In a bullet and brass trade I made a while back I got about half a hundred .451" 185gr. gas check bullets. Do I load these to cast PB velocities or jacketed bullet velocities or somewhere in between? These will go in 45 ACP. cases and get fed to a 1911 clone.

Thanks in advance!

Mort

Gas check bullets are usually loaded a little hotter than plain base but for the 45 ACP you're not going to get velocities where it really makes much difference. 1000 fps max from the ACP is about all you'll get and any bullet can handle that.

JMHO

Ray

Thanks Ray! I'll probably use a load for a lead bullet and use them as plinking ammo.

I used to shoot PB bullets in my 44mag and a 357mag rifle to normal pressure (not max) with no issues. (PB bullets gave me leading in my 9mmPara.) Hope that helps.

Do you know if these were made by that guy who gave them to you? If so do you know what he used to cast them? If wheel weights were used you should be able to push them a little faster then normal gas checked bullets. I would work up your loads and if you start to see leading back off a little and call it. Best of luck to you!

Actually they look like factory made. They have the general form of a 185gr. Semi-Wad Cutter and the brass/copper comes up to just below the shoulder.

I have not seen bulllets like these before. They measure right on at .451

Sounds like short jackets not gas check.
Hornady .308's

PB and GC boolits shoot the same in any gun until you get to very high velocities like the .460 or a rifle when a GC helps.
The GC was needed in revolvers when velocities were starting to go up and soft boolits were being used. Leading was a problem but now that we understand boolit fit and alloys, they can be a waste of money.
I shoot PB over 1630 fps in revolvers and have reached 1800 fps without leading.
I never thought that I would be using PB boolits in magnum revolvers. I used to think that a GC was needed too.

OOPS, Mort, those are not gas checks, they are called half jackets and the cores are usually dead soft lead.

I only learned about bullet slump from you folks on the net just recently. I used to think of 'upset' to fill the bore and that might be what was happening to my 44mag, I don't know, but... Here is base deformation from bullet slump. Slumping from impact can be seen nearer the front and this illustrates clearly what is meant by 'slumping'.



(This particular bullet had a gas-check step. It was propelled by a low-end rifle powder charge. There was no leading or flame cutting).

James & bfrshooter,
I think you guys nailed it. These are short jacket or half jacket bullets.

So is the purpose to allow higher pressures and faster velocities or to use softer, quicker expanding lead to produce a bigger wound channel?