Sergeant Spam Posted February 11, 2012 Share Posted February 11, 2012 (edited) First, I'm new to reloading. Clays was recommended to me, so I bought some with the intention of loading .45 ACP and 9mm. It seems Clays is quite popular here. I also picked up some Winchester 230gr RN FMJ bullets. Here's where the confusion comes in... My Hodgdon manual (more like a magazine) lists: edit - FP bullet, not RN - I missed that, but am still confused. 230gr Hornady FMJ FP COAL 1.200 Clays 3.7grs 670 15900 CUP to 4.0grs 732 17000 CUP My Speer manual does not list Clays but does have a 230gr TMJ COAL 1.260 My Lyman manual does not list Clays but does have a 230gr TMJ COAL 1.275 So... Where can I find a manual that lists Clays for .45 ACP to compare against the hodgdon manual? Do I need to be concerned that my Winchester FMJ bullets aren't listed? What do I use for a COAL? My searching revealed that a lot of people use 4grs of Clays with a COAL of 1.25 to 1.26, but I'd rather understand where to look and how to compare as opposed to just taking someone else's data... A little hand-holding would be appreciated. Edited February 11, 2012 by Sergeant Spam Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AzShooter Posted February 11, 2012 Share Posted February 11, 2012 Use the 1.25 col and don't worry about total length of the 230 grainers. The TCs will load a little less in OAL1.5 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Misterbrooks Posted February 12, 2012 Share Posted February 12, 2012 Have been reloading 45 ACP for Revolver and Semi Autos for a long enough time to caution you about taking any advise from anyone you don,t know. Best advise and recipes are best had from Reloading Books like Lymans and until you gain trust in what you know should you consider the advise from others. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
limited 10 Posted February 12, 2012 Share Posted February 12, 2012 I confirm my loads by e-mailing and asking the powder co. I have always got a reply within a couple days... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
juan Posted February 12, 2012 Share Posted February 12, 2012 1.25 is almost the majic # for feeding round nose. then I work up my load through a chronograph. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hi-Power Jack Posted February 12, 2012 Share Posted February 12, 2012 What do I use for a COAL? Sgt, best to load a round (don't crimp it) to 1.250" and see if it slides into your barrel. If it does, leave it. If it doesn't load easily, shorten it little by little until it does slide in easily - that's YOUR OAL. Then crimp up five or ten of them - and shoot them. Make sure they work properly. That's best way to determine your best COAL. Good luck, Jack Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hi-Power Jack Posted February 12, 2012 Share Posted February 12, 2012 What do I use for a COAL? Sgt, best to load a round (don't crimp it) to 1.250" and see if it slides into your barrel. If it does, leave it. If it doesn't load easily, shorten it little by little until it does slide in easily - that's YOUR OAL. Then crimp up five or ten of them - and shoot them. Make sure they work properly. That's best way to determine your best COAL. Good luck, Jack Sorry for 2nd post, but you might have to crimp load a little to get it to slide into the chamber - depends on how much you expanded the neck. Jack Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sergeant Spam Posted February 12, 2012 Author Share Posted February 12, 2012 Thank you for the replies. Any thoughts on what other manuals I can reference for Clays data behind a 230gr RN FMJ? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
calvary45 Posted February 12, 2012 Share Posted February 12, 2012 Here is a link that might help. Handloads My 230 LRN are all loaded to 1.270, my SS does not like anything short. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rgkeller Posted February 12, 2012 Share Posted February 12, 2012 Thank you for the replies. Any thoughts on what other manuals I can reference for Clays data behind a 230gr RN FMJ? Hundreds of USPSA shooters load Clays and 230g RN FMJ in 45ACP A reloading manual is not going to give you any better information than what you find in these forums. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Punkin Chunker Posted February 12, 2012 Share Posted February 12, 2012 FP - flat point. TMJ - Truncated Metal Jacket. TC - Truncated cone. The three are almost synonymous. Try the search function (upper right corner of page). You'll come up with loads of 45acp and Clays info. BE SURE -- you distinguish between posts/loads that talk about CLAYS, and posts that talk about UNIVERSAL CLAYS. NOT THE SAME! I've had good luck with 3.8grn Clays, 1.26" COAL, 230grn RN, and WIN primers. It putts along about 755 fps for a PF of 173ish, shoots soft, cycles at a rate I like. Just a touch smokey, but pretty clean in the gun. Can't help you much with Clays in 9mm -- I like Bullseye for those. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PKT1106 Posted February 12, 2012 Share Posted February 12, 2012 You may not find Clays with 230gr 45ACP in any manuals from bullet mfgs. Look at Hodgdon's website under load data. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DougCarden Posted February 12, 2012 Share Posted February 12, 2012 Understand that each .45 is a different animal... .45 bullets have different ogives, or the rounded outer profile in the front. We have been shooting roundnose lead bullets (RNL) for over 20 years for competition, and they have a much rounder profile than a FMJ. I have found that 1.230 OAL will feed in any .45, RNL or FMJ, regardless of overall length (OAL), and load that OAL for the ammo I sell. Longer OALs will sometimes have problems ejecting a live round in guns that have not had the ejection port lowered..(any gun not manufactured in the last 20 years or so). Not a big deal but an annoyance. In the 1911 based platform, you adjust your OAL for most reliable feeding, then use your chronograph to figure out how fast it goes and adjust it from there. Please take the time to read all the past posts on the reloading forums. It is a wealth of knowledge about OAL, crimping, etc. that you won't find anywhere else in one place. Welcome to the forums! DougC Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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