Whoops!

[Snapping Twig]

Had an oversight today, perhaps not a problem in the long run, let me explain.

Had 3 calibers to reload today, .357, .45Colt, .45acp. I'd already resized and lubed all the bullets and had them lined up to reload.

Got the .357 out of the way, did up the .45 Colts and then headed on to the acp's.

Having an extra group of .45Colts (I miscounted what I would need when I sized & lubed) I got busy reaching over the line of .45colt bullets to get to the acp's.

Of course I absentmindedly grabbed a .45colt bullet and loaded it into my acp case and pulled the handle on the press as I realized the error.

I bagged up all the colts and removed the misloaded bullet from the press and continued on to finish all 240 acp's.

Here's the question and the load -

The acp bullet is a 230g TC, the Colt is a 245g RNFP, the powder charge is 5.3g W231 and a WLP.

I have to admit that the RNFP makes for a good looking round that could become a regular thing and potentially a great SD or hunting round. The TC is fantastic, but I cast both, so it's a no cost option.

How does 5.3g W231 under a 245g cast sound to you? I'll look it up to see if it falls into the parameters of a safe load, but if you have any info at hand, please share it with me here.

The RNFP is from a Lee mould that was advertized as a 255g but when cast from WW actually weighs out at 245g. The 230g TC is also a Lee mould, it weighs out at 230g as specified.

 

[Gun 4 Fun]

I just checked a large cross section of same weight bullets but two different powders. Unique and 231. They are almost always within a couple tenths of a grain of each other under identical bullets. That isn't the green light for anyone reading this to use one in place of the other, but merely an observation of the load data I have which is extensive.

That said, I use 6.5 grains of Unique under a 255-260 grain cast swc quite often with no problems what so ever, and in both semi-auto's and revo's. That is a +P load, but has been safe in many .45 acp's that I have owned, or still own. I got that load from John Taffin in his column, Taffin tests many years ago BTW.

I believe that you won't have any trouble with that bullet load combo, but I would back off half a grain to start, then work back up and watch for any high pressure signs, like sticky extraction. Flattened primers are a poor way to judge pressure, and it has been proven over and over by ballistic labs, that it just isn't a reliable way to check.

The load I use above will push the 255-260 grain bullets at 950 fps from my 5" barreled auto's and a bit more from my 25-2 with its 6.5" barrel.

 

[ronnie gore]

45

i load 255 grain bullets in 45 acp when i run short on 230 grain bullets.with 3grain of bullseye
i load 255 colt bullets in 45 autorim cases for my 45 acp revolvers with a pretty hot load can't remember the powder charge i would have to look at my notebook.

 

[Skip Sackett]

NO, NO, Twig! Haven't you ever heard that real men don't own up to their mistakes?

All silliness aside, the thing that would make a difference to me is seating depth. If they don't go any further into the case, don't hit the chamber throat or rifling, you should be good to go. There just isn't enough difference when the bullets are cast lead.

Bigger swings in weight, deeper seating or jacketed bullets would make it a different story for me.

 

[Snapping Twig]

Thanks for the info.

Appears to ever so slightly seat deeper, a few thousandths, so IMO not a big deal.

I've still got to check out the data, but I'm thinking I might have lucked into a good thing here.

 

[dennis40x]

My standard for a 225Gr-TC-Cast OAL (1.215”) W231 (5.5grs) Primer (WLP) Case (Mixed). {Insert the standard weasel words for responsibility & safety disclaimer}

A 245Gr bullet gives you an increase in weight of approximately 6%-7%. The weight difference isn’t that nettlesome. Displaced case volume is the issue.

Remember advice from the multitudes is free and usually worth nothing.