.45 long line to short line load change.

[Jodykid]

Hi, Guys. My question is when you change your load in the .45 part of a 2700 do you change recoil springs? Meaning if I use Nosler 185s at the long line and go to 160 lead at the short, should I be changing recoil springs for the lighter load? How could you not?

The reason I ask is I'm about to buy a bullet mold from Accurate Mold and was wondering how you get around beating the gun up if you don't change springs. By the way has anyone tried Accurate 45-160S mold and if so is it accurate?

thanks, Joe

[oldcaster]

I doubt if it is as accurate as a heavier bullet but will be fine at 25 yards. The felt recoil can not be any less with a lighter bullet than a heavier because it still takes the same amount to function the gun. Accurate molds from my experience are of fine quality. I have never changed springs during a match and usually shoot the same 200 grain bullet at a slower speed. I have never had a gun ruined by recoil either and don't know of anyone who has but that doesn't mean it can't be done.

[davekp]

I just don't see any reason to change the load from 50 to 25 yds. I certainly wouldn't be changing any parts. With my luck, the recoil spring plunger would fly off and disappear. At Perry you'd be hard pressed for time if the day was windy and you used all 10 minutes to shoot. I'd rather avoid any distractions and keep my mind focused on shooting.

[oldcaster]

I change the load primarily because I don't want to change the sights from 50 to 25 yards

[GunRunner]

If you don't care about getting the best score possible then continue on down the path of do nothingness! either load up the 160s to cycle the gun or find one bullet to shoot at both 50and25, also learn how to adjust your sights. on most dots a simple adjustment of down 4 clicks from 50yds to 25 is all you do.

[Isabel1130]

I have been shooting 160g bullets indoors, and at the short line. I shoot 185 g lead hollow points outdoors at the fifty yard line.

The gun springs are pretty forgiving. It is quite possible to get a spring that will function with both bullets.

Are you running a slide mounted dot, a frame mounted dot, or shooting with iron sights? Let me know, and I can recommend some starting loads.

The issues are, as I understand them, an underpowered spring will cause your long line loads to be less accurate, as it can affect the lockup of the gun, along with possibly damaging the gun, when the slide hits frame on recoil, and of course, an overpowered spring for the short line loads will not function the slide.

One way to tell if your bullets have enough velocity, especially shooting semi wadcutters, is to look at the holes. If the round isn't cutting a clean hole, or it is tipping, chances are good, you are going to get fliers.

Bad bullet sizing, excessive leading, and wrong barrel twist rate, and worn out barrel can also cause poor groups, so you have to eliminate those factors, in order to come up with good load.
The 45 is a very forgiving gun, and a very stable bullet. One of the reasons why it is so popular.

[Jodykid]

Hi, Isabel. I've got a frame mounted Ultradot II. I've always used the same load for 50 and 25 but bullet scarcity at times has me scared. If I could find a cast bullet that is accurate for long and short I would like to go with that. I've got plenty of lead that will get me past the next bullet drought. We don't do much indoor shooting out here except for 900s and some 1800s so I need a good 50 yard load. And yes I agree that changing springs would be a royal pain in a match.

Hi, Oldcaster. Ive got a few Accurate molds and they are great. Their 32-076S is a mold I designed for my S&W 35 Auto (name of cartridge and gun that fires it). I want to order your 31-60A for my Pardini 32 Auto and want to order the .45 mold at the same time. Do you have a recommendation for a good mold? I know H&G 130s and 68s were really popular.

Joe

[oldcaster]

I like the 068 or 069 Saeco the best of all I have tried. The flat base 069 is a tiny bit more accurate but the ease of loading with the BB is attractive also. If I had to start over I don't know which I would choose. I tried the Saeco 130 and did not have great accuracy but that doesn't mean someone else won't either. For the velocities you will be shooting these bullets, stick with an alloy that is somewhere around 8- 11 and use a soft lube like Javelina, 2500, Lyman black gold, or anything that doesn't take heat to apply to a bullet. I'm sure you could get a copy of this bullet from Accurate and their 5 cavity aluminum mold is about the same price as an iron Saeco 4 cavity. Each of them is easy to cast with and both are quality but I expect that the iron mold will last longer but the aluminum will be faster.

[Isabel1130]

Hi, Isabel. I've got a frame mounted Ultradot II. I've always used the same load for 50 and 25 but bullet scarcity at times has me scared. If I could find a cast bullet that is accurate for long and short I would like to go with that. I've got plenty of lead that will get me past the next bullet drought. We don't do much indoor shooting out here except for 900s and some 1800s so I need a good 50 yard load. And yes I agree that changing springs would be a royal pain in a match.

Hi, Oldcaster. Ive got a few Accurate molds and they are great. Their 32-076S is a mold I designed for my S&W 35 Auto (name of cartridge and gun that fires it). I want to order your 31-60A for my Pardini 32 Auto and want to order the .45 mold at the same time. Do you have a recommendation for a good mold? I know H&G 130s and 68s were really popular.

Joe

Joe, I know people who use swagged lead, or cast lead all the way through a match, and some whom use cast bullets at the short line, and swagged at the long line. As far as accuracy you will have to test yourself, and see if you get acceptable accuracy.
If you have a load worked up for heavier lead bullets, try the same load with the 160's and then adjust up and down from there. A lead bullet will generally require roughly ten percent less powder than a jacketed bullet of the same weight.

A 13 or a 14 pound spring should handle both the 185 grain Noslers, and a 160g cast bullet without hurting your gun. You don't want your 160's too close to the edge of just functioning the slide, because if you find yourself shooting on a cold morning, you may not have a functioning gun.

[tenx9]

I use 2 different loads. I use Rem or Horn 185g for the long line. And a hardcast 200g 68 bullet for the short. I have to push the 185g to get the accuracy at 50y. It turns out, I make NO sight adjustments as both loads are dead on for their distances.

[Rover]

K.I.S.S. Use the same load for both lines. It won't matter.

[Isabel1130]

K.I.S.S. Use the same load for both lines. It won't matter.

It doesn't really matter as Rover says, but those of us who are not supported shooters and getting free ammunition, find that we would rather put seven cents of lead down range at the 25 yard line, than those expensive jacked Hollow point Noslers at up to 50 cents a shot.

If you are going to use a cheap bullet at the short line for economy's sake, might as well dial it in so there is minimum recoil and you don't have to worry about a sight change.

If you forget to change your sights going to the short line, it makes about a two inch difference in the print.

Forget to change them going back to the long line, and it will be four inches. That is what the MOA thingy does to you.

When I am shooting ammo where a sight adjustment needs to be made; The default setting is the long line setting with the cap on the elevation adjustment screw. I take the cap off, and leave it off for the short line setting, and then change the elevation back to the long line setting, and put the cap back on the adjustment screw before boxing the gun.

This helps me keep track.

[Ttgoods]

I use 185gn Zero HP SWC Swagged. I load 3.6 to 3.9 gn bullesye. I wold not shoot 3.6 at the long line. I have started going with 3.75 gn Bullseye prints almost as good as 3.9 and the recoil is a less snappy and I don't think it will be any worse on the long line.

I use a slide mount with a #11 spring and it runs fine down to 3.6 runs 100% with a #10.

I just tried a silicon flat spring and I like it a lot.

RT

[Isabel1130]

I use 185gn Zero HP SWC Swagged. I load 3.6 to 3.9 gn bullesye. I wold not shoot 3.6 at the long line. I have started going with 3.75 gn Bullseye prints almost as good as 3.9 and the recoil is a less snappy and I don't think it will be any worse on the long line.

I use a slide mount with a #11 spring and it runs fine down to 3.6 runs 100% with a #10.

I just tried a silicon flat spring and I like it a lot.

RT

I recently changed over to Bullseye for the long line after just about running out of Titegeoup.

I suspect your 3.8 of Bullseye is on the money, I found 4.0 of Bullseye to be quite a bit snappier than
4.2 of Titegroup, and apparently, I am running the same Zero bullets at the long line that you are.

I am using a frame mount with a 14 pound spring.

[C. Perkins]

After getting back to shooting the .45 again I wanted to keep it simple instead of trying to remember where my dot was set for long and short line.
I just load 185gr Noslers with 4.6gr of B.E. for the long line and 185gr Hornady JSWC(button nosed) with the same 4.6gr. of B.E. for the short line.
No need to change the zero on the dot and no need to change powder disc's when loading cases.

You can work up a good long line load with 200 or 185's and use the 160's for the short line as I did awhile ago by adjusting your powder charge and using the same spring to get the same zero.

Just need to experiment with charge weights of your powder choice.

Clarence