.45 ACP carbine loads

[1950Target]

Has anyone done any load development for .45 ACP or .45 SUPER Carbines or Subguns?

10" to 16" Barrels slower burning powders?

Or do you know of any good articles or other sources for such data?

Thanks in advance!

[versifier]

Pistol or carbine, you're still working within the functional envelope of a blowback semi auto action and the pressure limits of the cartridge, which do not change. The place to start is the pistol loads, and I would be looking first at the slower listed powders to take possible advantage of the longer barrel length. I would consider these, reading directly out of the Sierra Manual for 230gr bullets, starting half way down: AA#5, UNQ, UClays, Power Pistol, N340, Silhouette, Herco, WSF, 3N37, & AA#7. The one person I know with a full auto Thompson uses the same load in his 1911's, a 230gr cast over UNQ. That's a medium rate powder for the round, but it does what it's supposed to do for him and he's been using it for several years happily. From that I conclude that it maybe more a matter of the individual gun's preference than anything else. As long as the load cycles the action and the bullet clears the barrel, who can predict which will be most accurate in any given firearm?

My experience is with a longer barreled Contender, so I'm not sure how much my actual data will help, but even in a 14" barrel the same powders that work well in my pistol loads also worked well in the single shot. All that changes is that the velocity is upped a bit and the longer sight radius makes offhand accuracy better, but off a good rest, the accuracy is just about the same regardless. I used AA#5 and UNQ in it, same as I use in my pistols.

The several pistol cartridge firing carbines I have shot (not loaded for) in 9mm and .45ACP had such rudimentary sights that well tuned pistols have had no trouble outshooting them. The rest helps, but none of them have been designed for target shooting, just close range spray & pray: no Minute Of Angle, just Minute Of A$$hole to stop a threat with a high percentage of torso hits within 50yds. Even with a very well made lead spitter like the MP5, fine accuracy is not what it was made for, nor to be expected. Feeding and functional reliability are much more important for the purpose for which they are designed.

[runfiverun]

unique or herco is where i'd go also.
going to a slower powder may hamper the operation of the gun.
i notice quite a different recoil impulse just going from titegroup to unique in my 9 mm carbine and 1911.
if i use a lighter bullet in my 1911 than say a 200 with the same load of unique it becomes fussy about ejection.
my leverguns do very well with the same loads as my revolvers do, and i pick up more velocity just because of the longer bbl's.
and i know what the pressures are.

[BigOtto]

I loaded for a Marlin lever action .45 colt rifle while I owned it. Pretty much used pistol loads with unique. Even though some books now include loads for the Ruger revolvers which are considerably more stout I would be careful with those loads in other guns.


http://www.chuckhawks.com/loading_45Colt_rifles.htm
http://www.chuckhawks.com/high-pressure45.htm
http://www.reloadammo.com/45cload.htm