Target loads in a CW45?

[bulwnkl]

Hello, all. I've been searching the forum and reading lots of posts & threads, but at this point my eyes have gone blurry and my head hurts. lol

I have a 5", all-steel 1911-pattern 45 automatic (a pre-Kahr, Thompson - Auto Ordnance, actually). I enjoy shooting it, but I no longer carry it because it's so heavy I can't find a way to carry it unnoticeably (meaning, you can see the effect it has on my belt line even with a good gun belt). I really like my CW9, and I'm toying with the idea of doing some swapping around and getting a CW45 (or a P-series).

I like to handload for my 1911, though, with softball loads and with target 200- and 230-grain loads with quick powders (I like Accurate No.2). These are full-pressure, but run ~100 ft/sec. slower than military hardball loads with 230s (and similarly slower than 200-grain loads intended for max speed).

I've read various threads here from people having trouble with some ammo cycling their polymer 45s, so I'm asking:

Do any of you load these sorts of target loads for your CW45, and does the gun run properly with them? Or, need I stick with military hardball load duplicates if I get a CW45?

[Bawanna]

They should run fine especially after a couple hundred rounds to break in. Kahrs that balk early on are sometimes related to girly man loads, many brands are the same way. Once it's been shot some your loads should work just fine and dandy.

I've shot some of my light handloads through my PM45 and no issues.

[bulwnkl]

That's great to hear; thank you!

[I_Like_Turtles]

They should run fine especially after a couple hundred rounds to break in. Kahrs that balk early on are sometimes related to girly man loads, many brands are the same way. Once it's been shot some your loads should work just fine and dandy.

I've shot some of my light handloads through my PM45 and no issues.

That's neat.....the Kahr E9 I had back in the early 2000's seemed to "need a hard kicking round to cycle properly." I found that Corbon 124 grain +P made it run well and that's what I shot out of it. Dang I rather wish I had never sold it.....oh well. Got the K9 now.

[yqtszhj]

My CW45 has always ran everything I have shot through it including junk steel case that other things wouldn’t run. I know Greg has put shot shells through his too. I think you’ll be good to go with a hand load.

My PM45 round everything too.

[Bawanna]

I still need to get me some of them 45 shotshells, I wanna try some of those.

[King Rat]

They should run fine especially after a couple hundred rounds to break in. Kahrs that balk early on are sometimes related to girly man loads, many brands are the same way. Once it's been shot some your loads should work just fine and dandy.

I've shot some of my light handloads through my PM45 and no issues.

I am a huge believer in racking the slide on a new recoil spring and letting it take a "SET" for 48hrs. Always load up new magazines and let them take a set as well.

PS. I shoot a lot of steel case ammo out of a lot of guns. Never a problem until the gun gets very dirty. Accuracy is as good as any standard range ammo, in some guns actually shoots better. And you cannot beat the cost.

[Scott321]

I don't know how your reloads compare in power, but my CW45 runs like a champ with WWB FMJ. It's less powerful than the WWB JHP (at least according to factory specs), and definitely seems less than Fed HST 230gr.

[DJK11]

You should stick with a cw45. Both my pm45 run best with full power loads. Absolutely no powderpuff loads.

[bulwnkl]

Good input. Thank you, DJK11, and thanks everyone who contributed here.

[Zeke38]

My CW45 does not like "long nosed bullets. My favorite plinking target load is a 200 lead round nose cast bullet setting atop of 5.2 grains of Bullseye and a WW primer, sized to a COAL 1.22". Never chronoed it but it runs fast as in cycling, and is nicely accurate and shoots to point of aim,

[gb6491]

My CW45 does not like "long nosed bullets. My favorite plinking target load is a 200 lead round nose cast bullet setting atop of 5.2 grains of Bullseye and a WW primer, sized to a COAL 1.22". Never chronoed it but it runs fast as in cycling, and is nicely accurate and shoots to point of aim,
If you are of a mind to, another member of the forum can cut extra leade/free bore into CW45 barrels: http://www.kahrtalk.com/showthread.php?27829-CW45-doesn-t-chamber-properly&p=358217#post358217

I've done it myself with a reamer from Brownells, but I say DougGuy's work is superior.
https://i.postimg.cc/rsHVBhHz/fba-copy.jpg (https://postimages.org/)
Still, my CW45 barrel works just fine and I've done some 1911 barrels with similar results.

Regards,
Greg

[Zeke38]

Thanks Greg, didn't know anyone was doing that to the Kahr barrels. Something to ponder.