45 ACP Practice load

[jj2am44]

My wife bought me an HK USP 45 for Christmas and from what I have read so far, the polygonal rifling in this barrel is prone to a lead buildup and could cause pressure increases. I quit my day job and will have to reload for this using jacketed ammo. Anybody have a good load with a 200 or 230 grain bullet? i will be using either Bullseye or Unique and Remington primers.

 

[OKFC05]

Berry plated and Unique. Use lead bullet loading data.

 

[Dragon88]

I used 5.4gr of Bullseye with 185gr jacketed for a while as my practice load. It's midrange but just fast enough to cycle the slides on all my 45s. 5.0-5.2gr would be about equivalent for a 200gr bullet.

Berrys plated bullets are also great. I finished my lot of 185gr bullets and now use 230gr Berrys. I use jacketed data for them with W231, but you will find plenty of info out there for Unique and Bullseye as well.

 

[Cyrano]

Try a softer lead alloy; something like one par type metal to two parts lead. They obturate better than hard bullets in polygonal bores, prevent gas blow-by and thus reduce if not eliminate leading. Works fine in Glocks and should work OK in your HK.

 

[Skip Sackett]

Well, I use either Berry or Ranier 230gr plated bullets with 4.7gr of Bullseye for target work. This load mimics Fiocchi standard ball ammo.
Right at 800fps from my 1911 and M625JM.

I also like AA#2 for this load but the charge weight eludes me at present!

 

[jj2am44]

How do the Raniers work in the polygonal barrels?? Any leading?? This going to be a new ball game for me as the only 45 ACP I load now are for my 625.

 

[Skip Sackett]

Glock 21

How do the Raniers work in the polygonal barrels?? Any leading?? This going to be a new ball game for me as the only 45 ACP I load now are for my 625.

Let me put it like this, my #2 son used to kick my rump in PPC competition with them and my scores were usually 293+/300! He used a stock Glock 21 to do it too!

No leading and they can be driven safely to 1000fps with no problem.

I haven't driven them much harder than that in the 45ACP but have in the 9mm and 40S&W.

They aren't like lead at all although not like jacketed either.

Maybe that is an experiment that needs to be done, drive them until they separate!

 

[44forever]

Leading can be agrivated by bevel based bullets.

Try a square based bullet and see if the leading is reduced.

 

[dennis40x]

First I would not employ lead bullets. The polygon rifling system is intended to optimize jacketed bullet performance. That said there are those that do shoot lead bullets and report no problems. The rifling configuration is problematic with lead. There is a tear effect that allows a rapid build up of lead deposits. What is peculiar is that some barrels apparently are not affected to that degree. None the less there is the potential for problematic conditions with resultant failure of the barrel integrity.

Plated bullets have limitations with an extremely soft lead core and plated with an ultra-thin layer of copper alloy. This bullet type is best suited for midrange/standard velocities of the 45ACP. Crimping do not over crimp, with over crimping you'll pierce the plating. Once the integrity of the plating is disrupted there is potential for negative consequence.

For a practice load a 200Gr-SWC or 230Gr-Ball over a proper amount of W231 should work.

The only 45ACP that I have with a polygon rifling system is a Glock G21. I refer to it as the polymer brick. I simply replaced the OEM barrel with a BarSto conventional rifled barrel.

 

[eddie h]

buy jacketed or plated bullets,load with 4.0 clays makes major pf and is soft shooting,,I also load with tightgroup,,at 4.7 gr and jacketed bullets ,all from zero 230 gr.

 

[David Sinko]

I concur that 4.0 grs. of Hodgdon Clays with any 230 gr. plated bullet will make USPSA Major PF out of an auto. I increase that charge to 4.2 grs. if I want to shoot them out of my 4" 625. The velocity should be just under factory ball loadings.

Excessive crimp WILL cut through the plating, especially if you are using new brass with sharp edges. I found this out the hard way with a .38 Super revolver. The copper bases of the bullets were actually separating and putting two nice, neat round holes on paper for each shot fired. I never would expect it to happen like that, but it did.

Once I was at the range testing some light 180 gr. RF cast bullet loads in the Bar-Sto barrel of my Glock 21. They were loaded too light and would not cycle the action. The other guy there had a USP so I gave him some to try. They cycled perfectly and with good accuracy too!

Dave Sinko