.45 Ammo

[msgfox]

Hope you all will let this "newbe" question slide - but what ammo will a Springfield 1911-A1 take - the .45 Auto and APC - anything else that will shoot without causing damage?


Thanks

[Ak.Hiker]

The 45 Auto is also known as the 45 ACP. Your gun should be marked with the caliber. I just checked a box of 45 Auto Blazer and both the case and the box are marked as 45 Auto. The Double Tap I just looked at have the cases marked 45 Auto and the box is marked as 45 ACP. I guess it can be a little confusing.  If you are new to the 45 you may want to start out with the 230 grain ( FMJ)  hardball loads.

[RIjake]

ACP= automatic colt pistol.  Colt was the original manufacturer of Browning's design.

.45 auto=.45ACP

To answer one of your original questions, no, there are no other cartridges that your 1911 will fire.  There have been and continue to be made, 1911 style pistols that are chambered for other cartridges.  9mm, 38 super and 10mm come to mind.

The most popular loads are 230 or 185 grain FMJ (full metal jacket) or "ball" ammo and 200 grain SWC (semi wad-cutter)  The SWC are great for target use as they leave a nice clean hole in the paper.  They typically use a non-jacketed lead bullet which require somewhat more cleaning of the barrel. 

Your Springfield is an excellent example of the 1911 platform.  Most of them are very good shooters and the company has a very good reputation for customer service. 

Welcome to the world of 1911s.  They can be quite an addiction   You probably won't stop at just one.  They are widely modified for competition and carry use.  I carry a 4" Kimber "pro" model daily but also have 5" models for target and steel plate shooting.

Be a little wary of the 1911 pistols with a barrel length shorter than 4" as they tend to be a little less reliable due to Browning's design.  That's not to say that there aren't any reliable 3" 1911s.

[LakeErieAmmoLLC]

dont forget that you can shoot hard cast bullets as well. lead is alot better for your gun than FMJ's ( full metal jacket) which wear your barrel a lot faster. Where as lead wont and as long as the lead is hard. Lead fouling should not be a problem as long as you clean your pistol on a regular basis. I am a class 06 FFL. We load both lead and FMJ's but we sell mostly hard cast 200gr RNFP (round nose flat points) and (5.1 gr. red dot) as they function best in all 45's but for some reason some springfield XD's dont work well with the 230 gr ball. So don't be afraid to try many different types of 45 food and your pistol will let you know what types it likes. Happy shooting Lake Erie Ammo LLC.

[Gohon]

We load both lead and FMJ's but we sell mostly hard cast 200gr RNFP (round nose flat points)

What do you consider Hard Cast?  I just cast about 400 bullets at 200 grains from straight wheel weights and a little tin.  These are RNFP which actually weigh 209 grains and test at 11 BHN after 24 hours and are sized at .4515.  I expect that to be just a little over 12 BHN after a week or so and they reach their full hardness.  I hadn't planned to oven heat treat them but your comment about hard cast makes me wonder if I should.   

[Savage]

With the proper lube 12 BHN should be plenty hard for the .45 ACP velocities. I am currently shooting bullets in 9mm (.356) and .40 (.401) that the manufacturer claims are 16 BRN. AT 1200fps they lead pretty bad. Time to slow um down to just make power factor. Thank goodness for the Lewis Lead Remover!!
Savage

[Gohon]

Savage, I've been running tests with my 357 rifle using a Lee mould to produce 158 grain bevel based SWC.  These are dropping .003 over at .360.  Cast from WW with 2% tin they are right at 12 BHN, same as the 45's I'm casting.  Anyway, I am now up to 1700 fps with zero leading and excellent accuracy with these pushed ahead of 15 grains of 2400.  These are shot as dropped from the mould with LLA and JPW as a lube.  I've got some 158 grain gas checked SWC of 12-13 BHN that I've run at 1900 fps with the same results.  Ditto for the 45 Colt rifle with 250 grain plain base at 1450 fpe and 250 gas checked at over 1700 fpe, all with 12-13 BHN casts.  In my experience the harder the cast the faster it must be driven to properly bump up.  16 BHN shouldn't be the problem of your leading.  I would either speed them up or switch to a .001-.002 over the size your now shooting.  Just my thoughts but the conclusion I have come to is until one hits the 2000 fps mark, nothing over 15-16 BHN is needed as long as a .002-.003 over sized boolit is used along with proper lube. 

[Savage]

Gohon,
I have the option of ordering bullets for the .40 and 9mm at about 12 BHN. Might try 500 or so of each to see how they lead. I have wondered if a softer bullet might "Bump Up" to seal the bore better and perhaps cut down on leading by preventing so much flame blow-by on ignition. I think you just made my mind up for me. It's worth a shot----or 500 ! lol
Savage