January 15, 2023, 10:28 PM | #1 |
Junior Member
Join Date: January 14, 2023
Posts: 1
|
Help with reloading
My question is, is it the same lead for a 45 ACP and 45 Long Colt?
|
January 15, 2023, 10:41 PM | #2 |
Staff
Join Date: March 4, 2005
Location: Ohio
Posts: 21,063
|
Welcome to the forum. Please head over to the General forum and use the top thread to introduce yourself.
Lead bullets for both chamberings now have the same diameters. Long ago, 45 Colt bullets were made two to three thousandths bigger. However, be aware many bullets for the 45 Colt are longer and heavier than those normally loaded in 45 Auto and either won't fit the magazines or feed or, if you try to seat them deeply enough in the 45 Auto case, will press into the area where the case walls start to thicken (about 0.35-0.36" below the mouth) and will expand the case too much to be able to chamber. The bottom line is, whereas you can shoot most lead 45 Auto bullets in a 45 Colt, the reverse is often not true.
__________________
Gunsite Orange Hat Family Member CMP Certified GSM Master Instructor NRA Certified Rifle Instructor NRA Benefactor Member and Golden Eagle |
January 16, 2023, 07:17 AM | #3 |
Senior Member
Join Date: October 22, 2010
Location: Albuquerque, NM
Posts: 988
|
What UncleNick said.
I'll add that if you follow the loading parameters of a good loading manual, you'll see the differences and you can load correctly for each. --Wag--
__________________
"Great genius will always encounter fierce opposition from mediocre minds." --Albert Einstein. |
January 16, 2023, 10:37 AM | #4 |
Senior Member
Join Date: February 4, 2020
Location: Tulsa, OK
Posts: 234
|
Until the late 1980's 45 Colt was .454" diameter. All the guns I own fit this description because all were made before the change.
Around 1990 someone in the industry decided to make 45 Colt and 45 ACP share the same groove diameter. At that time projectiles for both started to be sold in .452" diameter. You need to know the difference. As Nick says, the ones designed for 45 Colt seldom work well in 45 ACP. |
January 16, 2023, 11:44 AM | #5 |
Staff
Join Date: March 4, 2005
Location: Ohio
Posts: 21,063
|
That reminds me to mention that Colt, according to John Taffin writing in 2019, is still making chamber throats at 0.454" to accept the old bullets, even though the barrel groove diameter is down to 0.451. Revolvers tend to shoot cast bullets best when they are sized for the chamber throats, so you want to check those on your revolver before choosing a bullet for it.
__________________
Gunsite Orange Hat Family Member CMP Certified GSM Master Instructor NRA Certified Rifle Instructor NRA Benefactor Member and Golden Eagle |
January 17, 2023, 07:48 AM | #6 |
Senior Member
Join Date: October 22, 2010
Location: Albuquerque, NM
Posts: 988
|
Okay, that's new to me. I didn't realize that there was a slight difference in diameters on the older Colts.
--Wag--
__________________
"Great genius will always encounter fierce opposition from mediocre minds." --Albert Einstein. |
January 17, 2023, 11:02 AM | #7 |
Staff
Join Date: March 4, 2005
Location: Ohio
Posts: 21,063
|
I just noticed the OP's question could be interpreted to be asking if the same casting alloys are used. They are.
__________________
Gunsite Orange Hat Family Member CMP Certified GSM Master Instructor NRA Certified Rifle Instructor NRA Benefactor Member and Golden Eagle |
January 17, 2023, 02:14 PM | #8 | |
Staff
Join Date: March 11, 2006
Location: Upper US
Posts: 28,871
|
Quote:
The idea was to get better accuracy from people shooting .45ACP bullets, and it makes no difference at all to the .454" lead bullets loaded in the .45 Colt ammo. The big lead slugs squeeze down that small amount just fine. IF you're asking about the lead alloy in ACP and Colt bullets, it can be the same or it can be different, depending on who made them. Very soft alloys sometimes don't perform well in semi auto pistols, but revolvers don't care. IN general, bullets 230gr and under are intended for the ACP, 250-255gr is the standard .45 Colt weight. There is a degree of "overlap". Generally, bullets made for use in revolvers will have a crimp groove. Bullets made for semi autos may not. Again, there are variations. Take a look in a reloading manual and see what is listed. That will give you a base idea of what bullets are intended for which. Do come back with any additional questions, we're here to help.
__________________
All else being equal (and it almost never is) bigger bullets tend to work better. |
|
January 17, 2023, 04:33 PM | #9 |
Senior Member
Join Date: October 16, 2014
Location: Iowa
Posts: 1,635
|
FWIW The old (1917 to 1950's) 45 ACP revolvers often had .454 throats also.
|
|
|