.45 ACP 185 gr Speer Hot Core HP

This one of my favorite loads to shoot either through my TC Contender 14" .45 Win Mag barrel or my buddy's LAR Grizzly in .45 Win Mag. Surprisingly the LAR Grizzly feeds and ejects the shorter .45 ACP load although it is a tad short just fine.

These are loaded .04 longer than the OAL for .45 ACP so that one does not get accidentally dropped in a 1911.

Do not use this load in a 1911 unless you want to risk wearing your 1911 on your face!!!

The load is:
Winchester, Starline or RP case
CCI large pistol primer (if I am expecting below freezing temps I substitute a mag primer but have not seen any diff)
7.9 gr Bullseye
185 gr Speer Hot Core HP

All primer pockets uniformed and flash holes deburred.

Not sure the pressure level but these have a nice pop from my 14" TC Contender barrel and the round is accurate enough for vermin control out to about 75 yards or so. No signs of overpressure and I have had no leaks or blown primers. Extraction is easy and there are no bulged rounds.

However, occasionaly one does crack down the side. Usually on the 4th or later loading at this pressure.

There is supposed to be a .45 ACP length round that was thickend at the web to take the high pressure but I have not found any yet. Another option would be to use cut down .308 Win brass which is the direction I am leaning for these rounds to get the thicker base to handle the higher pressure.

Also want to shoot the .45 ACP shot shell but lengthened for the .45 Win Mag chamber - but just cannot afford the RCBS custom dies yet. Have not tried .45 GAP brass although I hear it has a thicker web at the base and was designed for higher pressures.

The ground squirrels either lie flat or roll over when smacked by one of these Speer 185 gr HP. Need something bigger bodied to make it open, most of the retrieved ones we find could be shot again I suppose but we toss 'em in the bucket to melt down.

Looks like it would be fun to shoot out of a TC. I would not want one of those getting lit in the ole 45 though. I've cooked up a heavy load for mine once and it ain't no fun hearing the slide hit the back of the frame and praying that it held together- - lol. Mind you, that first round was enough to convince me that I needed to back off of it a little.

Have not tried .45 GAP brass although I hear it has a thicker web at the base and was designed for higher pressures.

Haven't loaded any of the GAP rounds but isn't the case shorter than a 45 acp case? I agree that a little more meat in the web area would be a good thing.

The GAP is shorter and as soon as I get a hold of one I want to cut it in half and measure the web thickness to see if it is thicker than standard .45 ACP.

I've found that the Starline, Winchester and RP have the thickest webs for the .45 ACP.

If I could afford the brass I would just load all .45 Win Mag but the brass is pricey.

I love the idea of commercial .308 cut down to load as a .45 Win Mag shot shell. As soon as I get a hold of some crappy .308 commercial brass again I might cut some down to make some sort of .45 Win Mag shot shell.

These loads are fun out of TC which is a tad stronger (especially the G2s) than the old 1911.

Even though all but one of my .45s wear shock buff kits, I still cringe at the sound of the slide hitting the frame.

I load these longer just so that they will not fit in a standard 1911 magazine but I also only use the bullets in this load only. Kinda a double idiot check as I can tell by the very distinct bullet that this is a round for the TC.

I guess you could drop one of these straight into the pipe, but I would not want to be behind the gun when it went off.

I've got a 45 GAP case that was mixed in with some once fired stuff I bought awhile back. You are welcome to it as I don't see needing it any time soon. If you want to pm your address to me I will be glad to send it your way.

PM sent. TIA