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Load a little for 1911 pistols

6K views 29 replies 9 participants last post by  Hammer 
#1 · (Edited)




















Currently using about a dozen Dillon 550 presses , half-dozen or so 650 presses, a 1050, and a few other presses. Too lazy to change powder charge or bullet seating adjustments.

Every round fired from the bench during load development and testing is measured on seven different chronographs simultaneously in order to reduce measurement error. Loads are tested in several different media for best overall performance without putting much confidence in any of them.

Have found that the 45 Super with full powered loads typically works OK.


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#5 · (Edited)
WOW, if you ever get tired of any of the 550's I wll send you my address so I can take it off your hands.

Actually, there were a few years I gave friends new complete 550 setups for Christmas presents.

One year think I gave maybe six friends complete setups suitable for half-dozen cartridges each. While they were active shooters and reloaders, they didn't use them all that much. None produced over 10,000 rounds annually.

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#12 · (Edited)
Got any recent pictures-- I saw these years ago-- I'd like to see what it looks like now.


Recent pictures wouldn't look much different. A few more 650 presses. A few more targets. More high speed case prep equipment.

Seasonal outdoor pictures showing green pastures, snow, and autumn leaves would show more differences than year to year differences.




Do you use those for your personal use or do you sell your loads?

No commercial loading. None.

Just my personal hobby and enjoyment.

Experiment a little. Most of my tests involve changing 30+ variables at a time in a load and then testing them in many different rifles simultaneously. What works in a single barrel is not as interesting as trying the same list of variables in 20+ barrels for the same cartridge and seeing the general effect. Thankfully, people like Shilen, Pac-Nor, and others like to make barrels.





Been swaging jacketed bullets and casting lead bullets for 30+ years.

Think I currently load for over 135 rifle cartridges and over 50 handgun cartridges. Range from 14-221 Walker to 585 Nyati in rifle and up to 500 Linebaugh in handgun.

Most important aspect of handgun ammunition is how it affects the twirling of a first-generation Colt SAA. Round noses and Keiths are different, you know.


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#15 · (Edited)
Those two cape buffalo were taken with a 500 Nitro Express 3 1/4 using 570 grain Woodleighs at about 2,150 fps.

In Botswana's Okavango Delta, we pushed a group of five bulls for over half a day from one island to the next mixing low bent-over tracking and crawling on our bellies. We were completely exhausted when the best one finally offered a shot. He was taken with a single well-placed solid from a distance of 40 yards which gave complete penetration taking out the heart. The buffalo group ran 80 yards, turned, and all five bulls faced me and the PH from a distance of about 50 yards. After what seemed like forever but was probably under one full minute, the center bull dropped and the other four bulls ran off. A great completion to several days of hunting.

The other bull on the wall was taken one year later with the same rifle and ammo from the same box. However, the hunt was as different as could be.

This bull absorbed ten rounds in vital areas which could have been covered with the palm of your hand. There were solids from the same box as the previous year and some softs too on my belt. The first solid started a several mile chase. The bull would stop, take a hit from a solid or a soft, then take off again. Thirty minutes later would get another shot which was later confirmed to be a good hit but which the bull was not impressed by. This was repeated several times across the day. Finally the bull stood his ground and took six quick hits from a mix of solids and softs. All the solids gave complete penetration. The softs gave good penetration through the body organs without exiting the other side of the buffalo. The bull was hurt bad from the beginning but was not going to give up. As each round was fired we could see the bull's reaction to it. The bull never went down until the end. When the bull fell, there was no more ammo for the 500 Nitro. When the bull was opened up, could not see how it was possible for him to keep going so long. Couldn't see any part that should have been functioning at all. (No shots were made by the PH.)



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#18 · (Edited)
With regards to 1911 pistols...

Attended four classes at Old Gunsite with Colonel Jeff Cooper.

Spent a month with Cooper in Africa on his Babamkulu Trek.


While have played with other handguns, my main carry pistol has been a full-size 1911 built as a GSP at Old Gunsite carried in a Milt Sparks Summer Special. Has an ambidextrous low-thumb-safety. Usually it is a 45 with 230 grainers loaded to 900+ fps, but have also carried a full-house 10mm Auto with 200-grainers at 1,200 fps. Sometimes carry a 1911 with a six-inch barrel. When the 1911 is not a GSP, it is a left-hand Randall tuned at Old Gunsite.

Have carried Commander and Officer size guns and lightweight guns, but have not found them better for my main carry purposes except as a backup gun.

Admit that a KelTec may be found in my pocket.


Also, admit to having carried wheelguns. A S&W Model 29 in a Milt Sparks PMK or HSR, a short-barreled Ruger single-action 44 in an El Paso Three Persons, and a 500 Linebaugh in a Milt Sparks HSR. Swear that was during hunting season.



Don't claim to have anything useful for anyone else. Sure your results and needs will vary.


Ready to learn.




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#19 ·
A little further north than Colorado...Looks like Wyoming to me, maybe southern Montana.
 
#22 · (Edited)
Hammer

It would appear that you have the resources and knowledge so I was wondering what your opinion is of what can be done with the 1911 format and a cartridge that's capable in the woods. Capable for the rare but potentially unpleasant encounter with black bear, mama moose, irritable range bull or bison. We do have plenty of liberals with their numbers increasing everyday, but I'm getting to old to outrun them.

Currently I carry a 10mm with Double Tap 200 grain XTP and FMJ's loaded up to an advertised 1250-1275 fps out of Glock G20 barrel. I'm using this load in a 4.25" Dan Wesson 1911 Bobtail as a "woods" gun. It carries nice, the gun likes that load and I can shoot it much and faster than a heavy DA revolver. I'd prefer a hardcast but have only tried a Beartooth load from Double Tap which the gun didn't care for.

I'm on the front range just outside of Denver. And even though I roam as far away from here whenever possible, it's unlikely I'd encounter a grizzly. But there are plenty of blacks and lions that over the years that seem to have less and less fear of human encounters, probably due to all the restrictions in hunting laws over the years. I'm sure the 10mm will handle a lion or liberal nicely but I'm not so sure of the rest. Moose have become popular and a concern especially along the few rivers that still holds a fish or two. I have the utmost respect for Mama.

Even with a hot load in a 5" or 6" barrel I'm thinking the 10mm is on the low side of this equation, more or less the equivalent of a hot .357 or low to mid range .41 mag and have been wondering about the. 45 Super or .460 Rowland or better yet something in the middle in a 1911. Something hard and heavy that could hit with around 700-800 Ft pounds, but in a nicely carried 5" 1911.

I noticed in one of your previous posts you made a comment about the .45 Super and was wondering if you'd tell us more?

The Rowland looks like it would be very similar to a 4-5" standard .44 mag. But I have to wonder if the 1911 platform and I can handle it. I know Wilson just came out with one and the Clark kit has been around for awhile, but I'm not so sure I'd be a fan of the compensator. And the Wilson's a bit out of my tax bracket. I'm not sure of what can be done with the .45 Super and how a 1911 would handle it, or if there is anything to be gained over the 10mm?

I have run a few rounds of standard 240 grain loads out of a new 4" Lightweight Smith in .44 mag and was able to handle the recoil ok, it's the heaviest recoiling handgun I've fired.

I know an obvious answer to this dilemma is to carry a large bore revolver, but after lugging DA Smiths around for years, then suffering Glocks in 10mm for a few more, I've developed a taste for 1911's. I think some well placed 10's will do the job, but can't speak from personal experience.

If I were roaming in country known to have a Grizz population I would probably change my ways and go with a single action revolver, something along the lines of a Blackhawk. And will probably someday get one to play around with just for fun.

But if you don't mind I thought I'd see if could get your thoughts on what can be done with the 1911 in this regard as well as the 10mm or .45 Super as a woods gun? Or if a .460 Rowland is realistic, from what little I've read about it, it seems like a real hot round for a 1911.
 
#24 ·
Jitterbug,

Think either the 10mm or the 45 will work fine for a packin' pistol in the field.

Have used the 1911 45 ACP on a fair amount of African plains game back when life was simpler. Never had a failure. Never had to track a wounded animal. Put a fair amount of game in the salt.

Recovered Winchester 230-grain Black Talons always looked identical.

Actually though, prefer hard cast heavy bullets that do not expand but penetrate as deeply as possible. In the field under "defensive" conditions, the perfect shot placement may not always be offered and penetration may need a deeper hole to reach vital organs. A 230-grainer at 900 - 1,100 fps gives one a little more confidence. 250-260 grainers are good too.

The Ten can push a 200-grainer a little faster and with a solid non-expanding bullet give yet a little deeper penetration. A 220-grainer might be a little better.

My wheel guns for the field start at the 44 Magnum and go up to and include the 500 Linebaugh. All in practical sizes carried in practical hip holsters (no scopes). Wheelguns are always a little thicker on the hip than the 1911.

Adding a 6-inch barrel to the 1911 does add to performance and does not change packin' characteristics.

The 1911 is an easy pistol to shoot. For some it is better for controlled-pairs or hammers than most revolvers. There is some field advantage to these techniques for the defensive field pistol.

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