Fatelvis
Member
Does anyone have a good load for a 45 ACP carbine, such as a Marlin 45 Camp carbine? Thanks-
Good 45 ACP carbine load?
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DHart
Member
I don't have a load to suggest from personal experience, but from what I've read, you should expect very modest, at best, velocity increases with typical .45 acp ammo from a carbine... which isn't a bad thing!
That said, with the longer barrel, you could try some loads with the slower powders which can make good use of that longer barrel to boost velocities. Perhaps 2400. But if you beef it up much at all, you won't want to mix that ammo up with your pistol ammo.
Remember too, that you will want to make sure the velocities don't get beyond the ideal performance "velocity window" for the bullets your pushing. Typical 230 gr. JHP bullets are designed to perform well at 850-900 fps. At 1200 fps or more, they may overexpand too early and underpenetrate.
The One Book/One Caliber booklet for .45 acp does contain a little data for .45 acp in a rifle. DON'T trust on my typing, but do confirm in your own book a few loads shown:
16" barrel 230 gr. FMJ PowerPistol 7.2 gr. 895 fps
16" barrel 230 gr. FMJ BlueDot 8.5 gr. 900 fps
16" barrel 200 gr. JHP PowerPistol 7.4 gr. 965 fps
16" barrel 200 gr. JHP BlueDot 10.6 gr. 1000 fps
16" barrel 185 gr. JHP PowerPistol 8.6 gr. 1025 fps
16" barrel 200 gr. JHP Unique 8.2 gr. 1030 fps
That said, with the longer barrel, you could try some loads with the slower powders which can make good use of that longer barrel to boost velocities. Perhaps 2400. But if you beef it up much at all, you won't want to mix that ammo up with your pistol ammo.
Remember too, that you will want to make sure the velocities don't get beyond the ideal performance "velocity window" for the bullets your pushing. Typical 230 gr. JHP bullets are designed to perform well at 850-900 fps. At 1200 fps or more, they may overexpand too early and underpenetrate.
The One Book/One Caliber booklet for .45 acp does contain a little data for .45 acp in a rifle. DON'T trust on my typing, but do confirm in your own book a few loads shown:
16" barrel 230 gr. FMJ PowerPistol 7.2 gr. 895 fps
16" barrel 230 gr. FMJ BlueDot 8.5 gr. 900 fps
16" barrel 200 gr. JHP PowerPistol 7.4 gr. 965 fps
16" barrel 200 gr. JHP BlueDot 10.6 gr. 1000 fps
16" barrel 185 gr. JHP PowerPistol 8.6 gr. 1025 fps
16" barrel 200 gr. JHP Unique 8.2 gr. 1030 fps
Desert Dog
Member
For carbine you need a relatively slow pistol powder:
HS7
N350
BlueDot
AA#7
10.0 grains of #7 under a 230 jacketed bullet should be about the best load for a carbine barrel as it should give you a very good velocity boost out of the longer barrel.
HS7
N350
BlueDot
AA#7
10.0 grains of #7 under a 230 jacketed bullet should be about the best load for a carbine barrel as it should give you a very good velocity boost out of the longer barrel.
Fat Elvis,
I just got around to chronoing my loads for my HK USC/UMP conversion. 16.5" barrel, 45 acp carbine.
my Load 6 is:
bullet: Hornady 200g XTP (hollow point)
brass: winchester (new)
primer: Fed 155
powder: 6.2g VV N320
OAL: 2.225"
my Load 7 is:
bullet: Hornady 230g Round Nose
brass: winchester (once-fired)
primer: WLP
powder: 5.5g VV N320
OAL: 2.270"
I normally shoot load 6 from my 4.1" 1911, where it averages 860fps with a std dev of 11.76 fps
that load shoots mean velocity of 1073.75 fps with a 10.64 fps std dev from the 16.5" barrel on the carbine. So, the extra 12.4" of barrel raises the velocity by 213 fps.
because i've been strongly advised not to shoot HP ammo through a suppressor, i'm working up a RN load, which is Load 7 above. From the carbine, mean velocity is 977.75 fps with a std dev of 3.49 fps!
I was shooting at a pace of about 1-shot every 2-3 seconds today, offhand, in the rain, with a bushnell holosight at 25yrd and nearly every one of my 5-shot groups was 4 shots inside 1.5" with 1 shot low and 3" left of the other 4.
(the first shot in my strings is almost always 30-60fps low, so i drop the first shot when calculating mean velocity and std dev.)
hope that helps some,
I just got around to chronoing my loads for my HK USC/UMP conversion. 16.5" barrel, 45 acp carbine.
my Load 6 is:
bullet: Hornady 200g XTP (hollow point)
brass: winchester (new)
primer: Fed 155
powder: 6.2g VV N320
OAL: 2.225"
my Load 7 is:
bullet: Hornady 230g Round Nose
brass: winchester (once-fired)
primer: WLP
powder: 5.5g VV N320
OAL: 2.270"
I normally shoot load 6 from my 4.1" 1911, where it averages 860fps with a std dev of 11.76 fps
that load shoots mean velocity of 1073.75 fps with a 10.64 fps std dev from the 16.5" barrel on the carbine. So, the extra 12.4" of barrel raises the velocity by 213 fps.
because i've been strongly advised not to shoot HP ammo through a suppressor, i'm working up a RN load, which is Load 7 above. From the carbine, mean velocity is 977.75 fps with a std dev of 3.49 fps!
I was shooting at a pace of about 1-shot every 2-3 seconds today, offhand, in the rain, with a bushnell holosight at 25yrd and nearly every one of my 5-shot groups was 4 shots inside 1.5" with 1 shot low and 3" left of the other 4.
(the first shot in my strings is almost always 30-60fps low, so i drop the first shot when calculating mean velocity and std dev.)
hope that helps some,
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