New to reloading, just received all my stuff, read the lee manual/book that came with it. I am trying to see how everyone thinks this round will cycle through my shield .45. I have once fired brass small CCI primers, 230gr rn rainier plates bullets plan to use 5 grns w231 powder with OAL of 1.260.

You should be fine with the load of 5.0 W231 and the 230gr bullet.
However I would remove the barrel from the Shield and once you have your bullet seated and taper crimp applies drop in the barrel to make sure it 'plunks' in nicely and does not sit above the hood of the barrel. The Shield does not at times like certain profile bullets or lengths because the lands and grooves are tight to the chamber.

Karl

Hodgdon recommends 4.2 to 5.3, 5.0 mite be a little high for a start load but 1.260 should be fine. Make a dummy round and do a plunk test


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Sounds good, I will make up a dummy round and plunk test it. Maybe start out at 4.8 gr. Thanks very much.

Your slide will be a bit stiff at first, you can work your load down as you see fit once you break it in
Hodgdon has COL at 1.20
Karl

1.20" is the minimum the load was tested at, not a recommendation. In reality the bullet will be too deep at that length. Been there, done that.
1.250" would be a good place to start.

SAAMI specs show 45acp @ 1.190 Min to 1.275 Max

As I mentioned it may be more about what 'your' Shield allows, from my experience with my 45 Shield the COL is sensitive due to design of barrel. Set one long, see if it plunks, if not keep setting it a little deeper until it fits your barrel keeping Min and Max specs in mind, bullet profiles can also determine what does and does not work.
Karl

K.I.S.S. I used approx 1,200 plated bullets in my 45 ACPs and 9mms. I used lead data for all my loads and had no problems and got some accurate loads. I saw the "formula" of mid-jacketed level loads, but I figgered that was the mfg's warning about max velocities. I don't use them anymore as my cast bullets are accurate and don't lead my barrels and if I want a fast, SD round I'll go with jacketed.

FWIW; couple of hints. Find a load in your manuals before you buy components (I have a Lee manual, but it's the last one I look at when researching a load). Don't rely on data from anonymous screen names on forums. They are just being "helpful" but they are telling you what works in their guns using their components and their methods. Keep it safe and use data from one of your reloading manuals...

Like they say;proof of the pudding is in the shooting''or something close.
It should be fine but I tend to think like Auto,might be a tad short.
Qc

Just finished making first set of bullets, 4.9 grains w231, OAL1.256, rainier 230 grain round nose, conducted plunk test all were good, now off to range on Saturday morning to see how they shoot before I make any more. Wish me luck, these are the first bullets I ever made

I test my rounds to make sure they feed from the magazine OK. Other than that it sounds like they should work.

FWIW when talking about reloading the term "bullet" refers to the projectile. The loaded rounds are called rounds, cartridges, ammo, ammunition, etc. Generally most people will know what you are talking about but the first thing I think of when someone says making bullets, is casting lead bullets. I'm not trying to jump down your throat, or be a jerk but using the correct terminology can matter.

Good luck at the range!