| Question: |
Last year at the Single Stack Classic I took your class
before the match. It was great and you really helped me with my
draw.
My question concerns what bullet weight is best for the .45 ACP. I asked, and you said
a 230 grain. I reloaded 230 to a
similar power factor of 170 for my 200. I was surprised to find the
230 softer on recoil than the 200 grain, as this goes against what I
have heard before. Could you elaborate on this? |
| Rob's Complete Answer: |
Glad I could help you. Hope your draw is lightening
fast now!
This bullet weight question comes up frequently. Think of the muzzle of your gun
as the nozzle of a rocket engine. As the bullet leaves the muzzle,
you have pressure built up from the burning, expanding powder. If
you have a comp on your gun, you want this pressure to be high and in
large volume. The compensator simply redirects a great portion of
this pressure in a direction that offsets some of the muzzle flip.
If you do NOT have a comp, you want this pressure to be as low as
possible and have as little of it as you can. A heavy bullet, such
as a 230 grain in a .45, will reduce your powder charge over a lighter
projectile, like a 200 grain bullet. The smaller powder charge
generally creates less pressure and volume than a larger charge.
You
can also use faster burning powders with heavier bullets, as you require less
velocity. All of this reduces the thrust of your rocket engine.
Another factor that comes into play here, is the burning rate of the
powder. A propellant that has a quick-to-peak pressure time,
generally drops pressure faster. This means, by the time the
bullet does leave the barrel, and the rocket engine effect happens, you
have less force to power that engine. A powder with a slow-to-peak
pressure time, usually has greater force as the bullet leaves the
muzzle. You want the rocket to be as weak as possible if you don't
have a comp, hence I prefer the use of heavy bullets, fast burn rate
powders with quick-to-peak pressure time. Remember, it doesn't
matter how high the peak pressure is at it's greatest point, assuming
that it is at a safe level, only how high it is when the bullet leaves
the muzzle. RL
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