1000 fps with a 230 gr bullet from a 45 ACP?
Yes! And with a “book” load! I’ve been a fan of the 45 ACP for… 45 years since the Marines handed me one. I like the standard load, a 230 gr bullet at around 830 fps or so, but I often wondered if more was possible… The 185 gr bullet can be pushed to well over 1,100 fps, and I knew the 230 grainer could break 900 fps… But could it reach a full 1,000 fps from a standard 5″ 1911? Well, yes!
Hodgdon published data that showed Ramshot Silhouette just breaking 1,000 fps with a Berry’s bullet from a 5″ barrel! It is shown as a +P load:
I loaded up some of my standard HP-38 ammo and also broke out the Silhouette powder then took my 5″ Kimber 1911 to the range. The chronograph confirmed that Silhouette can indeed punch a 230 gr Berry’s downrange at over 1000 fps, time after time:
The SD & ES figures for the Silhouette load were higher than I like. Perhaps some more work on the crimp or measuring the powder charge more accurately will help with that. Of course the HP-38 load worked just fine, as it always does.
My article was published online by Ultimate Reloader and a short video was made of the loading & shooting as well:
Berry’s 230 Grain HHP — High Performance Load for the .45 ACP – Ultimate Reloader
BTW, that Berry’s bullet is soft. It’s made to expand at normal 45 ACP velocity and is loaded commercially by both Underwood and HSL. It’s got a soft lead core which is covered with a copper plating. One must be careful to not over-crimp these bullets to avoid damaging the thin copper plating. That was not an issue with my handloading as I used a taper crimp die.
Photo by Ultimate Reloader
With stout loads like this I’d recommend a sturdy recoil spring, and if a steady diet of these loads is anticipated perhaps switching to a square firing pin retaining plate would assist as well.
The loads were quite controllable though they did recoil more sharply than a standard 45 ACP round.
There’s at least one other powder available that should produce 1,000+ fps from a 45 ACP and I’ll look harder at that option in the future.
Regards, Guy