Getting the "perfect" load.

Hi.
I reload 45 acp to my SA TM.
I have recently begun to wonder how other reloaders do to get that cartridge that knocks you out.

I begin with determine how long COL i want for my barrel and checks what crimp i need to secure feeding.
Then i make a load from VV load data online with 0.1 steps and after that i shoot in ransom rest at 25m.

Now,,, do you guys testing different crimp after you get a load that is accurate and nice to handle? I never done that and now i'm starting to wonder about the possibility to improve accuracy further.

Best regards

Read the stickys above.  Read some of the topics, comments on group sizes will tell you how your loads compare.

Testing at 25 doesn't tell you as much as 50 does.

There is no "perfect", only good enough and that's all it takes.

CR

When I got into this game and started reloading for 45 ACP I wanted to keep things as simple as possible. I didn't want to spend countless hours and dollars I didn't have on searching for that "perfect load". I was just starting out so while shooting from the hand I wasn't going to be able to see the difference between a good load and a great load. Practicing, learning how the shoot that gun, and learning the fundamentals were going to be more important. 

That being said I still needed ammunition so I started with my mentor and asked him "what is a good 45 ACP load for bullseye pistol shooting?" He recommend 3.5 or 4.0 grains of Bullseye powder with a 200 grain LSWC. They are old standard loads used for many years. There was no discussion on crimp or seat depth. So I just used the crimp die how the instructions for a Lee crimp die works and put a medium crimp on it. For the bullet seat depth I just used what the manuals all said to seat a 200 grain LSWC at. 

I kept things simple. I tested just those two loads. From the hand at 50 yards I couldn't tell which shot better and liked the lesser recoil of 3.5 grains so I went with that. Curiosity gets the better of me so I asked around this forum and other people I know about 45 loads. They all seemed to think I was set up fine so I didn't change anything. Eventually I did switch to shooting 4.0 at 50 yards and left the 3.5 for 25 yards. I never played with crimp and seat depth. 

Now for 38 Special... that's a whole different can of worms I am currently elbows deep and getting VERY close to a great load for my Colt Officers Model Match for DR matches.

mprison wrote:Hi.
I reload 45 acp to my SA TM.
I have recently begun to wonder how other reloaders do to get that cartridge that knocks you out.

I begin with determine how long COL i want for my barrel and checks what crimp i need to secure feeding.
Then i make a load from VV load data online with 0.1 steps and after that i shoot in ransom rest at 25m.

Now,,, do you guys testing different crimp after you get a load that is accurate and nice to handle? I never done that and now i'm starting to wonder about the possibility to improve accuracy further.

Best regards

My suggestion is to first test your pistol at 50 yards, from a machine rest if possible. Use a known accurate commercial ammo. If your gun shoots 10 shots in the 10 ring or better at that 50 yards, you know you have a good platform with which to begin. There are plenty of combinations of bullets and powder that will allow you to match commercial accuracy. I think the bullet is the most important component in 50 yard accuracy. As a marksman, trying to find that one hole group at 50 yards is a distraction from training and learning the proper fundamentals of marksmanship.

75-80% of your ammo accuracy is in the bullet.  15-20% is in your powder charge.  You only need a light to medium crimp, but you do need a crimp to get a good burn started.  You don't need to split hairs over crimp, seating depth, cases and primers.  The USAMU has done a lot of tests and found that those things don't make a difference as far as accuracy goes.   

You should find a good load at 25 yd. and test it again at 50 yd.  Many loads that are good at 25 don't do so well at 50.  I work up test loads 0.2 gr. apart and shoot off sand bags. 5 shot groups are enough to tell me if a load is a good one or not.    

Finding a good load is important, but not as important as developing your fundamentals. Without that, the best guns and ammo in the world are useless.

If you want to find the “perfect” load you first need to define “perfect”.

For me, that definition includes reliability of function as there are significant point penalties for malfunctions. So straight up accuracy can be sacrificed for 100% functioning.

Since training and practice consume 90% of ammunition, economy is an important part as is availability of components. I once worked up a slam-bang accurate rifle load just after the powder had been discontinued. So to that end, make sure you can duplicate that load in quantity. Bullseye, Unique, Titegroup, WST, 700x, Red Dot, 231, Clays, and more have been around for years and usually have a good supply. Some of the imports have had spotty supply.

Bullets and bullet makers come and go and not all makers make quality bullets. Zero, Magnus, Brazos, Precision Delta, Missouri, Bear Creek, Meister, Oregon Trail are good makers and there are more That have local distribution So they’re easier to find.

The point here is to not get ammunition that shoots “the smallest group”. The object is to get ammunition that will hold the 10 ring or better at 50 and the X ring at 25 yards of it in a quantity that encourages practice and training. For these requirements there are “tried and true” recipes that give these results.

check the sticky at top of page,  https://www.bullseyeforum.net/t1209-pet-loads-of-top-shooters-loads-from-the-past