I've always preferred Unique for strong .45ACP ammo. What are some other options? I'll confess I'm not really "up" on some of the latest powders available.

Thanks for your suggestions.

Pecos
I think it depends on what you're intent is.
I used 4.5 grains of Bullseye behind a 220 grain H&G 68 look-a-like for bullseye shooting for lots of years.
For social work I use the Federal 230 grain Hydrashock for carry and practice with who evers 230 ball. However, the last 50 rounds are the oldest box of Federal Hydrashocks to reset sights.
Jim

Pecos45
While there are many new powders on the market I have had such good luck with Unique I have not tried them....but about 33 years ago I tried 4756 in the 45ACP and 44 Mag. It did not shoot as acurate as Unique, so I traded the what I had left of the keg to a buddy for a keg of Unique. He used 4756 to load 20ga. I think.

Howdy Pecos45,

I've been using Titegroup in my Kimber for Action Pistol matches. It really meters well and I'm getting really small SD's in my loads. I've shot both lead and jacketed slugs. 185 up to 230's the powder works well. It's also cheap and a pound really stretches. It's much cleaner burning than Unique.

Other than that, I would try the Vihtavouri powders. That's what some of the major guys are
using.

Thanks for the input guys. You kind of voice my feelings about Unique. It is so good in the .45 for the "upper loads" that I haven't messed seriously with anything else.

Arky, my intent here is what you call loads for "social work." I think my target shooting days are behind me and I'm just wanting a good strong load behind the old 230 gr.

I've been stewing about getting me another .45 as it's been several years since I had my last and that's too long to be without this old warhorse. Everytime I pick one up it's like the handshake of an old friend.

I'm thinking of trading in my PPk on a Kimber if no one talks me out of it between now and Monday. It's an excellent PPK...but it ain't a .45.

I guess I'm odd man out Pecos. I used to use either 231 or Unique. derf

45 ACP is a low pressure round and cannot effectively use really slow burning powders. Unique is very good in 45 ACP as are Accurate Arms #5 and Blue Dot for top velocities.

I use 700X for my 45 acp loads. I made a mistake on my first outing with my new 45. I picked up a pile of TZZ mil brass and used a buddies load of 4.7gn 700x with a 230 LRN. We went to the range and the loads were really HOT. I chronoed a couple and they were going 1300fps!!
I'd forgotten about the -15% for mil brass. I pulled them all and started low and worked up to 4.2gn for 900fps. I don't know what the pressure was, but the velocity was impressive and the TZZ brass didn't bulge or anything. Maybe something inbetween could be useable.???

Pecos
I don't compete any more myself.
What I do is every two months I take a bucket of these former Bullseye loads out for qualifying myself. I also take the S&W mod 25-2 with a bucket of 45 Auto Rim, same load, same bullet.
I set up card board targets, I think they are IPSC or IDPA siluette. Sometimes there's two targets sometimes there's three.
I draw and fire at 7 yards two in the chest one in the head, if there are two targets I'll do the same to the second target, reholster. I'll repeat this except when finished with the second target, I'll drop the mag and repeat.
I repeat this drill at 15 yards, 25 yards, 50 yards, with appropriate repeats for those distances that I'm not up to snuff.
I repeat the same drill with the S&W 25, using the Auto Rim cases then I'll repeat with the full moon clips using the 45 ACP cases.
Every six months I repeat the drill with the store bought ammo and the Hydroshocks.
On the off months I'll do this drill with S&W mod 25-5, 45 Colt and a S&W 625, 45 Colt.
The idea being that if the individual, whom the targets represent, is wearing Kevlar the two in the chest will stun him enough to slow him down and the one in the head should ruin his day, unless he's Irish.
Jim

Take a look at either Power Pistol or VV n340 for a replacement for for Unique. Both are a bit slower I believe than Unique, but work very well for top vel loads in the 45acp.The VV powders burn very clean, power pistol seems cleaner than Unique to me but thats my opinion.
I don`t push my 45 and only load to ~925fps with 185gr Sierra HPs over 7.8gr Power Pistol. This is very accurate in my Kimber 5" and vel SDs are low. I`ve just started with VV n340 and haven`t decided on a loading yet. I am finding it VERY clean though, and it seems to be a good choice with the 230gr bullets.

Thanks, Ol' Joe. Clean burning is exactly what I'm fishing for. I love Unique and it's never done me wrong but, dang, it's a dirty powder.

I'm not interested in a "blow it off the rails" hot load. A good, clean burning load just a tad under max would make me happy. The old .45 is never going to be a varmit rifle...why try to push it? I'm happy just to let it do what it does best.

The 700X burns very clean at normal levels, and at 4.2gns is pretty economical also. I included the other story because it seemed like you were fishing for higher velocity. The 1300fps loads battered the slide on a LLama pretty bad, but my LongSlide HardBaller seemed to handle them okay. I pulled all of those and haven't loaded any since.

I'm another Titegroup fan. I shoot a fair amount in practical pistol matches, and find that powder clean and very economical. I shoot 200 gr lead or FMJ loads, and use 4.5 - 5.0 gr. For defense, I use the 200 gr Speer HP with the same powder.

Over the years I've loaded 45 ACP with Bullseye, 231, WFT, WST, Unique, and #5. Even some Tite Group for exotica like 152 Cast SWCs. (Good for a comp gun, but way too much muzzle blast for a stock gun ;>

Bullseye and 231 are good for heavier bullets at normal velocities ... that is, power factors similar to brown box hardball ... about 185-190.

Unique and #5 are great for hot loads with lighter bullets ... for hunting maybe ... 200 gr slugs at over 1000 fps.

But for good fashioned practice ammo that feels like hardball ain't nothing wrong with Bullseye or 231. Cleaner than Unique in this light a load, and cheap too.

MSS - I loaded and fired some 231 this time out with my Kimber. Gun seemed to like it, but unfortunately by then I was pretty beat and was just busting rocks etc and too far gone for serious target work. But I think 231 may have a future with this gun. The good news is I have more 231 that I do Unique.

I have been using unique also. I tried win231 on the last 100 rnds that I loaded and the gun was just as dirty as the unique, that surprised me needless to say. So I loaded up a few with bullseye and reddot and will see what happens with these. I want a little faster powder to keep muzzle flash to a minimum.

Power Pistol is accurate and a high performance powder. Burns clean and has a high velosity. Used it in my Springfield 5in s-st target.Loaded 185 gr Golden Sabers in +p loads. Than done the spring change and got some 45 super brass from starline and up the powder charge, Thought I was going to have to adjust my sights and all it did was bring my groups closer. Check out www.realguns.com

[ 08-07-2003, 05:54: Message edited by: 4bambam ]

Thanks 4bam. I'll see if I can get a can of that powder to try. It looks interesting.

4bambam: Do you recall the criteria for selecting a M1911 for conversion to .45 Super? I keep losing my links to the websites that explain it. Thanks.

I went and got my info on www.realguns.com I got the loaded model 5 in s-st spring-field with adjustable sights and all ready had titanium firing pin and heavy firing pin spring, and got the 27lb recoil spring and a 1-1/2 lb heavier magazine springs also from Wolfs spring com.. I can shot that 45 better and with more fps and more accurately than I could any one of my 2 357s. 1-4in and the other 6in security six models. Its really funny how it kicks back, lots of power behind that 185 golden saber and up to 11.5gr of Power Pistol For got to say when you get there, go to the Archives projects and find 45 kimber project to 45 super.

[ 08-11-2003, 08:29: Message edited by: 4bambam ]

PECOS WHAT DO YOU HUNT WITH A .45 ACP??

Tasco - I like to take the .45 with me on my varmit hunts. If I jump something up close or even out to 40 or 50 yards, most of the time I'll try to take it with the .45. The big western jackrabbit likes to try to hide until you walk up close on him and then he will bolt like a scalded cat. Great fun to drop him with auto pistol...even if it often takes me 2 or 3 shots to connect.

And I've called lots of fox up close enough for an easy blowgun kill...but since I don't have a blowgun, I just use the .45.

[ 08-12-2003, 05:11: Message edited by: Pecos45 ]

I don't hunt with it, but I've had good results with 230gr and BlueDot. ~9-10gr.

Bwana - You should try your .45 with that load hunting critters sometime. It's quite a challenge to hit the little fuzzies sometime. When you do, the .45 certainly does its job.

Another fun past time with the .45 is to sit on a river bank and shoot at sticks, turtles and fish that come drifting by.

[ 08-16-2003, 07:37: Message edited by: Pecos45 ]

Pecos... I hunt ALOT of coyotes. I would like to say if you use a non expanding solid on them, try the Hornday 200 FP. I make it a point not to shoot any animal with a non-expanding round nose that has a impact velocity of less than 1500fps. The hrndy is not much of a killer though on them and do not be surprised if one runs 50 200 odd yards after being hit by it. It is interesting to me that a big old jack rabbit hit by an ordinary RNFMJ will sometimes run 25-50 before dying. My favorite coyote bullet has always been the speer 200 gr HP, shot kinda stiff. You can recover these in coyotes. Another is a 200 grain final weight 4% tin 96Pb gas checked HP I use from a LBT mold, I drill a 3/8" hole and chuck a deburring/chamfer tool in and give the cavity a working over. You must use a gas check! This bullet combo will expand fully down to its base at 600 fps and is extreamly deadly on both coyotes and rabbits.
Is your PPK a 32 or 380? I have here 1 90gr hydra shock from my PPK recovered from a coyote. He was wounded by a 22mag through the hips... by me. He was up on his front legs and semi-mobile. I shot him from a distance of about 4 feet with the 380, broad side through the top of the heart. He bared his teeth and got PO(ed). I raked him through the rib cage with another and that was that. Interesting is that the one I recovered from him, penetrated about 6 "s and the first shot exited and was laying base up on a sand bank. They both expanded well. The PPK is a fun rabbit gun, and can be very accurate.

Smallfry - You're right about the 230 RN not being much of a stopper on game. Most of the big J-rabs I've shot with it, the bullet knocks them flat...but after that, a fair percentage will get up and run a short distance. I took the 230gr mold I was using and had my gunsmith make a hollow point mold out of it. Cavity .224 and about 60% deep into the bullet. Made for a viciously UGLY bullet but totally effective. The first jack I shot with it dropped like the sky fell on him. Instant death. I found the bullet on the other side of him mushroomed to the size of a silver dollar. This was years before any of the bullet makers even thought of producing HP's in .45 caliber. This little mod was quite a performance boost to the .45ACP.

Unfortunately I don't have that mold any longer so I think I'll do like you suggest and go back to the 200gr SWC. I'll pick up a little more velocity in the bargain too.

OH, I forgot to answer your question about my PPK. It's a .380, stainless. And I ended up just buying the Kimber outright, so I still have my 380. It's one of my CCW's. Not my first choice but easy to conceal.

Only thing I've ever killed with the 380 was rattlesnake. And you're right about these pistols being accurate. As with any snub nosed pistol, they aren't the easiest thing to shoot and the sights are little more than a "suggestion" where the bullet will go...but if I do my part...the pistol sure does its part.

My PPK likes any sort of ammo, thankfully.

PECOS -

Hodgdon now lists loads for the new Longshot powder for the 45 ACP for a 50 fps boost in velocity with no increase in pressure. I've not tried it in the ACP but it has done very well in my 40 S&W.

I used to use Unique for just about everything in .45 acp. Then I found Titegroup and I'm burning about 8 lb a year in my Kimbers. Cleaner, meters better and it's cheaper in bulk. For "High end loads" I use Blue dot under a 200 grain BD acp for 1,000 fps at standard pressures. The BD acp is a RNFP bullet I designed for the .45 acp in the event a person wanted to use a cast bullet to kill something. You can see the design on the Mountain Molds website, or at Midsouth's site under custom cast bullet molds. I'm having a pretty busy summer and I haven't had time to fiddle with bullets much, but I'm planning to try a hollow point version and a dual hardness bullet in that same design. BD

Just wanted to update you fellows who suggested I try Tite Group powder. I finally ran across a can of it and bought it. Will soon try it out in the Kimber.

I think you'll like it!