Like most handguns my Springfield Armoury 1911 .45 has a particular load it “likes”. 200 gn plated flat point at between 175 and 180 PF with Tightgroup powder. This is my competition load.

But I also have a very large supply of 230 gn LRN bullets I like to use in practice as they coat about 6 cents each less to purchase. The trouble is I cannot find a powder/weight combination that makes them as accurate at the 200 gn ones. I can’t even find a load with TG that approaches decent accuracy and the best I can do (using 231) is 4 out of 5 in the A zone at 12 meters and a flyer, usually low and out near the C/D zone line. (It is not often I get out of the A zone with my competition load, and then not by much).

It has been suggested to me that I load these down to around 160 PF for practice and that I would “not notice the difference when shooting 170+ PF loads”.

I have two issues with this suggestion. First I believe I should be practicing with the most accurate load in my gun. Second I have always believed in shooting in practice what I will shoot “seriously”, to the point that when I carried on duty and shot in competition a revolver I always loaded my ammo to +P levels.

I do have a third option for practice, casting and using a similar 200 gn lead flat point, but it has been many years since I felt the time it takes to cast up bullets is worth less than the cost of buying them.

Any thoughts?