.45 bullet weights

[Mattog22]

I currently shoot 230 gr Zero bullets but am going to start casting 230 gr lead just so I'm not changing things too much. I really can't find much of anything about people using 185 gr SWC. I notice many people shoot 200 gr SWC so I don't think the SWC part is the problem. 185 would be cheaper to shoot so I figure there must be a reason such as recoil that keeps people from using them.

[calishootr]

availability??? especially in lead, the H&G # 68 mold makes really nice 200 gr. SWC, that mold seems to be the hot ticket, and everyone(commercial bullet makers) seems to be using it

[Mattog22]

I had a bunch of 185 gr SWC so I didn't realize there's an availability issue with them. What make the 200 gr SWC the hot ticket? I would think a round nose would be more reliable for 30 gr more. I did some research and saw that many people like the 200 gr, just never saw why. I have only been going the single stack route for a few matches so far so I'm still learning. Thanks.

[TreblePlink]

I shot a Kimber .45 in Limited 10 and Single Stack for a while, and used the 200 gr H&G Lead SWC. Feeding reliability just was not an issue. Conventional wisdom says that using the heaviest bullet and the fastest powder that safety will allow provides the "softest" recoil feel. At the SS nationals, I noticed an awful lot of shooters using 230 grain Jacketed round nose.

Amount of smoke can be important, particularly in "stand and shoot" stages, where lead bullets can produce enough smoke to obscure the target after a few shots. When I shoot SS again I will be using the 200 gr H&G coated Precision bullets with about 4.8 grains of VV N320. I have found that these reduce smoke considerably, almost as well as FMJ types.

[John Z Sr]

I run 230 lrn in my 625 for local matches and stick with 230 FMJ for level 2 and up. No problems with my home cast bullets, just prefer less smoke and cleaner cylinders at the bigger matches. Actually had some fun with some 160 grainers today making a soft accurate PF of 143 out of a 5" 1911. Lighter spring to run the light load, but they were pretty nice, might use them in my Glock 21 in IDPA ssp division soon.

[G-ManBart]

185s in .45 can be a bit on the snappy side compared with the heavier bullets. Years ago I used a cast bullet that was supposed to be 200gr, but worked out at 195gr with the slightly harder alloy I was using. It ran fine in my Gold Cup and Smith 4566 (long time ago) but I wasn't trying to get the softest feel possible. R,

[calishootr]

Matt, what makes the H&G# 68 the best selling bullet/bullet mold??? reputation, its been around for years, ask the veteran older bullseye guys whatthey run in their target auto's??? as for our game(action pistol) I happened into a neat deal atthe inddor shooting range i usedto run, I wouldempty the traps of lead, then give em to a commercial bullet maker who used the H&G 68 mold and got a very good bullet at a very good price, if loaded properly, and the gun set up to feed it(not all do) its a great bullet to use, and as Bart said, the 185's tend to be 'snappy' in recoil, the 200's are a nice compromize from the snappiness ofthe 185's and the somtimes 'sluggish' push feel of a 230 gr.