Henry Rifle Forums

I've got a pair of Dan Wesson Pointman 1911's. The PM 45 has been spooky accurate from day one with both jacketed and cast bullets using some of the old time proven .45 recipes. The 9mm shoots in the one inch or less category with jacketed bullets but I've been struggling to match that accuracy with cast bullet loads. I had high hopes for the RCBS 124 TC (uncoated with blue lube) but so far not so good. I've long been a fan of the 120 Lee TC and it's my go-to bullet in the Homesteader carbine. Now Lee took the same bullet and added a driving band which brings it to 147 grains. I casted up a few and sized some .356" and the rest .357". The barrel slugs at just under .355". Coated with Signal Blue powder and loaded over 4 grains of BE86. Bingo!
The 147 is the on the left side.

This is 10 shots at 25 from a wrist rest with 5 of each diameter. It was sweltering hot with not much air moving on that end of our outdoor range. The heat and a wobbly old man at the controls account for the called flyers. With a good rest and a better shot I believe this load would do well under an inch. The .356" were trying to ragged hole. The rest of the 147 gr. loads were used up spanking the plate rack.

At one point, I had 9 Dan Wesson 1911s. All I have left is my Guardian 9mm and my Vbob in 45. I do have a spiffy Dan Wesson 715 revolver though.

Even your called fliers really aren’t much in the way of fliers. Still pretty tight to the main group. That’s a good looking pistol.

Dan Wessons and CZ are 2 of my favorites. Nice shooting

Have also had a number of DW 1911s, as well as a 715. Great guns, all of them, but I've since moved back to mostly single action revolvers and specialty handguns where I started, oh so many years ago, handgun hunting and shooting silhouette.

Have to say, also, great shooting!

Nice looking gun. Nice shooting as well. I love the 1911s.

Thanks folks! There are a few DW's in the safe but I have neither the money or nor the inclination to accumulate any more.
In years gone by I've spent countless hours in elaborate load developement for benchrest and varmint rifles. Having "outgrown" that obsession I just look for loads that are reasonably good, record the data and then spend more time shooting.

NCG I used to do a lot of Hunter Pistol silhouette shooting too. I managed to shoot AA but in hindsight the scores would probably have been much better with a good .45 1911 rather than the blood curdling .41 and .44 loads I was determined to use!