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Advice on loading for the 625 for several different games?


Lesliet

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  Hi, all!  

       Working on developing more suitable loads for all the games I play, after shooting bowling pin loads at Steel Challenge in my 625.  *grin*  

I've been using HS-6 with great results for heavier stuff, seems to burn clean and consistent.  Tried my AA#2 loads, but in the revolver, and in .45ACP, they seem to generate a lot of yellow grit (taggant?  inert filler?)  that hangs up a speedy reload.  I'm committing to running revolver through 2021, as long as I have a working revolver...

   Powder-wise, I don't seem to have much trouble getting whatever.  I have a few big jugs of TiteGroup, and a bunch of other powders besides HS-6.  

 

    So, what I'm looking for is:  

 

    1.  Light load for Steel Challenge/ outlaw steel where no pf is required. I have a mold for 200 grain round nose, and polycoat the resulting projectiles. 

 

    2.  ICORE load   ( PF is 120 or better.  I probably want something with at least a little bit of recoil, but open to advice) 

 

    3.  USPSA load, 165+ pf.   Not the ideal revolver for this game, but I'm still saving up for a 929 and accessories. In the meantime, I want the practice.  I have some 230 grain rn plated slugs to use, but not sure if there will be much supply there, my main supplier has been dry for a month now.  May end up having to use the handcast 200's, or break out the 230 grain TC mold. 

 

  Hoping no one is bothered by this not being under "reloading", but I wanted revolver specific advice, don't need to cycle a slide, didn't want a lot of " not sure about a 625, but in my 1911, I...."  

 

   Thanks in advance for all the help, I really appreciate getting the benefit of y'all's experience!

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So I don’t load 45 Revo but an ICORE load at 125 PF with a 200 gn is 625 fps. I’d argue that it would be light enough for steel and your outlaws. Certainly not many powders will work that slow; I’d assume you’d be stuck using trail boss. Probably too light for pins.
 

If you’re going to get a 929 eventually for USPSA, don’t bother with an additional load. Shoot 6 minor. You’ll get the practice you want without a bunch of different loads. But perhaps thats me; I wouldn’t want 4 loads for one gun.

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  Hmm, Trailboss might be something to try.  I was wondering what would burn reasonably clean at super low pressures like that.  Still scrounging to come up with Federal primers so I can run the lighter mainspring, but even with the heavy spring, this 625 is nice and smooth. I don't mind having two loads for it... would definitely prefer the small advantage of 6 major for USPSA, vs 6 minor,  since I don't shoot all "A"s.  :)   

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Clays/ClayDot works well.  Titegroup will too but gets a little dirty at the lower pressures for lower PF.

Try to find some lighter bullets for steel/icore than 200.  

 

I've used 175/185's at 700 f/s for Steel ICORE, can even use it for USPSA since most likely you'll be the only one at the match with a Revolver.  So who is to complain?

I've also had real good luck with the button nose swc's and even the h&g68 type from Acme in my Revolver.  There's not much shoulder and the coating makes it slide into the cylinder pretty good.

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5 hours ago, pskys2 said:

Clays/ClayDot works well.  Titegroup will too but gets a little dirty at the lower pressures for lower PF.

Try to find some lighter bullets for steel/icore than 200.  

 

I've used 175/185's at 700 f/s for Steel ICORE, can even use it for USPSA since most likely you'll be the only one at the match with a Revolver.  So who is to complain?

I've also had real good luck with the button nose swc's and even the h&g68 type from Acme in my Revolver.  There's not much shoulder and the coating makes it slide into the cylinder pretty good.

I mean I might complain if you went to a USPSA classifier match on purpose with powderpuff loads yet claimed major. But the new ones really need 8 and the old ones are all “shot out” as us crumb-bums say so probably no harm.

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I use to use Bullseye for Steel Challenge matches with 3.5 grains and a 230 LRN bullet.  Nice and light but you could really tell when you hit the targets.  For Major loads I would switch to 5 grains with the same 230 grainers.

 

On a few stages I could shoot at the stop plate before my 4th shot hit the target.  Very light recoil.  The 230 is the way to go with the .45 because it loads so fast.

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The Trail Boss tip is a good one.  I got my ladder test done just in time to load ammo the night before the small local steel match, and the minimum TB load was perfect. I'll probably try out Bullseye at some point, too, but for now I've got a huge improvement. Using the Lee handcast .452-228 bullets, which are a round nose 228 grain with two lube grooves.  Coating them with Hi-Tek, and crimping into the top lube groove makes them fly into the gun for reloads.  At 625-650 fps, you can about see the bullet in flight, but these rounds were quite accurate. The max load makes 170 pf, probably good enough for major at my level, or I can try Bullseye, or HS-6. 

 

  Thanks for the advice, it helped!

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  • 3 weeks later...
On 10/17/2020 at 6:01 PM, RangerMcFadden said:

I mean I might complain if you went to a USPSA classifier match on purpose with powderpuff loads yet claimed major. But the new ones really need 8 and the old ones are all “shot out” as us crumb-bums say so probably no harm.

Gaming the Classifiers isn't a well thought out proposition.  Might make it easier to move up , but if one is serious and then goes to Major Matches, it usually bites them.

I'm too lazy, or simple minded, to try to load/use/remember different loads and their POI's.  I tend to set my match loads then use them for everything in that platform.

But in Revolver the numbers might be more important than the details.

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I am loading .45 ACP with Bullseye these days.  Major, minor, midrange, IDPA Rev-E, Petty Lite, you name it; Bullseye still works.  

It is "dirty" but as my 'smith said, it is a light sooty fouling, not the Ball Powder grit that gets under your extractor and binds it up.

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On 11/11/2020 at 9:48 AM, pskys2 said:

Gaming the Classifiers isn't a well thought out proposition.  Might make it easier to move up , but if one is serious and then goes to Major Matches, it usually bites them.

I'm too lazy, or simple minded, to try to load/use/remember different loads and their POI's.  I tend to set my match loads then use them for everything in that platform.

But in Revolver the numbers might be more important than the details.

I was using different colors of bullets for different games but have since changed to one bullet and PF for Icore and USPSA, 150 grain in Short Colt at 128-133 and then I use my 38 special with light loads to use in steel challenge. Powder coating your own bullets does let you load to different values and try to keep them straight as to which one is this. But I am getting [got] older and have come down with that sickness called CRS.lol

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I use WST powder for my 45acp loads.  There's about a 10PF difference between my G41 and SW625 when I chrono.

I'm using Berry's 230gr RN with 4.50gr WST, and OAL 1.265.

This produces a 168 PF in my 625, and a Minor PF 158 in my G41.

 

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  • 1 month later...

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