45 cal bullet sizes

Thomasino · May 10, 2018

I have a technical question concerning 45 caliber handguns, and the size of the bullets I reload. I am wondering what the consequences are of loading the below listed sized 45 caliber bullets in either a 45 ACP handgun or a 45 Long Colt revolver. Here are the three bullets I have and I am wondering if I can load them as a 45 ACP or a 45 Long Colt?
45 cal 230g FMJ @ .452“
45 cal 250g plated FP @ .452+"
45 cal 200g plated SWC @ .451+"

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arjay · May 10, 2018

The first and third are intended for the 45 acp,but you can use any of them in either caliber.Just use current data when you load them if you can find some

colt_saa · May 10, 2018

When we are talking jacketed, plated or coated projectiles a misfit up or down a thousandth of an inch or so has no catastrophic consequences when dealing with low pressure cartridges like this.

The only issue would be if you were using lead projectiles. Then accuracy issues and leading could occur

The other possible issue is neck tension with the 45LC cartridge. Some older die sets have .454 expander plugs.

reddog81 · May 10, 2018

colt_saa said:
When we are talking jacketed, plated or coated projectiles a misfit up or down a thousandth of an inch or so has no catastrophic consequences when dealing with low pressure cartridges like this.

The only issue would be if you were using lead projectiles. Then accuracy issues and leading could occur

The other possible issue is neck tension with the 45LC cartridge. Some older die sets have .454 expander plugs.

The above quote pretty much covers it. If you get too large the rounds wont chamber. If you get too small the bullets won't stay seated.

stansdds · May 11, 2018

Back in my IPSC/USPSA competition days, in 45 ACP I tried 200 gr SWC and 230 gr RN as well as 250 gr RNFP, mostly hard cast lead, but I also tried Berry's plated 200 gr SWC.

The plated bullets were definitely the winners when it came to cleanliness during the reloading process and shooting, but were a bit expensive compared to cast lead. The 250 grain loads worked pretty well, recoil was not snappy at all, more of a push. The biggest problem I had was with chambering my reloads. I was using a Bar-Sto barrel and it was reamed to minimum chamber dimensions. Those 0.452" diameter bullets could create reloads that were a wedge fit or no fit with that chamber. Federal brass worked best as it had the thinnest case wall, but I eventually had the chamber re-cut to eliminate all of those chambering issues. It was still a very accurate barrel and from that point on, that 1911-A1 was 100% reliable.

quinn · May 11, 2018

Answer could depend on the particular handgun. S&W M25's chambered in 45 (Long) Colt have different throat sizes depending on DOM. It is my understanding that the pinned barrel revolvers (prior to about N900000) have larger throat sizes and work better with 45acp bullets while the later guns have smaller throat sizes for the more standard 45LC bullet.. something like .454 vs 452. Experimenting helps.

cowboy4evr · May 11, 2018

I cast / size all my bullets .454 . A cast bullet is supposed to be 1-2 thousandths larger than the " groove " diameter of the barrel . You want the cylinder throats to be at least the same size as the groove diameter of the barrel , or slightly larger is better . My .454 bullets push through my cylinders using finger pressure .
If you are using plated bullets , .452 is probably the best choice , maybe not the most accurate though . Regards, Paul

mike campbell · May 11, 2018

They'll potentially work in both, but ...

If you have an issue, it will probably result from bullet pull in the 45 Colt. I would reserve the 250 grain, which may have a faint cannelure to help with roll crimping, for the 45 Colt.

I've dickered with plated bullets in revolvers for a couple of years now. When they're gone I'll never buy more. A revolver cartridge is happiest with a bullet having a real crimping groove.

stansdds · May 12, 2018

I must agree with Mike Campbell on plated bullets in revolver loads. I tried them in 357 Magnum, could not totally eliminate bullets pulling from the cases with either a taper crimp (recommended for plated bullets because it is less likely to cause the case mouth to puncture the plating) or a roll crimp that was light enough to not puncture the plating. Plated bullets worked great for me in semi-auto pistols.

With the advent of powder coated cast lead, which I have not yet tried, the issue of plated vs cast lead may become a thing of the past.

45 cal bullet sizes

Thomasino

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arjay

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colt_saa

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reddog81

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stansdds

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quinn

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cowboy4evr

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mike campbell

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stansdds

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