Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Handguns 45 ACP & heavy 250's ??

Loaded some plated 230 gr HP's in my new SA XD-M compact...

They ran fine & were accurate enough to bump over steel targets

Looking on my bench...spotted some 250 gr plated Rainiers ...

Same diameter as the 230's which are .451" (have these for 45 Colt(s)

Any secrets to warnings to make 'em run ?

I have many suitable powders...Also know to keep the COAL inside the magazine

I use the Lee 4 pc die set...with the FCD (factory crimp die)

Thinking Titegroup or Universal

Research suggests looking at the 45 Rim loading data........thoughts ?

I'll bet Mackay Sagebrush can help with those. I don't have anything worthwhile to help your discussion, but he loads some ammo with something similar in weight to what you're proposing.

recently did

he's using hard cast 250's I believe for his bear loads

The 230's I shot today were a handful...using just a minimum load of AA5

I run the NOE 255 grain with 6.5 of Unique. Does 925 from a 5” 1911. Power pistol, long shot, and accurate #7 are also what used in high performance 45acp loading.

Double Tap cast 255gn if you don't handload that caliber.

I did tinker with some 250gr. SWCs once, they fed well in my old 5" Colt, but I think that gun would have fed a dead cat if I could get that cat in the magazine. I THINK I used 6.0 Unique, but that was probably 30 years ago, and memory fades over time. They were the Keith type bullets from a Lyman mould. I did a lot of sketchy stuff back then, though.

I loaded some 265gr Beartooth SWCs over 6.5gr of Longshot at 1.205" OAL, new Starline +P, CCI300. These functioned flawlessly in every 1911 that I tried them in. Never could make them function reliably in my Kahr CW45 (basically a compact) which admittedly is a bit finicky about what ammo it likes.

These chronoed 921 fps from a 4 1/2" S&W MP45 - five long paces from muzzle and 70 deg F.



FWIW,

Paul

Found a box of Dardas cast in my stash

200 gr....RN FP........452"

Ran a test mag with em today...4.5 Trailboss

SA XD-M elite compact

Ran great...next test...some Sierra 240 gr HPs & AA5

Back later.........

I've found AA7 to be good with heavy-bullet .45 loads, I've used it in .45 ACP, .45 Super, and .460 Rowland.

My 1911 Super had a barrel treatment by CylinderHone to allow seating the bullets out, no problem going mag length and I get 1037 fps with Montana Bullet Works 255 LFNs. This is with pressure around 25.5 Kpsi, at 1.23" OAL. Any longer and a live round would not go through the ejection port.

I have run that same bullet up to 1120 fps in my Rowland, a 1911, but recoil was starting to affect recovery for the next shot. Ive got them running about 1080 fps out of that pistol now, much better for repeat shots. If anything I shoot notices the 40 fps loss, I needed a bigger gun anyway...

I just got some Hunter's Supply 275s, look to be a LFN, and ogive geometry allows a generous OAL. I can go mag-length plus but I'll stop at 1.26", all my mag will allow. Using baseline figures from previous firings, I've adjusted the component defaults in Quickload and, starting conservatively, will shoot a baseline this weekend then go from there.

QL says 10.5 grains AA7 oughtta net 951 fps at 21.7 Kpsi, just into the +P range. This is the Rowland. Once I get a baseline, my goal will be 1050 fps, conservative for the round but more practical in a Woods Defense situation, at least in my opinion. QL says 1051 fps at 29.2 Kpsi.....but the real world awaits results.

Some AA7 and those 275s oughtta put a little spunk in an ACP loading.

I've also got a Glock 21 I'm doing the Super thing with, I've got two barrels I need CH to put his treatment on, an Alpha Wolf 5.2 threaded and a KKM 5.2 threaded. Preliminary impressions with the Glock are very, very favorable as a "Super" platform.

The Glock as it evolves:






Rowland on top, Super below it.





Two bullets I've done the bulk of my heavy-bullet .45 shooting with. Missouri Bullet Company 255 Pinbuster on left, Montana Bullet Works 250 LFN GC on right. The MBW actually weighs more.

Those oughtta hit pretty damn hard!

Well, loaded 10 rounds HS 275 for the Rowland @ 2.26" and only 5 would stuff into a magazine, didn't get load/unload without dragging on the mag until 2.24".

This will raise pressure to an estmated 24.3 Kpsi and velocity to 975 fps. I'm ready to see real-world tommorrow.

But 2.24" is all I can do with the Mags I have.

Anyway, How's your experiment going, Tikka?

They will "hit pretty damn hard!"

Update:

The initial load with the 275 grain HS/AA7 load in the Rowland chrono'ed 982 fps, prediction was 975. Now I'll start throttling it up towards 1050 to 1075 fps, trying to find accuracy somewhere in there.

But, I'm probably not the guy who needs to accuracy-test a pistol....

A bit of a diversion but kinda tangential - 45 ACP shooting 255 gr +P or 200/220 gr 10mm for big bear protection? I've had both but went 10mm but am a fan of the ACP. Plus ACP ammo is way cheaper than 10mm.

I wouldn't say it's the "Last Word" in protection. It beats the rifle leaning against the woodpile or otherwise not ready for immediate use.

The right bullet goes a long way towards being sufficient, Hardcast being your friend.

I watched a video of a guy testing a .45-70 for penetration. I don't remember the exact figures, but he tried two loads with the same bullet, one at 1800(?) fps, the other possibly around 1300(?) fps.

The slower bullet far out-penetrated the faster one.

That's normal. Sometimes.

A soft bullet that expands, will expand more at higher speeds.
Expanding absorbs energy, a wider bullet is harder to push.
Less penetration, bigger wound channel.

A hard bullet that holds its shape will use 100% of its energy
penetrating. And go deeper, if driven faster.



Then you run into the modern "Trick" bullets.
Controlled expansion, partitions, tapered jackets, mono, bonded,
petals that fold back/break off...
combinations of them?

They each have their own rules.

Yep.

Randy Garrett goes into the velocity/penetration relationship, and he makes a statement born out in this video, that there is a point of diminishing returns with velocity.

Found the video, penetration test begins at just past the 11.30 mark. Velocities are stated in the video.

I have used the CF 405 bullets in my .458 SOCOM, got just over 1500 fps with them, I just might leave them right there...that's if H4198 ever becomes available....

That is exactly why it's important to use the correct bullet for the application.

I tried Unique with a 250-grain WFN. I may have gone a little hotter than 6.0 grains, though. It worked well enough in a 1911 but I felt like I was closer to the edge than I wanted to be. The same load ran like a champ in a full-sized HK USP. They're rated for 45 Super out of the box, which makes them a much better choice.


Okie John