.45ACP ideal velocity?

Skinny 1950

Skinny 1950

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I have two 1911's.... one is old (1917) and the other is new, I load a mild round for the old timer to save wear and tear and these clock at just under 700FPS and are fairly accurate. I have been doing some research on .45ACP and the velocities for the various factory ammo's range from about 750FPS to 1400FPS.
For my modern gun I am wondering what a reasonable velocity would be for a 230 grain round nose hard cast bullet,something that would be about the same as ordinary off the shelf factory ammo.
Any ideas appreciated.
 
I have never heard of a 230 doing 1400 fps..... I was always around 800 fps, but it was a case of finding a good balance between accuracy and having the energy to cycle the action. Brass and the gun last longer if you don't load the piss out of them. I had some Fiocci factory about 8 years ago with 230 RN bullets that was 1050 fps, and those were HOT loads. I bought a case of it for the brass. Those rounds barked!
 
The standard 230gr ball load was around 850-900fps. Shooting cast I would aim for 800-850fps, no more. I shoot a lot of light 200gr SWC loads out of my 1911, running around 800fps. It cycles 100% and shoots straight, can't really ask for more than that.


Mark
 
Thanks for the information, I will try the 800-850FPS and see how it works, I will try loading some of the 200 grain SWC again and see if I can get them to feed...didn't have much luck with them last time.
 
Skinny 1950 said:
Thanks for the information, I will try the 800-850FPS and see how it works, I will try loading some of the 200 grain SWC again and see if I can get them to feed...didn't have much luck with them last time.
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It took some tinkering to get mine working with the 200gr SWC, I ended up as long as I could get them and not expose a lube groove above the case, about 1.200" with the bullets I am using. I also tried the H&G #68 bullet and they are a complete failure to date. I will try tinkering with them once winter sets in and see if I can get them to work as well.


Mark
 
coal can be critical with this cartridge/gun combination.try a deeper bullet seating before you give up on the H&G 68,its very accurate in my gun.I have just a bit of the bearing surface of the bullet showing above the case on my handloads.
 
barsik said:
coal can be critical with this cartridge/gun combination.try a deeper bullet seating before you give up on the H&G 68,its very accurate in my gun.I have just a bit of the bearing surface of the bullet showing above the case on my handloads.
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I loaded them at 1.250", as that was recommended to me as a starting point. This gave me 3 point jams probably 20-25% of the time, absolutely brutal. I never had time to tinker late in the fall, so I gave up for the moment. When I get time later in winter I will try loading them shorter and see if that sorts it out or not.


Mark
 
I use 5.3gr of HP38 on a 230gr LRN bullet that is roughly 12-13 BHN. I find this a nice load for range day with very little to no leading. I use a Berry's 200gr RNFP with 5.1grs of HP38 and OAL 1.20. Both these loads give me about 730-750FPS across the chrony. If you are looking to drive lead .45's over 1000fps I would recomend reading "From Ingot to Target: A Cast Bullet Guide for Handgunners" Link below....the book is free for the reading....donations accepted.

http://www.lasc.us/Fryxell_Book_Chapter_3_alloySelectionMetallurgy.htm

The H&G68 is one of the most accurate bullets you will get. I have the mold. But even with a polished feed it can be finicky and you will find every gun, from my experience, except for the Para, has to find it's own sweet spot on the OAL.....I find my PARA eats anything.

Cheers

Rod
 
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My usual SIG P220 load is 230 gr AIM FMJ over 4.8 gr 700X, producing 809 fps.

Hotter loads for 225 gr LFP include 6.5 gr Universal producing 974 fps, and 5.6 gr Unique producing 950 fps, but those aren't really comfortable.
 
mmattockx said:
I loaded them at 1.250", as that was recommended to me as a starting point. This gave me 3 point jams probably 20-25% of the time, absolutely brutal. I never had time to tinker late in the fall, so I gave up for the moment. When I get time later in winter I will try loading them shorter and see if that sorts it out or not.


Mark
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If you're getting 3-point jams your loads are probably too long for your gun. Keep in mind that a 230 gr. round nose and a 200 gr. H&G SWC loaded to exactly the same oal will not strike the feed ramp in the same place during the feeding cycle. The H&G will strike earlier and lower because of the corners on the nose. The will cause the break-over angle to much steeper and at a certain point, will just jam the gun.

Back when dinosaurs still walked the Earth and IPSC was young in Canada, most guys shot .45's with H&G's and they pretty much all worked beautifully. It should just be a minor load tuning issue for you. At the correct length for your gun, the load should hand cycle smoothly. You can load some dummy's (no powder or primer) at shorter lengths to test until you hit the sweet spot. I'm guessing it'll be around 1.230"

To the op: if you're loading a 230 grain bullet go with about 780 fps. For a 200 grain bullet go with around 850 fps. and chrono to taste. Both of these loads give roughly the same power factor. Depending on what you are using the gun for, you might like these two combinations best with a 14 lb recoil spring.
 
Many of the factory loads that I have chronied out of a 1911 have actually come in under 800 fps even though they are often advertised at 830-875 fps or so. That being said, I have also found the sub 800 fps loads tend to be the more accurate ones. My handloads sit right around 850 fps with plated 230 grainers and shoot just fine and the brass life remains excellent.

Your mileage may vary.
 
the higher velocity is probably from people who take stronger cases, ie .308 cases and reform them to .45 auto. The 1911 exposes a bit of the case above the feed ramp and this is apparently the weak point of the entire gun if you are trying to push higher pressures. so with a brass case capable of holding back extra pressure in that weak spot pressures can be increased. The only time I've ever heard of the 1400-1600 fps range out of a 1911 was when I was reading over a write-up of the basics of doing this in a 1911. Keep in mind this is just based on internet reading, I've never done this, and I likely never will... ( Although I would like to see a block of ballistics gel shot with one of those contrasted to a regular .45 tip at 1/2 the velocity )...
 
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