1911 Bullseye Load Recommendations

[Jebus35745]

I load only lead 200 gr round nose or semi wadcutters using 231. Want a light load for soft shooting (minimum recoil). Need to change the recoil spring to match the load also. If you give me a recommendation, let me know what pound spring you use.

Right now I use 5.1 of 231 in the 1911 and it recoils too much but cycles the slide. It’s manageable but would like to reduce it some. Not sure what pound recoil the gun has now. I know bullseye shooters use lighter loads.

In the 625 & pre 26 I use 4.0 gr of 231. Thanks, Larry

 

[scattershot]

Most accurate load Ihave shot to date is the 200 grain. Swc with 4.2 Bullseye, followed closely by 4.0 grains of Red Dot.Standard spring with these. Good luck in your search.

 

[cattlelackranch]

4.2 WST shoots soft and accurate

 

[rockquarry]

I use what may still be a popular bullseye load; 200 gr. SWC (H&G #68 or copy) and 3.5 gr. Bullseye powder. Muzzle velocity is about 675 fps. Some may reduce that load but I wouldn't. Very accurate in 1911s.

I don't change springs as this load functions and cycles fine with the regular 16 lb. recoil spring; you could use a lighter spring if you wish. I just haven't found it necessary.

 

[Alstep]

H&G 68 copy & 4.0 Bullseye. Nice moderate load that's easy on you and your gun. Accurate and reliable in all of my 1911's. No need to modify your gun.

 

[stansdds]

The standard rate recoil spring in the M1911 Government model is 16 pounds, which is fine for most loads. That being said, for light loads, you will likely need to drop down to a 14 pound spring.

 

[Forrest r]

I use the wolff variable power spring 42416 in the 1911 45acp .

Using a h&g #68 clone and ladder testing bullseye. loaded up 10 rounds of 3.6gr/3.7gr/3.8gr/3.9gr/4,0gr. Tested 10-shot groups @ 50 ft using a nm 1911.

Same 1911 testing 5-shot groups @ 50ft using clays powder. I used 3 different home cast/coated bullets for the test.
left: 175gr hollow based swc
center: 200gr h&g clone
right: 200gr fn hp

Tested 4.0gr loads and 4.3gr loads of clays and those 3 bullets pictured above.

As you can see that 1911 preferred the 4.3gr load. All 3 bullets shot less that 1" 5-shot groups @ 50ft with that 4.3gr load of clays. The squares on the targets are 1" squares.

Those are not handpicked/cherry picked targets by any means. There nothing more than test targets I shot testing powders that I have more than 10# of it laying around.

 

[rockquarry]

Load development is certainly worth the time. I use an H&G copy, SAECO #69, that is slightly more accurate than the orginal #68 I had. I began with loading with 3.5 Bullseye, going up in tenths of a grain to 4.2 grs. as I recall. The lightest charge did best in my guns. I shoot bullets in the 12-14 BHN range. I tried linotype bullets. While accuracy was very good, these leaded the bore after only a couple of magazines. I size bullets to .452" and conventionally lube them.

 

[trulyapostolic]

231 is a bit slow for a soft bullseye load. Best powders are probably Clays, N310, Bullseye, etc... I'd stick with reduced power springs, variable springs were designed to help comp guns unlock. Somewhere in the 12-14# range will probably work fine with a 23# mainspring.
The reduced loads are for sustained fire stages where you want the gun back on target quickly to maximize trigger time, plus the 10 ring at 50ft and 25yards is relatively large.

 

[Krogen]

I use the USMC Load. N310 and a Nosler 185 gr jacketed bullet. I fiddled with 200 gr lead SWCs and various powders. None of my results were better than the load shown in the following link. It's soft shooting, functions well in my guns and is exceedingly accurate. There's nothing left to blame except me!


USMC Match .45 Load | An NRA Shooting Sports Journal

 

[Jebus35745]

Appreciate all the ideas. I shoot the 1911’s for fun, my hands have arthritis and a softer load is more enjoyable to shoot. I have used 4.0 gr of 231 and the slide wouldn’t eject the empties. Went to 4.5 then 5.0 as recommended by the person I bought one of the 1911’s from. The 5.0 works great with ejection. Have about 10 lbs of 231 so would like to stay with this powder.

Not sure what pound springs are in the guns now. Gonna order 3-14 lb Wolf recoil springs and see what happens. Would 12 lb springs be better? Gonna load some again with the 4.0 gr and see what happens.

One 1911 is a custom built soft ball gun and is very accurate. One is a stock Gold Cup and one a Baer. Also a CZ 97 that was customized by Cajun Gun Works for bullseye shooting. The CZ worked OK with the 4.0 of 231. Larry

 

[reddog81]

What was the problem with the 4.5 grain load?

 

[Model 15-4ever]

185 grain wadcutter (traditional button nose), 3.8 grain 700x, any good primer, any decent 1911....

and a keen eye and hard hold

 

[stansdds]

231 is a bit slow for a soft bullseye load. Best powders are probably Clays, N310, Bullseye, etc... I'd stick with reduced power springs, variable springs were designed to help comp guns unlock. Somewhere in the 12-14# range will probably work fine with a 23# mainspring.
The reduced loads are for sustained fire stages where you want the gun back on target quickly to maximize trigger time, plus the 10 ring at 50ft and 25yards is relatively large.

I agree, W-231/HP-38 is a highly versatile powder, much like Unique, but like Unique, it is a medium burning rate powder and is more suitable for full-power 45 ACP loads. Bullseye is a fantastic powder for the 45 ACP. Bullseye is a great choice for low-velocity, powder puff, target loads and can be loaded all the way to full power loads. Also, the small charge weight of Bullseye translates to a small reduction in recoil. More powder in the case equals more energy imparted to the slide during firing, so less powder equals less energy.

 

[Jebus35745]

The 4.5 gr load had mixed ejection problems, 5.0 cured the problem totally. Hate to buy more powder with so much 231, using it in all my pistol calibers. Larry