Hornady 45 ACP Target Bullets

A picture of the bullet would go a long way to clearing up the confusion.

There are conical match bullets and SWC match bullets, long nose swc, short nose swcs, all the same weights, jacketed and lead.

MAX COAL .45ACP is 1.275". This is NOT a "load to" length, it's a "do not exceed" length. Slightly shorter is better, less likely to hang up in magazines. standard ball ammo 230gr FMJ is a few thousandths shorter than 1.275"

As you noted, if you load a short 185gr slug to 1.275" there's almost no bullet in the case. Load them shorter, you won't hurt anything. Generally speaking, .45acp SWC bullets should be loaded with the shoulder of the bullet at or just barely above the case mouth. Loaded length will then be what ever it is, 1.235", 1.115", whatever, depending on the nose length of the bullet. As long as they are shorter than max length it should work fine.

Don't worry (too much) about a slightly deeper or different seating depth, (unless working with max loads, and the bullet in question isn't the right one for that, anyway).

The .45ACP is a fairly low pressure round, and much, much more tolerant of a slight change in seating depth than a 9mm or that grenade in waiting .40S&W.

Load them so the "look right" use a moderate charge, and shoot them up. Next time, buy something you definitely know what it is.

And NEVER buy any "reloaded" ammo (especially in bags with no maker's name & address) at a gun show, unless you intend on breaking it down for cases and slugs and tossing the powder. The risk just isn't worth the savings.

Good Luck!
 
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I concur with your reference to the .40 S&W as a grenade in waiting. While I hate to admit it, when I was out today I fired a few 40s in a Springfield with some rounds that I had loaded and also fired some time back and had no recollection of anything amiss. However, examination of the fired cases revealed very flattened primers and one blown out completely. Loads were with the recently discussed HP-38 and a 170 gr SWC. I was preparing to load more of those but now obviously not. Impossible to pull with an impact bullet puller so what to do with the rest of them? I have both an auto as well as a S&W revolver in 10mm but don't suppose they can fire the 40s unless there are moon clips for the revolver. Both guns are hefty and could handle the rounds. What to do with the remaining ammunition is now the question.
 
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Checking the net, moon clips are available for the 610 S&W 10mm revolver so maybe that is the way to go for the 40s. The Lyman and Speer manuals only show 231 rather than HP-38, but based on the 231 data the questionable loads were borderline but none were exact to what I had been using.
 
Impossible to pull with an impact bullet puller so what to do with the rest of them?
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Why impossible??

Difficult, I can see, but impossible?

I've got the big orange hammer from Lyman (also the RCBS collet style dies for my press), and I've pulled 400 7.62mm NATO ball with no real problem, none required more than 4-5 raps.

The key to an inertia puller is it has to move fast, and stop suddenly. You don't have to swing it hard, just fast. Its the sudden stop that does the work.

Wood, even hard wood is "too soft" for best efficiency. Even a concrete floor is kind of "soft" for this. I use the iron top of my wood stove (COLD, no fire in the stove, of course) and it works pretty well for me. The bigger the caliber, the better it works (more inertia). The most difficult ones are .22 CF rounds with their light bullets, but those can be done too, just takes a few more wacks.

I admit, I've never pulled down .40s, I don't own any .40s but seems like it should work, it works for everything else, with varying degrees of efficiency.

One thing you might try, before using the hammer puller, seat the bullets a little DEEPER (.1" or so) then pull. This breaks any adhesion between the bullet and the case (such as the lacquer sealant) and allows the bullet to move more easily.

Assemble the round in the puller CORRECTLY, and play wack a mole on a good HARD surface for a while, they should come out.
 
Wow, much ado about nuttin'? K.I.S.S.!! First, one has to identify the bullet. Then the reloader should find the bullet manufacturer's recommended OAL and take all the anonymous "suggestions" with a grain of Bullseye (in other words, ferget forum reloading data)...;)
 
Ok, I think I'm on the right track.

My load data came from the Sierra V. 8.

There is this little thing called, "operator error". Condor, I won the battle with the die. It was operator error on my part. I don't know exactly what was going on but there was a slight misalignment with the case at the mouth of the die. I jiggled (now there's a sophisticated engineering term) it a bit and was able to seat the bullet nicely. I seated to 1.155". I am using my Lee turret press as a single stage unit for this bunch of cartridges. I should have moved the die over to my Rock Chucker to see if the problem existed there. All is well now.

I attached a photo of the bullet.

"Alcohol never solved any problems but then, neither has milk".
 

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I've beaten the hell out of a Lyman orange hammer to no avail. But perhaps breaking the seal will do the trick. In the meantime I found some moon clips stashed away that seem to be for the 10mm revolver. So will follow up on that first before going to the frustration of again trying to pull bullets (after breaking the seal first).
 
I forgot to add this. I loaded some 185 grain JPHs to 1.275" then test fired them. The Taurus 45 ACP had no problem cycling and I did not test them in my 1911 or my 45 ACP AMT Backup.
 
Digressing to posts 22, 23, 24 and 29 that relates to .40 S&W overloads with HP-38 powder and what to do with the remaining rounds:

The heavy Smith revolver 10mm mdl 610 using moon clips did short work on the .40 overloads, contrary to the way they performed in the Springfield semi. Upon firing they felt like .38s and the primers did not appear flattened as fired in the Springfield.
 
contrary to the way they performed in the Springfield semi....
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Every gun & ammo combination has different limits. Even consecutive serial # guns can have pressure limits different enough to notice.

The difference between what is a hot load, max load, over max load or just a regular load can be the gun, and the gun alone.

This is why we carefully work up our personal max loads specific to a SINGLE GUN, and drop back to "ground zero" starting point and work up again, when we change to a different gun.
 
I have a handful of Hornady, .451", 185 grain target bullets. These bullets have full metal jackets except for a small amount of lead exposed at the flat surface. There is no lead protruding above the jacket. The bullet is conical in shape. I'm assuming I load them as a regular jacketed bullet. Is this correct?

Also, the bullets are only .515" (approx.) long. If I seat them so the C.O.A.L. is .1275", the bullet will fall out of the case.

What is my C.O.A.L. for this bullet? I have no load data for them.

I have been loading 185 grain JHP bullets with 5.2 grains of HP-38 powder. May I use this recipe with this bullet or any recipe for a 185 grain JHP or FMJ?
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The bullet you describe sounds to me like the Hornady 185 grain SWC (Semi Wad Cutter) Target, Hornady #45137. The Hornady 9th Edition will give a suggested C.O.L of 1.135". The only other Hornady manufactured bullet in a .451 diameter at 185 grains for .45 ACP would be the 185 grain HP XTP which your description does not come close to fitting. The Hornady Test Gun was a Springfield 1911 having a 5.0" barrel.

I would load to 1.135" if you want to run with the Hornady data for their bullet.

Ron
 
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