Cleanest 45 acp load

[strat81]

I'll be getting a 1911 (STI Spartan) in a few weeks and will be reloading for it. I'd rather be shooting my pistols, not cleaning them, so please post your cleanest 45 acp loads. I'm impartial on bullet weight, but please limit bullet shapes/brands to round nose, Golden Sabers, and Gold Dots. Oh, and no VV powder either, I'm cheap.

Thanks in advance, gents.

 

[Canuck-IL]

Regular Clays, not Universal or International, is probably cleanest after the VV line. I'd guess WST as next; haven't tried the Ramshot powders but a few have good comments.

Loads depend on bullet weights, design, OAL, purpose and the gun's preferences.
/Bryan

 

[NVMM]

Hodgdon's (regular) Clays!
Clean, Soft Shooting and Clean.
Eventualy, we all have to clean.

 

[Walkalong]

After N310 & N320, Ramshot Competition. They don't have data for it with the .45, but it is excellent for it. Very accurate and clean. WST is very clean as well.

 

[PO2Hammer]

I'm very happy with Clays after switching from Titegroup.

I use Clays for light .357 and .44 Rem Mag loads as well.

Clays needs to be weighed though.

 

[rero360]

i just loaded up and tested 10 rounds of .45 using 4.5grs of titegroup pushing a 230 FMJ pill with a COAL of 1.272 shot really lightbut dirty, had a few flakes of soot or unburned powder so I plan on adding a tenth of a grain of powder of two and see if the increased preasure and all that will give me a more complete burn. also the sides of the cases were pretty dirty.

rounds shot out of a 5" springfield loaded 1911 with the AI frame.

 

[Luggernut]

Maybe I'm missing something, but I don't notice Clays being cleaner than many others I've used.

 

[Mark whiz]

WST has been the cleanest powder I've tried to date out of my 1911-A1.
WST is also pretty light on recoil and power as well - great practice rounds.

 

[The Bushmaster]

I really haven't found any powders that burn clean. Some are a bit cleaner then others. When I get through with a days shooting on the range all my guns are dirty so I really can't judge that much. We need some one to do a "one shot test" and tell us which one is the cleanest. Until then I will continue using W-231, as it preforms best in my .45 ACP, 9mm X 19 and .38 Special...And after 50 or more rounds all I find is grey/black soot. Big deal... Wipes off with a cloth. All the bores have is a copper coating (I only load copper jacketed). Hoppe's Benchrest #9 takes care of that...

 

[JoeHatley]

I'd rather be shooting my pistols, not cleaning them

I use Bullseye and plated bullets. What little soot is left by the powder wipes off easily.

Joe

 

[JDGray]

What ever Win NT rounds are loaded with

I too, like Clays

 

[HighVelocity]

Another vote for Clays. It's really clean.

 

[Roadkill]

Find an old can of Unique. Load up a box or two, shoot them, then anything else is a hundred times better. I use reddot and its not bad.

 

[FieroCDSP]

Forget the old can of Unique. Get a new can and imagine what the old stuff was like considering the fact that the label isn't lying when they claim it's "cleaner burning."

Clays does burn clean. It's not like the Win-Clean ammo (I swear, the cases a guy showed me looked like they came straight from a bag), but I've never had any problems cleaning after using it. Wipe down, maybe two brush strokes, a dry patch, and the thing is clean.

 

[ATAShooter]

Another vote for WST. I had never used the stuff before, and then I was short 100 shells at a trapshoot. I bought some shells from a guy I knew there. He loads WST. I was impressed at the cleanliness. I use Green Dot normally, and get alot of black. His shells were WAY clean.

 

[hotwheelz]

I have yet to run a powder cleaner then VV N320 ,330, 340 they seem to be the cleanest poweder but also more $ then most of the other powders listed.

 

[Morgan]

Yet another recommendation for Clays.

 

[ArchAngelCD]

Most powders will be dirty if you are using a light load. Clays can be very dirty if you load it light but when up near the Max recommended load it's VERY clean. The same can be said for most, but not all powders.

 

[mjrodney]

Another vote for ordinary Clays....3.6 grains behind a 200 grain .45ACP LSWC.

Compared it to Bullseye, Unique, Titegroup, W231 and Universal Clays (not the same as ordinary Clays) and ordinary Clays seems to be the cleanest.

 

[Luggernut]

Light loads more dirty

ArchAngel- you may be on to something, I only load my .45ACP 230gr Berrys with 3.8gr of Clays. I might just try some hotter loads to check that out.

 

[evan price]

I load .45acp 230-gr with 4.7 of Titegroup, gun looks fine but cases are sooty.

 

[strat81]

Thanks for the suggestions guys.

As for the type of load, I reload so I can plink. That being said, I don't necessarily want/need powder puff loads. For 9mm and such, I tend to settle in the middle of the range (1100fps according to the manuals). Light loads aren't worth it for me since they may not cycle and tend to be dirtier. I'm not into hot loads either since I like my wrist and see no reason to punish it (or my gun).

I've been using a ton of Titegroup lately for 9mm and like it. I'll pick up a pound of Clays and try the two of them side by side.

 

[CZ57]

WST and Ramshot Competition are both made by Primex. I'm not saying they're the same exact powder, but their burn rates are close enough to suggest that it's possible. I don't use Clays and can't remember if it's spherical or flake, but the burn rate of all three are very, very close.

 

[Walkalong]

WST and Ramshot Competition are both made by Primex

I have tried them both in .45 ACP and they perform similarly, but not the same.
Where ya been?

 

[CZ57]

I should point out another case where 2 powders are very close. W-231 and Ramshot ZIP, which is cleaner. ZIP is made in Belgium; not by Primex.

kinda busy lately.