Difference In Recoil

[max]

I have been loading .45acp since the mid 70's. My most common load by far is the 200gr lead swc. Rarely, I have loaded 230gr lead rn. I loaded some of the rn several years ago for a friend who wanted the "official" .45 load. He passed away a couple of months ago and I got my reloads back from his brother.

I was shooting the rn this morning and the recoil was noticeable. I am so use to the 200grain rounds, there was definitely more recoil with the 15% heavier loads. The powder charge was the same for both.

The swc's also cut a much cleaner hole in the targets.

 

[Ivan the Butcher]

There is not only the 15% heavier bullet, there is also the case capacity that extra bullet weight filled and the extra resistance of the 15%'s bearing surface. All adding to more pressure, more velocity, & more recoil!

Ivan

 

[HKSmith]

Recoil energy of the gun is proportional to the square of BOTH the bullet + powder mass and the muzzle velocity. Going from a 200 grain to a 230 grain bullet would thus increase recoil energy by about 32% (assuming velocity stays constant) which would be very noticeable.

 

[Engineer1911]

If Kinetic energy is the same as Recoil energy, then RE = 0.5 x bullet mass x velocity x velocity, an increase of ~15% . For the same powder charge a heavier bullet would be slower. My cast 200 gr SWC has the same length of bullet in the case as the cast 230 gr round nose bullet. Only a chronograph could tell the velocity difference.

If the recoil of the 230 grain bullet is uncomfortable, install a 1# heavier recoil spring. I use a 13# or 14# spring for my target loads. When I shoot heavier loads, I install heavier spring. I have the following spring set from Wolff:
Wolff Recoil Calibration Spring Pack 1911 Government Extra Power

 

[max]

The recoil is not uncomfortable, just noticeable. I should have mentioned I have been shooting a lot of 9mm in one of my other 1911's. Recoil is very slight there.

 

[H Richard]

I noted the weight of the gun is also a factor. I have been shooting a lot with my Sig 365 lately, and with a +P load with a 124 gr bullet. I recently took my old Gold Cup and my 200 gr target loads and was a little surprised by the recoil, being less than expected. My .45 load of 4.3 gr 231 is a very comfortable target load.

 

[reddog81]

There is not only the 15% heavier bullet, there is also the case capacity that extra bullet weight filled and the extra resistance of the 15%'s bearing surface. All adding to more pressure, more velocity, & more recoil!

Ivan

That assumes you’re using similar profile bullets. The Standard 200 grain SWC in 45 ACP was designed so that case capacity and bearing surface are the same as the 230 round nose. There are variations between manufacturers but this rule generally holds true.