Shooting Cast Bullets in the 1911 Style Pistols

[03lover]

Has anyone had experience shooting cast bullets in the RIA 1911 GI or similar models in the 38 Super.

I am wondering if any of the typical style cast bullets work best or worse. I am interested in 115gr to 125gr wad cutters or round nose as well as semi wad cutters. The next bullet weight would be 135gr to 150gr. I am interested in low to mid-range target loads for punching paper at 50 to 75 feet.

I am concerned from some of what I have heard, that lead bullets can be very hard to get to feed well. Some suggest the over all length of cast bullet cartridge is critical to good feeding and can be difficult to determine.

Any help that can make a switch to cast bullets some time in the future will be appreciated.

[Echo]

I have shot thousands of lead bullet rounds through a couple of .45's and can say that I have had no problems with feeding or shooting. I use the Lyman 452460 bullet and seat it out not quite a 1/16th" so the driving band engraves on the rifling when it goes into battery, and taper crimp. The SWC design feeds (in my guns) just fine. Alloy has been of several mixes, from Ww's to 3/7 SN/SB made up for me by a chum.
A proper magazine helps with the feeding - done right, the bullet doesn't touch the feedramp but jumps up into alignement with the chamber.

EasyEd
USAF Ret
NRA Patron
O&U

[Boomer Mikey]

This article by John Taffin will answer all your questions about using cast in autos including the 38 Super.

Cast Bullets For Semi-Autos: http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m0BQY/is_3_47/ai_70650327/pg_1

Plenty of load data in the article.

TiteGroup is very popular nowadays as it burns cleaner than Bullseye at approximately the same burning rate.

Also check the Hodgdon load data website: http://data.hodgdon.com/main_menu.asp

Hodgdon's load data for the 38 Super includes lead boolits from 115 to 147 grains.

Your auto will work fine with SWC's if it has a throated barrel and polished feed ramp... most current autos do.

Boomer :Fire:

[hicard]

Thanks Boomer for the article. I found it to be just what I was looking for in loading information and data for my semi autos.

[Dale53]

At the NRA Convention in Louisville, I talked to Hodgdon's techie (and also Cris Hodgdon). The techie is a pistol shooter. I posed this question: "I am currently using up all of my partial cans of old powder. After I am finished, I will be laying in a supply of ONE pistol target powder. I told him the calibers that I shoot and load for. Without hesitation, he recommended "Titegroup". I will follow his recommendation.

FWIW
Dale53

[35remington]

"A proper magazine helps with the feeding - done right, the bullet doesn't touch the feedramp but jumps up into alignement with the chamber."

Close sorta, but not quite.

On a 1911, the properly feeding gun and magazine will see the bullet nose touch the feedramp on its way into the chamber and glance upward, but not the barrel ramp. Touching the barrel ramp causes problems.

Normally, the cartridge should just skim the chamber mouth at the top of the barrel ramp on the way in, but not the slope of the barrel ramp. It must always hit the feed ramp on the way into the chamber, and does so if the gun is working correctly.

[monadnock#5]

An easy way to start out would be to pick up the 48th Edition Handbook, and Cast Bullet Handbook, both by Lyman. You need both as they don't contain all the same material. Find a boolit shape and weight that you like, and buy that mould. Unlike the RCBS cast manual, the Lyman books spells out OAL for each design. They take much of the frustration and worry out of loading semi autos for the new initiate.

[MtGun44]

I put about 70-80K cast boolit handloads thru a 1911 in the 80s, with very
hot loads. 158 gr SWC at 1180 fps. This made major caliber for IPSC, and
was 99.9999% reliable and pretty accurate, too.

Titegroup would be great for the light boolits, slower powder is better for
heavier boolits. I used 7.2 gr W571/HS7 (discontinued, I think) for the above
ammo. This is unsafe in WW brass of any type, just fine in Rem +P or Starline
.38 Super (plain or +P) - loaded the brass until the ejector hammered the
headstamp into unreadability, and is within SAAMI specs according to Hodgdon.

Clean the chamber every 400 rds, lube regularly, full clean every 2000 rds.

Bill

[Dale53]

I shot IPSC in the late 70's and early 80's. In a five year period I shot 75,000 rounds of cast bullets in my 1911 platform. The bullets were nominally 200 grs of H&G #130, and #68, and Saeco #68. I had exactly ONE failure to feed during this period. The powder was a charge of 7625 and later Win 231 to make "IPSC Major" (factor of 180).

My pistols were built up by a VERY good pistol smith (Harold Johnson).

Dale53

[Boomer Mikey]

I've been playing around with several different bullet styles in my new S&W1911, including the Lyman 454424 255 grain SWC (250 grains with my alloy) and 454190 RNFP.

All I can say is it's awesome!

I haven't had any feed problems... this gun will feed empty cases from the clip.

My favorites so far are the Bear Creek Supply 200 Grain SWC (H&G #68 clone), Lyman 452630 200 Grain SWC (2 small lube grooves), Lyman 454424 250 Grain SWC, and Lyman 454190 255 Grain RN (sized 0.452") cast boolits and the Rainier 230 Grain HP plated bullet.

http://precisionbullets.com/IMG/45-200swc.jpeghttp://www.montanabulletworks.com/images/P_45_ACP_Lyman_200_SWC.jpghttp://hgmould.gunloads.com/casting/45acpheavybullets_files/image001.gifhttp://www.midwayusa.com/mediasvr.dll/image?saleitemid=747996

Rainier also makes a 250 Grain TCFN (0.451") and 300 Grain TCFN for the 45LC (0.452") I want to try (not in the 45 ACP).

Another project... get a new 454190 mold and give it the Buckshot HP treatment with a large HP pin = 230 Grain HP.

Larger/heavier boolits move the 45 ACP to 45LC BP load levels and reloads are fast.

Boomer :Fire:

[bobthenailer]

i have 2, 38 supers 1 with a nowlen barrel and the other with a kart barrel both perfer bullets sized to 357 dia, i have 4 bullets moulds for them a saeco 122 rn, 122 tc, 145 swc, and a rcbs 122 rngc the hands down most accurate bullet is the saeco 145 swc , here are some loads for the 145 swc, 6.0 to 6.5 wap for around 1200 fps or for lighter shooting loads 3.7 231, 4.0 tight group or 5.0 hs-6 for around 900 fps. col around 1.255 to 1.270 and taper crimp, i use only wilson mags in my guns and they are 100% reliable

[Freightman]

I do not have a 38 super but do have a Colt 1911 9mm I shoot 158g RN lead through, have no feeding problems and I have two 9MM mags two 38 super mags and two 10MM mags all feed great. I do have to have a good hot load to really get the accuracy and to lock the slide back when empty. Never had a leading problem, but shoot the boolits sized to .358 mostley with LLA as the lube.