Home Forums Reloading Handgun Reloading Clays in 40 and 45

Ok cleaning up some powders
Have several pounds of clays will this work in my 40 and 45?
I see data for it
40 3-3.4 gn
45 3.7-4.3 gn
Will I be ok? Just plinking loads

As far as I'm concerned you are. Been doing the same thing in my .45's and .38's with my otherwise useless to me stash of Clays. Can't really tell the difference from Bullseye on paper, steel, and tin cans.

I've used a lot of clays for 45acp, never tried it in 40sw. I've tried it in 9mm but found it difficult to work with as pressures vary quickly in small Volume cases.

IME, Clays makes for some of the most accurate loads in several calibers. In 45 Auto I use 4 grains with a 230gn round nose for my range plinkers. They average about 750fps from a 5" 1911.

3.8-4.0gr Clays in my SA 1911-A1/230gr coated LRN. Very accurate, clean burning and soft shooter.

Can you use clays for a self defense load? I have like 12# of it and out of true blue

What do your manuals and Hodgdon's web site loading data tell you.....?

What I see is 3.6-4.3 grn in a 200 grn bullet but seems like a plinking load didn’t know if anyone had a different rec on powder rate just trying to burn up what powder I have without buying any

IA fog, do you have any Universal clays? I'd suggest that over the clays powder myself. If you have clays, you are probably a trap shooter, or maybe used to be one. I also used to use a chidt ton of Clays, in my competitive trap shooting days. I loved it in 12 gauge trap loads, from slow 1 oz loads to 1 1/8 oz handicap loads. Worked awesome. I burned up the rest of it in my 40 S&W and 45 ACP, but I did not like the very small range of powder weight used in those loads. It seemed like a tad over and you would be asking for trouble. Luckily I burned up the last remaining powder I had in stock and went right to Universal and have been using 5 grains of that to propel 180gr bullets in my 40's and 5 grains to push 230gr JHP's in my 45 ACP's. That combo has worked wonderfully well and I don't plan on going back to Clays powder. I'll run Longshot before that happens. If you are a trap shooter, you probably have that on hand as well.

Yep. This is what I use as well. Very mild shooting, very quiet (with a suppressor) and accurate.

Never used it for 40 short and sweet, but works well in 45.