New to 45 loading... good starting point for 200gr hornady LSWC

OK, Im just starting out loading 45acp, and trying to find a good load for my firearm. I have some Hornady 200gr swaged LSWC, and I have Bullseye, or HP38/w231 powders to work with. Ive read the pet loads post, and did some searching, but most is geared to the JSWC projectiles. The gun is a old Remington rand Bullseye gun that was put together back in the early 60's..  Not doing a lot of matches, just starting my training, and looking for a load to work with. The gun is running iron sights, and has a lighter then stock spring in it. Can I get some advice for a starting point?

depending upon your recoil spring and sight setup


3.8 of bullseye is a very common starting place for a 200 gr lead wadcutter..

somewhere around 3.9-4.2gr  of 231 would be the same

search in this forum for other loads.

if you are running a bomar rib or plain iron sights  you most likely can reduce those just a bit and still function well.

every pistol is unique so some experimentation on your part will get you the minimum load that will still shoot well and function in your gun

No rib. It has the old school Micro sights added. I had some of the old ammo that My dad used with it back in the 60's-70's [ya it still shot great!] but I didn't think to dissect any of the rounds to see whats in it.

Im sure I will need to work up, or down to find the best. Just looking for a starting point. 45ACP is new to me. I mostly load 38spc

try anywhere from 3.5 to 3.8 BE.. general rule is the lightest load that will still lock the 1911 open on the last round...

check here for loads that took guys to master and high master. https://www.bullseyeforum.net/t1209-pet-loads-of-top-shooters-loads-from-the-past

ok, couple things, from the 60s without a slide mounted dot I would just about bet the old loads were Bullseye powder and probably near 3.5gr. HP38/231 are nearly the same speed as bullseye so do not jump to 4.9-5gr of those, way too much powder. Stick below 4gr and see what happens. If you haven't already done so it wouldn't hurt to replace the springs. Back in the day with the 3.5 loads they ran a 10lb spring with the iron sights. Use the heaviest spring you can and still get reliable functioning.

SGT is right  I was 1 grain over on the 231...brain fade.


edited to get it closer  3.9-4.2    5.0 is not dangerous just way too fast for target loads

Thanks for the tips guys.

FYI I found a few rounds my dad shot from the old days...  Im going to dissect them and see what they were also.

3.5 BE was the standard then 

4.4/4.6 W231 will shoot good but is dirty dirty 

#12 Spring or #14 Spring. 

If the last round is dribbling out, or stove piping up it 0.1 gn, 

That was the rule of thumb some guys shot 3.2 / 3.4 short line but many guns could not get that to work. 

The HG68 185 / 200gn bullet will need a 10th or two more powder and most people use 3.9 to 4.1 BE or 5.0 to 5.2 W231. 4.6 W231 worked great for me but it was very dirty at Bullseye loads.

> [url=/t4722-new-to-45-loading-good-starting-point-for-200gr-hornady-lswc#35014]New to 45 loading... good starting point for 200gr hornady LSWC[/url]

Sorry, but the best starting point is the STARTING load in a manual, and even better would be comparing several manuals and starting with the lowest starting load.
Pet Loads are not starting loads. You still work up to them. Even light loads for Bullseye shooting may be safe, but you will find at the very least that your gun and your bullet will most likely need a change of +/- 0.3gn even with the most time tested Per Load--so you'll still want to work the load.
I had no luck with the Hornady 200gn L-C/T or the "button-nose" bullets, and particularly not with 231/HP38. Had much better luck with 3.5gn AA2.
Going from personal experience to general information, 231/HP38 can be accurate from 4.1-6.0gn. For most H&G #68-type L-SWCs, I find 4.6-5.0gn to be most accurate in all my .45s. 231/HP38 is more accurate in my .45s than Bullseye and I have never noticed any "dirt" and wouldn't care if I did.
Bullseye is generally very good from 3.1-5.1gn, with my own preference for Bullseye matches being 3.5-4.0gn.

I'm currently shooting 4.0 gr of Bullseye under a 200 gr LSWC. At 50 yards I have no clue what it does off the bench. But off hand it's doing just fine. Shots are going pretty much where I call em. I benched it at 25 yards and it did ok. I benched 3.5 gr of bullseye under a 185 gr LSWC and at 25 yards it was awesome. I have not tested the 185's at 50 yards but I've read it probably won't work. 3.5 gr of bullseye with a 200 gr LSWC also did really well at 25 yards. I'm using a Wolff 18.5 pound recoil spring.

Thanks for the tips guys. Ive researched all the manuals I have, and as we know most loads are for full power. Not Target loads. Ill load up some in the 3.5-4.0 gr Bullseye range, and see how it preforms.

s1120 wrote:Thanks for the tips guys. Ive researched all the manuals I have, and as we know most loads are for full power. Not Target loads. Ill load up some in the 3.5-4.0 gr Bullseye range, and see how it preforms.

You are on the right track. I never had good luck with the Hornady 200 gr. swaged bullet, accuracy wise, but YMMV.

BE Mike wrote:

s1120 wrote:Thanks for the tips guys. Ive researched all the manuals I have, and as we know most loads are for full power. Not Target loads. Ill load up some in the 3.5-4.0 gr Bullseye range, and see how it preforms.

You are on the right track. I never had good luck with the Hornady 200 gr. swaged bullet, accuracy wise, but YMMV.

Ill keep a eye on it. This is my first time loading 45, and they were the only LSWC that I could find at the time, and figured Id give it a shot.

3.9 or 4.0 GR of BE or 4.2GR of VV on that bullet, with 1.24" OAL works great - also try same load with H&G #68 bullets or Magnus variation

i have used this several times now for both 50yd and 25yd. with good results

3.8 Bullseye with 200 gr lead.

Well I got my first test rounds done. I have 10 at 3.5gr 10 at 3.7, and 10 at 3.9gr of bullseye. I worked a bit getting the crimp right. these are the first auto cartridges Ive loaded, so im used to roll crimps, not taper.. that being said I have a few tighter, and a few looser. Ill measure, and set aside the tightest, and loosest to test once I find the best load. All in all a good learning experience. Im sure my best loads today will need to be adjusted with more experience, but till then we get started. Now to fit the range time into my day today so I can get ready!!

I got to the range and all went well. The 3.5 and 3.7 bolth shot and grouped well. Gun fuctioned well and slide locked back on last round. Ok so do I really want to try under 3.5 or am I better off sticking with that for now and tuning with springs? I'm new to the 45 and for now I'm going to go with the 3.5gr load till I get some experance under my belt.

I'd just stick with the 3.5 load for now.  After this batch of bullet are used up then I'd try some other makes and models. Then adjust your load for accuracy and minimizing recoil.

Depends on whether you want to shoot, or test.
Your at a dependable, accurate load.
I'd load up a 100 and shoot a practice match and see if your happy.

When you decide to try a different bullet there are quite a few options. My personal preference for 200gr LSWC is T&B Hardcast here in Oregon. Great bullet, good price and free shipping. They have a 100 rd trial pack you can order in different weights or calibers that you can get for 10.00 so you are not out a bunch to give them a try.

Len   NFI

http://www.tbbulletcasting.com/#!page2/cjg9

I'm shooting a centerfire leage so it gives me some practice. Only 50 foot so it gives my learning curve a margin of error . Loaded up 100 tonight and I'll shoot it. I only have about 200 cases for now so I'll be busy loading after o shoot

Well went OK for my first goround with 45acp...   I did have a few that did not fire on first strike...  Looks like the primers might have been a little proud on some rounds, So Ill check them out better the next round before I start digging too deep.  First time shooting the 45 in a match, so hard to judge how accurate they were....  any issues at this time Im chalking up to user error...  My first leage and im shooting mostly just for practice/training...  Its all a learning experance.

I hit the bench last night, and worked on another 100 rounds...   Learned a few things...  pretty sure my misfires were from not fully seated primers. Ive always primed my 38's on the press, but I got a new Lee hand primer to prime the 45. Other then a few rounds of 30-30 its the first time I really worked with it. I was having issues getting them to seat fully, so I took a step back to check out the issue. I went through all cases with a primer pocket reamer to make sure there were no real tight ones... A few but most were good... I did find that when I started priming I forgot to lube the linkedge on the lee primer... a small drop of lube, had it working great!! Out of 100 cases I had only two that were a touch high that needed a little more seating...  Live and learn!!!  Getting my system down, so that's the big thing. I used up the rest of my 200 lswc projectiles though.... So I need to fine more in the next week or two. So Im on the hunt!!

OK, so shopping for projectiles... 

Has anyone had any luck with these?? 

http://www.grafs.com/retail/catalog/product/productId/10683


Right now im not looking for the best of the best....  just looking for something OK, to practice with and get some 45 experience.