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Ideas for cost efficient .45 ACP. These would be for future use as practice ammo for my Sig P220. I have gotten great accuracy from the p220 and 230 grain loads. I have been using Berry's plated bullets.
 
Efficient as in cost efficient?

I started handloading with 45acp.

I started out loading what I could buy in stores, which was ball 230 FMJs. It wasn't the most cost affective.

At the end I was loading 200 grain lead semi wad cutters from xtreme bullets in front of titegroup. Same charge as my 9mm too which till this day I find odd.

Nowadays with polymer coated bullets out there I recommend blue bullets, acme bullets, or eggleston bullets over anything copper coated. That or just lead bullets.
 
230gr Xtreme box of 500 or 1000. Wait for the free shipping days.

2.8grs of TiteWad (not TiteGroup) Hogdon has data on this powder puff load. And cans of TiteWad can be found for very low $. I bought a 1lb can one time for $12 because my LGS had not been able to sell it.

Requires a lighter recoil spring because it's pretty low fps, even for .45ACP. Something like 760fps, but I forget. Be sure to stand close to the target, you get some fair amount of drop at 25yds. It's pretty funny when a load won't even break a 2x4!!
 
Ideas for cost efficient .45 ACP. These would be for future use as practice ammo for my Sig P220. I have gotten great accuracy from the p220 and 230 grain loads. I have been using Berry's plated bullets.
Bullets is normally the one place to look. Shipping lead is of course costly. When I could find them locally I could save a little. Have always just used Swagged lead when had to buy them. As with most things to save more buy more. All depends on how much you want to lay in at one time. You can save on powder buy buying larger quantity but that is such a small part of it. If you want to cast you can save more. I did for a while then gave it up. It's of course a lot of work to save but it can save.
 
For powder, go bullseye. For Bullets, there's a myriad of ways to go. For sure buy in bulk. Lead is generally the cheapest route with plated Bullets not too far behind. Sometimes you can get good deals on pulled Bullets as well.
 
230gr Xtreme box of 500 or 1000. Wait for the free shipping days.

2.8grs of TiteWad (not TiteGroup) Hogdon has data on this powder puff load. And cans of TiteWad can be found for very low $. I bought a 1lb can one time for $12 because my LGS had not been able to sell it.

Requires a lighter recoil spring because it's pretty low fps, even for .45ACP. Something like 760fps, but I forget. Be sure to stand close to the target, you get some fair amount of drop at 25yds. It's pretty funny when a load won't even break a 2x4!!

Okay, velocity is 684fps with 2.8gr of Titewad and 230gr bullet. With 3.3grs it goes up to 767fps.
Set your sights on pistol reloading data | Hodgdon Reloading

IDPA power factor required for CDP (Custom Defense Pistol) = 165kgr-fps
USPSA Major power factor is also 165

230gr bullets cost more, but I started out shooting 230 to make power factor. If I wanna save $$, I shoot 9mm. ;)

:D
 
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200 gr lswc over 5.6 gr Unique and WLPP, accurate practice round while keeping the cost down. Watch the reloading classified, I've picked up a bunch of lead rounds there, as well as my old stock from when I lived back east. Way back then, 500 200gr lswc cost a whopping $15.00 through the Ft. Benning Rifle and Pistol Club...
 
2000/2001... Tried looking up the company that was supplying them, but sadly they don't seem to be in business any longer. Nice high quality, hard cast bullets.

I used to use Grier hard cast bullets for my .38Spec, they were made a block down from where I lived at the time. Then Lasercast "The Silver Bullet" alloy bullets came out of the ashes of Grier and I used their bullets in my USPSA Limited Para Ordnance P14.45 for many years. Was disappointed when I found out they (in 9mm) were leading up my polygonal barrel in my G19... I wasn't expecting that... it took a lot of work to get the crud out!!!
 

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