What handload cast 45acp bullet and load do you carry?

[357shooter]

Hi guys,

I saw the info on a 45 acp group buy, the 230gr HP which looks awesome. Aside from that, I'm already loading 200 LSWC for target and was wondering how that would be as a carry load with more velocity? No HP, but I'm casting it 1 to 1 sticky to clipon wheel weights and it is a 45 so it's big to start with... Other suggestions than the 200 LSWC?

What do you think?

Disclaimer: If you have problems with carrying something other than factory ammo I respect your opinion, but I'm not interested in hearing about it so please start your own thread. If you post I'll just ignore you and hope others will too.

Sorry for the disclaimer but I just know a lecture is coming from someone...

Thanks,
prgallo

[gasboffer]

228 gr. Lee 1R. Feeds through all guns.

[357shooter]

228 gr. Lee 1R. Feeds through all guns.Is a target velocity good or do you load it closer to max velocity? I guess for a 230gr it's probably 830-870 FPS??? (I'm talking about the on-paper recipe FPS... unless you have a chrono.)

[Baron von Trollwhack]

The 232 grain Lyman hardball. BvT

[testhop]

one thing about the 45 auto is it is big and dont get smaller when fired .
if you are happy with your load why change?
me i love the 45 .

[gray wolf]

In cold weather I carry 225 RN, air dropped WW, or FMJ for penetration through heavy cloths.
In spring, summer and the fall it's Speer gold dots. 5.2 grains of bulls-eye.
BUT--I would not be ashamed if my load was a 200 grain # 68 SWC.
with 5.2 of tight group.
I would even carry my best loads--most accurate,--200 SWC--4.3 B/E--4.7 tite group.
I just trust my 45 1911-A1 loaded Springfield. --Umm-- it has been adjusted a little.
I took off the safety on the right side.
After I get my new Mi Hec HP mold I just may favor that one.

As for the go to court thing with hand loads--------------kiss my old Nam a$$

[RobS]

I'll throw in on a 200g RF as an option. Lee makes the bullet I am referring to and since I like large meplat bullets for hunting applications this one would be sufficent for self defense if one was to use it for such. This one's meplat is large enough to darn near dance on:). The bullet is designed for revolvers, but I have used it in many autos and it's a performer both for accuracy and velocity. It is now my go to bullet for the 45 auto.

Here is a link to midway:

Also check out the reviews as it gives experience using the bullet for 45 auto applications:

http://www.midwayusa.com/viewproduct/?productnumber=110378&utm_source=froogle&utm_medium=free&utm_campaign=685

[mooman76]

I don't carry in 45, I carry either 40 or 357 but if I carried my 45 I'd also go with the 230gr RN.

[gasboffer]

Rob S. The 200 RF is the only cast bullet except the RN 228 that will feed every time in my Glock 36.
Clyde

[sundog]

Ly 452374. It NEVER fails to feed and function. It's got to go bang to be of any use.

[rbuck351]

I use the Lee 230gr TC with 5.2grs Win 231. If I recall it's about 900fps. Feeds good and shoots good in both my 45's.

[RobS]

Rob S. The 200 RF is the only cast bullet except the RN 228 that will feed every time in my Glock 36.
Clyde

Yep, I've yet to have this one not feed in any of the 45's I've used it in. I purchased this one as my usual SWC's were not going to feed in my XD. Having set the COL for the XD, I've had many of my friends try my rounds in their autos and they all fed without a hitch. Many of them have actually switched to or have added this mold as another option to their shooting arsenal.

[shooterchris]

Ly 452374. It NEVER fails to feed and function. It's got to go bang to be of any use.

x2

In a 45 if it functions reliably thats what I would go with.

And by the way, I carry factory ammo in my carry gun but if I was to try to tell you how to carry yours that would make me seem like....I don't know, a democrat. And I sure aint one of them. :mrgreen:

[leas327]

I am new to casting my own. But I have gotten in on the re-re-re MIHec 452-200 Cramer group buy. From the reports I have found it looks pretty impressive in expansion. If everything works out I would like for it to be what i use for my IDPA matches and my first home cast carry load. It would be nice to have the piece of mind that what i shoot in practice is the same as what I carry.

[Lloyd Smale]

452488 5.0 grains of pr200 or the same load with a h&g 200 swc. If a 1911 doesnt feed a 100 percent with a semi wad cutter it doesnt stay in this house long. Only place i use a round nosed acp bullet is in the 625s for comp shooting.

[pdawg_shooter]

230gr (drops at 240) Lee RNFP TL over 8.3gr AA #5

[BruceB]

My choice for most .45ACP use is also the good ol' 452374. I have divested meself of all the other .45 moulds that used to clutter the place, and now have only a 4-cavity 374 for the .45 ACP.

You MIGHT catch me out in the boonies with a 1911 or SIG full of cast loads. Certainly, cast bullets are all I load in my revolvers, which are more-likely to be carried in the outdoors.

However, when carrying for "serious social purposes", i.e.: in town, my carry guns are loaded with the best commercially-loaded jacketed hollow-points I can find. I will not argue this point, having done so to exhaustion in the past. I'll only say that a hundred years' experimentation and research have brought us to the place we're at today, and I consider it foolish to for *ME* to rely on the technology of a hundred years ago to protect me today. Others think otherwise. 'Nuff said.

[AnthonyB]

I understand the rationale behind the popularity of the 452374. I don't own one and probably never will, because the RCBS 45-230 CM is 100% reliable in all my 1911s and Glocks. The 45-230 CM is a RFN with a large meplat, and is sure to be more effective than the standard RN. Why limit your load when something more effective is just as reliable?
Like BruceB, I carry factory JHPs in my 45 when out in society. However, my 1911s spend far more time in casual circumstances loaded with the RCBS over 6.0 gr Unique.
Tony

[HeavyMetal]

I'm gonna throw another thought in the mix here.

Back in the day when I shot IPSC matchs, yes I know it's not "real world" but some of the things learned are applicable.

Recovery time was huge in the faster timed stages "lighter" 45 boolits certainly made it easier to get solid "double taps" that touched.

So with that in mind 180 Grain would get the nod before 230's and HP would get the nod before a round nose!

Back in the day, before HP Commercial stuff actually worked, Jeff Cooper suggested the H&G 68 ( or the old Markell 210) with 7.5 grains Unique.

This load is a tad warm these days and should be stepped back to 6.8 or 7.0 grains but still makes a lot of sense.

If I had to carry a Pistol? Cor Bon 165 + P or my Lyman 180 Devestator on 9.8 grains BlueDot!

Just my thoughts.

[BD]

I have no problem with folks carrying handloads for self defense, and I designed the BDacp in part to address this issue in the event that bullets like the Winchester RTs become unavailable. In the meantime I will continue to carry the RTs.

I've spent some time carrying .45s and I've been pretty disappointed in the ability of round nose boolits and #68 style SWCs to "stop the action" on stuff as light as racoons and wild dogs. If you want to smack down some critter intent on chewing you, using a .45 acp, a big flat point or well designed JHP is the way to go IMHO.

I don't carry RTs because I believe that they have some magic "tacticool" killing ability. I carry them because they are much less likely to carry through a two legged threat into some innocent person behind the threat.

BD

[muleequestrian]

I have a CCW permit and tote a full size 1911A1. I load my own with CB from a LEE 200 gr RNFP. I shoot the same boolit and powder charge in my .45 Colt revolvers too. ACWW pushed by 5.5 grains Bullseye powder.

[Glen]

210 grain 452374 HP, cast of 25-1 alloy, over 7.2 grains of Unique for 965 fps. For pictures and details, scroll down to the bottom of:

http://www.lasc.us/FryxellCastHP45ACP.htm

[Cord]

Since you asked....

For a .45 boolit with socks on, I favor the Federal HST, but when they run out
I will not hesitate in immediately choosing my “Fryxell” HP conversion ahead
of any of the various SWC .45 boolits I have in my collection.

I do love my SAECO #58 bowling pin boolit, but I want…..absolute reliability.

The absolute reliability of a RN, with the expansion of a HP, and without the
danger of excessive penetration of a plain RN that might endanger other
people or property, +1 on what BD said.

The Group Buy you mentioned is a 200, not a 230, it has the RN profile,
and the 5-sided pins may replicate the performance of the HST or RT or GDots.

It is as close as you can get to what Glen is referring to without having
Erik make one for you on an existing commercial mould.

.

[wiljen]

Ok, I'll admit it. I don't carry cast bullets in my sidearm. My loads are factory Speer lawman JHPs and Corbon 200gr Flying ashtrays. Not that I don't trust my own loads, just that others don't have that same knowledge. This way it is all factory stuff and not something that ever gets called into question. I've heard this batted back and forth for years and don't claim to know anyone who has ever had a problem because of a self-defense shooting involving handloads, but I know my luck and I would be the one to find out the hard way. Maybe this is overly cautious but I've never known that to be a bad thing.

[357shooter]

Since you asked....

For a .45 boolit with socks on, I favor the Federal HST, but when they run out
I will not hesitate in immediately choosing my “Fryxell” HP conversion ahead
of any of the various SWC .45 boolits I have in my collection.

I do love my SAECO #58 bowling pin boolit, but I want…..absolute reliability.

The absolute reliability of a RN, with the expansion of a HP, and without the
danger of excessive penetration of a plain RN that might endanger other
people or property, +1 on what BD said.

The Group Buy you mentioned is a 200, not a 230, it has the RN profile,
and the 5-sided pins may replicate the performance of the HST or RT or GDots.

It is as close as you can get to what Glen is referring to without having
Erik make one for you on an existing commercial mould.

.The group buy is at http://castboolits.gunloads.com/showthread.php?t=70594

It hasn't started yet, but I'm pretty sure it's going to be a 230gr with hollowpoint.

[357shooter]

210 grain 452374 HP, cast of 25-1 alloy, over 7.2 grains of Unique for 965 fps. For pictures and details, scroll down to the bottom of:

http://www.lasc.us/FryxellCastHP45ACP.htm
Excellent article, I've read a ton of your other articles and enjoyed them. I just started casting about 6 weeks ago and have learned a ton from this site and LASC too.

Let me refine my original post/question since there were so many good replies let me ask everyone:

How about addressing the cast bullet in a lightweight short barrel 45 acp? They have kinda special needs, but I can carry 11 rounds of 45 in my pocket (most days). My PT145 is 22 oz empty so it's at the limit for pocket carry, but in jeans (what I wear most days) the Don Hume holster helps make it all work really well.

In jacketed ammo the Speer 230 GD short barrel is I think the top performer so using it as a benchmark it would be great to "approach" the 14" penetration and .620 expansion that it provides in gel-tests. In a short barrel there are some others that expand more, but the penetration falls off quickly.

In a cast bullet with 4" barrel or less (mine is 3.25") what it the best bullet and load?

[HeavyMetal]

The lighter the gun , the more felt recoil and "jump" created by a heavy boolit versus a light one.

Had a Star PD in 45, actually several have gone through my hands, at 25oz empty. Shooting one of these with 230 grain ball loads was "entertaining" to say the least!

Again I found 185's were much easier to shoot than 230's and recovery shot to shot was much quicker.

Each of these Star's "wandered on down the road" for only one reason I'm a lefty and could not find an ambi safty for them. A 9mm Firestar single stack now has the mini gun slot filled in my safe!

Were I to find another Star PD, or similar short barrel 45 ( PD was 3.5 inch's) I might go looking for one of the old Lee 155 grain swc molds. This is out of production but I still see both 2 and 6 banger molds on the shelf here and there as it wasn't a big seller.

No expansion with this mold but recovery time could be very quick and, with the right powder ( Greendot gave me a real world 1125 out of my pin gun with the 155) you might get an honest 1000 FPS out of a 4 inch barrel.

Now I think a 45 slug weighing 155 grain moving at 1000 FPS is gonna give some One a "Big Oowie"!

Let us remember that the 125 grain 357 load at about 1300 was long thought of as the "Perfect" one shot stop load!

As for the 14 inch's of penatration? I think thats a Joke! Yes the Speer load will do what they say it will do but I don't know a whole lot of poeple that are 14 inch's thick!

So if you use the Speer load on a "perp" that's only 10 inch's thick where do you think that boolit is gonna stop?

The lighter boolit will shed velocity faster and not go as far if it exit's.

Again this is just some thoughts I've had on self defense loads and I hope provides "food for thought" for you.

[AviatorTroy]

I love my PD as well. However, I admit to carrying Speer factory loaded 230 gr Gold Dots in it. Probably WAY too much for the little aluminum framed compact, but I'm pretty sure I wont need a second shot.

My playing around load is a Lee 230gr RN on top of 4gr or so of Bullseye. Cycles the action fine but much easier on the gun (and my wrist).

[jsizemore]

I had a PMC 45B 185gr HP factory loaded round setback in my Caspian, ONCE. Now I carry either a H&G 34 or 68 in front of 4.5gr of Red Dot. It will make a dog do the long down in the goat pasture when I do my part. Well, the 45acp and my 25-06 Sendero.

[Catshooter]

This is out of a current production Lyman 452424:

http://i379.photobucket.com/albums/oo235/Catshooter45/Lymanmould001.jpg

Over 4.7 grains of Universal Clays out of this:

http://i379.photobucket.com/albums/oo235/Catshooter45/Short45s002.jpg

Or this:

http://i379.photobucket.com/albums/oo235/Catshooter45/Short45s003.jpg

The Smith is a three and three quarter inch, the Kahr is just over three. There's about 20 fps difference between them with the above load.

Of course both feed perfectly and are very, very accurate. The boolit weighs 260 grains sized and lubed.

And regarding handloads, I'll say this. My handloads for defense are assembled like this.

Using once fired brass so I know that there is a flash hole.

Inspect the primers for both priming compound and an anvil.

I use an RCBS progressive, at a slow pace. I watch the powder fall.

In this way, I know that all the ingredients are present, the pathway from the primer to the powder is clear, the primer has all it's componets and there's powder present. Should go bang. Can't say all that with a factory round.

Works for me!


Cat

[357shooter]

Cat: that is one big bullet! How did you come pick it?

[Freischütz]

I use a revolver. So, Lyman 452423 and 6.0 grains of Unique.

[Catshooter]

prgallo,

I picked it because the meplat is a little small, small enough to not engage the slide lock as the cartridge rises in the magazine.

But, it is still a good sized meplat, big enough to help get the job done.

I like weight in a boolit, it helps it do it's job. Some people talk about 14 inches of penatration and forget that in ballistic gelatin, boolit usually travel a straight path.

In people or game though, boolits rarely take a straight path and penatration is needed if the boolit is going to get to where it needs to go.

I will run the lighter ones for target work/play, but not for serious stuff.

I guess I'm just an old-fashioned guy. :)


Cat