Testing .45 ACP Loads

[Jammer Six]

I'm interested in how you test .45 ACP loads.

I'm interested in accuracy. I'm not sure I care about velocity.

So, you've got your 1911. You've chosen a powder, a bullet, brass and a primer.

You've looked up a starting load. You know what the max is.

Now what?

Do you go out and shoot 300 of them, then say "yup, feels fine!" and go on?

Or do you have a rigorous testing protocol that determines which load is really more accurate?

If you do, how do you go about it?

[versifier]

The problem is finding a suitable rest. During load development, you ideally want to find out what the load can do and not what the shooter can do with it, so whatever you choose as a rest has to be solid enough to remove the shooter from the equation as much as possible. Obviously while this can be a relatively simple proposition for a rifle, it can be a different story for a handgun.

The apex is the Ransom Rest which (after removing the grips) holds the handgun rigidly and uses a remote trigger actuator. The rest is fully adjustable for windage and elevation and completely prevents the shooter's bad habits from affecting the results. Most of us however can't afford the second mortgage to buy one along with a set of grip inserts for each and all of our handguns.

The next tier down there are a bunch of adjustable (to varying degrees) rests whose prices vary from affordable to pushing it. Some of them work quite well, others are an exercise in frustration or they work very well with certain handguns and not as well or not at all with others.

Then there are various forms and combinations of sandbags, which experience tells me are the most common choices, especially for the budget conscious. A little bit of creativity and the ability to think "out of the box" are a big help when figuring out how to set up something that can give you meaningful results. It's amazing how much damage gasses from the cylinder gap of a revolver or the muzzle blast of any handgun including a .22lr can do to a cloth bag if you don't position the gun correctly. That's where the creativity comes in.

But, there are certain pistols that perform erratically if the front end or barrel of the gun is rested, and others that refuse to perform if the butt of the gun is rested. Some handguns do best if the shooter rests just his/her forearms with no part of the gun in contact with the sandbags. For those, you really need a very experienced handgunner whose shooting ability is up to the task, and there aren't very many of those around.

A seasoned bullseye shooter can often evaluate a load shooting offhand, a skill way beyond 99.99% of us, including me.

I usually use a pile of different sized sandbags when testing 1911's with the whole gun supported and just the muzzle sticking out beyond the bags. Same way with my Glock, but it is a full sized model. I have an older Outers Pistol Perch that is fully adjustable for sighting but it won't fit many handguns, especially smaller carry guns. My Contenders usually do best with only the forend on a bag and the grip floating free (this works better on a day I'm shooting well - if I am the least bit shaky there are way too many fliers).

[Paul B]

I'm not quite sure what you're looking for. Generally, when starting out I load 5 rounds each from the starting load to the max. Then I shoot each load on a separate target. I take the best one and work up and down in 0.1 gr. increments doing each load in another 5 round series. When I find a couple of combinations that show promise, I'll load up 50 of each and do a final shooting session to determine which one I'll stick with. Some loads just sem to work in any gun I shoot. prime example is my pet target load for the .38 Spl. A 148 gr. cast wadcutter over either 3.1 gr. of Bullseye or 3.1 gr. of W231. Either load will outshoot Winchester's very expensive 148 gr. match grade wadcutter ammo.

Well, at least that's what I used to do. I have all my load work ups done for all my handguns and most of my rifles so if I need to load any, I just go to the chosen load and make up some more.

Dunno if that answers your question or not?
Paul B.

[runfiverun]

just picking one powder and going through the load ladder won't really tell you a whole lot.
i am a rifle and shotgun shooter mostly but do shoot handguns frequently [usually the supermags and low powered plinkin stuff]
most of the revolvers have adjustable sights like my leverguns do, and i want a load that works with the sights,so i have latitude with them vertically and horizontally.
the fixed sighted handguns have to shoot to point of aim and feed every single time, so i work the load to shoot on top of the sights at 25 yds.
if it's a 2" group cool, if it's 4" so what? i know where the bullet is going within 2"'s every single time.
the super mags are different, i use them for hunting, and as my bear guns while rifle hunting.
and so the distance is 50 yds, i can hit a deer and certainly an elk up to 75 yds reliably.
i look for a load that is comfortable to shoot and is as accurate as i can get from a sitting position,and from over the sticks.
i am not shooting bullseye but i need a load that i have confidence in, in each gun.

[Tom W.]

I also look to see that I don't get any stovepipes, and everything feeds and ejects cleanly...every shot. If it's not dependable, it doesn't much matter if it's accurate or not.

[shooter]

Looks like you have alot of different answers to your questions. Here is another one to think about. I usually pick 2 or 3 powders that seem to be what I am looking for after checking all the data. Then I load apx 5 bullets, like the gentman stated above, and shoot evey two grains until i reach maximun, or a group develops during my process. I do this with all three powders, every thing is a constant, ie: primers, bullet, etc. except the powder and charge weights. After I have three groups , hopefully one with each powder, I work up my loads in .2g increments. I then find the one that shoots best in that pistol with that bullet weight. I go thru alot of ammon on my tests but I like to shoot alot. It is alot of fun and it really feels great when you come up with that magic receipt for that particular pistol and bullet weight. Happy loading and shoot alot.