Bullet Suggestions for a CVA 45 1:22 twist barrel ?

[Luck13]

Hello all. Have done a little search on this topic and not seeing anything direct yet. New to MZ's and have an Accura MRX .45, 1:22 which will be used for Nevada mulies, hopefully if I can get a good stalk on one in a couple of months. Have been a lifelong shotgunner and avid duck hunter 42 + years, but this is all a brand new can or worms for me.

So far have been attempting to zero with 200 grain saboted SST's and 777 with "meh" results. (Williams precision site) Looking to try something better and get a solid load developed. With this configuration and twist, etc....would appreciate your suggestions ?
Thanks......

 

[ElDiablito]

What size charge of 777? 2F or 3F 777? And are you swabbing between shots?

I always recommend doing load dev with a scope. Then pull it off, if required to, after you find a good load.

 

[Luck13]

What size charge of 777? 2F or 3F 777? And are you swabbing between shots?

I always recommend doing load dev with a scope. Then pull it off, if required to, after you find a good load.

Thanks El-D. Yes 2 solvent patches pushed thru after each shot and it's 3F 777 at 85 grains by volume. Iron sights required here. I'm getting pie plate groups at best at 75 (after a lot of attempts) and probably going to resort to scoping it next (have some help there). Main thing is we're trying to figure out which options for that barrel and twist.

 

[ElDiablito]

A 22 is a pretty versatile twist for a .45 - much better than 28 twist. I would think you could shoot some pretty long bullets. (I prefer 18 twist - they’ll shoot anything, IMO.)

As for a good .40 saboted mule deer bullet, you can’t beat a Barnes 195 for a lighter bullet. I don’t think I’d recommend a 200 gr SST for a mature muley. Another fantastic option would be the 200 gr .40 Swift A-Frame. You could also think about the mid weight .40 Fury bullets (225 gr or 250 gr).

I would go a little heavier on the powder charge. I like 100+ grV in a .45 with lighter saboted bullets.

Have you examined any of the spent sabots? Are they melted? You may know this, but, heat and sabots don’t mix so in warm/hot weather you’ve got to give the barrel lots of time to cool between shots (think 10-15+ min).

 

[Luck13]

A 22 is a pretty versatile twist for a .45 - much better than 28 twist. I would think you could shoot some pretty long bullets. (I prefer 18 twist - they’ll shoot anything, IMO.)

As for a good .40 saboted mule deer bullet, you can’t beat a Barnes 195 for a lighter bullet. I don’t think I’d recommend a 200 gr SST for a mature muley. Another fantastic option would be the 200 gr .40 Swift A-Frame. You could also think about the mid weight .40 Fury bullets (225 gr or 250 gr).

I would go a little heavier on the powder charge. I like 100+ grV in a .45 with lighter saboted bullets.

Have you examined any of the spent sabots? Are they melted? You may know this, but, heat and sabots don’t mix so in warm/hot weather you’ve got to give the barrel lots of time to cool between shots (think 10-15+ min).

Thanks! Very helpful and I'll have a look at those and give em a try. I understand about the SST’s. Got those for the lower pricing for practice.

As far as the plastic, so far so good. Will give it a good time gap between shots. Fortunately I’m in north Nevada and between that and shooting early in the morning it’s a little cooler.

 

[Luck13]

@ElDiablito :

Update. It's been a long bit of a process as you know, but basically a month later after much range time and testing I've landed on a PR Dead center 260 with 90gv of 2F. This was the most consistent at multiple distances with the Barnes 195 doing almost as well. With some more future tweaking I believe I can get the Barnes dialed.

One issue was, I wasn't cleaning well enough between shots. Added running the brush in between (crud ring was palpable) and switched to Windex. All of this plus a much cooler barrel put me at holes touching, dead on, scoped at 50. Since then, we're back to the Williams sight, 1.25" holes at 100 on a solid bench......which then landed me at punching 1/2 gallon milk jugs from shooting sticks at 100.

Based on this, plus what I'm reading in multiple threads.....this is going to be realistic for now. Will wait for a good, clean boiler room shot opportunity inside of 110 or so. Might be awhile...