Loading the 45 acp

Unique, Red Dot, Blue Dot, Green Dot all meter about the same, horrible...at least in a Redding BR30, or RCBS uniflow.

Nasty, you need to treat yourself to a pound of AA#5, and I also shoot it in the 40 S&W also with wonderful accuracy....CLEAN!!

Bullseye and 231 are extremely accurate in a 45, but they are like shooting dirt in your pistol they burn so dirty.

AA#2 has the burning rate of Bullseye, or very, very close to it, also clean burning.
 
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I'm old school, Bullseye, Federal 150, and the Lyman 452460 out of my two Gold Cups, S&W 625, S&W Shield 45. Never could get the H&G 68 to out shoot the 452460 out of any of them. H&G 68 also jams up the Gold Cups occasionally and always hangs up the Shield. 231 is a close runner-up to the Bullseye.
 
I use Hodgdon Universal, which meters fairly well in my progressive, and 185 gr. Berry's RNHB plated bullets for plinking ammo. I also load new Starline brass, 200 gr. XTPs, and Hodgdons Longshot, for SD loads.

I have been loading some pistol cartridges with Titegroup, and Power Pistol, and both meter well, and are clean burning...I just haven't moved to those powders in my 45 ACP ammo. I have several 8 lb. jugs of Hodgdon Universal to go through, before I make that change. Between my 45 ACP loading, and my 28 ga. loading, I will use it up someday.
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Originally Posted By: BloodhoundI am a Win 321 guy too when it come to loading 45 ACP

Typo?
 
Guess I'm the odd ball since I use titegroup in just about everything. But I dont crono or check for accuracy. I'm just looking to get the most rounds per pound and I load pretty light.
 
Originally Posted By: GCOriginally Posted By: BloodhoundI am a Win 321 guy too when it come to loading 45 ACP

Typo?

I'm sure he means 231. I use HP-38, which is the same stuff. My 8# box (yes, box) cost me $50 at a gun show in early 2008. I don't think Hodgdon hasn't shipped in a cardboard box since the 1970s. The HP-38 kept me shooting throughout the Obama induced ammo shortages.
 
It's fairly difficult to find a "bad" load for the 45ACP but there are some that shoot better than others in various firearms. I've shot several different powders with different bullet types in 0.451 & 0.452 diameter. What I've found most accurate in my 1911's is 4.2 grains of VV N310 using the Zero 185 grain jacketed bullet. For hunting/sporting loads I like the 230 grain gold dot using VV N350 powder.

When talking "most accurate" some, like me, are referring to a nat's arse difference in group size but the shot powder cleanliness is something else - the difference in carbon between bullseye, WW231 and VV N310 is significant to some, like me, even through the group size might be about the same. Of the three powders, Vihtavuori is the cleanest burning but most expensive.
 


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