Due to repeated requests for a few 45 Win. Mag. loads, we are introducing the following load. It features a flat nosed, hard cast .451 diameter bullet at 1400 fps (actual velocity is 1411 fps) out of my single LAR Grizzly pistol.
- 1,411 fps — LAR Grizzly Win Mag
We tested the original version of Winchester’s 230gr. FMJ Round Nose ammo and found that our test pistol gave 1389 fps. Also, Cor Bon’s 230gr. FMJ Round Nose load gave 1385 fps, but both loads gave very high extreme deviations of around 70–80 fps. This generally happens in semi-auto pistols when the recoil or pressure of the fired round causes the breech face to open before the powder has sufficiently burned. As a result, the burn rate becomes altered by the opening breech and high extreme spreads in velocity result.
Since new propellants now exist that did not exist 30+ years ago, we were able to engineer this current load that gives an incredibly low 18 fps extreme spread in velocity in our test pistol.
Not only were we able to engineer low extreme spreads into this new load, but we were able to push a 25gr. heavier bullet slightly faster than the original 230gr. bullet and stay within industry pressure guidelines.
Better yet, this new load features a flat nosed bullet that does considerably more terminal damage than the original round nose bullet. The flat nose also ensures straighter and deeper penetration, while doing all that extra damage to living tissues. This is simply an enormous improvement over the original 45 Winchester Magnum ammunition.
This 45 W.M. load also fed and cycled reliably in our test pistol. It gave the necessary accuracy to hunt deer-sized critters out to 75 yards, which means that self-defense on big critters at less than 5 yards is no issue. We experienced no excessive lead fouling of the barrel, and since this bullet is the same bullet we load in our 45 ACP +P, 45 Super, and 460 Rowland ammo, we have a lot of experience with it.
Were I to carry a 45 Win. Mag. pistol in the woods for grizzly or moose protection, I would use this 255gr. load over the other 45 W.M. loads we will also be making shortly.
