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Originally Posted by SAA GunSlinger
I need your advice, what would be a good powder to reload with?
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I am by no means ANY type of authority on smokeless powders or reloading. I don't think that you've ever mentioned what caliber your guns are but I'll make the assumption that they are 45 Colt. What I would suggest is that you hit the
Reloading Section of THR for information regarding powders. Personally, I use Universal simply because that was a powder that Lee loading dies had information for in their data sheets. It works well for me on 44-40, 38 Special and 9mm, but from what I understand it's not as well suited to the low pressure loads associated with original Black Powder cartridges like 45 Colt and 38 Special, I could be wrong though.
As far as which cartridge out performs the other, I don't have any personal data on that, because all my 45 Colt loads are Black Powder and my 44-40 loads are smokeless right now.
I will say that 45 Colt is a pistol cartridge that some manufacturers are chambering rifles for. The 45 Colt cartridge is a straight wall that back in the day wasn't as popular for rifle as the tapered 44-40 round. The straight wall brass doesn't eject as easily after firing as a tapered cartridge. Of course if my facts are incorrect on this somebody will most probably take me to task on it.
In my opinion, the 44-40 is probably ballistically more potent, especially when fired from a rifle. I know that loading a 44 Special with 26gr 3f and sending it down the barrel of a '94 Marlin produces a just barely sub-sonic round. Adding another 14gr to get to the 40gr load of a 44-40 would probably be VERY impressive in a rifle. Of course if you're going to mash 40gr of 3f into a 45 Colt brass and do the same, the bullet will be 235-255gr instead of 200-210 so the range won't be as good, but the impact energy at the muzzle will undoubtedly be pretty huge. I know that a 235gr with 40gr 3f behind it fired out of my SAA with a 12" barrel produces an average MV of 1,065 fps at 592 ft.lb., so it's probably higher with a longer barrel. Whereas the 44 Special with 26gr 3f and a 200gr RNFP gets 1,079 fps and 517 ft.lb. out of the Marlin. My money would be on the 44-40!!
The downside to 44-40 is finding the brass. Starline now has it, but the stuff isn't easy to come by in a hurry, but it is available. From a historical standpoint, I'd prefer the 44-40 simply for the WOW factor when you let one fly.
As far as shooting 45 S&W (Schofield), no. But I used to load 44 Russian which is slightly longer brass. If I recall the 45 S&W only held 23gr of powder and didn't really have the poop that the 45 Colt had even after it was downloaded to 30gr.