45 ACP auto reloading

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LostintheOzone

LostintheOzone

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I'm new to 45 ACP loading so bear with me.

I've been reading about chambering issues in 1911's with reloaded ammo. Mostly due to feed ramps, bullet types and chamber depths. I have two Colts. I plan to reload cast bullets mostly to save money. Now I'm beginning to wonder if I should try to reload for these 1911's. From what I've read the 1911 seems to be quite picky about ammo. I read they even have problems with factory ammo. I really don't want to spend a lot of time tearing loads down and experimenting. If I have to do that I think a revolver in 45 ACP might be better for reloads. I know they will chamber and fire just about any load. I like the caliber and I'm set to load 500 rounds.

Any input would be appreciated.

Jim
 
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I've been reloading 200 gr lswc and 230 gr rn bullets and shooting them in various Colts (series70s and 80s),Kimbers and Springfields for many years with no problems at all.The few ftf have been the result of a very dirty gun.
 
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I've never had a problem with cast bullets feeding in my Series 80 1911. The gun is unmodified. The two cast bullets I use are the 200 gr. H&G 68 and a 195 gr. Lyman SWC that I cast myself. The Lyman is EXTREMELY blunt and it still feeds OK.
 
1911 problems are overstated. I wouldn't load 500 rounds right off the getgo. Load 20 or so and see how they work.
 
Cast is a good thing. It is all any of my handguns see now.

Three things to remember:
#1: Your barrel is your case gauge. Once you have loaded a round, use your barrel to do a "plunk test". Do a websearch for just what that is
#2: Bullet profile matters with feeding in semi-automatic pistols, and, just because Colt made the first 1911, it doesn't mean that they have all the kinks worked out of their stock guns. I can remember as a young man, seeing folks buy up Gold Cups, taking them to the range and then not being able to shoot them until a gunsmith polished this or lightened this spring or ...... yeah, forget it! My Smith & Wesson 1911s and my Taurus PT1911 have been real shooters right out of the box with no problems whatsoever with any bullet profile.
#3: Hardness matters when choosing a bullet that will feed reliably when cast bullets are used in a 1911. The stiffer the spring, the more important it is. If the bullet is too soft, it will hit the top of the chamber, dent and cause a stoppage. Get at least 15BHN.

Now, a few more tidbits:
OAL matters but it only matters to your gun. What Joe Blow uses may or may not work in yours. Go long to start, regardless of what the recipe calls for and shorten if needed to cause reliable feeding. This is tricky because an under powered load can look like a feeding problem when it is a slide/inertia problem from too light of a round. Also, if you use a bullet with a full bore size driving band that is set out too far, it can cause you to not lock up correctly. That is a bad situation but easily fixed by shortening the OAL.

Crimp matters but only to the point that the case mouth is closed up tight onto the bullet. ALL of the bell has to be removed, all of it. A "plunk test" will show you if you are good on your crimp.

Loads, there are TONS of data already available for the 45ACP and the 1911. It has been around for over 100 years so, you are not going to get onto new territory with it.
Here are my suggestions:
230gr LRN or LTC with either 4.5gr of Bullseye or 5.5gr of W231/HP-38, you can also use Unique but I don't have that load memorized. My OAL is 1.260" and I taper crimp the case to .470". Stating that, it may work for you and it may not. As has been suggested, load a few and try them, don't load 500 yet! ;)

Make sure you check with current reputable loading sources before you use the data I posted. Even I can have a typo! ;)

Oh, and remember this: Loading for the 45ACP is one of the easiest things out there. Lots of data and help around.

Have fun, be safe...........
 
Another tip is to pull the barrel from your pistol to do the "plunk test".
Drop a loaded round into the chamber. It should drop in fully and cleanly with plunk sound.
 
All my 1911s feed anything I put through them. Don't worry about it, just load, shoot, reload, repeat.

The "plunk test" is a good idea with any auto, not just 1911 style pistols.
 
The nice thing about reloading the .45 ACP is that it's relatively easy to find a good load, and believe me, you should be able to find one that shoots 3" groups at 25 yards. That being said, it may or may not be a load that goes 850 fps. So, my point is, if you find an accurate load that doesn't cycle the slide, spend a little money and get a Wolff recoil spring kit and find the recoil spring that cycles your slide and that doesn't pitch the empty brass halfway to China. I, for one, generally like target loads that go about 750 fps (if the wind is at my back) and ejects the brass at my feet. Most light loads will work with the 16 lb spring that probably came with your pistol. I use a 12 lb one on my wadgun that has a slide-mounted red dot. YMMV... :)
 
I used to have problems when I first tried to load .45's.
Problem 1: Primers, I had problems getting the L-Pistol primer to seat at or below the base of the case. I bought a "Primer Pocket Uniformer" and reamed/uniformed all my cases. Excellent! This problem done.
Problem 2: Seating bullets. Since I cast/size my own and reload, I had problems of shaving lead while seating. Messed around with die height and seating stem in order to get Lyman's recommended OAL. Then, I added slightly more flare, and seat bullet in 1 operation and crimp with another die in a 2nd operation. End Of this problem.

I used to take all loads that refused to chamber in my 625-4 & 1911's and run them thru my 4566. That pig would gobble up all most all of my bad reloads. Now after tweaking my loading procedures I rarely have any problems with the .45 ACP.
 
The only problem I've ever had was a feeding issue with my Kimber Super Carry Ultra. This gun will not feed large cavity hollow points, like the 230 gr. Gold Dot. It requires a fair amount of slope to ride the ramp reliably, and 185 - 200 gr. bullets work fine. I love shooting 200 gr. lead SWC in several S&W 1911's, accuracy is excellent and the round is very comfortable.
 
OK, plunk test #1 on the agenda. Both of these guns are new to me so I'll try factory ammo first to see if any problems are something other than ammo. 25 rounds of reloads next and we'll see how it goes.

Thanks for the education. So far so good.

Jim
 
One thing that got me when I started with the .45's was the primer size. There are a lot of small primer brass out there now. And from experience, trying to put a large primer in a small primer case will foul up the whole process, and be very frustrating. Check the cases when you sort them and check them again when you start to feed them in.
Good luck and have fun.
And I will second the OAL and crimp comments. I reloaded for my M&P, 4516, and 4566, all worked fine after I got the crimp correct. I tried to put some of them in a new Kimber 1911 just a couple of weeks ago. They were a hair too long to start, so after setting them down a little, the 1911 took everything, HP included without a hiccup.
 
Possibly need to find another source of info on 1911s and 45 ACP reloading. I have a 1911, completely stock, that has digested a couple thousand Lyman 225 gr. round nose bullets (the 1911 shooting 230 gr. lead is like bread and butter; made for each other!). Mebbe a thousand 195 gr. lead SWCs, and who knows how many 230 jacketed round nose bullets. Narry a hick-up. The only "problem" was a few 185 gr. SWC failed to feed, but that was my fault and I corrected the OAL and funished off the 500 bullets I had purchased.

As stated above, don't reload 500. Start with 10 or 20, check each one with the "plunk test" and shoot 'em...
 
I've been loading 45 acp for too many years, with no problems. Currently I have 4 45's, 3 1911's and 1 25-2. The H&G 68 200 Gr. cast bullet works flawlessly, in Cold Gold Cup with Kart barrel, Springfield Armory 5" with match barrel, RIA 3 1/2" compact stock. I use a couple different loads, 4.3 gr. 231 for accurate mid range (738 fps) and 5.3 Gr. Win Super Target for a Major load.
 
30-40 years ago, particularly with worn out ex-mil 1911s there were some problems with feeding anything other than RN hardball. Those days are long past. Most modern 1911s will feed any reasonable bullet shape. If you are just going to be plinking, or even some competition shooting, cast 230gr RN will usually feed in anything, and is accurate. A good 200 gr cast SWC should feed in most any modern 1911 platform. I have an colt 1911, my old IPSC gun, and a Smith M&P45. They both feed cast RN, SWC and TC flawlessly. They also feed jacketed HP.
 
Harrison, respectfully, no, it was not from the ex-military guns that problems arose but from new, $1000 (exorbitant for the time) Gold Cups. THEY could only feed round nose jacketed stuff and THAT is why everyone was polishing feed ramps and a gazillion or things then to make a 1911 work.

Has there EVER been a sale to private individuals of military 1911's? M1917 revolvers, yes, 1911s? Our local police department just got several cases of them from the goobermint to use as "car guns" as backups! So, while I have seen some on the market, I don't know where they came from other than a collector or from some odd dispersal.

I can be wrong, just tell me, I'll admit it. No problem.
 
I have had problems getting plated or FMJ 200 grain semi-wadcutters to feed in two 1911s. The Kimber was a bundle of problems and it's gone. The Les Baer eats 230 grain RN and 200 grain LSWC like candy, but every once in a while fails to feed a plated SWC. I think it's a problem of COAL and/or the bullet's ogive. They are NOT shaped the same way as the H&G #69 LSWC bullets I get from Penn that feed so well.
 
Skip Sackett said:
Harrison, respectfully, no, it was not from the ex-military guns that problems arose but from new, $1000 (exorbitant for the time) Gold Cups. THEY could only feed round nose jacketed stuff and THAT is why everyone was polishing feed ramps and a gazillion or things then to make a 1911 work.

Has there EVER been a sale to private individuals of military 1911's? M1917 revolvers, yes, 1911s? Our local police department just got several cases of them from the goobermint to use as "car guns" as backups! So, while I have seen some on the market, I don't know where they came from other than a collector or from some odd dispersal.

I can be wrong, just tell me, I'll admit it. No problem.
Click to expand...

Thousands and thousands of military surplus 1911s and 1911A1s were sold to individuals through the DCM in the 1950s and 1960s, all for very low prices (even when considering the much lower incomes typical back then - if you made $10,000 per year in the mid to late '50s, you were considered rich). Tons of mil surplus .45 ACP ball ammo was also sold the same way. That is how they got into civilian hands, including my 1914 manufactured 1911 (one of the first batch made by the US Armory at Springfield under license from Colt, the first 1911s ever made outside the Colt factory). BTW, that 99-year old 1911 digests and spits out 230 grain RNL and 200 grain LSWC that I cast without any hiccups, all with its original barrel and unmolested feed ramp. The original load of 5.0 Bullseye works quite well for that and all my other .45 ACP 1911s, including my Officer's ACP, which seems to love the 200 gr LSWC, verrrry accurate!
 
Well, then that is why I didn't know about it then! I wasn't born until the end of the 50's! hahaha
So, I must have been wrong on that point....

But right about the firearms that wouldn't work! ;)
 
Back after WWII the NRA and some other distributors were selling surplus 1911 for as little as $25.00. I only wish I had been old enough to have bought a case of them back then.
 
H Richard said:
Back after WWII the NRA and some other distributors were selling surplus 1911 for as little as $25.00. I only wish I had been old enough to have bought a case of them back then.
Click to expand...

Well in the late 40's and early 50's $25 was a lot of money. I remember in the mid 50's when I was 11 years old our family food budget was less then $20 a week which included a case of beer for my parents and a case of pop for my brother and I. In 1962 I worked full time in my uncles garage 6 days a week during the summer and from 7AM to 5PM during those days for $60 a week. That's 10 hours a day or 60 hours a week for $1 an hour. I think buying one maybe two would work but a case of them would have be impossible at least for our family and me even in the early 60's.

Of course Silver dollars weren't popular back in the 50's and early 60's and they could be bought for just a little over a dollar so if I'd have taken 10% of my pay back then and bought them and kept them all these years I would have not needed a 401K. I guess hind sight is always 20-20.
 
I had some issues with reloading cast bullets in my Colt 45s. I bought the Lee Carbide Factory Crimp Die 45 ACP and that solved all my problems.
 
I load cast 230gr RN exclusively for my 1911's. Run them thru a Lee final sizing die as the last step. Have loaded and fired thousand's upon thousands of rounds with no issues.

I have a Colt 1911 manufactured in 1918 that my father purchased from the DCM back in the day. I'd have to pull out the paperwork but I believe it sold for the pricey sum of $15.00!! It went thru an overhaul and is parkerized but it still has all the original early parts on it. It rattles when shaken likes it's going to fall apart but it still functions great.
 
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