Reloading .45ACP... am I missing something? It seems dirt cheap!

CanuckShooter

CanuckShooter

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I have been wanting a Norc 1911A1 Government model for a long time now, but always shied away from the idea due to the cost of the ammo (45ACP).

However.... I was just calculating it out for fun, and I was pretty shocked at how cheap it is to reload 45ACP. It comes out to $0.19/rd ($9.50/50rds) using Frontier plated bullets. If I go to Hummason's and buy cast bullets instead, it comes out to $0.13/rd ($6.50/50rds).

I calculated the cost of powder using a mid powered 5gr of Titegroup listed in my Lyman manual. Also, considering that, from what i have read and been told, 45ACP brass lasts forever due to it's very low pressure levels it seems like a good deal. This seems ridiculously cheap to me, yet I hear people that are always making 45ACP sounds like a rich man's calibre. What gives? Am I missing something?

Also... a few quick questions:

1. What bullet weight would you guys recommend between the 185gr, 200gr, 225gr, and 230gr shooting it through a Government length 1911 and why?

2. Are there any bullet SHAPES that I should stay away from (bost cast and jacketed) with a 1911 in 45ACP? Any don't don't feed well?

3. Are there any issues with using cast 45ACP bullets in a 1911?

Thanks!
 
If you have to choose one bullet for guaranteed functioning in a 1911, a 230gn Round Nose would be it.

Some stock 1911 may have feeding issues with 200gn LSWC. This can be resolved.

3: No. It's a common choice.
 
I load the 200 gr LSWC that runs like hot butter through my Norincos. 5.3 gr os Win 231 makes PF for IDPA CDP play.

I have brass that you can't read the head stamp on anymore!

When you reload and cast yuor own the cost really is in the powder and primers. Reloading commercial bullets adds some to the cost but not much. If you don't reload things can get pricey, no matter the caliber and the .45acp is no exception.

Take Care

Bob
 
The best bullet I ever used in a .45 acp was a cast 225 gr truncated cone.It was very accurate, and functioned 100 % in my .45s.
I used to get them from a guy named Jerry (I think)who ran a bullet business called Master Casters.I haven't heard of him in years though, which is too bad, since he sold a great product at a reasonable cost.
I may have to look around and see if I can find a mold, that casts something similar.
And yes reloading .45 can be cheap, as was mentioned, I have brass that has been reloaded so many times I've lost count.
Scott
 
"...45ACP brass lasts forever..." Case life is entirely dependant on the load used. Hot loads shorten case life. Cases using target loads in a .45 do last seemingly forever though.
A cast .230 grain RN or FP(the pistol needs a bit of modifying to feed them reliably though) and 4.5 grains of Bullseye works well out of my Colt.
 
Canuck44 said:
I load the 200 gr LSWC that runs like hot butter through my Norincos. 5.3 gr os Win 231 makes PF for IDPA CDP play.

I have brass that you can't read the head stamp on anymore!

When you reload and cast yuor own the cost really is in the powder and primers. Reloading commercial bullets adds some to the cost but not much. If you don't reload things can get pricey, no matter the caliber and the .45acp is no exception.

Take Care

Bob
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You can take this load to 6.1gr Win 231 with a 200 gr LSWC for a dandy pin load. Use caution as you are nearing a max load; I usually use 5.5gr for range work. Regards, Richard:)
 
the reason brass lasts forever is that you can't very well "hot" load the round- the back end isn't supported in most cases, and pressures only run to about 19000 psi, about the pressure of a 38 special- and look how long that brass lasts as well-my fav load- 200 grain lswc , 6.2 of 231,- works in both my dead stock issue remmy and my colt series 70-
 
sunray said:
"...45ACP brass lasts forever..." Case life is entirely dependant on the load used. Hot loads shorten case life. Cases using target loads in a .45 do last seemingly forever though.
A cast .230 grain RN or FP(the pistol needs a bit of modifying to feed them reliably though) and 4.5 grains of Bullseye works well out of my Colt.
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Thanks sunray. I would be sticking with light loads (as close as possible to the minimum loads listed in my Lyman book or on the Hodgdon website). I do not compete. I am just a paper puncher.

So is it safe to say that 45ACP is a much safer (much more forgiving) cartridge to load than say 40S&W? I mean since it is a MUCH lower pressure round, the case is thicker toward the head, and there is a lot of empty space in there.... is there a greatly decreased risk of kB! when compared to reloading 40S&W assuming you are using healthy brass?
 
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Case life may not quite forever. But I did notice several headstamps from the second world war in my brass when I was reloading them.

Frontier bullets did not work well in my norinco commander. The rifling seems to engage the bullet early and the cartridge would not get into battery. Same thing with the lee 230 round nose standard. The 230 with the microlube worked well. I am sure any trunicated bullet would be fine. Also the montana golds functioned well.

Before you buy a couple thousand bullets it would be nice if you could try a few to make sure they work. Good luck. Also casting for the 45 is probably the easiest round to cast for. Low pressure mean that you can use air cooled bullets. Nothing fancy and they work better than cheap plated bullets.

Best of luck
 
Case life may not quite forever. But I did notice several headstamps from the second world war in my brass when I was reloading them.

Reloading is not as cheap as your calculation. If you need to pay shipping I think cast lead will run you about 180 with the taxes and shipping. 34 per thousand is the best that I could get for primers shipped and another 25 bucks for powder. So they cost about 240 per thousand. 12 dollars a box would be a reasonable estimate. 5.50 a box if you cast your own.
btw frontier bullets did not work well in my norinco commander. The rifling engaged the bullet early so the cartridge would be out of battery. The regular 230 grain round nose lee did not work. I needed the 230 with the micro lubes for my norinco to function well. Montana golds che ching worked well as well. I am sure any trunicated bullet would function.
 
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jasonburnsdundee

"btw frontier bullets did not work well in my norinco commander. The rifling engaged the bullet early so the cartridge would be out of battery. The regular 230 grain round nose lee did not work. "

You just weren't seating the bullets deep enough if that was happening. OAL of your cartridge is very much dependent on the length and shape of your bullet.

Take Care

Bob
 
jasonburnsdundee said:
Reloading is not as cheap as your calculation. If you need to pay shipping I think cast lead will run you about 180 with the taxes and shipping. 34 per thousand is the best that I could get for primers shipped and another 25 bucks for powder. So they cost about 240 per thousand. 12 dollars a box would be a reasonable estimate. 5.50 a box if you cast your own.
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I already included taxes in all of my price calculations, and I do not need to have anything shipped to me.

The primers I get for $30/1000, cast 200gr FP bullets are $80/1000 here, and powder is $19.25 for 1lb (yielding 1400rds at 5gr per round). These prices are including taxes.
 
All the rest of us are paying $150/1000 bullets or more, that is why we complain about the loading costs.

Brass, powder and primers are cheap. If you can get the bullets at a reasonable price, it is like shooting .22 LR.
 
Canuck44 said:
"btw frontier bullets did not work well in my norinco commander. The rifling engaged the bullet early so the cartridge would be out of battery. The regular 230 grain round nose lee did not work. "

You just weren't seating the bullets deep enough if that was happening. OAL of your cartridge is very much dependent on the length and shape of your bullet.

Take Care

Bob
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Thank you, Bob!

I took my new (to me) Springfield Armory 1911A1 out to the range a few days ago and had some FTF with Frontier 200 gr. as well. They were loaded to 1.250". Worked fine in my S&W 625, of course.

After reading your comment above, I pulled the barrel of my 1911 and dropped a one of the rounds I loaded today into the chamber and darned if it didn't stick a little. On closer inspection, I saw that the rim was just a hair proud of the end of the barrel hood - not a good sign! Aside from iffy functioning, it probably raised pressures, too, with the bullet wedged lightly into the lands. I played with the seating die and found that they need to be seated to 1.220." Hopefully that will improve the situation the next time I get to the range.

:) Stuart
 
Suart your method of determining the OAL of your cartridge for a particular gun is bang on. Another way is to measure the length of a bullet. Drop it into the chamber and using a caliper measure from the base of the bullet to the top of the chamber. Add the two measurements . Back off a few thousandths of an inch and you should be good to go.

I dedvelop loads using a Chrono. One thing I found quickly was that maximum loads seldom produced the best results ie. tight Standard Diviations of velocity. While not exact the tighter you can get your velocity results the better accuracy you should be achieving. In my guns 5.3 gr of Win 231 achieved the results I was looking for so I have stuck with the load using my 200 gr LSWC. For load development a Chronograph is essential IMHO and they can be had for very little money.

Take Care and Good Luck with your reloading.

Bob

Take Care

Bob
 
BattleRife said:
All the rest of us are paying $150/1000 bullets or more, that is why we complain about the loading costs.

Brass, powder and primers are cheap. If you can get the bullets at a reasonable price, it is like shooting .22 LR.
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i'm still paying about 60 bucks/1000 for lwsc/200s with plains casting out of gull lake , sask- picked up at russels in calgary- now if you using jacketed or plated, that's a different story- with a 45, the velocities aren't there to demand a jacketed- unless you go to the 185s and then you run into function problems- sure i use a jacketed 1/8 or so to clean out the barrel, but the majority of it is cast
 
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