The original .45 Colt proved to be too much for the military and the powder charge was dropped to 30 grains of black powder. For a short while in the mid-1870s the Army used the Smith & Wesson Schofield using the .45 S&W with a 230 grain bullet at around 735 fps. Even though they dropped the Schofield revolver they had a large stockpile of ammunition which they continued to use in the .45 SAA.

Fast forward to the first decade of the 20th century and the United States military’s search for a new pistol. Much had changed since 1873 and the wave of the future was now a semiauto pistol. In 1911 John Browning’s design was selected. Even though the military had adopted the very anemic .38 Colt revolver in the 1890s, they now corrected that mistake and went back to the .45.

The .45 ACP in a 5" semiauto pistol was very close in performance to the .45 S&W in a long barreled SA. However, the 230 grain full metal jacketed “Hardball” at 800 fps is quite a ways from the original .45 Colt, with its 255 grain bullet at 900-1,000 fps. The fact the .45 ACP has proven to be such a reliable man stopper gives us some idea of what the .45 Colt is actually capable of accomplishing. I recently acquired a Springfield Armory XD45 and in speaking with editor Roy and looking for a different approach rather than the standard gun test, the question arose of heavy bullets in the .45 ACP in general — and the Springfield Armory XD45 in particular.

Forward Step Backwards

What about duplicating the original .45 Colt loading in a thoroughly modern up-to-date .45 ACP semiauto? Nearly 40 years ago I acquired a load from Jeff Cooper using the Hensley & Gibbs 200 SWC over 7.0 to 7.5 grains of Unique for 1,025-1,050 fps. This is a very powerful load and was also used in the Springfield Armory XD45 with excellent results. However, I was mainly concerned with bumping up the bullet weight to the 250-255 grain weight range.

No Spin Zone!

Before we go any further a warning is necessary! Many of the loads used are maximum. IF YOU CHOSE TO USE THEM YOU ARE STRICTLY ON YOUR OWN! In MY gun, they worked fine. YOUR gun may be different. The latest edition of the Lee Reloading Manual lists a maximum load with a 255 grain bullet in the .45 ACP using 5.4 grains of Unique at 19,000+ psi and SAAMI spec for the .45 ACP is 21,000 psi. My top load using Unique is 6.0 grains so I am right at the edge. I have used this load for many years in various 1911s, however its use has been quite sparingly practiced. At least 30 years ago I started using the 260 grain Lyman #454424 Keith bullet loaded over 5.0 to 6.0 grains of Unique for use in the 1911 when I felt such power was needed. In actuality I was duplicating the original .45 Colt load.

In loading heavyweight bullets in the .45 ACP there are three factors to consider. We are limited by case capacity, an overall length which will be accepted by the magazine, and the tightness of the chamber. Normally I like to seat heavy .45 SWC bullets with part of the shoulder protruding from the case. This works in some .45 semiautos but not all. If the chamber is tight, as on the XD45, very little if any shoulder can be left exposed as it prevents the cartridge from fully chambering. This fact alone leaves very little powder space.

Looking At The XD

The Springfield Armory XD45 in another in a long line of polymer-framed double action semiautos. The polymer grip frame feels very comfortable in my hand and I have no trouble reaching the trigger even though the magazine capacity is 13 rounds. This high capacity means, with the proper loads, this XD is the equivalent power-wise of 21⁄2 Colt Single Action Army .45s! The best part is purely subjective — it doesn’t bite my trigger finger! After firing hundreds of rounds my trigger finger remains un-pinched.

Bullets selected for heavy loads in the XD45 included both cast and jacketed. I tried several of my older loads on hand, including Sierra’s 240 JHC, Hornady’s 250 JHP, Speer’s 260 JHP and two Lyman Keith bullets, the 240 grain #452423 SWC and the 260 grain #454424 SWC. All of these were loaded over 6.0 grains of Unique. At 910 fps the latter was a perfect duplicate of the original .45 Colt, however it didn’t shoot very well, with groups close to 3" at 20 yards.

The two main bullets used came from Oregon Trail Bullet Co. and Northwest Custom Projectile. I have literally used thousands upon thousands of Oregon Trail bullets, especially in loading for the .38-40, .44-40, .44 Special, .44 Magnum and .45 Colt. The .45 bullet selected for use in the XD45 was Oregon Trail’s 255 SWC loaded over both Unique and Universal. Six grains of these two powders gave muzzle velocities of 965 fps and 955 fps respectively. If I want full power with cast bullets in the XD either of these loads would be my choice.

Power With Precision

Northwest Custom Projectile is just that, a custom bullet company offering reloaders a choice of bullet shape and jacket thickness. For this test I used their 260 grain Low Velocity JHP. NWCP offers heavy jacketed bullets of this weight for use in the .454 Casull, however these Low Velocity versions are designed to expand at, well — low velocity. They proved to be exceptional performers in the XD when using 5.5 grains of Unique for 800 fps, and 6.0 grains for 900 fps. Both loads placed five shots in 1" at 20 yards.

I must reiterate these are Heavy +P+ loads and anyone choosing to use them are strictly on their own. They are NOT everyday practice loads. Drop down to 5.0 grains of Unique or Universal for general use, or if you just want to play. If for some reason I found myself hunting deer or hogs with the .45 ACP, I guarantee I would be using the heavier loads.

For more info: Springfield Armory, www.springfieldarmory.com; Oregon Trail Bullets Co., www.laser-cast.com; Northwest Custom, www.customprojectile.com.