Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Ask The Gunwriters 45 colt+p load advice

I bought a ruger bisley in 45colt and am wanting to load some ruger only loads for it. The bullets I'll be using will be 250gr xtps and lead 255gr wfn. I'm not wanting to load it too crazy, just to about 1200fps uses will be deer and hog. Any idea of a starting point?

Buy some WW-296, H110, or 2400 powder. Any of them are hard to beat for a 45 Colt heavy load for Ruger's. Also 10 grains of Unigue or Herco is a decent load too. Around 1100 fps, IIRC with the LBT WFN bullet

Hodgdon be your friend

http://www.hodgdonreloading.com/data/pistol

First, I'd be making sure throat diameters jive with both bullets in question, but especially the lead one.

Hitting trumps speed....

Yep. I've had to ream the cylinders on several of my new model BlackHawks in .45 Colt. But I've heard Ruger has finally gotten them right on the new guns now.

Call me a doubting Thomas; what constitutes as "right"?

FWIW, the Hornady XTP mikes at .452.

Win296/H110, 2400, and Lil Gun works really well. I run 18 gr of 2400 under a 265 Keith style for about 1100 fps in my SS Bisley. 8gr of Unique under a 255gr SWC gives about 800 fps is also a good load.

Umm, not to be the grammar pol-leece but,…..okay I will. That is so 70s, so BeeGees, or something. We don't be jiving around here no mo. No sir; we be jibing now. Those throats must jibe wit the bullets (or vice-versa).

(Smart-ass: out)

I'll be white and make sure one reconnoiters the throats with bullets first....and make sure they synchronize in harmony.

We can be down with multi-sylabbic syntax, uh-huh! (Damn, I'm almost gettin' that jivin' feeling.)

The 255 gr wfn will shoot completely through a deer at 950 fps.

I had good success in the past with Accurate No. 9 and 250 XTPs. Also used it with 255 SWC and the RCBS 45-SAA-270 bullet (284 gr as cast). That is an awesome bullet in 45 Colt. They show data for Ramshot Enforcer/Accurate 4100 too that should work well.

Mark in GA

when you get tired of full nuts H110 loads

try some 250 cast with Trailboss........

20.0-21.0 grn. 2400. CCI 300 Primer and Starline Brass is my pick for running around 1200fps with bullets in the 250-285 class.
10.0 grains of Unique was THE +P load with 250's for years and usually ran around 1100fps.
As far as throats go, you can slug your own throats or send it to a 'smith and they can slug or pin gauge them and proceed accordingly. .4525 seems to be the accepted "optimum". I had the old .449" throats and my Bisley shot okay. I had them opened up to .4525 and now it shoots awesome!
I will say I've always shot my own cast bullets sized at .452. Even with tight throats it never shot terribly, of course, I'm no great pistolero to begin with.
That said, when you send it in to Bowen, Harton, Stroh, etc. to get trigger, sights, etc. overhauled (which is money well spent, in my opinion) they can go ahead and make the throats a non-issue.

I'd save the H-110/W296 for 300 gr and heavier bullets. 2400 should do the trick, if you can find it.

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
This

4227 probably has the smoothest pressure curve of any powder in that class. It's easy on cylinders, can even be used in older guns.

Reprotedly Hank Williams, Jr., who is a Colt collector and pretty knowledgable about such stuff, likes 4227 in the .45 Colt.

DF

I was talking to a gun shop owner this week and he said Ruger is finally doing it right.

Not being snotty, friends, but what is "right"?

I've heard lots of things, but seeing is believing.

Some measurements would be nice!