bullets for the 45 colt

cptmclark · June 30, 2013, 04:31 PM

I'm about to start loading this cartridge for an 1873 clone (Smokewagon DL for the curious) and would like to avoid some of the R and D needed to guess at and then learn the most accurate weight for the twist, and the weight that the sights are regulated for. Also, I'd appreciate suggestions for lead bullets or if needed, coated lead bullets. I've shot Raniers in ACP with not the best results. Someone said they had superb results with some black coated lead bullet that won't lead and is super accurate. Sound familiar? I don't remember the name. My guess for accuracy and the sights is the original 250 RNL in both cases, but I'll bet some of you have experience already. My initial plan is for a non leading 250 grain bullet, kieth type or jacketed, at about 900 t0 950 fps. If lighter bullets are necessary there are a lot of choices. With powders, I see that Unique gets a lot of good reviews for this cartridge but I've never found it to meter very well. Also flashy and leaves unburned flakes around. I'm pretty sure my favorite H110 is too slow for the power level I'll need to respect for this revolver. It would be wonderful to learn that these all seem to like the same bullet weight and powders, but maybe too much to hope for. Dies on their way. All loading advice from experience is eagerly solicited. Thanks to all.

ligonierbill · June 30, 2013, 05:16 PM

I have had good luck with 250 Oregon Trail RNFP. They are a "hard cast" bullet that does not tend to lead barrels, even when loaded to over 1,200 fps. I shoot a 6 1/2" Ruger Blackhawk, and my favorite load is the 250 OT over 10.6 gr AA#5. This is not a "Ruger only" load and yields 980 fps out of my revolver. H110 should not be downloaded, and is only for "Ruger" loads in .45 Colt. FWIW, 22 grains of H110 drives a 300 hard cast at 1,300 fps out of the Blackhawk, but don't try this with a SAA clone. The "standard" load is fun to shoot all day and has plenty of punch.

zxcvbob · June 30, 2013, 05:49 PM

I use Promo powder (just like Red Dot) with 230 to 255 grain cast bullets mostly, and some "Ruger Only" loads using the same 250 and 255 bullets with Herco or Blue Dot.

If you can't get Unique or Red Dot (or Green Dot) to meter well enough, try Bullseye -- the flakes are *much* smaller.

schmellba99 · June 30, 2013, 07:01 PM

250gr RNFP is probably what the twist rate will work best with as that is the "standard" Colt 45 projectile.

Billy Bullets out of Mesa, AZ has moly coated lead projos that do not require lube; I have had excellent results with his projectiles in the past as far as quality and accuracy.

Friendswood Bullet Company is my go to for hard cast lead projos - great quality and service and Richard Bullinger is a great guy to deal with. He is a small business that runs out of his house, so lead times right now are still longer than normal.

Missourie Bullet Co, Laser Cast and most others mentioned on here are good projo makers as well.

Unique, Red Dot or Universal Clays are all good powder selections, as is Trail Boss.

Hammerhead · June 30, 2013, 11:15 PM

I get terrific accuracy in .45 Colt with .45 auto 200 grain plated SWC's (Berry's and Rainier). Plated round noses are OK, but not as good as the SWC's. Crimp over the shoulder.

For light target loads the swaged lead bullets from Hornady are the most accurate IME. Again, I like the 200 grain LSWC there. Taper crimp into the knurling with the Hornady swaged bullets.

I don't shoot much heavy stuff in .45 Colt.

A big plug for Trail Boss in this caliber. Unless you're loading heavy, Trail Boss will cover just about any lead or plated load in the big, mostly empty case. With light loads, other powders make for a very position sensitive cartridge.

chiefr · July 1, 2013, 07:46 AM

My favorite loads for the 45LC are all lead of around 250 gr behind charges of Unique. IMHO Unique is very versitile as you can run the gamut of mild to hot. I have tried many different loads and Unique is tops.

Heavier bullets of greater than 290 gr, there are better powder choices, but 250 gr is my standard.

One last note, WW and R-P brass is 45LC is weak and does not hold up well. Get some Starline brass in this caliber. Starline is much stronger and holds up well with hot loads.

Real Gun · July 1, 2013, 08:12 AM

Quote:

My favorite loads for the 45LC are all lead of around 250 gr behind charges of Unique. IMHO Unique is very versitile as you can run the gamut of mild to hot. I have tried many different loads and Unique is tops.

I just tested a .45 Colt load using Unique (7.4g). It shot fine from Redhawk and New Vaquero, and with some authority, but it didn't fill the case near like A2400. I'm not convinced it is the ideal powder for this caliber. Hornady recommends Power Pistol with 250 g XTP, so I will try that too. I have about 7 pounds of it.

I'm just unsure about the importance of powder charge volume.

rclark · July 1, 2013, 08:40 AM

I don't shoot anything less than 250g bullets in my .45 Colt revolvers. A 250g RNFP is considered the 'standard' bullet, but I also really like the 255g SWC as well. My standard .45 Colt load is 7.0g of Green Dot under a 250g RNFP. I also like 8.0g and 8.5g of Unique/Universal. There is a 'lot' of good loads for .45 Colt that I've found with other powders such as HS-6, Trail Boss, Red Dot, IMR 4227 and others....

As for bullets I like Rimrock Bullets, and had good luck with Penn, Missour, and a few others. Try to buy bullets with a BHN of 12-15. I don't care for the Oregon Trail bullets because they make theirs really hard for some reason and that doesn't match up well with low velocity (low pressure) loads. All I've shot is lead in mine as I've found no need for the more expensive jacketed bullets.

Anyway, good luck in your .45 Colt journey! Oh, yes, you are right, H-110/296 is not the powder for 900-1000fps ...

csmsss · July 1, 2013, 08:44 AM

Quote:

I'm just unsure about the importance of powder charge volume.

There is a school of thought that says that, with a very lightly loaded round of a large capacity case, there is insufficient depth of powder anywhere in the case and the powder doesn't deflagrate/burn, but, instead, detonates. There are examples of handguns which have been destroyed when fired with ultra-light loads, where no squib or other barrel obstruction was observed.

schmellba99 · July 1, 2013, 10:35 AM

Quote:

I don't care for the Oregon Trail bullets because they make theirs really hard for some reason and that doesn't match up well with low velocity (low pressure) loads.

Almost every manufacturer casts harder than necessary alloys for really one simple reason - to mitigate damage during shipping.

Sevens · July 1, 2013, 12:50 PM

Quote:

A big plug for Trail Boss in this caliber. Unless you're loading heavy, Trail Boss will cover just about any lead or plated load in the big, mostly empty case. With light loads, other powders make for a very position sensitive cartridge.

I've experienced the "powder position" and how erratic it can end up being in a l-a-r-g-e case that also runs a crazy-low pressure...of which .45 Colt is perhaps the absolute king, so this portion I have quoted is, IMO, key information that shouldn't be overlooked.

When you are attempting new loads in .45 Colt, try for yourself and see, it's a simple test. Send two cylinderfuls down range and tip the muzzle towards the sky to tilt the powder back toward the breech end, toward the primer immediately before each and every shot. Then, with the next two cylinderfuls, tilt the revolver muzzle-down and try to get all that powder to settle towards the base of the slug rather than back at the primer.

Depending on your powder, depending on your load, you have a very good chance of seeing and "feeling" a difference in what happens.

Is this dangerous? Many "theories" abound, but for me, if it shows to be even a little bit noticeably inconsistent, it's a load that I scrap immediately with no regrets. Even if it could be proven "safe", a handload that is wildly inconsistent is a pure waste of time, components and money for me. Worthless.

Here's a tip, though-- When Hodgdon Titegroup first hit the market, well-known cowboy gun guy and hardcore cast lead shootin' gun scribe Mike Venturino came to an early conclusion that he's never worked with a more position insensitive powder than Titegroup. And my (admittedly FEW) experiences with exactly that phenomenon follow his findings. In fact, my favorite steel-plinking .44 Magnum load is a light charge of Titegroup under a 240gr cast LSWC that runs 870 fps and leave a -LOT- of room in the large .44 Mag case for powder to sit wherever it wants. That load gives me a wonderfully low extreme velocity spread...it's incredibly consistent, so it has become a "favorite load."

I haven't used Trail Boss, but then, it doesn't really fit my needs well (generally speaking.) But if I'm choosing between Titegroup and Trail Boss to address concerns of powder position and filling a large volume case with a low-pressure load, I can tell you with confidence that Titegroup is going to be much more economical... while Trail Boss is likely to be far safer if you are a ham-fisted handloader that runs any chance of dumping the wrong amount of powder in to a load. With Titegroup, the powder is dense -- you could easily triple charge a .45 Colt brass and blow a revolver in to so many pieces you couldn't count them. With Trail Boss, you could probably scoop a piece of brass through the powder and top it with a slug and not blow anything up.

rodfac · July 1, 2013, 01:11 PM

By far my favorite powder for the .45 LC is Winchester 231 or it's identical twin, HP38. I gave up on Unique after using it for 30 years or so, because of its lousy metering characteristics. 231 or HP38 will give you a chrono'd 850 fps from a 4-5/8" barrel and a bit more from a Colt SAA 7-1/2". My load with WLP caps, and anybody's brass is 7.2 gr. It's safe in my guns, relatively clean burning and cuts ragged holes at 25 yds for me. The same powders are my standards for .44-40, .45 ACP, .44 Spl and Mag, .38 Spl and midrange loads for .357. I've yet to find a handgun caliber that Win 231 or HP 38 will not give sterling results.

Bullets: cast your own or use Missouri Bullets 250 gr offerings. I like .454" for my own casting but .453 or .452 also work well. I shoot both Colt and Ruger guns in .45 LC.

HTH's Rod

Mike / Tx · July 2, 2013, 07:36 PM

Lots of great choices in bullets nowadays. Like has been mentioned most cast pretty hard, I try and stay around 9 - 12 BHN with my alloys.

I have found just about everything shoots well from my Redhawk, and I don't push it even though I could. There is no real reason to it will do plenty with a big RFN bullet moving along at a modest pace.

Powders run the gamut from fast to slow. I stick with ones like AA - 5, 7, and 9, as well as Unique, HS-6, 2400, and a couple of others thrown in for good measure. Like I mentioned I haven't found anything mine doesn't shoot good, but I do have a few excellent loads. I have found AA5&( to be my fav's with HS-6 right there with them.

For brass I shoot Starline exclusively. It is simply the best thing going for the price. You might have to wait on it, but throw in an order with Starline for 500 or so and your set for who knows how long.

Hope this helps.

June 30, 2013, 04:31 PM	#1
cptmclark Senior Member Join Date: November 22, 2004 Location: Indiana Posts: 432	bullets for the 45 colt I'm about to start loading this cartridge for an 1873 clone (Smokewagon DL for the curious) and would like to avoid some of the R and D needed to guess at and then learn the most accurate weight for the twist, and the weight that the sights are regulated for. Also, I'd appreciate suggestions for lead bullets or if needed, coated lead bullets. I've shot Raniers in ACP with not the best results. Someone said they had superb results with some black coated lead bullet that won't lead and is super accurate. Sound familiar? I don't remember the name. My guess for accuracy and the sights is the original 250 RNL in both cases, but I'll bet some of you have experience already. My initial plan is for a non leading 250 grain bullet, kieth type or jacketed, at about 900 t0 950 fps. If lighter bullets are necessary there are a lot of choices. With powders, I see that Unique gets a lot of good reviews for this cartridge but I've never found it to meter very well. Also flashy and leaves unburned flakes around. I'm pretty sure my favorite H110 is too slow for the power level I'll need to respect for this revolver. It would be wonderful to learn that these all seem to like the same bullet weight and powders, but maybe too much to hope for. Dies on their way. All loading advice from experience is eagerly solicited. Thanks to all.

June 30, 2013, 05:49 PM	#3
zxcvbob Senior Member Join Date: December 20, 2007 Location: S.E. Minnesota Posts: 4,720	I use Promo powder (just like Red Dot) with 230 to 255 grain cast bullets mostly, and some "Ruger Only" loads using the same 250 and 255 bullets with Herco or Blue Dot. If you can't get Unique or Red Dot (or Green Dot) to meter well enough, try Bullseye -- the flakes are much smaller. __________________ "Everything they do is so dramatic and flamboyant. It just makes me want to set myself on fire!" —Lucille Bluth

July 1, 2013, 08:40 AM	#8
rclark Senior Member Join Date: February 12, 2009 Location: Butte, MT Posts: 2,622	I don't shoot anything less than 250g bullets in my .45 Colt revolvers. A 250g RNFP is considered the 'standard' bullet, but I also really like the 255g SWC as well. My standard .45 Colt load is 7.0g of Green Dot under a 250g RNFP. I also like 8.0g and 8.5g of Unique/Universal. There is a 'lot' of good loads for .45 Colt that I've found with other powders such as HS-6, Trail Boss, Red Dot, IMR 4227 and others.... As for bullets I like Rimrock Bullets, and had good luck with Penn, Missour, and a few others. Try to buy bullets with a BHN of 12-15. I don't care for the Oregon Trail bullets because they make theirs really hard for some reason and that doesn't match up well with low velocity (low pressure) loads. All I've shot is lead in mine as I've found no need for the more expensive jacketed bullets. Anyway, good luck in your .45 Colt journey! Oh, yes, you are right, H-110/296 is not the powder for 900-1000fps ... __________________ A clinger and deplorable, MAGA, and life NRA member. When guns are outlawed, only outlaws will have guns. Single Action .45 Colt (Sometimes colloquially referred to by its alias as the .45 'Long' Colt or .45LC). Don't leave home without it. That said, the .44Spec is right up their too... but the .45 Colt is still the king.

July 1, 2013, 01:11 PM	#12
rodfac Senior Member Join Date: January 22, 2005 Location: Kentucky Posts: 3,623	By far my favorite powder for the .45 LC is Winchester 231 or it's identical twin, HP38. I gave up on Unique after using it for 30 years or so, because of its lousy metering characteristics. 231 or HP38 will give you a chrono'd 850 fps from a 4-5/8" barrel and a bit more from a Colt SAA 7-1/2". My load with WLP caps, and anybody's brass is 7.2 gr. It's safe in my guns, relatively clean burning and cuts ragged holes at 25 yds for me. The same powders are my standards for .44-40, .45 ACP, .44 Spl and Mag, .38 Spl and midrange loads for .357. I've yet to find a handgun caliber that Win 231 or HP 38 will not give sterling results. Bullets: cast your own or use Missouri Bullets 250 gr offerings. I like .454" for my own casting but .453 or .452 also work well. I shoot both Colt and Ruger guns in .45 LC. HTH's Rod __________________ Cherish our flag, honor it, defend it in word and deed, or get the hell out. Our Bill of Rights has been paid for by heros in uniform and shall not be diluted by misguided governmental social experiments. We owe this to our children, anything less is cowardice. USAF FAC, 5th Spl Forces, Vietnam Vet '69-'73.

July 2, 2013, 07:36 PM	#13
Mike / Tx Senior Member Join Date: April 8, 2000 Posts: 2,101	Lots of great choices in bullets nowadays. Like has been mentioned most cast pretty hard, I try and stay around 9 - 12 BHN with my alloys. I have found just about everything shoots well from my Redhawk, and I don't push it even though I could. There is no real reason to it will do plenty with a big RFN bullet moving along at a modest pace. Powders run the gamut from fast to slow. I stick with ones like AA - 5, 7, and 9, as well as Unique, HS-6, 2400, and a couple of others thrown in for good measure. Like I mentioned I haven't found anything mine doesn't shoot good, but I do have a few excellent loads. I have found AA5&( to be my fav's with HS-6 right there with them. For brass I shoot Starline exclusively. It is simply the best thing going for the price. You might have to wait on it, but throw in an order with Starline for 500 or so and your set for who knows how long. Hope this helps. __________________ LAter, Mike / TX

June 30, 2013, 05:16 PM	#2
ligonierbill Senior Member Join Date: May 20, 2007 Posts: 2,456	I have had good luck with 250 Oregon Trail RNFP. They are a "hard cast" bullet that does not tend to lead barrels, even when loaded to over 1,200 fps. I shoot a 6 1/2" Ruger Blackhawk, and my favorite load is the 250 OT over 10.6 gr AA#5. This is not a "Ruger only" load and yields 980 fps out of my revolver. H110 should not be downloaded, and is only for "Ruger" loads in .45 Colt. FWIW, 22 grains of H110 drives a 300 hard cast at 1,300 fps out of the Blackhawk, but don't try this with a SAA clone. The "standard" load is fun to shoot all day and has plenty of punch.

June 30, 2013, 07:01 PM	#4
schmellba99 Senior Member Join Date: January 8, 2008 Posts: 803	250gr RNFP is probably what the twist rate will work best with as that is the "standard" Colt 45 projectile. Billy Bullets out of Mesa, AZ has moly coated lead projos that do not require lube; I have had excellent results with his projectiles in the past as far as quality and accuracy. Friendswood Bullet Company is my go to for hard cast lead projos - great quality and service and Richard Bullinger is a great guy to deal with. He is a small business that runs out of his house, so lead times right now are still longer than normal. Missourie Bullet Co, Laser Cast and most others mentioned on here are good projo makers as well. Unique, Red Dot or Universal Clays are all good powder selections, as is Trail Boss.

June 30, 2013, 11:15 PM	#5
Hammerhead Senior Member Join Date: May 31, 2004 Location: Minnesota Posts: 2,432	I get terrific accuracy in .45 Colt with .45 auto 200 grain plated SWC's (Berry's and Rainier). Plated round noses are OK, but not as good as the SWC's. Crimp over the shoulder. For light target loads the swaged lead bullets from Hornady are the most accurate IME. Again, I like the 200 grain LSWC there. Taper crimp into the knurling with the Hornady swaged bullets. I don't shoot much heavy stuff in .45 Colt. A big plug for Trail Boss in this caliber. Unless you're loading heavy, Trail Boss will cover just about any lead or plated load in the big, mostly empty case. With light loads, other powders make for a very position sensitive cartridge.

July 1, 2013, 07:46 AM	#6
chiefr Senior Member Join Date: January 27, 2010 Location: AR Posts: 1,401	My favorite loads for the 45LC are all lead of around 250 gr behind charges of Unique. IMHO Unique is very versitile as you can run the gamut of mild to hot. I have tried many different loads and Unique is tops. Heavier bullets of greater than 290 gr, there are better powder choices, but 250 gr is my standard. One last note, WW and R-P brass is 45LC is weak and does not hold up well. Get some Starline brass in this caliber. Starline is much stronger and holds up well with hot loads.