Help me out with a 45 ACP load.

[BlackdogGS]

I haven't reloaded in 35 years or so. I just set up my new Dillon 550 and I'm getting close. Years ago I had a friend that worked at Speer and I bought a ton of bullets from him for dirt cheap. I have 1,500 lead 45 bullets, 230 grain. I have hundreds of brass shells cleaned and ready to go. These are my bullets:

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My Speer manual is also 35 years old and so is my powder. What powder would you recommend for my first loads? I'm researching online too but would like to know what's working for you guys. Thanks

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[fxdc]

5.3grs of 231 for your lead and plated bullets.

 

[BlackdogGS]

5.3grs of 231 for your lead and plated bullets.

Excellent!

 

[Velzey]

I use 4.2 grains of Bullseye with a 230 grain bullet in .45 ACP. I worked that load up and down and landed on 4.2 being the most accurate.

 

[nammac]

5.6 grains of unique will work well with the 230 gr lead slug too...

 

[nammac]

I use 4.2 grains of Bullseye with a 230 grain bullet in .45 ACP. I worked that load up and down and landed on 4.2 being the most accurate.

Nice, I like that... Clean burning too?

 

[ditchtiger]

4 grains of Red Dot makes a good target load with lead 230gr. bullets.

 

[Certaindeaf]

I use 4.2 grains of Bullseye with a 230 grain bullet in .45 ACP. I worked that load up and down and landed on 4.2 being the most accurate.

Yea, I think Bullseye is the original powder used in the .45acp..
(way older than 35 years, lol.. but I know what you meant) 5gr I believe was the original charge.
I've mainly used Red Dot.. there's a lot of powders that work well for that round.

 

[ChiefStealth]

I use 4.2 grains of Bullseye with a 230 grain bullet in .45 ACP. I worked that load up and down and landed on 4.2 being the most accurate.

So far, 4.5gr of Bullseye has been the minimum to get my USP to operate reliably with 230gr bullets. 4.2gr of Bullseye might work well in a revolver, but in an auto is that 4.2gn load enough?

 

[Goosebrown]

I use 5gr bullseye. Light easy load.

Be careful though it isn't much powder in the case and you could double charge and not notice if you're not careful and focused

 

[USMC-03]

I've always focused on rifle reloading but when I do work with 45 ACP it's always been with Unique powder and 185 grain SWC jacketed bullets. Not much help but there it is...

 

[Pops1911]

I use 5.9 gr of Winchester WSF. The only powder I could get back when. Nice soft load and accurate with a 230gr fmj in any 1911. Have fun and always be careful out there.

 

[Velzey]

Op asked for a load for .45Acp, he didn't ask for a revolver load, semi auto load or single shot rifle load just a load.

But I gave him one of my 1911 .45acp bullseye ammunition loads. And those loads have been developed for accuracy. From the Ransom rest @ 50' I can put 8 rounds down range and have a group size of .650.
Pistols are all accurized by me, recoil springs have all been tuned so the pistol will cycle the ammunition.
Getting a pistol to function with bullseye powder is pretty easy. But you need to be able to tune your pistol. Buy yourself a set of recoil springs. Or a pistol that you can get springs for

Another longtime extreamly accurate (very low recoil) load for .45acp is 185gr semi wad cutter, with 3.5 grains of bullseye powder. Standard cci large Pistol primer.
1911 functions perfect.

 

[BlackdogGS]

Thanks, I'm writing all this down. I have a 1974 and 1979 Speer reloading manuals (ya, I probably should update) but they don't show the bullet I'm shooting.

 

[BlackdogGS]

I should have mentioned I'm shooting a 1911 and XDS 45.

 

[Goosebrown]

I shoot an XDM 45 5.25"

 

[SHPD_Retired]

Not the best powder to use, as it meters very poorly, but IMR 700X does work. For plated and cast 230 grain bullets I use 4.3 grains. Just wanted to give you another option.

 

[jrd541280]

6.0 to 6.2 of unique for my P90. With 230gr. Lead. Finally unique is back on the shelves. Btw, I would not neccisarily discard your old powders. If they have been stored properly, not foul smelling, not showing signs of rust or reddening, shoot that stuff up. If you bought those bullets thirty years ago, your powder thirty years ago, and your manual is thirty years old, i'd pick up where you left off. Just me.
Btw, if you load some of your old loads and are not sure about them, let me know, i'll try them for ya. 1 to 2 hundred should be a good test.

 

[fxdc]

Op asked for a load for .45Acp, he didn't ask for a revolver load, semi auto load or single shot rifle load just a load.

But I gave him one of my 1911 .45acp bullseye ammunition loads. And those loads have been developed for accuracy. From the Ransom rest @ 50' I can put 8 rounds down range and have a group size of .650.
Pistols are all accurized by me, recoil springs have all been tuned so the pistol will cycle the ammunition.
Getting a pistol to function with bullseye powder is pretty easy. But you need to be able to tune your pistol. Buy yourself a set of recoil springs. Or a pistol that you can get springs for

Another longtime extreamly accurate (very low recoil) load for .45acp is 185gr semi wad cutter, with 3.5 grains of bullseye powder. Standard cci large Pistol primer.
1911 functions perfect.

In that case I would ya should of said ,,,,, .65000
LOL

 

[ron]

My light target load for many years and many thousands of rounds. I have found
it to function in any 45 pistol standard recoil spring. Steel plate matches.
4 grains of Bullseye and 200 SWC.
Laser cast bullets very accurate and light recoil.