Looking for a 45acp target load

iamcanadianeh

iamcanadianeh

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I've got a STI Targetmaster 6" 1911 I'm looking to take for a spin with some light target reloads and I'm looking for some load data suggestions using the reloading stuff I have on hand:

230gr RN
200gr round shoulder
Titegroup
HS-6

Suggestions?
 
200gr SWC 4.0 grs Titegroup
4.2grs Bullseye
230gr RN 3.5grs Titegroup
3.5grs Bullseye
Very pleasant loads to shoot, VERY accurate, may require a lighter spring to function reliably.
 
I have good results with HS-6 at 8.1 and 8.2gr, but like longshot much better @ 6.5gr, straight and accurate up to 25 meters(max at my indoor range). 230gr FMJ Campro bullet. SR1911 and G41 Gen4.


iamcanadianeh said:
I've got a STI Targetmaster 6" 1911 I'm looking to take for a spin with some light target reloads and I'm looking for some load data suggestions using the reloading stuff I have on hand:

230gr RN
200gr round shoulder
Titegroup
HS-6

Suggestions?
Click to expand...
 
I have a lot of different 45s. I make my accurate ammo with Titegroup.

4.3gr under the 200SWC and also under the 225gr lead FP are the two loads I make. Most pistols have a label on them showing they shoot best with one of those two loads.

The 4.3/200SWC is the most popular load.
 
Used 4.0 gr of Bullseye with 200 gr cast Lyman 452630 for years in bullseye matches. It is slow, 700 fps, but accurate. Pistol was a Clark wad gun.
 
Ok, I tried out my first reloads with the stuff I have on hand. 3.9gr Titegroup and the 230gr RN. I had 4 failures combined, all fairly early on, out of the 40 rounds out of both my Targetmaster and Desert Warrior all due to not having enough umph (I half expected this to happen). I couldn't find my callipers for OAL, so I used my scientifically unproven method of "eyeballing" a reload beside a factory 230gr RN. My crimp was barely noticeable (does that make much of a difference?)

I got some mixed 5 shot group results, generally I'd have a some closely grouped shots mixed in with a flier every 3rd-4th round or so:
Targetmaster 25 yards about 3-4" group
Targetmaster 50 yards about 5-6" group
Kimber 25 yards approx 5" group

Overall the factory AE stuff worked better, as I expected for a first run when I pretty much ballparked all my specs.



My next move is to dig around the gun room while swearing frequently until I find my calipers. Step two, bump up my loads to 4.0-4.1 of Titegroup and see how low I can go till I get reliability and accuracy.
 
just back from the range with STI TM... 200gr LSWC 4.3gr Tirtgroup 12# spring. Very pleasant (3.8gr won't cycle)
 
I load 5.2 grains of Titegroup and 200 grain plated bullets, which shoots good for me and comfortablymakes major for IPSC. I could try some lighter loads for plinking, but these work good for me.
Kristian
 
Try some cast lead as well. A few of my guns group around a half inch tighter when shooting cast vs jacketed. You'll want to play with the loads a little since tighter groups with cast rounds relies to some extent on having enough of a POP to obturate the bullets out for a nice fit in the grooves.

Sorry I can't help out with any special cast bullet load data. I just know that the couple of times I've loaded up some cast that it shot noticeabley tighter groups with the cast vs jacketed. And as with any of this you'll want to try out some various powder amounts to find the one that works for YOUR gun. It's all related to matching the bullet velocity to the twist rate and in the case of cast bullets to using the one that forces the bullet to expand out for a superior fit to the rifling.

With the rimless handgun calibers you want to crimp in only enough to remove the flare. The rounds headspace off the case mouth so you want to leave them out where they'll rest solidly on the rim of the chamber. So the best crimp for these is either no crimp, but no flare, or at most a slight inward crimp that is all but unnoticeable. Most cast bullets come with a cannelure groove. But you don't want to do more than to crimp the case mouth into this groove by the slightest amount. If you can't run a finger nail over the lip of the casing and have it catch solidly then you went too far with the crimp or the bullet is quite oversize. Either way you want to do a "plunk test" at that point to see if the round chambers correctly and that the lip of the case is still able to seat solidly on the chamber lip. The cheap person's way of doing a plunk test is to field strip the gun and use the barrel itself. The rounds should fall in loosely and stop on the lip with a solid feel and sound. And when tipped up they should fall out loosely into your palm with no hesitation that suggests that the crimped lip of the casing was wedges into the chamber rim.

Folks that are flush or fairly OCD get an ammo gauge to use so they don't need to take the gun apart for this plunk test. And REALLY flush or overly OCD folks will even have a smith do a chamber casting and have a matching ammo gauge made up that is an exact match for their pride and joy guns. Or someone like me will use their own machine shop to do the same thing.... when I finally get that shipment of "round tuits".... :d
 
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