. I consider Plus P to be 950 fps with a 230 grain bullet.

The nice thing is this weight hits to the sights of most fixed sight 1911's and the bullet penetrates and makes a decent hole punch. I don't shoot a whole truckload of critters with a 1911 pistol, but the vermin I've shot with this load stayed shot. That has included opposums, two raccoons (night hunting) a cat that wasn't where he belonged, and some cottontail rabbits and jackrabbits.

Worked fine and nothing hit went far. I suppose for Mt. lion I could lean toward the 900 plus fps loads but I doubt the Red Dot load I carry would under penetrate. So maybe it doesn't matter all that much for the additional 70 fps or so.

As a fellow Nebraskan, I gotta ask what town you live near, 222?

[222]

Live in Arcadia near Ord. I'm wanting myself a mold having always used store brought.

[Gray Fox]

I like the Lee 230 grn truncated cone. Seems to me Jeff Cooper liked a boolet similar to this one. It feeds well, the lube goove holds plenty of goop and shoots to point of aim in most of my pistols and revolvers in the 850-875 fps range. Easy to cast in a 6 cavity mold, too out of straight WW with a bit of added tin. I like Universal as it burns cleaner than most others. I use the same boolit cast 25% WW-75% PB, lubed with Lyman Black Powder Gold, crimped just over the ogive in .45 Schofield pushed by 28 grn of fffg. GF

[222]

230gr turret cone or round flat or 200gr swc all tl have been on my list. But a hp design maybe interesting too but cost more and at acp speeds may not be desired.

[MtGun44]

H&G 68 over 5.7-5.9 of W231 or 4.8-5.0 of BE. This will run 950 to 1000 and should
shoot right through the cat.

Bill

[prangr51]

I load 255 gr LRN over 5.0 grs of unique set to an oal of 1.137 in order to feed in my 1911. Hits steel targets in IDPA/IPSC like a damn howitzer!

[saz]

DITTO!That's what's in my kimber when it's in my shoulder holster on my backpack.

You created a monster. I LOVE Red Dot!

[DanWalker]

You created a monster. I LOVE Red Dot!

LOL! I kinda like it too. There's 2 8lb jugs and a 4lb jug of it on the shelf in my reloading room right now.

[35remington]

I like it myself. If you want to go low budget, as in 88 bucks for an 8 pound jug, Promo is just about exactly the same thing.

[Snapping Twig]

Using WW in the Lee 230g TC mould, I load them over 5.3g W231.

Boy howdy, that's a good load!

Should be able to hunt with it. Not optimum, but if it's what you have on hand, it would work.

[ole 5 hole group]

If you're using the 200 grain SWC a good accurate plinking load is 5.2 to 5.5 grains of WW231 - depending upon the strength of your recoil spring. It's good medicine for skunks, badgers and about anything else you might stumble across. VV N310 & N320 are also excellent powders for the 45 ACP.

[Moonie]

My load is 200gr SWC with a moderate dose of Unique. For plinking, same boolit with a light load of Clays.

[jmsj]

I have posted before about using the Lee 452-255-RF in my stainless steel Taurus PT1911. Lately I have been using this as my walking around load. With Unique this load comes close to 45 Colt ballistics and is easier to pack than my Ruger Vaquero/Bisley in 45 Colt or one of my 44 mags while working. This is also the best shooting load I have found in this pistol.
jmsj

[Blackwater]

For bigger, tougher stuff (cats can be very tenacious of life), penetration is a must, and for bigger, tougher stuff that can bite back, the most concerning shot is the head on one, where the cat's charging, and NOT to shake hands and ask about your day.

Therefore, a big, flat point is a plus since it gives the bullet and load a bit more "whack factor" on impact - call it "shock," or whatever you will.

Penetration is usually better with hard cast, and with heavier bullets for caliber.

Cast bullets in the ACP usually give at least a bit more velocity than the red jacketed ones, increasing the "whomp factor" - again, call that what you will. It just hits a tad harder.

Lead bullets also tend to give a tad more "tear factor" in making wounds than slicker jacketed bullets.

These factors point to a 230 gr. flat point cast bullet with the hottest load you feel fully and completely safe loading behind it. The Lee 230-TC would be a good choice in my book, and most guns I've tried it in work well with 6.8 gr. Unique pushing it. Primer make doesn't seem to matter.

On a longitudinal shot, as in a charge, you'd get all the penetration I think ordinarily possible, along with the blunt force trauma increase from the fairly good sized flat point. The "tear factor" is just a touch better for lead vs. red jackets. It doesn't depend on expansion, which CAN, at least sometimes, reduce penetration enough to matter.

Yup. If it were me, I'd go with the 230 gr. Lee TC with a stiff dose of Unique or Power Pistol, maybe, seated short enough to feed reliably in my individual gun, and keep a REAL sharp eye out.