Checked and verified, page 285, 4th Ed.Lyman cast bullet handbook. There are many outstanding cast bullets for the .45 Colt. The standard groove diameter for the .45 Colt is .451 inch minimum and .452 inch maximum. But the 45 Colt is a survivor. Oregon Department of Fish & Wildlife, State Agency: When loaded in the Colt Single Action Army at around 850 fps, it is a most powerful everyday working load. I have found HS-6, Universal, and W231 powders work very well for standard loads, while IMR 4227 bulks up nicely in 45 Colt brass. As always there are occasional exceptions, including two guns manufactured in 1900 and 1902 that slugged .458 and .453 inch, respectively, but they seemed to be more out-of-spec than the normal. This brings us to powders, and I use a lot of Hodgdon powders. Discussion: The old Western Style COLT normally uses big, heavy and slow lead bullets. These Smith & Wesson .45 Colts include a (1) Model 25-5 with 838-inch barrel, (2) Model 25-5 with 6-inch barrel, (3) Model 25-5 with 4-inch barrel and a (4) Model 625-6 Mountain Gun with a tapered 4-inch barrel. Meet the all-new Taurus Judge Executive Grade, a revolver featuring a hand-polished satin finish, presentation-grade wood grips, a brass rod front sight and an exceptional hand-tuned trigger. .449 inch to .460 inch, and Smith & Wessons from .451 to .458 inch. The .45 Colt is rapidly approaching 150 years in existence, and it remains one of our finest, most useful, versatile and handloaded sixgun cartridges. Moving up to the second level, loads at around 1,000 fps with the same-weight bullet are used in the Colt New Frontier, Smith & Wesson Model 25/625, Ruger Flat-Top New Model, and the Ruger New Vaquero. If I had to shoot only one factory ammunition the rest of my life, I would. RNFP), 1007 MAX+ (Actual in 7 1/2 bbl 255 gr. His #452490GC was originally made for the 45 Auto Rim cartridge for use in the Smith & Wesson 1950 Target revolver, but I also use the Thompson design, which weighs around 255 grains, for heavy-duty loads approaching the energy of the 44 Magnum in the Ruger Blackhawk. VihtaVuori Oy Company, reloading booklet (1995) Numerous magazine articles on reloading special calibers and personal loads where noted. RCBS also offers an excellent bullet of standard weight with the #45-255KT that has a better crimping groove than the Keith bullet. and how they grouped at ther yrds. Beginning in the early 1980s both Winchester and Marlin began offering .45 Colt leverguns. Winners must respond within 30 days of receiving notification or an alternate winner will be selected. About 1200+ fps in the 7.5 SBH, 1150fps out of the 4" Redhawk. Space constraints keep me from looking at all of these powders in depth, but I can cover a few. Nonetheless, the 30-grain charge with a 250-grain bullet reached around 850 fps from a 7.5-inch barrel. ok 45 long colt lovers,,ring out ,lets hear from you,,the more the merry. Load up some Low Recoil handloads. For loading black powder 45 Colt loads, I use Goex as well as Pyrodex and Triple Seven. For a heavier bullet with #4227 I use 22.0 grains with the 305-grain Lyman #454629 gas check at 1,315 fps while grouping in 5/8 for three shots. The Judge has been promoted! After a long days work on our remote cattle ranch, I would cast bullets and handload ammunition in the evening so that I could continue shooting the next day. I use the same industry measurement as the .45 ACP .470 inch. of blackpowder, the .44-40 . Minnesota Deptartment of Natural Resources, State Agency: The revolver and ammunition were officially adopted for service in 1873. When the Marlin and Winchester Trappers first arrived in the early '80s, the #1 45 Colt bullet was still Elmer Keith's #454424 weighing about 260 grains from my alloy. Bullets from RCBS mould 45-270-SAA, which usually weigh around 280 to 285 grains, are designed to maximize powder capacity, are accurate and an excellent choice for hunting big game. (NOTE: Sections marked Ruger Only are not for the New Model Blackhawk Flat-Tops or the New Vaquero!) This load will certainly handle deer-sized game. New Jersey Division of Fish & Wildlife, State Agency: Deployed military should use stateside address. I have yet to find any levergun or sixgun that does not shoot this Dick Casull-designed bullet exceptionally well. A pair of Old Model Blackhawks with 4-5/8 and 4-3/4 barrels put five rounds in 1 at 20 yards while traveling at about 800 fps. My connection with Lyman goes back more than 50 years when I loaded my first ammunition using the No. Improving the Keith Bullet Keith's #454424 was an excellent bullet, however it has been improved by Dave Scovill and is offered by RCBS as #45-270SAA. Employees and agents of Publishers Development Corp. are not eligible. Exactly the same grain size as with powder N320, N330 and N350 - only the porosity of the powder changes.The burning rate of the N340 is at the medium scale of Vihtavuori handgun powders - and as with powder N320, with N340 extremely clean burning and . Most of the accompanying handloads are within industry overall length guidelines at 1.600 inches or less; however, a few loads exceed that length (including Hornadys FTX factory load). When he died in 1862, the company was dedicated to producing the same percussion revolvers. It's always had a great reputation as a man stopper. Deployed military should use stateside address. My Rugers like a 355gr with 21.5-22gr H110, CCI 350, starline brass, nice tight crimp. Purchase A PDF Download Of The GUNS Magazine February 2021 Issue Now! The TaurusTX 22 Compact delivers class-leading reliability, capacity, and shootability in a 22 LR platform, and it's cut for a slide-mounted mini red dot. I shoot the .44 and .45 in rifles and pistolas, but I have only a rifle in .38-40. Everything really starts with our Vision, which is:To be the best-run business in America, and the most successful, most respected business in our industry, for the benefit of our Customers. This is a pretty bold Vision, but its absolutely real. (I) Giveaway ends May 31, 2023. This database has 6400 loads for cast bullet loads. Virginia Department of Wildlife Resources, State Agency: However, there are two problems associated with it: case capacity and cylinder throat diameters. Make sure your gun can handle it before .45 Colt (180-200 grain bullets) .44 Mag (180-200 grain bullets) .38-40 (180 grain bullets) I had hangfires in the .45 Colt with less amount of Reddot. The final level includes custom five-shot Rugers and the Freedom Arms Model 83. Kentucky Department of Fish & Wildlife Resources, State Agency: His 45 Colt bullet was #454424 and was available for decades from Lyman. Stocky's Owner Don Bitz walks David Faubion through the company's new rifle stocks for 2023. When the new 454 Magnum revolvers (as they were first called) arrived, however, the brass was lengthened so it could not be used in standard 45 Colt sixguns. Factory warranties may apply in some cases. A quote from Lyman Reloading Handbook, 49th Edition states, The grooves of pre-World War II revolvers normally measure .454 in diameter. With the coming of Rugers Blackhawk chambered in 45 Colt in the early 1970s, we finally had a sixgun that could tap the tremendous potential of the 45 Colt cartridge. Pyrodex P is the equivalent of Triple-F or FFFg black powder. I would think that the load you are using would be safe. Prizes will not be awarded if illegal in jurisdiction of winners. Both of these are plainbased Keith-style bullets, and their numbers are #310.451 and #325.454, with the first three digits giving the approximate bullet weight. His 45 Colt bullet was #454424 and was available for decades from Lyman. By this time Winchester had changed its name to USRAC (United States Repeating Arms Co.) and the Trappers were offered in two versions, a blued receiver or a case-colored receiver. Box 488, Escondido, CA 92033. When time is a problem, actually when sometimes my own energy is the problem, I look to Oregon Trail Bullets. However, when using versions that weigh 250 grains, it is sometimes difficult to reach high enough velocities to achieve reliable expansion while staying within industry pressure guidelines. (See note on Powders below or read all about various Powders.) The day of the percussion revolver would soon be over, and even Colt could see the future and began converting 1860 cap-and-ball sixguns to fire cartridges. For the 45 Colt, I especially prefer the 250-grain RNFP and the 255-grain SWC. Cartridge Filter By Bullet Weight Powder Type Recipes There were no 45 Colt heavyweight bullets available at the time, so we sized down 300-grain 45-70 bullets in several stages, going from around 0.460 inch to 0.452 inch. That is, until I tried IMR 4227 with Lymans #452424 and a 20.0-grain load, and that combination produced one-hole groups. REDUCE RIFLE AND HANDGUN CHARGE WEIGHTS BY 10% TO ESTABLISH A STARTING LOAD. If reliable expansion is desired, consider 230-grain JHP bullets designed for the .45 ACP or the Hornady 225-grain FTX, which can be pushed close to 1,000 fps while staying within pressure guidelines. El Hombre Sin Nombre Members 6.3k Gender:Male Location:Oakland, CA SASS# 101096 Richmond Roughriders, Coyote Valley Cowboys, Faultine Shootist Society,Two Rivers Posse, River City Regulators Posted February 18, 2017 With their 16 barrels the Winchesters weigh right at 6 lbs. Universal is an excellent powder for the 45 Colt with 8.0 grains under a 250-grain bullet duplicating the old black powder load. However, the first known commercial listing is found in the 1880 UMC catalog. Bullet is .452 diameter. It served me well while riding the ranch on horseback, running a trap-line, hunting big game, varmints and pests, etc., and it even saved my skin a time or two. I have found HS-6, Universal, and W231 powders work very well for standard loads, while IMR 4227 bulks up nicely in 45 Colt brass. The vast majority of my 45 Colt handloads over the last 60 years, however, has been put together with cast bullets. Employees and agents of Publishers Development Corp. are not eligible. Bullseye is a bit fast for this big cartridge and I dont especially recommend it, but it will work. Then something dramatic happened in 1869: Smith & Wesson brought forth the 44 American sixgun that used fixed ammunition. Contrary to what has been traditionally published, records indicate that early loads from Frankford Arsenal contained a copper case loaded with a 250-grain, roundnose flatpoint lead bullet pushed with 30 grains of black powder, with additional charge weights soon added. For example with the 4-5/8" Ruger Blackhawk, I use the NEI 310-grain Keith bullet over 21.0 grains of WW296 or H110 for 1,125 fps in the sixgun and 1,445 fps from the Trapper Barrel. Bullet sizes vary from .450 for jacketed to .454 for some lead in diameter. The Colt SAA .45 Colt with a 4.75-inch barrel ranks as one of Brians favorite handgun configurations. Alas, the days of gun departments in grocery stores, department stores and drugstores are long gone. Sam Colt became a millionaire producing percussion revolvers. 5, No.7, No. Unique and Universal still dont fill the case up as much as a yet slower powder (like No.9, AA5724, H-110/W296, AA5744, and Alliant 2400). IMR Trail Boss, 4227, IMR 3031 and IMR 4895 are products of IMR (formerly DuPont) Powder Company. RCBS also offers an excellent bullet of standard weight with the #45-255KT that has a better crimping groove than the Keith bullet. This lets it feed in many cowboy-action guns and use common 45 ACP load data. Share to Facebook. We were soon shooting 300-grain bullets at 1,200 fps from a 7.5-inch-barreled Ruger revolver. My powders of choice are Clays, HP-38, HS-6, Universal, Trail Boss, H110, IMR 4227, W296, and W231. Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. Jeff Bradley shows off the Modern Hunting Rifle (MHR) from Christensen Arms at SHOT Show 2023. bullet type,style,powder ,amount,col.,primeres,and if possable fps. During Lyman's long history in the manufacture of uality reloading euipment, the most freuent uestion we received from our customers was when is Lyman On paper, the 357 Magnum was the first cartridge to exceed the 45 Colts muzzle energy, but many knowledgeable sixgunners, Elmer Keith included, believed the 45 Colt actually offered more practical power than the First Magnum. Today, it remains one of our most popular sixgun cartridges. Below you'll find some basic data for each cartridge to help get you started. Quality 300-grain jacketed bullets are also offered by all three of these manufacturers. For many decades reloaders have been arguing over whether or not H110 and W296 were identical. The 45 Colt brass was up to the task. Using a 250-grain cast bullet, 37.5 grains by volume of Pyrodex P results in a very potent 987 fps and a five-shot, 50-foot group of 0.88 inch in my revolver. (III) Giveaway winner(s) chosen by random drawing. FWIW Dale53 #Permalink 1 0 Deployed military should use stateside address. They are my choice for the heaviest loads especially with cast bullets weighing 300 grains and heavier. Marlin and Winchester 1894s will both handle heavier-than-standard .45 Colt loads but 1860, 1866 and 1873 replicas are for standard loads only! Giveaway prizes may have evidence of being test fired or exhibit minor handling marks. I have measured Colt revolvers with throats that run from. (WC= WadCutter, SWC= Semi-WadCutter, HP= Hollow Point, RN= Round Nose, FMC= Full Metal Case, FMJ= Full Metal Jacket, JHP= Jacketed Hollow Point and if GC indicated, means Gas Check at bottom of lead bullet), Loads for .45 Colt: Low Recoil Loads | Hodgdon Reloading Handloading allows the flexibility to adjust load ballistics for a particular purpose. That is, if the loading table calls for 40 grains of black powder, then one uses a 40-grain volume powder measure for the same amount by volume of Pyrodex. www.hodgdonreloading.com Broc NES Member Rating - 100% 15 0 0 Joined Sep 18, 2010 Winners will be notified by certified mail on official letterhead. 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