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TARGET load for 185 .45 using WST
- Thread starter Scrivener
- Start date
I've had pretty good luck with 4.7gr of WST with a COAL of 1.260". The 'longer' length seems to feed better with these bullets (I assume your bullets are SWCs).
I've been using 700X for my last couple of batches of these. Not because I think it's a better powder, but because I got a free 5 pound can of it.
I've been using 700X for my last couple of batches of these. Not because I think it's a better powder, but because I got a free 5 pound can of it.
Free is good.
I looked through all my books and pages printed from on-line, and very few even had WST; those that did had 180 grain bullets. I don't recall ever even seeing 180grain SWC's; only 185's - which are all I've ever seen near that weight and what I have now.
Based upon that little data, I was guesstimating 5.0 grains (the halfway point in the range), but 4.7 sounds good. As I will only use it in the 1911's, one of which is a long slide (6" barrel), at primarily 50 and 75 feet, it should be flat enough.
Thanks.
I looked through all my books and pages printed from on-line, and very few even had WST; those that did had 180 grain bullets. I don't recall ever even seeing 180grain SWC's; only 185's - which are all I've ever seen near that weight and what I have now.
Based upon that little data, I was guesstimating 5.0 grains (the halfway point in the range), but 4.7 sounds good. As I will only use it in the 1911's, one of which is a long slide (6" barrel), at primarily 50 and 75 feet, it should be flat enough.
Thanks.
Hey, here's my standard speech:
Call the powder manufacturer, and ask them for a recipe. . . .
All it takes is a typo mistake, or a bad but otherwise good intentioned guess, and it would ruin your day.
The powder manufactrer will give you the straight scoop for what you want.
Call the powder manufacturer, and ask them for a recipe. . . .
All it takes is a typo mistake, or a bad but otherwise good intentioned guess, and it would ruin your day.
The powder manufactrer will give you the straight scoop for what you want.
I think that's why the manufacturers have websites. Hodgdon/IMR/Winchester does.
What you get is a RANGE of charge weights; moreover, that site did not have a 185 LSWC shown. Hence my query here.
Note also that EC's suggestion is close to what I guesstimated a reasonable charge to be; 5.0 grains.
Well, in this case I don't think it requires a call. While the Hodgdon site does not have a 185gr lead bullet load, they do have lead bullet load data for 180gr and 200gr bullets. Here's the data for WST from the Hodgdon site:
180 GR. LFP Winchester WST .452" 1.140" 4.4 846 13,300 CUP 4.9 912 16,100 CUP
200 GR. SWC Winchester WST .451" 1.225" 4.4 830 15,400 CUP 5.1 910 19,900 CUP
The 4.7gr recommendation falls within the range for both bullets, and will be well below the SAAMI max pressure for the .45 ACP.
Note that the factory-recommended max load for the 200gr SWC is above the SAAMI max for .45 ACP (19,200 C.U.P.). It's also the highest pressure load listed on the whole site for any .45 ACP load.
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Duxprep
NES Member
I use 4.3 WST for a 185GR Lead SWCHP 1.22 OAL. Thats in a Performance Center 945 with slide mounted ultradot and an 11lb recoil spring - Of course there are many variables that would dictate whether that would work for you. That load get's me X ring accuracy at 50 Yds as well as 25 yds
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I recently called Hodgdon and asked a couple of questions myself.
One of the questions was "For 45 ACP I don't see 185 LSWC listed in your data, but do see 185 Jacketed SWC listed, what should I do?". Their answer was that lead SWC and jacketed SWC in 185 grain are close enough to each other in the relatively low pressure 45 ACP round that you can use the same data for both lead and jacketed 185 SWCs.
YMMV, but this is what they told me.
One of the questions was "For 45 ACP I don't see 185 LSWC listed in your data, but do see 185 Jacketed SWC listed, what should I do?". Their answer was that lead SWC and jacketed SWC in 185 grain are close enough to each other in the relatively low pressure 45 ACP round that you can use the same data for both lead and jacketed 185 SWCs.
YMMV, but this is what they told me.
I used 3.8 gr. HS-700X, Rem 2.5, behind a 185 gr. LSWC for ca 715 fps - super accurate at 50 ft and mild recoil. I have achieved the same velocity using 3.9 gr. WST and WLP with the same bullet and similar accuracy. 4.2 gr. of WST will give you about 750 fps with that bullet.
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