![]() ![]() ![]() I shot 200-grain SWC bullets from Bull-X (no longer in business), and back then the minimum power factor was 175 (now it’s 165). In that game, bullets have to be loaded to higher velocities than for Bullseye in order to make the required power factor, and slightly harder bullets are needed to avoid barrel leading. Most IPSC/USPSA competitors now shoot the 40 S&W in Limited Class, and while guns chambered for it do have a capacity advantage, I never shot it as well as the 45 ACP, and I was shooting identical custom guns chambered for the two cartridges. Some shoot cast bullets at 25 yards and switch to jacketed bullets for 50-yard targets. ![]() Some continue to stick with cast bullets, while others shoot jacketed bullets, with the Nosler 185-grain Custom Competition HP probably the most popular among top-ranked shooters. Actual barrel groove diameters of barrels can vary a bit, and to ensure 100-percent obturation at relatively low chamber pressures in a slightly oversized barrel, some competitors prefer fairly soft bullets with a hardness in the 12 BHN (Brinell Hardness Number) range. Muzzle velocities seldom exceed 850 fps, with some competitors preferring a velocity as low as 650 fps for 25-yard targets. Many shoot a 175-grain SWC at 25 yards and then switch to a 200-grain SWC at slightly higher velocity for the 50-yard event. Those who consider cast lead-alloy bullets second-rate in accuracy are obviously unaware that Bullseye competitors have long been using them in loads capable of consistently averaging less than 2 inches at 50 yards from a Ransom Rest. ![]() × Regardless of whether you are competing in Bullseye or IDPA action pistol matches or just having fun punching paper with the 45 ACP, jacketed bullets are up to the task. It is not uncommon for a serious Bullseye shooter to trim cases to a consistent length, and while previously fired cases are used at 25 yards, some shoot only virgin brass at 50 yards. That can increase velocity spread enough to increase group size, but it takes a pistol capable of consistently shooting inside 2.5 inches at 50 yards to reveal any effect on accuracy. The cartridge headspaces on the mouth of its case, and only slight variations in case length can cause variations in the energy delivered to primers by the firing pin. It was proven long ago that the 45 ACP can be an extremely accurate cartridge, and some shooters go to extremes in squeezing the tiniest groups from it. There is nothing wrong with cleaning primer pockets, but the wonderful Dillon machine has convinced me that accurate ammo can be produced without doing so. For high-volume shooting, I switch to a Dillon progressive loader. When trying a new load, I use a single-stage press and throw powders with a Redding Competition 10X measure, which is renowned for minimal charge-to-charge variation. There are about three jillion different powders and bullets for it, and unprimed cases of excellent quality are available from several sources, including those from Starline and Hornady that I used in building handloads for this report. The 45 ACP just loves to be handloaded, and doing so is falling-off-a-log easy. A small wire cage attached to the grip of the pistol and covering its ejection port collected spent cases to avoid possible damage to the fragile canvas skin of the pilot’s biplane. Until Harry Kauper invented an interrupter cam capable of synchronizing the firing of a machine gun so each of its bullets traveled between the propeller blades of aircraft, American aviators of World War I plinked at German fighters with various rifles and handguns, and the 1911 pistol with an extended magazine was one of the more popular. military in the Model 1911 pistol during the year 1911, the grand old soldier marches on while dozens of modern-day wonders introduced since are now pushing up daisies.Īnd while the pistol mostly served its decades of military duty in the hands of ground troops, early on it served in the air as well. Not many cartridges have lived as long as the 45 ACP. ![]()
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