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Old February 7, 2013, 07:37 PM   #1
FloridaGuy
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Powder Choice for loading .45 Colt

I want to load some .45 Colt this weekend using a 200 gr Cast RNFP bullet and a Hornady 230 gr FMJ-RN Encapsulated. What powder does everyone recommend? The only powder I currently have is Clays. I will be loading them on a Dillon SDB press.

Last edited by FloridaGuy; February 7, 2013 at 07:49 PM.
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Old February 7, 2013, 08:34 PM   #2
Pathfinder45
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In these days of shortages.....

If you can't be with the powder you love; love the powder you're with. I've used a lot of powders in 45 Colt. There are a lot of good ones, several great ones, and others not so good. I've never used Clays but according to some here, it's a good one. Nowadays with the current run on components it's good to know what will work well as a substitute for your favorite powder when it's out of stock. My favorite powder for a certain performance level is Hodgdon HS-7; a powder that has been discontinued. My other favorites are Titegroup; Unique; and AA-9. Those four powder cover the spectrum of performance levels I want out of the 45 Colt. Here's a partial list of other powders that have worked well for me: Red Dot; W-231/HP-38; Green Dot; AA-5; IMR-4227. An interesting powder that every owner of a 45 Colt should try at least once in their life is the original black-powder. I used as much fffG black-powder as I could pack under a 255 grain cast lead bullet and it was impressive. It's not a light target load by any means. It's the load that built the 45 Colt's reputation as a powerful weapon.
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Old February 7, 2013, 08:51 PM   #3
black mamba
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For general shooting it is hard to beat W231/HP-38. It meters beautifully, shoots accurately and is clean burning. However, if you can find load data for the Clays you have, it should work just fine.
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Old February 7, 2013, 08:54 PM   #4
shootniron
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Unique works well...but I mostly us 231.
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Old February 7, 2013, 10:04 PM   #5
AL45
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For 250 grain and under I have had good results with Unique, Trail Boss and Universal. All were a little dirty though.
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Old February 7, 2013, 10:08 PM   #6
BigTex308
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Trail Boss and HP38/Win 231 is what I use






Ike
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Old February 7, 2013, 10:23 PM   #7
zxcvbob
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I like Promo (bargain basement Red Dot.) Clays is pretty close; you should try that since you have it already.
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Old February 7, 2013, 10:43 PM   #8
towboat-er
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I too enjoy using fffg black powder in 45 colt. Man,,,what a boom.
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Old February 7, 2013, 11:58 PM   #9
Pathfinder45
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Black-powder in 45 Colt

Quote:
I too enjoy using fffg black powder in 45 colt. Man,,,what a boom.
It's enlightening. It's part of why we chose the 45 colt. Think about it: You could have chosen a 44 magnum and it might have served you better. But no, the 45 has this sort of hallowed mystique from the Old West about it that the 44 magnum doesn't. Load it with a full compressed charge of fffG black-powder; the results will be impressive! It will drive a 255 grain lead bullet close to 1,000 fps.
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Old February 8, 2013, 09:20 AM   #10
twobit
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I use Trailboss for target shooting and Unique for hunting/defensive loads. The bullets I load for target are either 200 grain or 250 grain RNFP lead. For hunting/defensive I use 250 grain Speer Deep-Curl HP
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Old February 8, 2013, 10:39 PM   #11
orionengnr
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I have used Unique, W231 and Green Dot with equal success.
That is for 200 gr lead SWCs up to 255-265 Keith style lead.
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