Shooting the 150 grain SWC in 45 acp

1911Sig · December 10, 2014, 10:21 PM

Resurrecting the 150 grain SWC for 45 ACP
I shoot several different 45 acp pistols. This is not meant to be a debate over the best round, just a conversation on experience with the lighter bullets for the 45. My SAR K2 45 and Springfield XDM dont like the 150 grain SWC but my Sig 1911, Witness Match (CZ clone), H&K P9S in 45 acp, and Witness Hunter shoot the 150 grain very well. I use W231 at 5.5 grains and all of the guns cycle just fine. Accuracy is really good. Felt recoil is less than the 9 mm with 115 grain fmj. While this round is a target round for me, I have shot it at a steel culvert at my farm and at ten yards it punches a nice hole through that steel. I have retrieved the rounds and the bullet looks like a mushroom but it stays together. I have not chronigrafted the rounds but I suspect they are pretty fast. I do shoot 230 fmj through these pistols and like that bullet but those 150 grainers are just so much fun to shoot. I am not a competition shooter but I do punch paper and I shoot many small sticks and pinecones at the farm. I love that light round. Any shooters using the light rounds today besides me? What are your thoughts?

Jim Watson · December 11, 2014, 01:09 AM

If you like them and they feed through your gun, that's great.

I tried them back when you could attempt to keep up with the early IPSC .38 Supers with trick .45 loads.

Slopemeno · December 11, 2014, 02:32 AM

A group of shooters on my league went with them for the same reasons- they do make a comp gun work. Loud at 180 PF.

Hunter Customs · December 11, 2014, 08:06 AM

I know several steel shooters were using them for both types of steel matches.
I still have some 155 gr SWC bullets I was playing with, however I never really used them in a match.

Best Regards
Bob Hunter
www.huntercustoms.com

1911Sig · December 11, 2014, 11:02 AM

I had purchased those 150 SWC bullets back in the early 1990's and bought many thousands to shoot and sell. Got away from it for many years until two years ago. Now I am back to reloading and find those bullets are so easy on the gun and hand. They are really accurate and my thirty-six year old son only wants to shoot those bullets in his 1911. I have shot several rattlesnakes and cottonmouth moccasins that got too close to our farm house with those light bullets and they cut a pretty big hole right behind the head. shots are usually five to ten yards away with no second shots required. Very lethal. If you ever wanted to shoot small objects like marbles at five to ten yards those bullets are the trick (I don't shoot marbles but small pieces of wood). I have two hundred acres of woodland nestled between two timber company lands that I own and I am eight miles from town. So shooting safely with various scenarios is easy to accomplish. I know our practices wouldn't work on a gun range but we sure have fun there.

P71pilot · December 11, 2014, 11:16 AM

I wonder how much velocity you could get out of a 150-160gr bullet at a standard or +p load? I bet if you cast em out of a hard alloy and ran them at about 1300fps they could be a decent meat penetrator

1911Sig · December 11, 2014, 01:37 PM

My 150 grain are hard cast and I think penetration would be more than adequate for whitetail on down. I load 200 grain SWC for hunting but haven't shot anything with them yet. I use the same amount and type of powder as the 150's. The recoil is more noticeable but certainly not bad. The 150 grain hits hard and stays together but I don't have much experience with it except for nonliving targets for which it is excellent. Most of my shooting is 25 yards and less and sometimes out to fifty and beyond. It is hard to believe you are shooting a 45 acp with those loads.

chris in va · December 30, 2014, 03:14 AM

I wish my 97b would shoot the Lee 160 RF reliably. It's such a stubby freak bullet and I can't seem to balance OAL with proper chambering. Lots of fun when they do work!

darkgael · December 30, 2014, 07:58 AM

I tried them years ago...in a couple of different nose configurations....they just would not work in my 1911.
On the other hand, 165 grain full wadcutters are the most accurate bullet out of my .45 Colt Vaquero.
The lightest bullet that works well for me in the 1911 is a 168 LSWC that I swage from 158 grain .358s, adding a copper base.

December 10, 2014, 10:21 PM	#1
1911Sig Junior Member Join Date: December 9, 2014 Posts: 9	Shooting the 150 grain SWC in 45 acp Resurrecting the 150 grain SWC for 45 ACP I shoot several different 45 acp pistols. This is not meant to be a debate over the best round, just a conversation on experience with the lighter bullets for the 45. My SAR K2 45 and Springfield XDM dont like the 150 grain SWC but my Sig 1911, Witness Match (CZ clone), H&K P9S in 45 acp, and Witness Hunter shoot the 150 grain very well. I use W231 at 5.5 grains and all of the guns cycle just fine. Accuracy is really good. Felt recoil is less than the 9 mm with 115 grain fmj. While this round is a target round for me, I have shot it at a steel culvert at my farm and at ten yards it punches a nice hole through that steel. I have retrieved the rounds and the bullet looks like a mushroom but it stays together. I have not chronigrafted the rounds but I suspect they are pretty fast. I do shoot 230 fmj through these pistols and like that bullet but those 150 grainers are just so much fun to shoot. I am not a competition shooter but I do punch paper and I shoot many small sticks and pinecones at the farm. I love that light round. Any shooters using the light rounds today besides me? What are your thoughts?

December 11, 2014, 11:02 AM	#5
1911Sig Junior Member Join Date: December 9, 2014 Posts: 9	Thanks fellows for your reply. I had purchased those 150 SWC bullets back in the early 1990's and bought many thousands to shoot and sell. Got away from it for many years until two years ago. Now I am back to reloading and find those bullets are so easy on the gun and hand. They are really accurate and my thirty-six year old son only wants to shoot those bullets in his 1911. I have shot several rattlesnakes and cottonmouth moccasins that got too close to our farm house with those light bullets and they cut a pretty big hole right behind the head. shots are usually five to ten yards away with no second shots required. Very lethal. If you ever wanted to shoot small objects like marbles at five to ten yards those bullets are the trick (I don't shoot marbles but small pieces of wood). I have two hundred acres of woodland nestled between two timber company lands that I own and I am eight miles from town. So shooting safely with various scenarios is easy to accomplish. I know our practices wouldn't work on a gun range but we sure have fun there.

December 11, 2014, 01:37 PM	#7
1911Sig Junior Member Join Date: December 9, 2014 Posts: 9	P71Pilot My 150 grain are hard cast and I think penetration would be more than adequate for whitetail on down. I load 200 grain SWC for hunting but haven't shot anything with them yet. I use the same amount and type of powder as the 150's. The recoil is more noticeable but certainly not bad. The 150 grain hits hard and stays together but I don't have much experience with it except for nonliving targets for which it is excellent. Most of my shooting is 25 yards and less and sometimes out to fifty and beyond. It is hard to believe you are shooting a 45 acp with those loads.

December 30, 2014, 07:58 AM	#9
darkgael Senior Member Join Date: February 9, 2006 Location: Homes in Brooklyn, NY and in Pennsylvania. Posts: 5,473	150s I tried them years ago...in a couple of different nose configurations....they just would not work in my 1911. On the other hand, 165 grain full wadcutters are the most accurate bullet out of my .45 Colt Vaquero. The lightest bullet that works well for me in the 1911 is a 168 LSWC that I swage from 158 grain .358s, adding a copper base. __________________ “Auto racing, bull fighting, and mountain climbing are the only real sports ... all others are games.” Ernest Hemingway ... NRA Life Member

December 11, 2014, 01:09 AM	#2
Jim Watson Senior Member Join Date: October 25, 2001 Location: Alabama Posts: 18,537	If you like them and they feed through your gun, that's great. I tried them back when you could attempt to keep up with the early IPSC .38 Supers with trick .45 loads.

December 11, 2014, 02:32 AM	#3
Slopemeno Senior Member Join Date: January 19, 2007 Posts: 2,663	A group of shooters on my league went with them for the same reasons- they do make a comp gun work. Loud at 180 PF.

December 11, 2014, 08:06 AM	#4
Hunter Customs Senior Member Join Date: March 26, 2005 Location: Osborn, Missouri Posts: 2,697	I know several steel shooters were using them for both types of steel matches. I still have some 155 gr SWC bullets I was playing with, however I never really used them in a match. Best Regards Bob Hunter www.huntercustoms.com

December 11, 2014, 11:16 AM	#6
P71pilot Senior Member Join Date: November 23, 2014 Location: Cincinnati Posts: 728	I wonder how much velocity you could get out of a 150-160gr bullet at a standard or +p load? I bet if you cast em out of a hard alloy and ran them at about 1300fps they could be a decent meat penetrator

December 30, 2014, 03:14 AM	#8
chris in va Senior Member Join Date: December 26, 2004 Location: Louisville KY Posts: 13,806	I wish my 97b would shoot the Lee 160 RF reliably. It's such a stubby freak bullet and I can't seem to balance OAL with proper chambering. Lots of fun when they do work!