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45acp powder


Wally720
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I'm new at reloading 45acp and wondering what some of your preferences are in powder between Titegroup, Bullseye, and Unique for 200gr lswc. I'm using a Missouri Bullet that looks like the Lyman 452460. Also what is your COL? I'm experimenting and haven't found a recipe that I'm really happy with yet. Shooting through a Springfield 1911 RO. 

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I use Titegroup. 

4.5 gr, 200 gr RN BBI with 1.25 OAL gives me around 850 fps.  

4.2 gr, 230 gr moly coated RN with an OAL of 1.25 gives me around 740 fps.  YMMV.

Edited by GRR
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Hello.

 

Boy I've used a TON of different powders for .45Auto.  Bullseye, Unique, 700-X, AA#5, AA#2, Red Dot, and others.

For your bullet weight and being new at reloading I would start with Bullseye for light to medium loads, and Unique if you want to push that 200-gr bullet at GI velocities.

OAL is a tough one, because many (two of mine included) Springfield 1911s have very short chamber leade dimensions.  An acceptable O.A.L. for other guns will bind the bullet shoulder or ogive into the lands of a Springfield and kill the guns operation real fast.  Fortunately the 452460 almost eliminates that possibility.  Just do a plunk test with load manual suggestions.  You'll be fine.

Be sure to watch out for small pistol primer .45Auto brass!

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Thanks for the input guys. I'm using 4.6 Titegroup and 4.5 bullseye at 1.235 COL. Pretty consistent groups and mild recoil but I'm just trying to tighten them up a bit. Probably more my old eyes than anything else. 

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I like Titegroup aa a powder for .45 acp, especially 230gr bullets. It has worked very well for me.

I have some 215gr bowling pin bullets that I reloaded that are "very" accurate with 4.5gr of Titegroup.

Edited by DWARREN123
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I like something with the burn rate of Unique. Unique is a very flexible powder and works with different bullet weights. Power Pistol is another excellent powder for the 45 Auto for full power loads.

A lyman manual should give you load data including OAL for the Lyman 452460 bullet to get you started with a similar bullet, but start low and work your way up. The Loadbooks USA manual will have the Lyman data along with data from every other major source.

One thing I've learned with using Unique in the 45 auto is that the same powder charge for jacketed bullets can't be used with cast bullets. I have a Lee 230 grain tumble lube mold and the Lee data called for a powder charge much less than what I use for 230 grain FMJ.  The most I could safely use was 5.8 grains which gives me a slightly  Plus+P load of 875-900 fps with a 240 grain bullet cast from wheelweights but with the jacketed bullet 6.5 grains will pretty much duplicate GI Ball ammo velocities.

That's a big difference and it shows the importance of working up loads gradually from a starting load and using published data.

https://www.midwayusa.com/product/1012857067/loadbooks-usa-45-acp-reloading-manual

Edited by Borg warner
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As nitesite said, faster powders for plinking loads, medium powders for GI loads, and medium-slow powders for +P loads. 

 

For plinking:

 

5.0 grains Vihtavuori N320

230 grain FMJ RN

Winchester large pistol primer

COAL = 1.260"

 

Ultraclean load, extremely consistent. 

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Lately my S&W M&P .45 has been loving Bullseye and a 230gr FMJ bullet. A lot of what goes into the choice is what your pistols prefer. My Ruger 1911 CMD has the Ed Brown match barrel installed and shoots 200-225gr cast bullets very well with fast powders like Bullseye. My Sig P220 shoots Unique most accurately under a cast bullet. 

I always set COL by the individual pistol by using the "drop test". With bullet seated, the loaded cartridge should freely drop into the chamber to the same depth as a sized but empty case will. With my Ed Brown match barrel I have to be particularly careful about this dimension or I'll get out-of-battery's using the same COL that functions fine in my other .45's.

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9 hours ago, Grenadier said:

As nitesite said, faster powders for plinking loads, medium powders for GI loads, and medium-slow powders for +P loads. 

 

For plinking:

 

5.0 grains Vihtavuori N320

230 grain FMJ RN

Winchester large pistol primer

COAL = 1.260"

 

Ultraclean load, extremely consistent. 

Vihtavuori has some nice powders, pricey but nice. I use it in .22-250 and 6BR, not so much in pistol. Its been hard to find from time to time.  

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Winchester 231 is one of the few pistol powders I can get locally without having to pay the ridiculous shipping charges that now accompany online reloading purchases.

It's considerably cheaper at my local shop than bullseye so I just use it. It's a little smokey, but it shoots well enough, and it measures well out of the powder measure I use. Good enough for me.


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

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