Handloads: A .45 ACP Semi-Wadcutter For Target Work

by
posted on November 20, 2023
** When you buy products through the links on our site, we may earn a commission that supports NRA's mission to protect, preserve and defend the Second Amendment. **
.45 ACP Semi-Wadcutter

Shooting a large-diameter bullet has a lot of benefits—chief among them in target work is that the larger hole they produce has a better chance of breaking the line of the next highest scoring ring. To capitalize on this trait, wadcutter and semi-wadcutter (SWC) bullets were created to cut the cleanest, largest hole possible for formal competitions. This load is one of my favorites for the M1911 platform and features an accurate and clean-cutting 200-grain SWC from X-Treme bullets. The recipe starts with once-fired Winchester brass that has been cleaned and re-sized before being re-primed with Federal No. 150 primers. I then bell the case just enough to seat the bullet and prevent it from being gouged against the case mouth, as copper-plated bullets, like hard-cast lead projectiles, can be damaged in this way.

.45 ACP Semi-Wadcutter specsWinchester 231 has always been a phenomenal powder for M1911 ammunition. A charge of 5.3 grains produces excellent accuracy, and the recoil is manageable. The final steps involve seating the bullet so that a bit of the bearing surface is visible to help with reliable feeding. Typically ending with an overall length of 1.230" accomplishes this task and is short enough to feed through standard M1911 magazines. When building this load, I like to use Hornady’s Series II Custom Grade dies, as their built-in taper crimp eliminates the need to perform that action separately.

Many new shooters are apprehensive about shooting .45 ACP, but the low recoil of this load makes it a fantastic candidate for introducing someone to the M1911 platform or the cartridge in general. Best of all, this load is one of the least expensive for the .45 ACP in my recipe book, but you wouldn’t know that from its accuracy.

Latest

Hearing Healthy
Hearing Healthy

Summer Suppressor Deals On Now

Whether it is a BOGO deal from SIG or free tax stamps from Guns.com and Silencer Central, there's plenty of hearing-safe savings to be had this summer.

Rifleman Report: Defending Freedom For 250 Years

"Anyone who claims not to understand the plain and simple intent of the Second Amendment—especially if that person happens to be a constitutional law professor, Supreme Court justice, congressman, senator or president—is likely hiding nefarious intent: to strip individual liberty from American citizens for the express purpose of making them susceptible to a tyrannical government."

Book Review: 2025 Traveler’s Guide To The Firearms Laws Of The Fifty States

Newly updated for 2025, the 29th edition of the Traveler’s Guide To The Firearm Laws Of The Fifty States is packed with all the need-to-know information for cross-country trekkers seeking to bring their arms along with them and remain legal in all localities.

Springfield Kuna: A PDW For The Masses

Small, yet fierce, the namesake of Springfield Armory’s latest large-format pistol is a revered forest dweller in the land of its Croatian manufacturing partner, HS Produkt. The new Kuna is poised to be just as welcome in America.

The Armed Citizen® June 30, 2025

Read today's "The Armed Citizen" entry for real stories of law-abiding citizens, past and present, who used their firearms to save lives.

Book Review: Clockwork Basilisk: The Early Revolvers Of Elisha Collier & Artemas Wheeler

The result of a decade of research, Clockwork Basilisk is a comprehensive, two-volume history of the rare revolvers that preceded the development of the well-known Colt guns of the 1830s.

Interests



Get the best of American Rifleman delivered to your inbox.