.45 acp Recipe

[TowsonTiger22]

Just ordered my press and dies, and looking for a good load to start at.

I'm going to be using W231, and some sort of TMJ bullets, due to the local range restrictions.

This will be my first .45, so I'm looking for a not super hot load.

[rg1]

For 230grain bullets a good load of Win 231 would be about 5.5 grains. Winchester says 5.7 grains of Win231 with their 230fmj bullet is maximum and it shoots fine in my .45's but 231 is not the powder for highest velocities. You could start at 5.3 and work up to 5.7 and see what your gun or you prefer.

[TowsonTiger22]

Is there a brand of TMJ bullets that sell in bulk? I had brass coming from a few different locations, so bullets are the costly part.

[Edward429451]

5.5 gr of WW-231 is a very good load with 230 gr FMJ or LRN.

[rn22723]

you are probably looking at a plated bullet from rainer or berrys or Speers TMJ, or an encapsulated bullet from Hornady.

[RNG]

5.1-5.3 gr W231 with Rainer Plated .45's is a good plinking load.

[Unclenick]

The original military .45 ACP load was 5.0 grains of Bullseye under a 230 grain FMJ bullet, which still works fine. 231 meters more easily than Bullseye, but most people find it a bit sootier. It takes about 5.1 grains of 231 to match the pressure of the Bullseye load, but because the energy density of 231 is about 15% lower than Bullseye (about 4350 J/gm verses 5150 J/gm), it produces about 10% less velocity in a 5" barrel. That and the fact Bullseye burns reasonably cleanly at hardball pressure has caused me to favor it over 231, despite not metering quite so smoothly.

The last hardball I bought was the Hornady #45187 230 grain ENC bullet. I got it from MidSouth in a 1500 bullet bulk pack. FMJ is expensive and not allowed at some indoor ranges, though. The plated bullets my serve you better in that regard. Also, if you are shooting bullseye competition rather than one of the "practical" disciplines, you may want to use something more like a 200 grain plated SWC bullet shape over about 4.2 grains of Bullseye or 4.3 grains of 231. Those loads are for a gun with standard springs. If you have a wadcutter gun, you might get down closer to 3.8 and 3.9 grains, respectively. I've seen guns tuned all the way down to 3.2 grains of Bullseye, but I can't say I feel they shoot as accurately as 3.8 grains and up. OK for 50 ft, but at 50 yds they just don't seem to hang in there. Also, the guns get sooty shooting those super light loads. They just can't burn the carbon off with too little temperature and pressure.

[WESHOOT2]

230g Rainier TCJ-RN;
CCI30 (can substitute WLP);
5.0g W231; maximum 5.5g (maximum because driving this bullet harder offers no improvements);
OAL 1.260"+.005"/-.010";
suggest finishing using the LEE Carbide Factory Die, mouth at .470"+.001/-.001".

[ForneyRider]

I have Lee auto disk. I have loaded 45 using 4.6, 5.3, and 5.7gr of W231 powder because of the limitations of the disk system.

This is with 230gr FMJ, and WLP primers.

I did some 7gr of Power Pistol for factory type load.

[freakshow10mm]

Ditch that 231 and get HS6. Cleaner and better performance.

[Walkalong]

Ditch them both and get some WSF for clean at .45 pressures. W-231 is hard to beat in the .45 for a good all around powder though.

[freakshow10mm]

HS6 and WSF are just as clean as the other. 231 is like driving a Model T.

[Walkalong]

I have not had good luck with HS6 at .45 pressures. AA #2, AA #5, WST, WSF, N310, & N320 have all done better, for me, with the plated bullets I'm shooting.

[freakshow10mm]

Try 9.5gr with a 200gr XTP. Or 7gr with a 230gr LTC or LRN.