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Old October 8, 2013, 09:52 AM   #1
Bowdog
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Trailboss & the .45 Colt

I was thinking about seeing if 4.5 or 5 gr of Trailboss would work in my 3&1/2in. Taylor& Co. Also in my Ruger 4&1/2in. Reloading manual call for 5.5 gr. starting with 200 gr. FNL in .45 Colt. Just wanted to see what some of you guys think. This is for cowboy action shooting.
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Old October 8, 2013, 10:30 AM   #2
Mike Irwin
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What exactly do you mean by "would work."

Are you afraid that the bullet won't exit the barrel? Or that the powder won't ignite?

Not sure what you're asking, really.
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Old October 8, 2013, 10:41 AM   #3
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Will the bullet leave the barrel??
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Old October 8, 2013, 11:06 AM   #4
Mike Irwin
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Given that you're getting the loading data from a reputable source and are intending to load within the parameters listed by that source, I would say you're not going to have a problem.

I've not used Trail Boss in my .45, but I have used it extensively in my 6.5" Model 24 in .44 Special. My standard load is a 240 gr. lead bullet and near the bottom of the load data, and I've never had a problem.

In fact, my gun likes that load so much that the bullets tend to want to seek the same hole in the paper.
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Old October 8, 2013, 11:12 AM   #5
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You can load TB down until the bullet sticks in the barrel. Try and see, and have a rod handy.... Ie, you don't have to worry about the 'powder' being the problem. Have you tried 5.5? Might meet your needs. It is 'really' light . I don't load light weight 200g bullets. A 250g RNFP and 5.5g of TB gave me 700fps out of 5 1/2" barrel.

Doesn't CAS have a minimum power level??
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Old October 8, 2013, 11:51 AM   #6
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My standard load for CAS is 4.5 gr of TB under a 200 gr RNFP (currently Magnus #809). Works fine in both my Vaqueros and my Uberti 1873 replica (rifle, not the carbine). I know guys who use less, but 4.5 is light enough for me.
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Old October 8, 2013, 12:03 PM   #7
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Thank you Fly Fish. That is what I needed to know. Will load some and test at the range.
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Old October 8, 2013, 01:17 PM   #8
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You're welcome. One other thing I learned about TB that may save you some grief. Those big light flakes can lead to bridging in some powder measures. I use the measure that came with my Hornady LnL progressive and initially had all kinds of bridging problems with the small-diameter cavity pistol rotor, which resulted in some stuck bullets due to undercharging (no damage done, thankfully). I've since switched to the rifle rotor when I work with TB (and also refined my loading techniques a bit), and have had no further issues.
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Old October 8, 2013, 01:23 PM   #9
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I just wished I could find some Trail Boss to try! Around here, there isn't any and no one seems to know when they'll get more in - they say it leaves the shelves as soon as they put it out. Let us know how it works for you and what uyou think of it. It looks and sounds like it would be a good powder.
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Old October 8, 2013, 01:59 PM   #10
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Quote:
I've since switched to the rifle rotor when I work with TB (and also refined my loading techniques a bit), and have had no further issues.
+1, I did the same....

TB makes a good firelapping powder too. I've got a lot of it, but don't use it much anymore as I like a load in the 900-1000fps range for .45 Colt. Keep it around for my dad, who likes it for his .357/.38 target loads.
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Old October 8, 2013, 03:57 PM   #11
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I shoot .45Colt in CAS and load 5.5gn of TrailBoss with 220gn cast bullet.
I get just at or under 700fps out of my Colt Dragoon conversions.

They aren't max load but are good CAS loads for me.

I shoot the same round in my Marlin Lever rifle.
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Old October 8, 2013, 05:52 PM   #12
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I use 5.5 grains Trailboss under a 250 grain for CAS, works in both my revolvers & my lever gun...
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Old October 9, 2013, 08:01 AM   #13
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^^^That's my load too, but I don't shoot CAS.
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Old October 10, 2013, 12:09 PM   #14
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Went to the range with my .45 loaded with 4.5 gr. of Trailboss. Shot well in both my Rugers and 66 lever. But it left a lot of residue in cases. 5 gr worked better for me. No where near the residue. Next would be trying 4.5 -5gr in my new Taylor & Co. 3&1/2 in. Running Irons. But will have to wait to they get to the FFL.
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Old October 10, 2013, 03:36 PM   #15
Magnum Wheel Man
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I find a good crimp can help some with the ashing... but Trailboss, by nature of the shape of the granule & design of the powder, is a bit ashy... always soft residue though...

but my 5.5 grain loads with a good crimp are pretty clean shooting
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Old October 15, 2013, 01:20 AM   #16
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The expensive powder

I have used this Cheerios looking powder in several loads including 45 long colt.
What got me started using it was a Pietta conversion. I was having problems getting smokeless powders to burn up totally using the conversion Cylinder with CA loads. This powder worked,but my accuracy was bad..I then realized that was caused by the 452 bullet and 454 bore and WW lead not. This didn't let the bullet arbitrate the bore. I loaded it with a Keith Bullet, Mixed my WW lead 50-50 with pure lead and wa-la. 1" groups at 25 yards. During this venture I used the same recipe -.1 gr in question with this Thread. Worked fine. I did however ran the load too light once and had to grab the old wooden dowel and pound the bullet out of the barrel..

PROS- 1.The nice this about this powder is the fact that is very very bulky and it's obvious if you double charge it because it overflows the case and makes a mess.

2. It burns pretty clean at low pressure charges compared to standard powders.

CONS- 1. It's more expensive than other powders because it's so bulky and you don't even get a whole pound in the container of powder.

2. DO NOT COMPRESS THIS POWDER AT ALL-- FROM ALL TEST INFO SHOWN THIS STUFF WILL SPIKE BIG TIME
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Old October 16, 2013, 07:55 AM   #17
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45long I also found that I need soft lead bullets for accuracy in my bp revolvers. Problem is I have a ton of hard lead 250 gr RNFP bullets to use up. Fortunate that they shoot real well with TB in my carbine. Don't mean to hijack the thread, but wherein SW MO are you? I'm from Bolivar originally.
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Old October 18, 2013, 02:47 PM   #18
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Quote:
2. DO NOT COMPRESS THIS POWDER AT ALL-- FROM ALL TEST INFO SHOWN THIS STUFF WILL SPIKE BIG TIME
Actually you can.... The max .44Mag load for example almost fills the case to the brim before putting a 240g bullet on top. My test results for .44Mag and several other calibers are in this thread as well. But if you don't have any 'data' to go by, the rule of thumb though is still "you'll be fine pressure wise with the powder as long as you don't compress it". One of the nice qualities of the powder. Great for beginner reloaders.
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Old October 19, 2013, 11:31 AM   #19
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As we've learned more about this powder over the years, it would seem that the pressure spikes that people have experienced came with OVER compression that resulted in the donuts starting to break into multiple pieces, which can increase the burning rate.

So, I'm thinking that the best rule of thumb is low to moderate low compression only.

If you're getting to the point where you're having to really compress your loads, it might be time to pull out the drop tube or a powder vibrator to see if you can get the powder to settle into the case better.

Trail Boss is an absolutely brilliant powder for those of us who like the old, BIG cartridges like .44 Special and .45 Colt (although I use Universal for my .45 Colt).
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Old October 19, 2013, 02:00 PM   #20
rclark
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Quote:
it would seem that the pressure spikes that people have experienced came with OVER compression that resulted in the donuts starting to break into multiple pieces, which can increase the burning rate.
+1 I agree. Like filling the case, then taking a dowel and mashing it down to the bottom. Fill some more .... Big trouble! Don't do it..... The .44Mag load I mention is the powder is just 'dumped' in the case and the bullet itself compresses it, so it is only 'minor' compression as the powder is so so so 'fluffy'.
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Old October 19, 2013, 02:16 PM   #21
mikejonestkd
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I love using trail boss for plinking loads in all my revolver cartridges. As mentioned above, don't compress it, or exceed load data.

For the 45 Colt: 5.1 to 5.5 grains under a 250gr SWC works great - clean, accurate, and minimal recoil.

I load up to 5.8 grains under 200gr swc hardcast in one of my 45 colt revolvers and its also a nice load.
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Old October 19, 2013, 03:54 PM   #22
Bezoar
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when was it said it was ok to compress trailboss?
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Old October 20, 2013, 09:19 PM   #23
rclark
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Quote:
when was it said it was ok to compress trailboss?
I never 'heard' it said... What I said is the Hornady manual has a TB load for .44Mag that is compressed .... So from that you can 'infer' that it is okay. Make sense? I also had (on another forum) run the load through a program (I forget the name of it) and it came in under the .44Mag SAAMI pressure which you'd expect. Shot just fine. Again, as long as you don't compress it, you won't inadvertently create an over pressure load.... Simple rule to live by. But that doesn't mean you can't!

Here is what 9.6g of TB looks like in a .44Mag case :

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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.

Last edited by rclark; October 20, 2013 at 09:28 PM.
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