Re: What's the deal with .45 ACP loads?
- From: Bill Smith <quandary@xxxxxxxxxxx>
- Date: Wed, 21 Sep 2005 11:32:40 +0000 (UTC)
On Tue, 20 Sep 2005 11:20:10 +0000 (UTC), Objekt
<t37student@xxxxxxxxx> wrote:
#When I started reloading .45 ACP, almost 2 years ago, I had an RCBS
#Rockchucker press and a Speer reloading manual. It listed a maximum
#load for a 230 grain FMJ bullet as 5.0 grains Bullseye. That is, it
#listed recipes for ONLY an FMJ bullet.
#
#This presented a problem. While I had been loading Bullseye for some
#time in .40 S&W, I had long since eschewed FMJ in favor of moly-coated
#lead bullets. I couldn't - and still can't - load FMJ cheaper than
#Winchester white box in .40 S&W, and the cost difference makes it only
#tenuously justifiable with .45 ACP. So, for the majority of my .45 ACP
#reloads, I knew I would be using moly-coated lead bullets.
#
#So, I did what any reloader might do. I started with a small batch
#using 4.0 grains of Bullseye with the moly-coated lead bullet, seated
#and crimped to an overall length well above minimum for the similar FMJ
#load. Next batch, I kicked the charge up by 0.2 grains; lather, rinse,
#repeat, watching for signs of overpressure all along.
#
#I arrived at a maximum of 5.0 grains of Bullseye under a 230 grain lead
#bullet. Nary a sign of flattened primers or overstressed brass reared
#its head, and the gun (Springfield Armory 1911) didn't complain. I
#stopped there, reasoning that a "maximum load" for FMJ was just as
#applicable to a bullet of equal mass but slightly different composition.
# I found that it gave me a muzzle velocity right around the nominal 850
#ft/s for hardball .45 ACP, and that was good enough for me (and bowling
#pins).
#
#Somewhere along the way, I sold the Rockchucker along with the Speer
#manual, picked up a Hornaday Lock-n-Load AP, and bought a slightly used
#"Modern Reloading" by Richard Lee as my reference.
#
#The new book listed loads for a 230 grain lead bullet...but stipulated a
#maximum load of 4.0 grains of Bullseye. I soon found that the Alliant
#Powder reloading data also listed 4.0 grains Bullseye as a maximum for a
#lead bullet.
#
#What's the deal? Normally, I would defer to Alliant's or Mr. Lee's
#data, but my experience dictates that one can successfully load up to
#5.0 grains of Bullseye under a 230 grain non-FMJ bullet in .45 ACP,
#without blowing gun or shooter.
#
#Is Alliant simply playing CYA? Or, am I being capricious and foolhardy,
#having escaped injury from firing thousands of rounds of this "unsafe"
#load by sheer luck?
#
#Objekt
A; yes, B;no. If you know what to look for and you aren't seeing
pressure signs and careful examination of your firearm shows no
stress, you're okay. In my 1911, I always run a shock buffer and the
stiffest recoil spring that will cycle reliably.
OTOH a lot of people read these forums that really don't know what
they are doing and we wouldn't want them to get the idea that there is
some huge safety factor they can play with, when there isn't.
There's also a caveat in every reloading manual I ever saw that says
that max loads are only safe for the gun in which they were developed.
Bill Smith
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