The Firing Line Forums

Go Back   The Firing Line Forums > The Skunkworks > Handloading, Reloading, and Bullet Casting

Reply
 
Thread Tools Search this Thread
Old December 25, 2005, 11:43 PM   #1
Big Yac
Senior Member
 
Join Date: April 23, 2005
Location: Ohio
Posts: 422
Reloading the .45 Colt

I have been reloading rifle/pistol ammo for several months now. Calibers I reload are .243, .308, .30-06, .45 ACP, and .454 Casull. However, today for Christmas I got a set of RCBS carbide .45 Colt dies, since I shoot some of these in my .454 from time to time. I have the resizer/expander set up. I have the large pistol primers so all I need are powder and bullets. Curently I have Win 296 and Hodgdon Titegroup that I use in my .454. Other powders I have for my trap reloads are Red Dot, Green Dot, Herco, and Longshot. Which of these powders would be the best to use in the .45 Colt? Which bullets? I"m looking for something thats fairly mild in the recoil department mostly for when someone who isnt used the the full power Casull loads shoots my gun plus I want something I can plink with too sometimes. A friend left a bag of 200gr lead semi wad cutters here to load his .45 ACP with...could I load these up in 45 Colts using the data for 200gr lead RNFP bullets? They are .451" diameter. Can my 300gr Hornady XTP Mag bullets be used (at a lower charge ofcourse). Thanks for any help.
__________________
"...and that's the bottom line, because Big Yac said so."
Big Yac is offline  
Old December 26, 2005, 09:04 AM   #2
sundog
Senior Member
 
Join Date: November 22, 1999
Location: Green Country, OK
Posts: 782
Yac, one of my all time favorite powders for the big straight wall pistol cases like 45 Colt and 44 Mag is Green Dot for plinking loads - lots of cowboy data available, just look on the Alliant web site. It's bulkier than some other powders so takes up a little more of the case. Watch out you do not double charge any cases. Provided your throats are properly dimensioned, i.e., not under sized, they should handle the lead loads just fine. Take the cylinder out and try a push thru to see with one of those .451 - quick way to check throat diameter. If they won't go thru (thumb push fit) you may not get any kind of accuracy as the bullet will get swaged smaller than the groove. The one 45 Colt pistol I have, I had to ream the throats. I've shot alot of 200 grainers in 45 Colt and they work fine. sundog
__________________
safety first
sundog is offline  
Old December 26, 2005, 10:18 AM   #3
Russ5924
Senior Member
 
Join Date: February 18, 2005
Posts: 1,874
I load the .45 colt using 5.0 grains of Titegroup and a 200G lead FN.And have also used 185 grain SWC I think both shoot about the same but like the 200 grain better
__________________
Russ5924
Russ5924 is offline  
Old December 26, 2005, 01:11 PM   #4
Big Yac
Senior Member
 
Join Date: April 23, 2005
Location: Ohio
Posts: 422
I didnt mention, the gun is a Ruger Super Redhawk. Will the 200gr lead semi wad cutters work with data for 200gr load round nose bullets or lead hollow point bullets? I like the idea of being able to use Green Dot and Red Dot as I buy them in 8lb jugs each since I use them to reload trap shells. I also will try some of the Titegroup, thanks for the help
__________________
"...and that's the bottom line, because Big Yac said so."
Big Yac is offline  
Old December 26, 2005, 03:06 PM   #5
BILLY D.
Member
 
Join Date: February 15, 2005
Location: MINOT (MINDROT) ND
Posts: 81
big yac

don't leave hodgdons universal clays out of your recipes. works great in 45 colt especially with 255 wc's. puts whitetails to sleep real nice. haven't tried any lighter bullets yet.
__________________
PLEASE EXCUSE UPPER CASE TYPING I AM HANDICAPPED AND ONLY TYPE WITH ONE HAND. THANK YOU FOR YOUR CONSIDERATION.

HANDLOADS ARE LIKE UNDERWEAR.....BE CAREFUL WHO YOU SWAP WITH.

HAPPY TRAILS, BILL

NRA LIFE MEMBER-1965

THE THREAD KILLER
BILLY D. is offline  
Old December 30, 2005, 01:51 PM   #6
Big Yac
Senior Member
 
Join Date: April 23, 2005
Location: Ohio
Posts: 422
well lastnight I got the dies all set up and loaded me 25 rounds of 45 Colt just to test out. I used the Winchester brass, Win large rifle primer, a Hornady 300gr XTP bullet and 7.2gr of Herco. Anyone ever try this load? I'm gonna find out how they works on Monday.
__________________
"...and that's the bottom line, because Big Yac said so."
Big Yac is offline  
Old December 31, 2005, 10:47 AM   #7
redbeard55
Member
 
Join Date: November 16, 2005
Posts: 55
Light 45 Colt's

For light loads, try a faster powder. My typical load for 200-255 grain lead bullets is 8 grains of Red Dot. A friend swears by 8-10 grains of Unique. Hodgon publishes a short guide for Cowboy Action Shooting. Any of the load data for the Colt Single Action Army would be appropriate.
redbeard55 is offline  
Old December 31, 2005, 11:07 PM   #8
maxwayne
Senior Member
 
Join Date: March 10, 2001
Posts: 402
I have loaded rounds with a 200 grain swc and 7.0 of Unique. You should also have good luck with Red or Green Dot.
maxwayne is offline  
Old January 3, 2006, 09:04 PM   #9
45 Long Colt
Senior Member
 
Join Date: June 2, 2002
Location: Rural and Western.
Posts: 143
Good thread here.

I have 500 230 grain lead round nose bullets a buddy gave me. My usual bullet for the .45 Colt is a 200 grain lead semi-wadcutter.

Do any of you have a recommendation for how much Unique gunpowder to put under that bullet? I like mid range loads, as I just plink with the cowboy gun after I've shot the .357.

My antique manual doesn't give a receipe.
__________________
.
"The unarmed man is not merely defenseless - he is also contemptible."
-Machiavelli


ΜΟΛΩΝ ΛΑΒΕ
45 Long Colt is offline  
Old January 4, 2006, 09:52 PM   #10
BILLY D.
Member
 
Join Date: February 15, 2005
Location: MINOT (MINDROT) ND
Posts: 81
for 200 grainers my manual suggests 6,[email protected] to 7,8grs@ app. 850 fps. for unique.

hope this helps.
__________________
PLEASE EXCUSE UPPER CASE TYPING I AM HANDICAPPED AND ONLY TYPE WITH ONE HAND. THANK YOU FOR YOUR CONSIDERATION.

HANDLOADS ARE LIKE UNDERWEAR.....BE CAREFUL WHO YOU SWAP WITH.

HAPPY TRAILS, BILL

NRA LIFE MEMBER-1965

THE THREAD KILLER
BILLY D. is offline  
Old January 4, 2006, 11:04 PM   #11
Big Yac
Senior Member
 
Join Date: April 23, 2005
Location: Ohio
Posts: 422
heres a picture of one of my reloads next to a factory 45 Colt load. My reload is on the right, its a 300gr Hornady XTP bullet and the factory bullet (on the left) is a 250gr lead bullet. How does the roll crimp look to you? Too much? I tried to keep it looking like the roll crimp from the factory.
Attached Images
File Type: jpg 121-2150_IMG.JPG (64.3 KB, 118 views)
__________________
"...and that's the bottom line, because Big Yac said so."
Big Yac is offline  
Old January 5, 2006, 02:54 PM   #12
Sport45
Senior Member
 
Join Date: May 25, 1999
Location: Too close to Houston
Posts: 4,196
If you use a 200gr SWC, where do you put the crimp?
__________________
Proud member of the NRA and Texas State Rifle Association. Registered and active voter.
Sport45 is offline  
Old January 7, 2006, 09:37 PM   #13
impact
Senior Member
 
Join Date: January 8, 2005
Location: the great state of Texas
Posts: 854
A load that I used for many years as a side arm in a Blackhawk while hog hunting is. 18.5grs of 2400 with a 300gr XTP. Blue Dot works well also.

I like this load because it's about as much as I can handle without hearing protection. The gun has nice soft recoil. More like a nice push. and I love the thwap the bullet makes when it hits something

Last edited by impact; January 8, 2006 at 12:20 AM.
impact is offline  
Old January 7, 2006, 09:39 PM   #14
redbeard55
Member
 
Join Date: November 16, 2005
Posts: 55
Where do you put the crimp

Probably at the top of the drive band.
redbeard55 is offline  
Old January 8, 2006, 12:30 PM   #15
maxwayne
Senior Member
 
Join Date: March 10, 2001
Posts: 402
I load 200 grain lead swc's over 8.0 of Unique. I crimp in the top groove.
maxwayne is offline  
Reply

Thread Tools Search this Thread
Search this Thread:

Advanced Search

Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

BB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is Off

Forum Jump


All times are GMT -5. The time now is 03:00 AM.


Powered by vBulletin® Version 3.8.7
Copyright ©2000 - 2024, vBulletin Solutions, Inc.
This site and contents, including all posts, Copyright © 1998-2021 S.W.A.T. Magazine
Copyright Complaints: Please direct DMCA Takedown Notices to the registered agent: thefiringline.com
Page generated in 0.09664 seconds with 9 queries