.45 acp bullet weight and type.

zimmineee

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Hi all, I'm just getting started in the fine pastime of reloading and plan on starting with .45 acp. Is there an advantage or disadvantage of going with 200gr or a 230gr bullet? Is the lighter bullet easier on the gun or is it irrelevant? Also, I can't seem to find any information on which style of bullet would be more accurate for target shooting? JHP vs CMJ vs FMJ vs RN vs SWC vs ???? I am looking at either the Canadianbdx or frontier bullets or whatever else is out there. Is it this confusing or is it just me? My plan is to use a lighter load for a little less recoil and a little less wear on the gun. Any help would be appreciated!!:confused:
 
What is your gun?
What is your use for the gun? (Competition [IPSC/ PPC], plinking)
Do you want to shoot Jacketed or Lead?

Are you going to get serious in competition or just playing around?

SWC is supposed to more accurate for just target shooting...

You are confusing coatings and profiles...
Profiles are RN, SWC, HP
coating are Jacketed or Plated (CMJ does not have the lead base exposed)

Wear and Tear are really misnomers... if you shoot the gun you will wear it.. If you are just target shooting you will probably need a cane before you wear the gun out... no matter what you shoot through it (assuming it's a safe load)
 
and some have no exposed lead rules or will.

I find my 1911 does not like SWC (200gr) and likes RN & JHP instead. I will be loading cast 230gr RN when I use up my supply of SWC, mind you if someone sell me cheap SWC, then I will use it also. I suggest that you try different types in your gun and see what it likes.
 
Colin said:
I find my 1911 does not like SWC (200gr)

And mine loves those and pretty much anything else I shoot in it.

The 200gr SWC are nice in IPSC 'cause you can see the hole from across the range :p . Even loaded for major, the recoil's fine.

(E) :cool:
 
Depends on the gun... Most of mine eat RN or JHP without an issue... SWC need to loaded right for but most of them will function with them...

But I have one gun that just hates any lead...
 
(((Echo))) said:
And mine loves those and pretty much anything else I shoot in it.

The 200gr SWC are nice in IPSC 'cause you can see the hole from across the range :p . Even loaded for major, the recoil's fine.

(E) :cool:

I find that I get the best accuracy from Remington JHP's, just wish I could afford to shoot them more often!
 
Generally a RN type will be a reliable feeder for an autoloader. You might have some feeding problems with the SWC or FP types. You will need to test all the different styles to see if they are accurate and reliable in your firearm.

Almost all these projectiles can be loaded with either light or heavy loads. It will all depend on what specific task you will need them to perform.

Lead type are usually more accurate but tend to be smokey depending on the powder combo you want to use. Jacketed or plated rounds usually cost a bit more than lead and don't smoke as muck as lead.

Try them all!! That's the fun part about reloading. Finding that magic voodoo combination. Light loads are great but you will have a "special" load that recoil indulgence.
 
Thanks for the replies. All my shooting so far has been at an outdoor range. I'ts strictly target shooting however I do want my loads to be as accurate as possible. My gun is a Taurus 24/7 and I also would like to pick up possibly a 1911 (not sure what brand yet) in the not so distant future. I've only shot a couple hundred rounds through the gun and enjoy it very much. The only issue is the cost of ammo so that's why i just recently purchased a reloader. I know lead cast bullets are the cheapest however I prefer to to go with plated if possible. Like I mentioned, i took a look at what is offered in this caliber in the Frontier bullets and the Montana gold bullets and i wasn't too sure if there is any advantage or disadvantage in going with one style or another? I'm sure they are pretty similar but from what I have read so far in this forum and others it seems like everyone has certain bullets and powders that they find work better than others. It probably just boils to down to trial and error and as mentioned, what works best in my gun?
 
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