Titegroup in 45 ACP

[BradyT88]

Anybody using Titegroup to load 230gr bullets for the 1911? I have a few pounds of it already and it appears to be much lower priced than WST right now. 

Min load I'm seeing in books is 3.9 or 4.0gr but still going over 700fps. Looks like I would be safe at 675fps. Any recommendations to start at or a good load you know of?

[Boggus Deal]

I would try to reach around 725-730 FPS just to be safe at all altitudes.

[Garrison Joe]

Lyman cast bullet handbook shows almost exactly the same weights of WST or Titegroup make the same velocities with a 230 grain slug.   The maximum pressure listed in handbook with TG is higher than maximum for WST, as are velocities.  So that establishes a safety margin

A 4.2 grain WST load with the 230 grain cast bullet is a favorite (even a standard) of many WB shooters, and it's what I load for knockdown targets.

So, a great place to start would be 4.2 grains of TiteGroup and that 230 grain slug loaded to put the lowest part of the nose (where it tapers out to the full bullet shank diameter) right at the mouth of the case.  Then you can chrono that and probably find that to make about 710 FPS.   You can step up slightly from there if desired.

Each 1911 I've ever loaded for shoots a different velocity with any given load, so running bullets over a chronograph or LabRadar is recommended.

good luck, GJ

 

 

[BradyT88]

Thanks!! Out of curiousity how does WB test ammo? (If that were to happen). Do they use the shooter's guns or different ones?

[Garrison Joe]

If the match knows what they are doing, it's out of the shooter's gun.  Although testing power factor has been somewhat ignored in last couple of years.  And the technique to check power factor has loose rules which individual directors can adapt to their conditions. With all that uncertainty, if you are concerned about never being DQ'd, then you want to stay up around 165 PF with the 1911 ammo.  As Boggus wrote above.

And the more likely it is you would be "on the podium" at the end, the more likely your ammo gets tested.  At least that was the past experience.

good luck, GJ

PS - I have experienced a few matches that test ammo with a common "range" gun, then if there is a failed result with that, they look up the shooter to obtain the gun that will be/has been used in the match.  Matches that do that will usually collect an extra 5 rounds beyond what the test with the range gun requires, so as to prevent a "questionable" shooter from substituting stronger ammo.  

And the very best match officials will arrive unannounced during the match, go to the shooter who will be tested, and ask for a sample of ammo right then.  Or, a little disruptive, I've heard of ammo being collected from the shooter AT THE LOADING TABLE (from magazines on the shooter's belt even).  That seems a little intrusive for my tastes.

Edited April 22 by Garrison Joe

[BradyT88]

Here's my test results. It was 60-65 degrees out yesterday while I was shooting these. The 230gr are my new powder coated Cheycast bullets. The 200gr shown below are the copper plated Xtreme that I already had on hand and have been shooting at monthly matches. I shot the first string of 5; then chrono'd all the 230gr; and then shot another string of the 200gr just to see if barrel heat had any impact. It doesn't look like it did. Looks like I'll be pretty safe with 3.8gr of TG behind these 230gr bullets. They are round nose and I had them seated at an OAL of around 1.222"; tried seating them like GJ said to. All 25 of them fed just fine in the gun. 

 

230gr	3.8gr TG	4.0gr TG	4.2gr TG	4.4gr TG	4.6gr TG
1	745	794	776	842	836
2	704	746	791	817	868
3	702	760	771	840	854
4	740	753	803	809	834
5	694	740		837	846
AVG	717	758.6	785.3	829.0	847.6
STD	23.64	21.16	14.57	14.98	13.96
Spread	51	54	32	33	34
PF	164.9	174.5	180.6	190.7	194.9

200gr	4.8gr TG	4.8gr TG
1	817	832
2	823	795
3	825	796
4	835	815
5	834	795
AVG	826.8	806.6
STD	7.63	16.56
Spread	18	37
PF	165.36	161.32