There are some excellent jacketed bullets available for use in the 45 Colt, including the Sierra 240-grain JHP, Hornady 250-grain XTP-JHP, and the Speer 260-grain JHP, all of which I prefer for deer-sized game. LYMAN Reloading Products A trusted Brand since the 1800?s. When tactical lights first came out, we all thought the 50 lumens they offered was astounding and could never get better. Winners will be notified by certified mail on official letterhead. The Oregon Trail 250-grain RNFP bullet should be seated with an overall cartridge length of 1.570 to 1.580 inches, depending on case length. sure they will feed and chamber through levergun actions. I found both of these on the shelf of a little gun store, actually a small gun department, in a local grocery store. However, when using soft swaged-lead bullets, an expander ball around .002 inch smaller than bullet diameter is preferred. The .44 Magnum is a great cartridge that offers a flatter trajectory and helps to make hits easier at longer distances; however, this added performance comes at the cost of greater pressures, heavier guns, increased recoil and muzzle report. I have been pleasantly surprised by the Marlin Trapper. That is black powder loads or Black powder level only. Treat it like one. New Hampshire Fish & Game Department, State Agency: Share to Reddit. However, the first known commercial listing is found in the 1880 UMC catalog. Here is what Lyman #4 has to say on 45 Colt, maximum Unique , standard pressure loads: Lee 452-200-RF , 200 gr. Employees and agents of Publishers Development Corp. are not eligible. Marlin and Winchester 1894s will both handle heavier-than-standard .45 Colt loads but 1860, 1866 and 1873 replicas are for standard loads only! All entries must be received by giveaway end date. Two other powders for standard loads include W231 and HP-38. The Colt Single Action Army, Colt New Frontier, Ruger New Model Flat-Top, Ruger New Vaquero, and Smith & Wesson Model 25/625 are all very close strength-wise. His #452490GC was originally made for the 45 Auto Rim cartridge for use in the Smith & Wesson 1950 Target revolver, but I also use the Thompson design, which weighs around 255 grains, for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. youd need for most critters in the lower 48. Hodgdon's Clays And Your .45 - GUNS Magazine 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). None of these loads will work through the action of my Rossi .45 Colt Model 92. Winners must respond within 30 days of receiving notification or an alternate winner will be selected. All Rights Reserved. Bob Meinert, FN Marketing Director, introduces FN's first commercial pistol suppressor, the FN Rush 9Ti. Associated taxes and fees are the responsibility of winners. They are my choice for the heaviest loads especially with cast bullets weighing 300 grains and heavier. I have been pleasantly surprised by the Marlin Trapper. With the Winchesters, equipped with receiver sights, most of my shooting is done around 30 to 35 yards with relatively mild loads. This one is from Lyman 48th addition Reloading book. of blackpowder, the .44-40 . The weight would more properly be closer to 32 grains. SWC - 9.0 grains Unique Lyman # 452664 , 250 gr. For many decades reloaders have been arguing over whether or not H110 and W296 were identical. I also have been having good luck lately with 10.0 grains of HS-6 and 250- to 260-grain bullets, which duplicates the performance of the early black powder loads. 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. 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. ), RCBS #450255KT (258 gr. Factory warranties may apply in some cases. This was achieved with 40 grains of black powder. We are currently populating the cartridge drop-down menu with updated cartridge renderings, new propellants and bullets, and links to complimentary product pages. The Smith & Wesson Model 29 is the sixgun by which all other .44 Magnums are judged. Associated taxes and fees are the responsibility of winners. The company also distributes IMR and Winchester powders as well as Goex black powder. It would also be excellent for a defense load. FWIW Dale53 #Permalink 1 0 Texas Parks & Wildlife Department, State Agency: Louisiana Department of Wildlife & Fisheries, State Agency: For the 45 Colt this is the Single Action Army revolver. Clays, Universal, HP38, HS6, HS7 and H4895 are products of Hodgdon Powders. Over the past 35 years all four of these leverguns have shot extensively with both jacketed and cast bullets. New York Department of Environmental Conservation, State Agency: (IV) Winners must undergo a background check (if required) and comply with all other federal, state and local laws. We switch now from the use of PC (Powder Coated) bullets to cast bullets. Kentucky Department of Fish & Wildlife Resources, State Agency: Employees and agents of Publishers Development Corp. are not eligible. My loading dies are from Lee, Lyman, and RCBS, and all of them give excellent service. The original .45 Colt bullet profile is known as a truncated cone or round nosed flat point (RNFP). The .45 Colt was soon loaded with smokeless powders with loads eventually standardized with 250- and 255-grain lead hollowbase bullets from Remington and Winchester, respectively, at around 870 fps, but today are listed at 860 fps. In fact, an axiom with me is, When all else fails, try IMR 4227 before giving up. Years ago, after tiring of oversized 45 Colt chambers in Colt Single Action Army revolvers and New Frontiers, I started with a 357 Magnum New Frontier, had the cylinder rechambered properly and tightly to 45 Colt, and then had a new 4.75-inch Colt New Frontier barrel fitted. I normally stay under 900 fps with a 250-grain bullet in Colt Single Action Army revolvers and its replicas. The 45 Colt also predates the 38 Special, the 44 Special, and the 45 ACP, and not only is it more than 80 years older than the 44 Magnum, but it also has more case capacity and in the proper sixguns can outrank the 44 Magnum. The charge weight is 9.2 grains. I have found 5.0 grains of Clays under a 250-grain bullet delivers a very pleasant-shooting load at 725 fps and will group all its shots in 0.63 inch at 20 yards. (III) Giveaway winner(s) chosen by random drawing. You may wish to peruse the list of cartridges first as many times the difference in 45-70 and 45/70 may mean finding data or drawing a blank. Blue dot and 45 colt | Graybeard Outdoors I would think that the load you are using would be safe. (In fairness, many historians maintain that original loads contained 40 grains of black powder with 255-grain bullets, including noted Colt authority John Kopec.) .45 Colt +P Medium Frame Sixguns (Pet Loads) - Handloader Magazine When the Marlin and Winchester Trappers first arrived in the early 80s, the #1 45 Colt bullet was still Elmer Keiths #454424 weighing about 260 grains from my alloy. It has never failed me. Delaware Division of Fish & Wildlife, State Agency: Employees and agents of Publishers Development Corp. are not eligible. I found the following heavyweight bullets all would work through both the Winchester and Marlin actions: NEI 310 Keith, NEI 325 Keith, Lyman #454629GC 300-grain FN, RCBS #45-270 SAA weighing around 284 grains with my alloy, and I also checked the #454490GC design by Ray Thompson, which is a 255-grain Keith-style gas-checked bullet. Discussion: The old Western Style COLT normally uses big, heavy and slow lead bullets. Deployed military should use stateside address. 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). References: Accurate Arms Co. 1996 Reloading booklet Alliant Powder Co. Reloaders Guide (1995) Hodgdons Basic Reloaders Manual (1996) Speer Reloading Manual, #12 Winchester Reloading Components Manual, 14th edition Lyman Piston & Revolver Reloading Handbook, 2nd edition. Space constraints keep me from looking at all of these powders in depth, but I can cover a few. The proud tradition and history of Lyman Products began simply in the late 1800?s when William Lyman, an avid outdoorsman and inventor, created a product that resolved problems with gun sights of his day. 2023 Outdoor Sportsman Group. Load Data - Castpics The 45 Colt also predates the 38 Special, the 44 Special, and the 45 ACP, and not only is it more than 80 years older than the 44 Magnum, but it also has more case capacity and in the proper sixguns can outrank the 44 Magnum. The Colt factory has told me these large throats are intended to keep chamber pressures low, which is nonsense. It is superbly accurate and will often shoot well in sixguns that are cranky about shooting plain-based bullets. now im looking for top performance load data to ass to my load data book for this caliber. It is loaded not by weight, but by volume. Winners will be notified by certified mail on official letterhead. Powders include [See page on powder location in case affecting FPS elsewhere on pages] It is impossible to go wrong with the 45 Colt. 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. Bullet is .452 diameter. The original conical bullet found in black powder 45 Colt loads from the 1870s is very close to the Lyman #454190 and the RCBS #45-255 FN. If you want those speeds and power, buy a .44 magnum. 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. I would conclude this powder is much more consistent in speeds than others that I have tried in the .45 Colt. However, due to their heavier weights and increased barrel time, many fixed-sighted sixguns may group high. | The more powerful loads are only suitable for strong handguns like the Ruger Blackhawk and the Thompson Center Contender. I didnt realize how many different powders from Hodgdon I use in loading the 45 Colt until I began putting this article together. Most manufacturers have recognized the need to offer revolvers with correct throat dimensions including Smith & Wesson, Ruger, Uberti, USFA and others, but not Colt. Minnesota Deptartment of Natural Resources, State Agency: His 45 Colt bullet was #454424 and was available for decades from Lyman. 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 . patterned after the one worn by Theodore Roosevelt. The accompanying standard- pressure handloads are within SAAMI guidelines of 14,000 psi, making them suitable for modern Colt SAA revolvers and all guns chambered in .45 Colt that are designed to fire smokeless powder ammunition. HS7 is slowest of the group (Similar to 2400) Share to Facebook. Illinois Department of Natural Resources, State Agency: We were soon shooting 300-grain bullets at 1,200 fps from a 7.5-inch-barreled Ruger revolver. These will still work in the vast majority of sixguns with the exception of the old short cylinder Smith & Wesson N-frames produced prior to 1978 and a couple of others not commonly encountered. SWC), 853 (Powder UP see note) (Hi=872.5 Lo=827.5 Spread=45 fps)(some unburned powder), 802 (Powder DOWN see note) (Hi=809.2 Lo=792.6 Spread=16.6 fps). I did find a 225 grain jacketed bullet. Incidentally, the U.S Cartridge Company first listed a 255-grain bullet with 35 grains of black in 1882, but. A gun with these internal dimensions offers a much fairer assessment of the accuracy potential of all data. The individual accessing this site assumes the risk of safe loading practices. These two bullets in a custom five-shot Blackhawk or Freedom Arms Model 83 five-shooter can be driven to 1,450 fps with W296 or H110. Pennsylvania Game Commission, State Agency: Balloonhead cases were discontinued around World War II but still show up regularly on handloaders benches. In part one of this series we saw the history of .45 Colt leverguns, which turned out to be quite recent, beginning in the early 1980s. 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. With my alloys this bullet runs around 280 to 285 grains while at the same time having a slightly shorter nose than the original Keith design so it fits in all Colt cylinders. While there were multiple experiments with different cartridges, the .45 Colt was a joint development between Colts Patent Firearms Manufacturing Company and Union Metallic Cartridge Company. Lyman now offers it as #452424, and it is a 255-grain bulletor thereabouts, depending upon the alloy used. I have yet to find any levergun or sixgun that does not shoot this Dick Casull-designed bullet exceptionally well. Again, a groove diameter of .451 to .452 inch remains standard by all manufacturers. Giveaway prizes may have evidence of being test fired or exhibit minor handling marks. The Colt Single Action Army, Colt New Frontier, Ruger New Model Flat-Top, Ruger New Vaquero, and Smith & Wesson Model 25/625 are all very close strength-wise. The Judge has been promoted! Need 45 Colt Revolver Loads | 1911Forum This is probably when it became so common to use cast bullets sized to .454 inch with pre-World War II guns but was largely confused with groove diameter. The 45 Colt rim is smaller than the rim on a 45 Auto Rim. Loading the .45 Colt for Rifles - CHUCKHAWKS.COM When using bullets designed for the .45 ACP that dont have a crimp cannelure, a taper crimp applied after bullets are seated to the correct overall length is the best option. No purchase necessary. Contest open to U.S. residents only. Some time in the early part of the 20th century wadcutter bullets arrived. Taffin Test the .45 Colt 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. My connection with Lyman goes back more than 50 years when I loaded my first ammunition using the No. I certainly dont know of anything in the lower 48 that cannot be handled with this load. However, this approach causes some bullet deformation by being shortened, then sized down in the barrel, which still leaves accuracy potential on the table. 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. Make sure your gun can handle it before To protect the privacy and security of winners, names will not be made public. Indiana Department of Natural Resources, State Agency: All entries must be received by giveaway end date. I have tested vintage loads that produced an honest 1,000 fps. Actually, we can divide 45 Colt sixguns into several reloading levels, and I have moderated these somewhat over the past several years, with the first two levels being very close together. The new-for-2023 lineup includes ultralight hunting stocks and a VGA 2-pound adjustable vertical-grip stock. To protect the privacy and security of winners, names will not be made public. Arizona Game & Fish Department, State Agency: Giveaway prizes may have evidence of being test fired or exhibit minor handling marks. For several reasons they should not be used. However, there are two problems associated with it: case capacity and cylinder throat diameters. I'll be a nice to you as you'll let me be, or as mean as you make me be. 5, No.7, No. Jeff Bradley shows off the Modern Hunting Rifle (MHR) from Christensen Arms at SHOT Show 2023. For loading black powder 45 Colt loads, I use Goex as well as Pyrodex and Triple Seven. Maine Department of Inland Fisheries & Wildlife, State Agency: Reloading data is available as low as 99 per cartridge or as a subscription for $19.99. My powders of choice are Clays, HP-38, HS-6, Universal, Trail Boss, H110, IMR 4227, W296, and W231. Additional evidence can be found in Colt-published specifications dated June 1924 that list the .45 Colt with a groove diameter of .451 inch minimum and .452 inch maximum (with bore diameter being .444 inch minimum and .445 maximum). Published .45 Colt rifle data tends to use the same medium burning powders as non Ruger .45 Colt revolver data, with 255 gr bullet velocities around 1100 fps - about 200 fps faster than in a revolver. Factory warranties may apply in some cases. Others are the New Model Blackhawks, the Bisley Model, the Redhawk, and the Super Redhawk. The original loading was a bullet of approximately 255 grains with a muzzle velocity of somewhere around 850 to 900 fps. If cast soft enough they can also slug up to create a gas seal, which helps reduce fusion and barrel leading. (I) Giveaway ends March 31, 2023.
