185 vs 200 LSWC target velocities

SW CQB 45 · Sep 9, 2011

For those who shoot LSWC in 45acp for paper punching and best accuracy out a 1911...

Is one slug more preferred?

Which do you prefer and your load data please?

I have been a long time shooter with 200 LSWC and my current load of 3.6 of VV N310 mixed brass @ 1.25" is serving me well. My shooting season will end next month and plan to experiment with WST and B/E with 200...

However if 185 will provide a little better group potential than 200...I definitely will try them this winter.

Or....does not matter in the accuracy dept, however 185 is cheaper to buy than 200?

I still have 1500 in 200lead....so your receipes with WST or VV n310 plz?

TIA

trulyapostolic · Sep 10, 2011

Your gun will determine which bullet it prefers. But, I've experimented with cast and swaged 185 and 200 grain bullets. I've also used those 4 bullets and tested WST, N310 and Bullseye. WST and N310 gave me MASSIVE extreme spread numbers and high SD's. Bullseye has been the most consistent and accurate powder I've used through several guns. I currently shoot swaged Zero or Magnus 185 SWCHP bullets and found no accuracy difference between those and the swaged 200 SWC. I did notice, overall, that swaged bullets shot much better than cast out of my Ransom Rest but there's many suppliers of cast bullets that I hadn't tried (I only bought them locally). Using the 185 gr. bullet I'm loading 4.1 gr. of Bullseye, 200 gr. bullets need 3.9 gr. of Bullseye. Both powder charges run around 775 fps. average. My gun is a custom Caspian 5" with slide-mounted Aimpoint using a 14# spring.

fredj338 · Sep 10, 2011

I think all guns are diff & there are so many diff styles of LSWC, there really is no best. I love WST in my 45acp, target or full power, lead, plated or jacketed. With 4.3gr under a 200grLSWC, it will cut 1" all day @ 50ft offhand, under 2" @ 50ft in my best non match 1911, makes about 750fps. Push it up to 4.8gr, it makes 850fps or major for IDPA & accuracy is still pretty close to that.

SW CQB 45 · Sep 10, 2011

This is exactly the data I am looking for.

Thanks and keep em coming.

For those who have a kart barreled 5"...your gun's likes.

I also ordered (via LEO letterhead).....a production range officer (springfield) with some minor tweaks for next year. 6-8 month wait....ouch!

I have 1000 Penn 200's to try when my Meister slugs run out. I am going to order some Zero 185s for testing this winter.

Take care

boatbum101 · Sep 10, 2011

For target work you'll find swaged superior to cast . Tons of Ransom testing have verified this . For 45acp I like the Zero 200 SWC or 185 SWCHP . Forget the PD bullets as you never know what you're getting . As a matter of fact I'm still shooting up what's left of a 30K order from them that are undersized . They group good @ 25yds , but aren't worth a damn @ 50yds . With the Zero 200 I like 3.6 VVN310 or 3.8 BE . If your gun is extremely tight ( think Les Baer ) you'll have to bump up to 3.7-3.8 VVN310 or 4.0 BE for reliable functioning . Personally I've found that fitting a slide that tight creates more problems than it solves . Of course this assumes that barrel lockup is hard fit . With the 185's I like 4.2 - 4.3 WST or 3.9 BE . Frankly I've not chronoed these as they group / score as desired .IMHO ES & SD don't mean squat . There's only one qualifier for an accurate 50yd load & that's consistent group size period . I also believe you'll find BE loads more consistent in colder weather than either VVN310 or WST . Probably because of BE's nitro content . With a 200 cast ( like the Penn ) try 4.2 BE & I'd guess 4.0 VVN310 . BTW Kart barrels in all my 1911's for lead bullets . If you're shooting jacketed KKM , Barsto or IMI will last longer than Kart . If you're a " hard holder " then these loads will work just fine . If you're not you might want stouter / faster loads . Hope this helps .
Andy

ChuckS1 · Sep 10, 2011

Here's a link that has a number of proven target loads for the .45 ACP.

Bullseye-L Reloading Data

185 vs 200 LSWC target velocities

SW CQB 45

Member

trulyapostolic

Member

fredj338

Member

SW CQB 45

Member

boatbum101

Member

ChuckS1

US Veteran

Similar threads

Latest posts