Seeking Center X

[truck driver]

I had been discussing this without thinking about taking over Slim Finns 1911 build post unintentionally and have apologize to him for the discourteous intrusion.
So last night I loaded some ammo trying to duplicate IMI load I will use for my long line ( 50yd ) slow fire match at Camp Perry.
The AMU load of 4.3grs of N310 185gr Nosler Competition JHP bullet Virgin Starline Brass and WW LPP. The Nosler bullet is always out of stock so I had to seek an alternate which is the Zero 185gr JHP.
I had previously tried this combination, but it wasn't hot enough to reliably work my action due to the 13lb flat wire recoil spring system that is in my pistol.
Instead increasing the load to 4.35grs I jumped it to 4.4grs and then 4.5grs and head to the range this morning with 10 rounds of each load.
Too hot ( 99* ) to set up the Chronograph so I don't know the velocity of these loads and let the gun tell me what it likes.
Here's a couple of pictures of the results.
The target on the left has 11rounds because I miscounted my primers in the primer tube the one on the right has 10 shots. Mirage wasn't helping matters none with lots of heat waves coming off the concrete walk-in front of the target frame.

 

[Blkram]

Looks like a good start.
Hopefully you can try these loads again on a cooler day and get chrony data, and hopefully better results and info to judge by.

 

[DrMike]

Rodger, you may not consider these competition worthy, but many people would be thrilled with loads that produced such accuracy. For sure, you will want to test the loads for velocity when you are able.

 

[truck driver]

Looks like a good start.
Hopefully you can try these loads again on a cooler day and get chrony data, and hopefully better results and info to judge by.

The only way it's going to get cooler here is for it to snow lol we are under the jet stream heat doom with temps expected around 100 Celsius for the next 4 to five days. It was 99* when I shot toughs groups, 4.5gr is about as high as I will go. Our range has a start time of 0900 and that is when I will try to chronograph these loads and will set up in the shade so it's as cool as it will be and no heat mirage.

 

[truck driver]

Rodger, you may not consider these competition worthy, but many people would be thrilled with loads that produced such accuracy. For sure, you will want to test the loads for velocity when you are able.

Thanks DrMike, the mirage got me on a couple of the 4.5gr shots and would probably have went through the center of the target. I think they are pretty good also, the pistol is doing what it was built to do, seeking center.
The main thing will be trigger recoil management since these will be fired in 5 shot15 seconds for 10 shots total and 5 shots in10 seconds for 10 shots total one handed off hand at 25yds with little room for error.

 

[truck driver]

Thanks for all the replies and likes, your thoughts and opinions mean a lot to me and helps me to look at things differently.

 

[KinleyWater]

Clearly I need more range time.

When are you due at Perry?

 

[truck driver]

Clearly I need more range time.

When are you due at Perry?

I'll be there on the 13th and depart on the 20th.
The photos are from a rest so I don't destroy my chronograph LOL, they just show what the load and pistol is capable of. For the most part I can keep my shots in the black with a few in the white during a match or practice as long as my grip is right and I stay on the trigger so I pull it straight back, finger position and pressure on the trigger must be consistent to get a clean smooth sear/hammer break.

 

[truck driver]

After shooting both the 4.4gr N310 and 4.5gr powder charge across the chronograph Sunday I settled on the 4.5gr load and loaded up 250 rounds to take with me to Camp Perry. Velocity for the 4.5gr load was more consistent and functioned the pistol reliably.

 

[Blkram]

Best wishes for a good performance, and don't forget to have fun!

 

[sako2]

After shooting both the 4.4gr N310 and 4.5gr powder charge across the chronograph Sunday I settled on the 4.5gr load and loaded up 250 rounds to take with me to Camp Perry. Velocity for the 4.5gr load was more consistent and functioned the pistol reliably.

Good luck and have fun.

 

[KinleyWater]

I'm not much of a believer in luck, so in the words of Ike - "Give 'em hell."

 

[truck driver]

Well due to Canadian wildfire smoke some of our matches were canceled due to dangerous health conditions.
I only got to shoot 2/3 of the 2700 match and then those results weren't good due to blurry eyesight and hard breathing caused by the smoke.
The smoke was so thick we couldn't see lake Eire which was about 1500yds from the firing line and is the impact area for the range. I had told the guys on the firing line with me to look at the sun at 0700 since it looked like a big red cherry hanging in the sky and one of them said I was looking at the wrong planet since that was Mars and not the sun lol.
The old adage that if it can happen it will at Camp Perry raised its ugly head again as it did two years ago when matches were canceled for the search of a drowned swimmer off Big Bass Island and search boats were in the impact area looking to recover the body.
But everything else was good as I met and made new friends and picked up some goodies to bring home from the vendors, one goody is a 1911 .22lr conversion unit that the slide locks back on after firing the last round which my original one I bought in 2003 doesn't because the slide is made from aluminum, the new one has a hardened steel insert for the slide stop, the machined rest target for it is less then 1/2" for ten shoots at 50yds with premium .22 target ammo from a ransom machine rest, it will be my new backup .22 pistol.
So, if the good Lord allows, I hope to try again next year.

 

[wvbuckbuster]

Bummer the matches were canceled but sounds like a real nice 22lr conversion. Post some pictures of it sometime. Sounds interesting.

 

[truck driver]

Here's a couple of pictures of the smoky conditions.
The day before and the start of the match and the second day of the match.

 

[truck driver]

Bummer the matches were canceled but sounds like a real nice 22lr conversion. Post some pictures of it sometime. Sounds interesting.

I put it all together today so I'll treat you to some eye candy.
The frame I already had, it's a Caspian 1911 frame I use for my 38 Super but you can use any 1911 frame, not sure about using a 2011 frame.

 

[Guy Miner]

Sad about the fires disrupting the matches. Looks like your load and pistol get along real well with each other!

Regards, Guy

 

[truck driver]

Sad about the fires disrupting the matches. Looks like your load and pistol get along real well with each other!

Regards, Guy

Thanks Guy, I give the credit to the man that put the parts together, I've shot enough 45acp to know what should work with a little refinement of the powder charge, the basic loads are all old standby loads developed by other people, change the primer, tweak the powder charge for every different gun, some people think they don't need to adjust the load of the old masters but as we know all guns have their likes and dislikes and no 2 are the same.

 

[wvbuckbuster]

Nice looking setup. Thanks for sharing.