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Old July 2, 2018, 09:10 PM   #1
Jakeway
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Loading 45 Schofield with 45 Colt dies?

Can it be done? It looks like there is enough adjustment in my 45 Colt dies to allow the shorter Schofield cases, but several companies make Schofield-specific dies.

If I can reload Schofield brass with my dies I'd liek to try it, but I don't want to buy another die set.
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Old July 2, 2018, 10:47 PM   #2
Jbar4Ranch
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You won't be able to crimp Schofield cases with .45 Colt dies - they won't go into the die far enough.
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Old July 2, 2018, 11:26 PM   #3
Jakeway
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Couldn't a Lee Carbide Factory Crimp Die be set short enough?
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Old July 2, 2018, 11:38 PM   #4
Jbar4Ranch
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I have a couple Lee Factory crimp dies, but they're for cartridges with no little brothers, so I really don't know - .38-40 and .44-40
Maybe Lee makes only one factory crimp die length for .38 spl/.357 or .44 spl/.44 mag or .45 Schofield/.45 Colt/.454 Casull/.460 S&W mag. It would make sense. If your .45 Colt cases crimp properly and there is still another ~3/16" til the shell holder or shell plate hits the bottom of the die, then yes, you should be able to screw it down further and it should work just fine with the Schofield cases.
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Old July 3, 2018, 09:31 AM   #5
Driftwood Johnson
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Howdy

Yes you can, I've been doing it for years.

A couple of caveats.

You will need a different shell holder or shell plate than what you use to load 45 Colt. Although the diameter of the 45 Schofield Case is the same as the 45 Colt, the rim diameter is not. 45 Colt rims generally run about .512 in diameter. 45 Schofield rims run about .520 in diameter. This dates back to the origin of the 45 Schofield round, when the tiny rim of the 45 Colt would not give the extractor of the Schofield revolver enough purchase to reliably extract the empties, so the rim diameter was made large enough for the Schofield extractor to grab the rim. Not a problem with 45 Colt since the ejector of a Colt poked the empties out from the inside. If you are loading on a single stage press you can buy a shell holder for 45 Schofield without spending too much. It is easy to find one by looking at the charts by Lyman or RCBS. For Hornady it is #41 and costs about $5.00.

When I started loading 45 Schofield I decided to set up a 45 Colt set of dies specifically for 45 Schofield, so I would not have to be changing the settings of my 45 Colt dies back and forth every time I wanted to change cartridges.

I bought a set of Hornady 45 Colt dies. I set them up specifically to load 45 Schofield and marked the box that way.






I load all my revolver cartridges on a Hornady Lock & Load AP progressive press, and I was able to 'unscrew' this set of dies enough so that I did not have to grind down the bottom of the seating/crimp die to load the shorter Schofield brass. You can see the seating crimp die, on the left in this photo, extending slightly out of the Hornady collet





Your mileage may vary, depending on what brand of 45 Colt dies you are using, and depending on what press you are using. Worst case, you will have to grind down (up) the bottom of the seating/crimp die so you can screw it down far enough in your press for the Schofield case to be crimped by the crimping feature of the die. If you decide to do this it should not affect seating and crimping 45 Colt, of course you will still have to reset the die for each round.

Of course today, several companies such as Lee and RCBS make dies specifically for reloading 45 Schofield.
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Old July 3, 2018, 05:44 PM   #6
Jakeway
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Thanks Driftwood. This is great, as are the pics.

My current set up involves two single stage presses. I use the Rockchucker for sizing and expanding, which I do in bulk and store the cases in plastic ammo boxes to protect them. When I'm ready to actually load the cases, I always use the Lee Classic for bullet seating and the Rockchucker for crimping, so it's a pretty smooth operation, moving each case directly between the two presses. Of course, I'll need two shell holders to use this arrangement.

I already have an extra expander die, and the sizing die works fine for both cartridges without adjustment, so if I decide I'll load enough Schofields to warrant it, I'll just look for another bullet seating die or a three-die set when they're on sale or on eBay.
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Old July 3, 2018, 06:19 PM   #7
gwpercle
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If the crimp die doesn't adjust down quite far enough , try another brand of shell holder.
Some shell holders are thinner than others . One company even sells shell holders with different thicknesses .
Another tip is if the shell holder is too thick, grind the top surface thinner. This allows the case to go deeper into the die.
Shell holders are cheaper than dies , just in case you bugger one up and they are easier to grind down....the die is usually harder.
Always more than one way to skin that proverbial cat...be creative.
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Old July 5, 2018, 10:11 AM   #8
bedbugbilly
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Lee makes Schofield dies - RCBS "Cowboy" dies will load both Colt and Schofield.

The FL 45 Colt FL sizer die will work for sizing and de-priming. Expanding - if you have a set of dies for 45 ACP - set it up in your press and give it a try for expanding. Seating - the same thing - use a 45 ACP seating die set up in your press so that it will seat but not crimp if it is a DA die. A 45 ACP taper crimp die will put a secure taper crimp on them. While it should have a role rip - I have used a 45 taper crimp on both 45 Colt and Schofield with the 545-190 Lyman/Ideal slug and have never had an issue with bullet jump in my 7 1/2" Uberti Cattleman.

I was loading with a hodgepodge of dies when I started reloading 45 Colt/Schofield. I have since upgraded my 45 Colt dies - a Lyman carried FL, a Lyman expander, a Rcbs seater and a Lyman roll crimp die. For the Schofield. I just bought a set o the Lee 45 Schofield dies - fairly inexpensive and a lot less hassle than loading that cartridge.
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Old July 15, 2018, 04:21 PM   #9
Jakeway
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OK, I finally got my Schofield brass (100 once-fired for $15) and loaded up a few. I haven't had the chance to shoot any yet, but here's what I learned on the reloading:

1) Yes, I needed new shell holders for the press and for the Lee handheld auto prime. Small bucks.

2) Surprise, my Lee "Powder Through Expansion Die" from the 45 Colt set didn't work on the Schofield. The expander core is a fixed position, and it's adjusted by screwing the die farther into the press. I couldn't insert if far enough for the Schofield. Fortunately, the Lyman M die for 45 Colt had plenty of room, and worked great.

3) The Lee bullet seating die from the 45 Colt also worked great with a little adjustment. I was able to adjust it for a good roll crimp.

4) The Lee Carbide Factory Crimp Die, left set at the same position as the 45 Colt, would have removed any bulges and never affect the crimp. But every one of the 50 or so cases I loaded fit and functioned in the cylinder just fine, so this step proved unnecessary.

So, bottom line, I was able to load the 45 Schofield with my 45 Colt dies just fine, but I had to change the adjustment (only a few minutes each) on the Expander die and the bullet seating die. The expander die was just a bit trickier to adjust, so if I decide i'll be loading enough of 45 Colt and 45 Schofield to want dedicated dies, I'll either spend another $20 for a stand-alone Lyman M expander die, or I'll buy another complete die set specifically made for the Schofield. My gut feel is that the performance between the two cases will be similar enough that I'll just keep 100 or so Schofields loaded with low recoil charges for visitors to shoot, and keep the 45 Colt brass for my every day ammo.

This has been a fun little project. Thanks for all your suggestions!

PS: It's probably obvious, but the dies I already had are the Lee Deluxe Carbide 4 die set for 45 Colt. I didn't like how the Lee expander die worked, so I bought a Lyman "M" expander die as a stand-alone.

Last edited by Jakeway; July 15, 2018 at 04:26 PM.
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Old July 28, 2018, 02:36 PM   #10
Jakeway
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I finally tested some handloads using 45 Schofield brass instead of 45 Colt brass in my Uberti Cattleman.

I used medium charges of Titegroup powder with a 200 gr RNFP cast bullet, and also some with just under max published load of Unique under a 250 gr RNFP. They all shot well, but one of the 200 gr loads shot two 5-shot groups of about 2 inches at 10 yards with a rest, and not much bigger when shooting two-handed off hand. To compare, I was struggling to get 4" groups with same powders (slightly different charges) with 45 Colt brass.

The recoil with the 200 gr bullets in Schofield cases was very mild; about halfway between my 36 Cap & Ball and my 44 Cap & Ball revolvers.

I think I'll load up a bunch of the 200 grain loads in Schofield brass (I have 200 cases) and use my 45 Colt brass for 250 gr heavier loads, and especially for my black powder loads.
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