Help with UNIQUE 45acp recipes...

[sjg1966]

Hi all.....

Who here has some recipes I can glance over for:

185gr FP Berrys Plated with Unique.

I have some Berry's 185gr plated FP that I want to work up some loads with Unique, but I have not seen much data with that bullet/powder combo.

From what I have found, I was thinking about starting abour 6.0gr and working up from there.

Thanks for reading.....

Steve

[Bill Steele]

Hi all.....

Who here has some recipes I can glance over for:

185gr FP Berrys Plated with Unique.

I have some Berry's 185gr plated FP that I want to work up some loads with Unique, but I have not seen much data with that bullet/powder combo.

From what I have found, I was thinking about starting abour 6.0gr and working up from there.

Thanks for reading.....

Steve

6.0grs would be a safe starting point. It may or may not cycle your gun, depending on the gun, so I would not make a large first batch.

[sjg1966]

anyone else????

[M27]

I have never done any 185gn RNHB with unique but I have done it with power pistol

at 7.7 grains it was a solid but lower recoil load.

I have also made test loads with AA#5 and longshot but have yet to shoot them

[noylj]

All .45 185gn cast bullets will use the same loading data. Have you read your manuals? You will quickly see, at least in the Hornady manuals, that all lead bullets of the same weight use the same load data, as do all jacketed bullets. The difference is the minimum COL they used for working up the loads.
Your COL is dependent on your gun's barrel chamber and feed ramp, your magazine's lips and spring tension, and the bullet's ogive. So, you need to determine your own COL for your gun or guns and the particular bullet you are using.
Those plated bullets are really swaged lead with a very thin plating of copper rather than bullet lube. Thus, loading data is the same as for a lead bullet of that weight.
In some cases, if you work up the load carefully, you can load up to the mid-range for jacketed bullets of that weight--not to exceed 1200fps. You can find all this out at the bullet manufacturer's site.
Here is my compilation from decade's of loading manuals. START with the LOWEST starting load you can find.
Bullet Weight Powder Weight Velocity Note Power Factor COL
L-SWC 185 Unique 5.0 688 Start 127 1.220
L-RNWC #452389 185 Unique 5.0 684 Start 127
L-SWC 180 Unique 5.5 791 Start 142
Rainier P-FP 185 Unique 5.6 715 Start 132
L-SWC 180 Unique 5.6 800 144
L-SWC 180 Unique 6.0 829 Start 149
L-SWC 180 Unique 6.0 875 Max 158 1.190
Carroll L-SWC 185 Unique 6.7 884 164
L-SWC 180 Unique 7.1 975 Max 176
L-RNWC #452389 185 Unique 7.5 995 Max 184
Rainier P-FP 185 Unique 8.4 1064 Max 197

[echo884]

I haven't used the flat point, but I exclusively use the Berry's 185 hollow base, round point in my springfield 1911 with 6.5gr of Unique. It shoots great with mild recoil and pretty accurate.

[mike100]

for 185gr bullets, you can go higher than 6.0 grains, but funny thing is that every 45 acp bullet type is safe with 6.0 grains. Just make all your 45 loads 6.0 and shoot it. USGI velocity duplication for the 230 gr hardball ammo is about 6.1 to 6.2 grains in my guns, but just keep it simple at 6.0

(some of the store bought commercial ammo runs slower than my 6.1 loads)