Recommended IPSC loads
John Gayman
I'm curious as to what most of you are using for .45 ACP IPSC loads.
I've been using Bullseye powder for quite a while and it has done a good
job for me thus far. It just seems difficult to come up with a major
power factor load using Bullseye with published load data. My bullet is
a H&G 68 style 200gr lead SWC.
The part that confuses me is why loads using Bullseye are so restrictive
when using lead. 5.0gr of Bullseye give me ~860fps out of a standard Colt
Government model .45. By the manual, 5.0gr of Bullseye yeilds about 14,000
C.U.P. of pressure. Other powders can yeild as much as 18,000 CUP with this
same bullet. By looking at the specs it would seem harmless to use say
around 5.5gr of Bullseye with the 200gr bullet. Jacketed loads using
Bullseye are listed as high as 6.0gr or so.
I've given consideration to switching to WW231 which should be easier
to obtain greater velocities. Anybody have any experience with WW231 as
comapred to Bullseye for cleanliness. I've talked with people who swear
one is cleaner than the other and visa versa. Any comments and experiences
are appreciated.
John
--
John Gayman, WA3WBU | UUCP: uunet!wa3wbu!john
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Tom J. Farish
is that higher velocities often result in leading the barrel if soft
cast or swaged bullets are used. As you pointed out, higher loads are
listed for jacketed 200g bullets. There loads are probably max due
to pressure considerations. A number of people here use bullseye with
a H&G 200gr SWC, but most I talked to prefer 231 or Accurate No.5. I've
decided to try a pound of both and see which I like best. BTW, I've used
Bullseye, Unique and PB. All worked fine, but the unique burned very dirty.
James Bessette
> I'm curious as to what most of you are using for .45 ACP IPSC loads.
>I've been using Bullseye powder for quite a while and it has done a good
>job for me thus far. It just seems difficult to come up with a major
>power factor load using Bullseye with published load data. My bullet is
>a H&G 68 style 200gr lead SWC.
>
>to obtain greater velocities. Anybody have any experience with WW231 as
>comapred to Bullseye for cleanliness. I've talked with people who swear
>one is cleaner than the other and visa versa. Any comments and experiences
>are appreciated.
I've got a copy of Bill Wilson's _The Combat .45 Automatic_ 1984 copyright.
At the end it has a list of most of the shooters (who count) and their
favorite loads. Only two, Lee Cole and Bill Wilson used Bullseye.
Lee Cole: 5.3 gr, CCI primer, H&G #68 bullet, no mention of case type.
Bill Wilson: 5.0 gr, Federal primer, H&G #68 bullet, WCC military case.
The rest:
Powder weight bullet case primer
Tom Campbell Federal factory, 230, FMJ Ball n/a n/a
Ray Chapman 231 5.8 200 H&G WW WW
Mike Dalton 231 5.6 200g H&G #68 WWC mil/onc.fired WW/Fed
Mark Duncan 231 5.8 200 SWC Win. Win
Brian Enos 231 5.8 200 H&G SWC Military Federal
Joanna Fichman 231 5.8 H&G #68 SWC WCC Winc/Fed
Mike Fichman 231 5.8 H&G #68 SWC WCC Winc/Fed
Mickey Fowler WW 231 5.7 200gr H&G Mil once fired Federal
Ken Hackathorn WW 231 5.8 H&G #68 GI CCI
Mike Johnson 231 5.8 200gr SWC WW WW
Leonard Knight 231 Ball 5.8 #68 H&G WCC Federal
Rob Leatham 231 5.8 200 H&G #68 Military Federal
J. Michael Plaxco 231 5.7 H&G 68 SWC 200CR WW Federal
John Sayle 700X 5.0 Rogers 200 SWC Winchester Federal
John Shaw 231 5.7 200 Shaw Military WW
I have copied this from the book without permission and take no responsibility
for these loads..blah, blah, blah...
They all were shooting some form (customized) of Colt .45 except for Tom
Campbell who was shooting some prototype S&W.
Enjoy.
Jim
Ron Morgan
The excellent Bill Wilson book, "The Combat .45 Automatic," has a section
at the end describing the pistol setups of 17 of the top IPSC shooters in
the world, including Rob Leathem, Brian Enos, Bill Wilson, J. Plaxco, and
other "gods" of the IPSC world.
Out of these 17, 12 use 5.7 or 5.8 grains of W231 with Federal Primers
and H&G 68 200gr. SWC's. Another uses 5.6 grains, for a total of 13 out of
17 using W231.
One, John Sayle, uses 5.0 grains of 700X with a Rogers 200SWC. Bill Wilson
uses 5.0gr. of Bullseye with the H&G 200SWC. Lee Cole, Women's Nat'l IPSC
(hey, is she single? (-8 ) champ, uses 5.3 gr. Bullseye with the H&G 68.
Tom Campbell uses Federal Factory 230gr. FMJ ammo, but he shoots a special
$30,000 S&W prototype pistol.
In his book, Wilson states his opinion that 231 has a slightly sharper
recoil than Bullseye, although that's his personal opinion. I've also read
that Unique is a good powder, but is reportedly *extremely* dirty-shooting
and mucks up your gun something awful.
Ron Morgan
osm...@emx.utexas.edu
John Mireley
It factors around 180 most of the time. It factored over 200 at the
last match I shot but the Crono had baked in the sun all day.
I've been playing with a load using 185 grain bullets. The comp
works better with these lighter bullets and higher pressures.
I've got one load 6.2 gr 231 that just makes 175. I would like a
little more room. I friend is using Bullseye, 5.9, grains I beleive
and was getting over 190 with the 185 gr bullet. I've got some
of his loads with a reduced charge to check this week. When I get the
results I'll post it.
John Mireley
John Gayman
Many thanks to those of you who responded to my IPSC load query. I am
happy to report that the problem sort of worked its way out. After 11 months
wait I finally took delivery of my Wilson Super Grade in .45 ACP. The
extra 1/2" of barrel length made all the difference in the world. My 200gr
bullets were clocking ~880 fps out of my stock Colt 1911A1. The 5 1/2"
barrel on the Super Grade pushes the same load at 920-930 fps which easily
puts me in Major with a little room to spare. Bullseye seems to burn fairly
clean for me. I put 1000 rds through the gun in two outtings over the
weekend, 400 in the first and 600 the second, cleaning it after each.
The gun has performed remarkable so far. During the first 50 rds I had
one failure for the slide to go all the way home. Since then its been
flawless. This kinda amazes me because the slide has *ZERO* play, I mean
it is rock tight. Yet today it digested 600 rounds rapid fire while shooting
at steel plates. Accuracy seems to be good. I bench shot it from a Pistol
Perch yesterday and it would consistently stay within 1" at 25 yds with my
handloads. This is the first compensated gun I have shot. Much of what I
read stated that comps don't really do a lot for .45 ACP. Well don't you
beleive it. :-) I took my standard Colt Govn't Model along for comparison
and beleive me, there is *no* comparison! Shooting major power factor loads
feels like .38 mild waddcutters and the front sight hardly leaves the
target.
With 1000 rounds of break in I'm now anxious for next weeks IPSC match
and a chance to really try it out. I kinda have a feeling though that it
will have been worth the money! :-) Stay tuned...