Nebi reloader question....

[The Gunslinger]

Hey guys and gals...I just startd reloading and was curious what a good load would be for .45acp. I shoot in matches at the Desert Marksman in teh AV and curious what a good light load would be for reduced recoil and what not....a load good for plinking mostly.....

[anyracoon]

Copper or lead bullets? I have been shooting 230 FMJ, 4.0 gr Clays with WLP primers. Fun load with just a little snap out of a XD-45 5" Tactical. Works out to about 15 cents a round.

[smokingloon]

why type of powder do you have and which gun are you using?

I use 200 gr LSWC with 5.0gr of W231.

[Fjold]

I've been shooting 5.0 grains of W231 with a 200 grain LSWC for about 28 years and it's worked for me.

[Spyduh]

I've been shooting 5.0 grains of W231 with a 200 grain LSWC for about 28 years and it's worked for me.

What brand LSWC are you using? Bear Creek?

I actually just bought some 200gr Bear Creek LSWC .45 and was looking at my manuals for a load. I was going to start off with 4.8-5.0grains. Would it be safe to assume that using 5.0 with W231 is safe/reliable and a good load to use?

[The Gunslinger]

I am shooting it out of my Kimber custom II

[supersonic]

I like 6 grains of PowerPistol under a 230 Laser Cast with Remington LP primers. My S&W 1911 does, too!

[Fjold]

What brand LSWC are you using? Bear Creek?

I actually just bought some 200gr Bear Creek LSWC .45 and was looking at my manuals for a load. I was going to start off with 4.8-5.0grains. Would it be safe to assume that using 5.0 with W231 is safe/reliable and a good load to use?

About 20 different brands over the years. Hodgdon lists the powder charges with a generic 200 grain LSWC as 4.4 - 5.6 grains of W231 so 5.0 grains should be more than safe with any brand of 200 grain LSWC

[What Just Happened?]

People use 5.3 grains of W231 behind a 200 grain LSWC to make major power factor in USPSA with a margin of error. So dipping down to 4.8 or 5.0 grains will be fine. Heck, you might even want to dip lower just so you can get your gun back on target faster

BTW, I use 5.0 grains of W231 behind a 215 LSWC.

[Snapping Twig]

I like a 230g cast TC over 5.3g W231. Factory duplicate in feel.

[Blwnbwtie]

i use missouri bullets 185gr lswc with 4.0gr bullseye in my rock island 1911. Its a nice light target load.

[dexter9659]

I shoot 5.1gr Unique with Lasercast 200gr LSCW w/ Winchester primers out of my Raptor II. They have VERY controllable recoil and make nice round holes. 45 was the first caliber I reloaded, and this is the formula I have been using now for 7 years. Unique is a very forgiving powder (a little too much or little wont overcharge or undercharge your chamber). It will run dirtier than a lot of powders out there, but it is quite soft and easy to wipe off (little to no scrubbing needed). I shoot... maybe 15 different powders and find Unique to be the most universal,(no pun intended at Universal's expense) forgiving all around powder out there.

Bullseye and clays are also very good powders, but you will find them to be not as forgiving as Unique. If you accidentally add .4 grains of Bullseye to a cartridge, you may not know it till you shoot, and then you will find out how unforgiving the powder is. Also a double charge in 5.1 Unique will fill the casing to the brim, while a double charge of Bullseye or clays will not be nearly as noticeable.

PM me if you have any questions....

[Spyduh]

Sorry for the noob questions but I've never loaded 200gr LSWC in this caliber before.


I used a factory Blazer 230gr RN CCI round to set my seating depth (if I remember correctly when I measured it was 1.265). I seated my 200gr LSWC and it's producing 1.235 OAL rounds. I have some previous 185 LSWC and 200gr LSWC that my dad gave me (from his friend that reloads). The caliper measurements were roughly (1.23XX) the same as the ones I produced.

What OAL do you guys use for 200gr LSWC?

[smokingloon]

1.250 col

[dexter9659]

Sorry for the noob questions but I've never loaded 200gr LSWC in this caliber before.


I used a factory Blazer 230gr RN CCI round to set my seating depth (if I remember correctly when I measured it was 1.265). I seated my 200gr LSWC and it's producing 1.235 OAL rounds. I have some previous 185 LSWC and 200gr LSWC that my dad gave me (from his friend that reloads). The caliper measurements were roughly (1.23XX) the same as the ones I produced.

What OAL do you guys use for 200gr LSWC?

I'll check my OAL in the morning to see. What works for me should work for you as we both have Kimbers. I can tell you this before I measure. I have a very short shoulder on my loads. You will find different guns like different shoulders. Remember factory loads are "universal", every gun is a little different so what is best for your Kimber may not be the best for my USP, ect.