45 colt powder?

triker · January 11, 2013, 05:39 PM

I have a Ruger Lipseys 45/acp and looking for a good medium load. I have Unique on hand, and plan to shoot 255 gr SWC. I know some loads with Unique. What are some good loads with another powder. I guess I should ask what is another standby powder besides Unique? thanks triker

zxcvbob · January 11, 2013, 05:43 PM

Unique is probably the best, especially for "medium" loads. Red Dot and Universal Clays are also good.

Herco and Blue Dot are pretty sweet *if* you are shooting a large frame Ruger or equivalent. (it's the only good use I ever found for Blue Dot, but I don't reload shotgun shells)

Then there's black powder...

**Mike Irwin** · January 11, 2013, 05:55 PM

I've been using Universal Clays in mine and am VERY happy with the results that I have been getting so far.

Ozzieman · January 11, 2013, 07:32 PM

For cowboy shooting I also like Herco made by Alliant. It’s accurate and does a good job of filling the case with medium loads.
Granted it’s normally known for being a shotgun powder but there are a lot of loads for 44 special and 45 Colt using Herco. It’s dirty when using it on 45ACP. But everything else big bore it works for me.

Ifishsum · January 11, 2013, 07:49 PM

I've made good shooting .45 Colt ammo with Red Dot, Green Dot, Trail Boss, Titegroup, Bullseye, Universal Clays and probably a few others - mostly on the lighter side I use Unique the most though, I think it's very well suited to regular power loads. (excluding large frame "ruger only" power)

BigJimP · January 11, 2013, 07:54 PM

Another vote for Hodgdon Universal....I've switched all of my handgun loads from 9mm...to .45 acp ....to .44 mag to Universal...with good results.

DFrame · January 11, 2013, 07:55 PM

Trail Boss is probably the best power powder out there for medium loads. It meters well through all measures, has a unique look to it, burns realatively clean, and is bulky to more completely fill the case. Great stuff for the voluminous 45 Colt case. It's bulk makes it physically impossible to double charge a case. It's expecially good with Cowboy loads. I love the stuff and have fired thousands of rounds with it.

hodaka · January 11, 2013, 08:04 PM

Another vote for Trailboss although Unique is very good also.

Gster · January 11, 2013, 08:05 PM

Another vote for Titegroup. I use it for 9mm and .40 s/w and have had great results.

chiefr · January 11, 2013, 09:24 PM

< 900 fps, Unique is my powder of choice for the 45 Colt.
> 900 fps, 2400 " " " Ditto " "

GeauxTide · January 11, 2013, 11:04 PM

Power Pistol runs a little cleaner than Unique and it is excellent in mid level loads. Excellent powder for my Lipseys Bisley 44 and Standard Bisley 45 in 950-1050fps loads.

twobit · January 11, 2013, 11:09 PM

Trailboss is number 1 for me too. Unique is the other powder I use. For bullets it is either 250 grain round nose flat point hard lead or 250 grain Gold Dot Deep Curl hollow points.

black mamba · January 12, 2013, 02:10 AM

I use HP-38 for light to mid-range loads in both 44 mag and 45 Colt.
It's economical, accurate (both shooting and metering) and clean burning.

jmortimer · January 12, 2013, 02:18 AM

Nothing beats 9 to 10 grains of Unique with a 255 swc in .45 Colt (9.5 max standard pressure for 255 grain SWC) - it will do just about anything a handgun can do.

Pathfinder45 · January 12, 2013, 02:48 PM

For medium loads in 45 Colt, Unique is one of the best; and still one of my favorites. From fastest burning for target loads to slowest burning for semi-magnum loads, my favorites are: Tite-group; Unique; HS-7; AA-9. If I could only have one powder for all .45 loads I would choose HS-7. But if got stuck with only Unique, I would be just as satisfied. I use a lot of other powders that were given to me or I got ultra cheap in a lucky find at some event or whatever. But those listed above are likely the only ones I would pay full price for. I have also had very good results with W-231/HP-38; Red Dot; Green Dot; AA-5 and some others. I found, for me, that Blue Dot left too much unburned residues; and 2400 gave terrific muzzle flash in my 4-5/8' barreled Vaquero. Good luck finding your favorite powder. Unique is a, "10", in my book; a standard to evaluate others by.

rclark · January 12, 2013, 05:04 PM

I too have had good results with a 'bunch' of different powders. Unique/Universal is 'THE' standard powder for the .45 Colt. For 1000fps+ I like 4227 and 2400. My current general load is 7.0g of Green Dot under 250g RNFP. Forget to mention that 13g of HS-6 under 255g SWC is a good Tier 2 load for pack'n around in the hills.

Just find what works good in your guns

. Half the fun of shooting is looking for that 'perfect' load!

Shotgun693 · January 12, 2013, 06:42 PM

As you can gather from the posts, the .45 Colt is an easy round to load. I use Red Dot because I want more muzzle velocity than Trail Boss and something cleaner than Unique. My hunting, Cowboy Shooting carry load is a 200 gr RNFP lead bullet at 940 fps.

kimbers rule · January 12, 2013, 10:14 PM

I didn't read all the other answers, but I will say if you have unique on hand use it. Thats what most people use in 45 lc. It works just fine. I have 4 lbs of it and i'll use it over time. I think unique meters like crap. If it didn't i'd use it alot more. Try trail boss when you buy your next powder. It meters like crap too, but its a great powder for the 45 colt.

rclark · January 12, 2013, 10:27 PM

Quote:

Try trail boss when you buy your next powder. It meters like crap too, but its a great powder for the 45 colt.

I don't have a problem with metering either Unique or Trail Boss... That said, I do like TB ... but not for general purpose loads. It's fine for punching paper, and knocking on steel targets... But not a powder to use when looking for a general purpose carry load for knocking around in the hills. Unique/Universal/Green Dot/2400/4227/HS-6/Power Pistol and others are much more suitable.

jmortimer · January 12, 2013, 10:29 PM

I use dippers so metering is not an issue.

**Mike Irwin** · January 13, 2013, 01:48 AM

I've found that Trail Boss meters INCREDIBLY well out of both my Lee Auto Disk Pro and my Uniflow.

rodfac · January 13, 2013, 11:58 AM

Winchester 231 or its equivalent, HP38 work well in my guns. They meter well in any powder dispenser, and accuracy is all that you can expect from a quality handgun. Rod

January 11, 2013, 05:39 PM	#1
triker Member Join Date: January 15, 2011 Location: SW Iowa Posts: 20	45 colt powder? I have a Ruger Lipseys 45/acp and looking for a good medium load. I have Unique on hand, and plan to shoot 255 gr SWC. I know some loads with Unique. What are some good loads with another powder. I guess I should ask what is another standby powder besides Unique? thanks triker

January 11, 2013, 05:55 PM	#3
Mike Irwin Staff Join Date: April 14, 2000 Location: Northern Virginia Posts: 33,100	I've been using Universal Clays in mine and am VERY happy with the results that I have been getting so far. __________________ "The gift which I am sending you is called a dog, and is in fact the most precious and valuable possession of mankind" -Theodorus Gaza Baby Jesus cries when the fat redneck doesn't have military-grade firepower.

January 11, 2013, 07:32 PM	#4
Ozzieman Senior Member Join Date: December 14, 2004 Location: Northern Indiana Posts: 4,312	For cowboy shooting I also like Herco made by Alliant. It’s accurate and does a good job of filling the case with medium loads. Granted it’s normally known for being a shotgun powder but there are a lot of loads for 44 special and 45 Colt using Herco. It’s dirty when using it on 45ACP. But everything else big bore it works for me. __________________ “Peace is that brief glorious moment in history when everybody stands around reloading.” – Thomas Jefferson. If you carry a gun, people call you paranoid, NONSENSE! If you have a gun, what do you have to be paranoid about? Guns have only two enemies: Rust and Politicians.

January 11, 2013, 07:55 PM	#7
DFrame Senior Member Join Date: March 7, 2008 Location: central Illinois Posts: 453	Trail Boss is probably the best power powder out there for medium loads. It meters well through all measures, has a unique look to it, burns realatively clean, and is bulky to more completely fill the case. Great stuff for the voluminous 45 Colt case. It's bulk makes it physically impossible to double charge a case. It's expecially good with Cowboy loads. I love the stuff and have fired thousands of rounds with it. __________________ Mark Lane to William Buckley: "Have you ever referred to Jessee Jackson as an ignoramus?" Buckley: "If I didn't, I should have"

January 11, 2013, 08:05 PM	#9
Gster Senior Member Join Date: September 2, 2012 Location: N.central Pa. Posts: 102	Another vote for Titegroup. I use it for 9mm and .40 s/w and have had great results. __________________ Gun control means: Being able to hit what you are shooting at.

January 11, 2013, 05:43 PM	#2
zxcvbob Senior Member Join Date: December 20, 2007 Location: S.E. Minnesota Posts: 3,653	Unique is probably the best, especially for "medium" loads. Red Dot and Universal Clays are also good. Herco and Blue Dot are pretty sweet if you are shooting a large frame Ruger or equivalent. (it's the only good use I ever found for Blue Dot, but I don't reload shotgun shells) Then there's black powder...

January 11, 2013, 07:49 PM	#5
Ifishsum Senior Member Join Date: September 15, 2005 Location: Oregon Posts: 633	I've made good shooting .45 Colt ammo with Red Dot, Green Dot, Trail Boss, Titegroup, Bullseye, Universal Clays and probably a few others - mostly on the lighter side I use Unique the most though, I think it's very well suited to regular power loads. (excluding large frame "ruger only" power)

January 11, 2013, 07:54 PM	#6
BigJimP Senior Member Join Date: February 23, 2005 Posts: 9,952	Another vote for Hodgdon Universal....I've switched all of my handgun loads from 9mm...to .45 acp ....to .44 mag to Universal...with good results.

January 11, 2013, 08:04 PM	#8
hodaka Senior Member Join Date: April 23, 2006 Location: South Texas Posts: 1,506	Another vote for Trailboss although Unique is very good also.

January 11, 2013, 09:24 PM	#10
chiefr Senior Member Join Date: January 27, 2010 Location: AR Posts: 766	< 900 fps, Unique is my powder of choice for the 45 Colt. > 900 fps, 2400 " " " Ditto " "

January 11, 2013, 11:04 PM	#11
GeauxTide Senior Member Join Date: April 20, 2009 Location: Helena, AL Posts: 2,918	Power Pistol runs a little cleaner than Unique and it is excellent in mid level loads. Excellent powder for my Lipseys Bisley 44 and Standard Bisley 45 in 950-1050fps loads.

January 11, 2013, 11:09 PM	#12
twobit Senior Member Join Date: February 25, 2010 Location: Coyote Creak, SW Texas Posts: 475	Trailboss is number 1 for me too. Unique is the other powder I use. For bullets it is either 250 grain round nose flat point hard lead or 250 grain Gold Dot Deep Curl hollow points. __________________ Twobit, LEO, NRA member, Native Texan. Shooting and hunting for over 45 years!

January 12, 2013, 02:10 AM	#13
black mamba Senior Member Join Date: September 13, 2011 Location: O'Fallon, MO Posts: 476	I use HP-38 for light to mid-range loads in both 44 mag and 45 Colt. It's economical, accurate (both shooting and metering) and clean burning.

January 12, 2013, 02:18 AM	#14
jmortimer Junior member Join Date: January 24, 2010 Location: South West Riverside County California Posts: 2,765	Nothing beats 9 to 10 grains of Unique with a 255 swc in .45 Colt (9.5 max standard pressure for 255 grain SWC) - it will do just about anything a handgun can do.

January 12, 2013, 02:48 PM	#15
Pathfinder45 Senior Member Join Date: January 7, 2008 Posts: 818	best powder For medium loads in 45 Colt, Unique is one of the best; and still one of my favorites. From fastest burning for target loads to slowest burning for semi-magnum loads, my favorites are: Tite-group; Unique; HS-7; AA-9. If I could only have one powder for all .45 loads I would choose HS-7. But if got stuck with only Unique, I would be just as satisfied. I use a lot of other powders that were given to me or I got ultra cheap in a lucky find at some event or whatever. But those listed above are likely the only ones I would pay full price for. I have also had very good results with W-231/HP-38; Red Dot; Green Dot; AA-5 and some others. I found, for me, that Blue Dot left too much unburned residues; and 2400 gave terrific muzzle flash in my 4-5/8' barreled Vaquero. Good luck finding your favorite powder. Unique is a, "10", in my book; a standard to evaluate others by.

January 12, 2013, 05:04 PM	#16
rclark Senior Member Join Date: February 12, 2009 Location: Butte, MT Posts: 1,247	I too have had good results with a 'bunch' of different powders. Unique/Universal is 'THE' standard powder for the .45 Colt. For 1000fps+ I like 4227 and 2400. My current general load is 7.0g of Green Dot under 250g RNFP. Forget to mention that 13g of HS-6 under 255g SWC is a good Tier 2 load for pack'n around in the hills. Just find what works good in your guns . Half the fun of shooting is looking for that 'perfect' load! __________________ A clinger. When guns are outlawed, only outlaws will have guns. Single Action .45 Colt (Sometimes improperly referred to by its alias as the .45 'Long' Colt or .45LC). Don't leave home without it. Ok.... the .44Spec is growing on me ... but the .45 Colt is still king.

January 12, 2013, 06:42 PM	#17
Shotgun693 Senior Member Join Date: September 3, 2011 Location: Poteet, Texas Posts: 959	As you can gather from the posts, the .45 Colt is an easy round to load. I use Red Dot because I want more muzzle velocity than Trail Boss and something cleaner than Unique. My hunting, Cowboy Shooting carry load is a 200 gr RNFP lead bullet at 940 fps.

January 12, 2013, 10:14 PM	#18
kimbers rule Member Join Date: November 3, 2012 Location: State of Jefferson Posts: 81	I didn't read all the other answers, but I will say if you have unique on hand use it. Thats what most people use in 45 lc. It works just fine. I have 4 lbs of it and i'll use it over time. I think unique meters like crap. If it didn't i'd use it alot more. Try trail boss when you buy your next powder. It meters like crap too, but its a great powder for the 45 colt.

January 12, 2013, 10:29 PM	#20
jmortimer Junior member Join Date: January 24, 2010 Location: South West Riverside County California Posts: 2,765	I use dippers so metering is not an issue.

January 13, 2013, 01:48 AM	#21
Mike Irwin Staff Join Date: April 14, 2000 Location: Northern Virginia Posts: 33,100	I've found that Trail Boss meters INCREDIBLY well out of both my Lee Auto Disk Pro and my Uniflow. __________________ "The gift which I am sending you is called a dog, and is in fact the most precious and valuable possession of mankind" -Theodorus Gaza Baby Jesus cries when the fat redneck doesn't have military-grade firepower.

January 13, 2013, 11:58 AM	#22
rodfac Senior Member Join Date: January 22, 2005 Location: Kentucky Posts: 1,223	Winchester 231 or its equivalent, HP38 work well in my guns. They meter well in any powder dispenser, and accuracy is all that you can expect from a quality handgun. Rod __________________ Our Flag does not fly because the wind blows against it, It proudly waves because a soldier's dying breath blows upon it. USAF Forward Air Controller, 5th Spl Forces, An Loc, lll Corps, RVN, 69-70, Vietnam Vet '69-'73