Hodgdon Clays and 45acp

[Skinny Shooter]

I've been putting off loading the 45acp for years and decided I'm just gonna do it.
Life is too short.
I've got 8lbs of Hodgdon Clays for the 12ga and figured I'd try it for the 1911.

Anyone else use this powder for pistol reloading?
How do you like it?
Haven't bought any bullets yet and could try the 185, 200 or 230 grainers.

How do you work up a load when there are only .4 grains difference between min and max loads?

Haven't sprung for a progressive yet and will be rolling them via the Rockchucker.
It may be slow but it gets them done.
Btw, years ago I started loading for the 357 with HS-6 and 125gr XTP's.
That powder has been great.

[Adam Helmer]

Skinny,

You pose an easy question. I load and shoot too many cast 200 grain Semi-wadcutter .45 bullets using either Red Dot or 700X powders. The Lyman 49th Reloading Handbook advises Clays reposed between RD and 700X.

Lyman advises 3.9 grains to a max of 4.4 grains of Clays and a 200 grain .45 bullet. I would start at 4.0 and go up to 4.2 and then evaluate the results with my 1911 .45 autos with 18 pound recoil springs. Shotgun powders are usually very good handgun powders. I load all my .45 ammo on an old RCBS Junior single station press.

Hope this helps.

Adam

[Jack]

You have 8 pounds of Clays? Why, it's the perfect powder for the 45! :)
The 45 auto is really an easy cartridge to load for - about any shotgun powder will work fine.
I use mostly 200 wadcutters in mine, but if 185's are on sale, I'll use those.
I'd do as Adam suggests - try some at 4.0 grains, then some at 4.2 before going to 4.4.
Gauging pressure in a 45 is not like looking for pressure signs in a rifle. The biggest indicator of high pressure is violent ejection. With the standard 18 pound spring in the gun, if the fired cases are getting flung 10 feet, you're load is probably too hot.
BTW, my 45 gets fed from a Rockchucker - load in the winter when it's too cold to be outside.

[GoodOlBoy]

Treasure that clays while you have it since it is going out of production, but yes it is a great pistol powder. I've had to give up on reloading currently due to health and concentration issues, but when last I was reloading I had gotten to the point where I wouldn't reload anything that wasn't a rimmed round, preferably a rimmed straight wall cartridge. I had gone to doing nothing in the press but resizing with carbide dies, and everything else I was back to using my lee classic loaders (aka the infamous whack-a-mole) and I was honestly enjoying it more. 45-70 (yeah I know it's actually a taper), 45 long colt, 357 mag, and 38 special were my favorites to load, 30-30 was a close 2nd. I managed to finagle a OLD Lee 20 gauge loader set as well, but I don't have any of the powders or supplies to load shotshells at the moment.... well I do still have a quarter bag of shot I think....

anyway enjoy, and God Bless.

GoodOlBoy

[Rapier]

I still have a pound or so of 452AA that I use with the 200s. I had an unopened 10 pound keg, shows how old it was, that I traded to a buddy that had to stop shooting rifles in competition due to nerve problems in his neck. He went back to handgun games and needed some good 45 powder and I wanted some VN-160 to try with 75 and 80 SMKS in the new match AR rifle I built. I figure I will need the 452AA before I go over the horizon, but he needed it now.....so That was a year ago and I still have yet to load one heavy bullet for the AR.:p
Ed