your favorite "warm" 45 Colt loads...

[Magnum Wheel Man]

I'm finishing up my 10" hunting 45 Colt barrel for my Thompson Contender... & got a set of Williams fire sights fitted...

I need to verify that the front ramp is the correct height, before I camo coat the barrel, so I'm going to be likely loading a pretty hot load for hunting with a 250 grain XTP, but I'm open for other bullet suggestions, for a deer hunting load for use up to 75 yards

the barrel was a 45 Win Mag barrel, & is rated for those higher pressures, & while I could have chambered it in 454 Casull, I want to keep the pressures at a sane level

I'll figure out a reciepe next spring.... but need to get a starting point, to make sure the sights will regulate... thanks for any warm loads you'll share... If you want to P.M. to keep hot load data away from older revolvers, that would be fine, but I have not loaded for the 45 Colt before, so I have a pretty clean slate on 45 Colt bullets ( lots of 45-70 bullets & 45 ACP bullets though )... I'll be doing up exclusively lead bullet loads for my Montados, & hot jacketed bullets for my Contender & Ruger Alaskan to be able to tell at a glance which is which

[kraigwy]

What action, its not the barrel but the action strenght that determines how hot the load.

[Magnum Wheel Man]

sorry... I added that later... older Contenders, & my Ruger Alaskan

[Sarge]

My favorite JHP load in this class is a Sierra 240 over however much H110 that Hodgdon's says you can load in a Ruger- less .2 grains. It is a sure killer on game up to 300 pounds and is about perfect for broadside shots on deer. Be advised however that this is a soft bullet and I wouldn't use it for raking shots or 'Texas heart shots'.

[El Paso Joe]

Hornady 250 gr HP/XTP over a good dose of H110. Worked up to a load that honestly clocked 1000fps on my chronograph. Pistol was a S&W 625 Mountain Gun. I do not remember where I got the starting load - but I worked up slowly and carefully...

[Pathfinder45]

I'm not fond of H-110 or Win 296. In my experience, Winchester primers were not hot enough to avoid hang-fires. Those powders need magnum primers. I like AA-9 for warm loads. IMR-4227 is also good. For medium loads HS-7 is my favorite. I use a lot more magnum primers now depending on powder. If you just want the highest velocity possible and don't care about anything else then you probably want to use one of those first two that I'm not fond of. Hornady 250 XTP's are good. My favorite bullet is my hand-cast Lee 255RNFP.

[Magnum Wheel Man]

thanks for the posts both public & private... so far recommended powders have been H-110, W-296, AA #9, & 4227 ( I have IMR )

I have all those powders already... as well as some unfired ( pre primed )Winchester cases... & an assortment of other primers both magnum & regular

so buying bullets looks like my next move... in other calibers I've had very good luck with XTP's, but I'm not married to them ( I haven't bought them yet )... I think I'll hit Midway on line & see what is all available...

[Magnum Wheel Man]

a quick trip to the Midway sight shows that the Leverevolution bullets are available as unloaded bullets beginning next week...

what caught my eye were these...

Hornady Leverevoloution 250 grain

Hornady XTP 230 grain, 240 grain, 250 grain, 300 grain

Speer 260 grain JHP

Speer Gold Dot 300 grain ( regular & magnum velocity )

[Magnum Wheel Man]

I ordered a couple 100 - 250 grain XTP's... hope to load these this weekend... maybe try out that new barrel if the weather isn't too cold...

BTW... 45 ACP lead bullets OK for light loads for my Montados ???

[zxcvbob]

CAUTION: The following post includes loading data beyond currently published maximums for this cartridge. USE AT YOUR OWN RISK. Neither the writer, The Firing Line, nor the staff of TFL assume any liability for any damage or injury resulting from use of this information.

My favorite "warm" load is 7.5 grains of Red Dot (Promo) a with 230 grain lead bullet. This is above SAAMI specs, but not much over 20000 psi, and it shoots real good.

My favorite "hot" load is 12.5 grains of Herco with 250-255 grain lead bullets. I've gone higher than this using Blue Dot and 296, but I like the Herco load.

16.5 grains of Blue Dot with a 250-255 grain bullet is pretty good too. It gives you about the same velocity as the Herco load, at about the same pressure as the Red Dot load, and you can go still higher with it. I just ran out of Blue Dot and switched over to AA#7 before I got any higher, and I won't be shooting any more hot loads until spring.

[Magnum Wheel Man]

thanks for the optional loads...

it's been a while since I've reloaded ( I'll be doing quite a lot this winter )

does Herco have a number or another name ??? I have several of thier powders, including both red dot & blue dot...

no AA #7, though I do have #9

BTW... Bob... if you are over in my area sometime we should shoot... I have that 300 yard rifle / pistol range I stuggle to keep maintained... I'm always looking for an excuse to park the mower & pick up a fire arm during the summer...

[dodge]

You can also try Lil' gun for a very warm load. I believe that it's on par with H110 and W 296. 2400 is also good for these loads.

[AlaskaMike]

does Herco have a number or another name ??? I have several of thier powders, including both red dot & blue dot...

Herco is just another Alliant powder. It's somewhere between Unique and Blue Dot speed-wise.

Mike

[Stargazer]

Here's a nice warm one for ya. 250 Gr. XTP over 25 grs. of WW296 with Winchester large primers. 1240 FPS average over 5 shots. Ruger BlackHawk load only. Not max but getting there......

[Magnum Wheel Man]

cool clip S.G.

last night I set up the new 45 Colt dies, & prepped about 15 cases ( that was all the WLP primers I had on hand... likely will switch to CCI or maybe magnum primers when I work up loads in the spring ??? )

for powders... I'm liking from the Hornady manual

17+ grains of AA #9
or
24+ grains of IMR 4227

both of those loads list around 1300 fps out of a 10" Contender barrel...


how about a "cleaner" lower power load for my Montados ??? I always used to use Unique for practice loads, but it always turns my stainless guns black... my Montados are polished stainless rather than satin like my other stainless guns, so I'd like a reasonable, yet safe ( doesn't have to be too wimpy of a load ), but want something cleaner, but also something that will fill the case enough that I'll get reasonably consistant velocitys, & no hang fires or detonation risk

[ForneyRider]

I can burn 21gr of H110 in my 41 magnum with either WLP or Federal 155M primers as long as I have adequate roll crimp.

Lots of older name powder data for 45 Colt.

[HoraceHogsnort]

I'm wary of picking up loads off of i-net forums. My reloading manuals provide safe loads that are sufficient to kill any animal on the planet. AND, they are within SAAMI spec.

[Prince55]

Nice picture & shot. Is that a 6 1/2 or 7 1/2 barrel ?

Thanks

[Stargazer]

7.5" barrel

[DonS]

I have a Bowning 185 low wall in .45 colt. I want to develop some hot loads for black powder cast bullet loads and also a 250/300 grain jacketed load for pig hunting. In order to handle hot loads I decided to use 454 casul brass which is a heavier design and uses small primers. I trimed the brass to .45 colt lenghts. I figured that would give me a case rifle combo that would handle loads aproaching 50,000 pounds pressure with out a problem. The only problem is there is nothing out there to give me an idea of max loads to stay away from. I may not be able to get enough powder in the case to approach the limits any way. I have been loading a Lyman mold 325 grain GC cast in linotype metal. I have only room for about 20 grains of 4227 or 2400 which dont seem to show any signs of high pressure.
Has any one had any experience with this kind of combo or any ideas?

Don S

[Magnum Wheel Man]

Don... I to have been thinking about trimming down the 454 Casull brass for hot 45 Colt loads, for my Contender as well... the comparable case volume is likely smaller than that of a good 45 Colt case, because of likely thicker head & case wall thicknesses

the H-110, W-296, AA #9 loads are at just over 1/2 way full at close to "normal" max loads in my Winchester cases... while the 4227 loads I'm trying right now are not compressed, but they are comfortably full...

BTW... becarefull with that low wall... full power 454 Casull loads are IMO too hot for that action as would be a 50,000 PSI load... ( I'm just starting to get into single shots, & was looking at an original low wall that must have been done up for cowboy action shooting, & was chambered in 44 magnum, & my local builder said that the action was not safe for normal 44 mag pressures )... the Browning is likely stronger, but you could be close to the maximum pressures that your action can handle...

[ipscchef]

This is load I use that you can find in either the 2006 or 2008 Hodgdens Manual, for some reason it was omitted from the 2007 print.
22.5 gr. of H110 under a Cast Performance 335gr. LWNGC with a CCI mag primer.
It does about 1160fps out of my 4 5/8" Blackhawk.
I have found that the Hodgden Manuals- except the 2007, can give you some warm loads for just about anything. JMHO

[ipscchef]

Here on my farm in South Central Pa., with Black Bears making a big comeback,'Yotes everywhere, a family of Bobcats living near one of my treelines,AND THE BIGGEST DAMN FOXES I HAVE EVER SEEN, AND YES, THEY ARE FOXES.
Sorry, I digress.
Anyway my current load is 9.5gr. of Unique under a 250gr. Lazercast with a Win MAG primer for 1000fps. out of the aforementioned Blackhawk.The Mag primer burns the powder very clean and increeases velocity. It is very accurate and a joy to shoot. I can practice all day without a problem. To me that adds up to peace of mind, not to mention it should do fine as a hunting load in most circumstanses.
Out of my budd's Taylor Arms Uberti Winchester 1873 replica 26" bbl it gives 1290fps and 3' groups at 100yds.