Lighter recoil for 45 ACP

[Corjyn]

Merry Christmas to all!!!!

I am fairly new to shooting handguns and have been reloading for a little time. I've read that a heavier round such as 230 gr. with a lighter powder load has a softer recoil than lighter round (200 gr.) with a heavier powder load. Is this true? Please forgive my ignorance, just curious on how I should target my reloads.

Since you have read this, let me ask you, my Kimber Eclipse Target II comes stock with a 18 lb recoil spring which I changed to a 14 lb for lighter loads. Sometimes it fails to return to battery when at the range, have I gone to light with the spring.

Thank you and I hope Santa has been nice to all of you and your families!!!!!

Cheers!!

John

[warpspeed]

In general, a heavier bullet with a faster powder will give you a softer load.

For 45 ACP, Hodgdon Clays will give you a very nice load. Do a search under the reloading forum for Clays and you will get a ton of info.

[Paul Burtchell]

Merry Christmas.

3.8 to 4.0 grains of Clay's with a 230gr. bullet is almost like cheating.

I also like 4.3 with a 200gr for a little snappier feel.

You'll have to experiment a bit to see which you prefer.

I also run a 14# spring in my Les Baer, but you might want to try a 16# variable to see if that improves reliability.

What overall length are you loading to??

[Corjyn]

Wow, thanks for the replies so quickly!!!!

Burt:

I'm loading to OAL of 2.56 in, maybe a little short. She is very picky, she won't shoot reliable unless I use round nose. Doesn't like the wad cutters or semi-wad cutters.

Thanks for helping the new guy.

John

[TrueDoubleTaper]

you may want to have a litte work done on the barrel ramp and the frame ramp if it is not a ramped barrel. This may help dramatically with the feeding. Extractor tension also plays a bit of a roll with a nice feeding round.

[Paul Burtchell]

Wow, thanks for the replies so quickly!!!!

Burt:

I'm loading to OAL of 2.56 in, maybe a little short. She is very picky, she won't shoot reliable unless I use round nose. Doesn't like the wad cutters or semi-wad cutters.

Thanks for helping the new guy.

John

I generally load to 1.250. If you like lead bullets you might want to try Precision's 230gr moly coated bullets. I've had very good luck with those or KEAD 230gr lead. For FMJ you may want to try Montana Gold or Zero's if you can find them. I'm thinking about switching back to jacketed myself. Just alot cleaner loading and shooting.

Clays & Titegroup are probably the most popular powders for 45 ACP.

Sounds like a little throating job may help the Kimber with feeding issues.

Edited December 25, 2007 by baerburtchell

[G-ManBart]

Wow, thanks for the replies so quickly!!!!

Burt:

I'm loading to OAL of 2.56 in, maybe a little short. She is very picky, she won't shoot reliable unless I use round nose. Doesn't like the wad cutters or semi-wad cutters.

Thanks for helping the new guy.

John

Uh, 2.56" is about twice the normal length for .45acp I'm guessing you meant 1.256"? If so, that's not all that short. I just measured some factory Rem/UMC 230gr round nose ammo and they were exactly 1.260".

If you're loading to 1.256 you can go a little longer to maybe 1.265 or 1.27 and see if it helps...just check that they fit your mags and the bullet doesn't hit the rifling when chamberd. Get someone to polish the feed ramp on your gun until it's like a mirror and it should feed other bullet types just fine with the 14lb spring. Also check that the diameter of the loaded rounds is somewhere around .471 (the bullet diameter plus twice the case wall thickness). What sort of mags are you using? Mags can make all the difference in the world.

[Paul Burtchell]

Wow, thanks for the replies so quickly!!!!

Burt:

I'm loading to OAL of 2.56 in, maybe a little short. She is very picky, she won't shoot reliable unless I use round nose. Doesn't like the wad cutters or semi-wad cutters.

Thanks for helping the new guy.

John

Uh, 2.56" is about twice the normal length for .45acp I'm guessing you meant 1.256"? If so, that's not all that short. I just measured some factory Rem/UMC 230gr round nose ammo and they were exactly 1.260".

If you're loading to 1.256 you can go a little longer to maybe 1.265 or 1.27 and see if it helps...just check that they fit your mags and the bullet doesn't hit the rifling when chamberd. Get someone to polish the feed ramp on your gun until it's like a mirror and it should feed other bullet types just fine with the 14lb spring. Also check that the diameter of the loaded rounds is somewhere around .471 (the bullet diameter plus twice the case wall thickness). What sort of mags are you using? Mags can make all the difference in the world.

+1 on the mags. Good point, Chris.

Edited December 25, 2007 by baerburtchell

[Corjyn]

Wow!!

Maybe one too many Christmas cocktails. I meant I load to OAL of 1.256 in. huge typo. Bart was right!!! Width is right at .471. I am using the 10 round McCormick shooting star mags. The feed ramp is part of the barrel and eats round nose well, but doesn't care for the wad cutters, will polishing make the difference.

Now I really feel like the new guy, I think I'll load to 3.56 in next.

John

[Paul Burtchell]

No problem. I knew you meant 1.256. Good to clarify though.

A good polishing could make a difference.

Are you shooting limited 10 or just like the 10 round mags?

You might want to try 8 round Virgil Tripp mags or Wilson 47D's. I've had those make clunkers feed anything.

[DougCarden]

You might want to shorten up the OAL a little bit for 230s. When my smith was building a lot of para .45s we loaded 230LRN to 1.220 for best feeding. Some of the 230 bullets can run down to 1.210 and feed fine, but load them longer out to 1.250 and you may have problems.

Easiest suggestion is to set your bullet seatin stem with a factory 230 round that does feed and you should be ok...

DougC

[Corjyn]

Thank you all for answering my questions today.

I wish you all a very Merry Christmas and to your families.

John

[Johann the Horrible]

I would stick to the 230gr Round nose to he exclusion to all others. There is no advantage to use wad-cutter or semi-wad-cutter bullets as these will never feed as well as Round nose bullets. The other bullet types can be made to work well but the money spent can be better spent on other things like practice. Even when things start to go wrong Round nose will feed long after semi-wads has stopped working. The only reason I do not use 250 gr is that the locking lugs does not last. 230 gr with a fast burning propellant makes for the "softest" recoil of the reasonable bullet weights.

[Harmon]

are you looking for major power or just less recoil?

major load of 3.8 clays and 230 precision is hard to beat.

[Carlos]

I would stick to the 230gr Round nose to he exclusion to all others. There is no advantage to use wad-cutter or semi-wad-cutter bullets as these will never feed as well as Round nose bullets. The other bullet types can be made to work well but the money spent can be better spent on other things like practice. Even when things start to go wrong Round nose will feed long after semi-wads has stopped working. The only reason I do not use 250 gr is that the locking lugs does not last. 230 gr with a fast burning propellant makes for the "softest" recoil of the reasonable bullet weights.

I agree. In the main sports on this board (USPSA/IDPA), what you really need is accurate speed - and a .45 that jams will cost you a stage, possibly a match due to lost time. Stick to the RNs in 230grn if they feed the best in your gun.

RE powder: you only want to load for 165+ PF with those 230s (how MUCH above 165 is open to debate). The powders that will get you there without too much unburnt powder jamming things up are all at the very TOP of the burn rate chart (meaning they burn FAST).

The traditionalists who do not shoot our sports will praise fast burning Hodgdon HP-38 and Win 231 (same powder) and also Bullseye. I find those to be dirty and temp sensitive.

Better choices for you would be straight Clays, Titegroup (leaves a weird mark on case) the new "E3" (replaces the horrible red dot) V V N310 if you can afford it, AA#2 and finally: Solo 1000 (my choice). All are fast burning powders.

Welcome aboard.

[Allgoodhits]

You did not elaborate on which rounds failed to go into battery. I believe you also commented that you are using ten round mags. Since you are using RN bullets, then the feed ramp is likely not the biggest problem.

It sounds like your slide does not have enough energy to strip the round(s) off the magazine and chamber the round(s). WHY?

To light of a recoil spring.

To much magazine spring tension: does it feed fine for the last few rounds, or first few rounds in 10 round mag? The fuller the mag, the greater the tension.

To little tension on mag spring front, causing rounds to nose dive at magazine front or feed ramp

Defective or damaged mag follower

Damaged, burred or misaligned mag lips not permitting rounds from stripping out of mags

Very "rough" brass that has damaged rim dragging on mag lips

Combo of two or more above.

Load some dummy rounds sans powder & primers and cycle them through the system, until you can isolate the likely problem, then take corrective steps. Try someone elses mags, have them try your mags in their gun. Try someone elses laods. Have them try yours. I would not mess with the feed ramp until you have eliminated the other variables.

Be sure, be safe, be able to shoot another day!

MJ