W231 45 ACP initial target loadings

G

georgiacatweazle

New member
I decided to go with W231 for my 45 ACP powder.

I'll be running a 5" barrel and 230gr plated RN from xtreme. (I settled on the 230 from them due to price and popular load data.)
Obviously will be working up a loading based on my manuals, but does anyone have a good go-to loading with W231 that i can focus on with my loadups ?

Thanks
 
I've always used lead bullet data for my plated bullet loads. In my Hodgdon manual starting loads of W231 for a 230 gr.LRN is 4.3 for just under 700 fps. I normally use Universal or Unique for around 800 fps for a LRN...
 
I decided to go with W231 for my 45 ACP powder.
Click to expand...

Well you're off to a superb start. Hard to beat W231/HP-38 for 45 ACP. A very wide range of ammo can be crafted with it. You can pretty much load for every purpose except full-throttle defense type loadings - i.e. won't quite deliver max velocity.

I load X-treme plated 230gn HP's with 5.8 grains of W231. Work up to it, of course. Speer #14 starts at 5.6gn and tops out at 6.2gn. I like it at 5.8 - chronographs at a respectable 814 f/s through my full-size 1911.
 
W231 with the Xtreme 230gr Plated RN, I'm happy with 5.0gr. Pretty accurate and as a side benefit the brass ends up pretty close to me, in a nice pile :D.
When I worked up my load, I believe I was a bit too low and it was sooty, but after I went up a bit, it cleaned up nice. I never have seen a need for range fodder to really crank it up. (Nick, thanks for letting me know that I'm on the low side, though Hodgdon say 5.3 max?)
 
though Hodgdon say 5.3 max
Click to expand...

Yeah, it sure does.

Although Hornady 9th tops out at 5.7 grains (same OAL). Since both data are with the Hornady FP bullet, I'd tend to go with Hornady's data over Hodgdon's, in this case. That's just me.

At any rate, we have a ballpark for the OP to start his work up. I've been dropping 5.6 - 5.8 grains of W231 under various 230gn slugs for a couple decades now. Shoots nice. Not a pure target shooter; but more like a Winchester White Box sorta thing - range ammo.
 
My Lee manual says 5.3 max, lyman doesn't list W231 for a 230 ? weird.

i came to the decision to keep Unique for revolver calibers 38 special and 44 mag.
Alliant Bullseye for 380 / 9 / 40, i.e. the little bullets.
 
I use Hornady 230gr FMJ and Montana Gold 230gr CMJ, 5.5 gr W231/HP38, 1.230 COAL, CCI 300 Large Pistol Primers. Worked up my load using a HK45. I also had great results with 5.3 gr W231/HP38.
 
5.3 is the max in one publication. But it's less than the minimum in another.

Welcome to the world of reloading.

Try not to over-think this. The nice thing about W231 is that It'll run consistent over a broad range. Start low and work up until you have a round you're happy with.
 
Plated 230gn round nose if pretty much all I shoot in my 1911's and my pet load is 5.0gn of W231. Soft shooting, accurate, and brass lands only a few feet away. I've shot thousands of this load over the years and have yet to find a different load I like more.
 
Not to change the scope of the thread, but I only have a few reloading manuals and obviously there is more info out there you guys are using.

I have Alliant's yearly ones for free, Lyman #49, Lee #2, hodgdon's year magazine.
There is Hornady, Speer, Sierra ... ? probably some others.
out of the big guys, which has the best data. maybe worth my while placing an order for an extra manual.
 
out of the big guys, which has the best data.
Click to expand...

It's not likely that any one has the "best data." Lots of different opinions out there, no doubt.

Since I've started loading, Speer has always been my first go-to. I have Sierra, Hornady, Lyman, & on-line sources. But my first reach is always Speer - unless I'm using a Sierra or Hornady (often) bullet - then, I grab that bullet's manual, of course. I'm rather old school, so I don't often go on line. Hodgdon's is pretty good. Accurate Arms' is also pretty thorough and comprehensive.

The trick to having a bunch of available reference sources is to not get into analysis paralysis. Try not to overthink it.

You're loading 230gn slugs with W231. This is a very common combination. Most people are in the low 5-grain neighborhood. Start there and go . . .
 
Nick_C_S - went over to basspro and browsed through the books. seemed like Nosler and Hornady had some interesting write ups per caliber.
Nosler didn't have all the different powders I have per caliber right now, but had good enough reading that I got the cheaper digital download in PDF. that way I can print what i want.
Hornady I'm probably going to buy hard copy, that looks decent. Amazon awaits :-)

thanks
 
Hornady I'm probably going to buy hard copy
Click to expand...

Hornady 9th is a good book. Lots of informative reading. Hornady is fully committed to the craft of home ammunition loading. It's my second-most used reference; and I load a lot of their XTP bullets.

My only "gripe" about the Hornady manual, if you will, is that it tends to be "slow powder centric." Meaning, they tend to lack data for a given bullet with faster powders. But this is really more of a commentary about my loading style, rather than a criticism of Hornady's manual. Besides, we're talking a "tendancy," rather than an overarching sort of thing. Hornady 9th gives me lots of good useful information.

I tend to lean more toward faster powders than a lot of loaders. I don't fear pressure. I respect pressure; but I don't fear pressure. Pressure is a good thing. Pressure makes powders run clean, efficient, consistent, and with minimal flash, report, and recoil. When I have a new purpose and decide it's time to do a load work up, the first question I ask myself is: "What is the fastest powder I can use to suit this purpose?"

Case in point: I wanted to load some 357 Magnum, 158 grain XTP's, for defense, for my 3" bbl Smith M686. I wasn't looking for maximum velocity; but I still wanted good velocity (obviously). I wanted a round that was "balanced" for the short barreled handgun. I didn't want a big slow powder that created a bunch of report, huge flame plume, and tremendous thrusting recoil - save that kind of ammo for the long barrels - they have no place for the snubbies. AA#5 was my powder of choice. But when you look in Hornady's manual for 158's, all that's shown is a bunch of huge "magnum slow" powders - save AA#9 and Viht N120. But even those are pretty darn slow - and certainly much slower than my purpose called for.

Speer #14 got me the reference data I needed. I ended up settling on 9.2 grains AA#5 and it delivers 1097 f/s trough the 3" bbl (1159 f/s 4"), with minimal report, flash, and recoil - perfect. You won't find a lot of loaders who will use this powder/bullet combination. But that gives some indication of my load style.
 
I've always used lead bullet data for my plated bullet loads. In my Hodgdon manual starting loads of W231 for a 230 gr.LRN is 4.3 for just under 700 fps.
Click to expand...

Not that it matters one whit in 45 Auto. Hodgdon's max with a 230gn lead or jacketed bullet with 231/HP38 is an identical 5.3gn. Start with a jacketed bullet is 0.1gn less though. A lot of their data with their powders in 45 Auto are higher with lead bullets than it is with jacketed bullets of the same weight so if you use their lead bullet data for plated bullets you could be loading slightly hotter than if you used their jacketed data.

They real limit with plated bullets is keeping velocity below 1200fps so you don't strip the plating off. You will never reach this threshold in 45 Auto using any published data, jacketed or lead. X-treme told me to just use Speer jacketed data with their bullets. Cross checking with other sources has always lead me to working up good loads with plated bullets. This is where the One Book / One Caliber manuals come in handy. They're not a substitute for a good reloading manual, or several, but a very handy book with all of the published data for the cartridge you are loading for easy cross referencing.

To the OP's original query, in my experience X-treme's plated bullets have performed best just below max. I would've bet that you will find the sweet spot with you powder/bullet combo to be in the 4.9gn-5.2gn range based off of Hodgdon's data. Nick's results sound really good though. Speer data...
 
Plated Bullets

You will never reach this threshold (1200 f/s) in 45 Auto using any published data.
Click to expand...

. . . ^ Well stated. ^

In the 45 ACP world, there is no need to get all wrapped around the axle over how to treat plated bullets.

For starters, I don't overthink it. With 45 ACP, I just treat plated bullets like jacketed. The copper will have more similar friction with the barrel to jacketed than lead, so I use jacketed data. As mentioned, there's a lot of overlap with the data anyway. And just for the record, Speer's data for their jacketed 230 RN is actually a "TMJ" plated bullet anyway.

I take the same approach with 38 Special; and for the same reason - you're just not going to drive them so hard as to worry about plating degradation.

357 Mag and 10mm is a different story. I only drive them so hard (and it's well below 1200 f/s) before I make the crossover to jacketed. I have no hard and fast velocity rule, but I tend to make the crossover in the 1050 - 1100-ish neighborhood. Which, btw is still below any concern for 45 ACP.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top