Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Handguns .45 long Colt loads?

i have a marlin cowboy octogonal barrel in 45colt. replaced the sights with aftermarket and got the front a little high, it's gonna have to be filed down.
what people don't realize is with that long barrel and a heavy bullet you are getting into 38.55 or even commercial 45.70 range with a ten round magazine.
they carry a whole lot of whupping.

I've seen RL-7 used in .45 Colt rifles. I have some loaded, 300 gr. with starting load of 25 gr. We'll see how that goes.

DF

I did some research on line. Seems Paco Kelly's RL-7 velocities haven't panned out. Paco's RL-7 must have been faster burning than other lots tested.

4227 seems to have higher velocities in the 24" Marlin Cowboy than RL-7. H-110/W296 will produce some good velocities, but is less forgiving than 4227. Those burn a bit cleaner than 4227, but evidently have harsher pressure spikes than 4227.

So, I'm still looking and testing.

DF

2400

2400 works.

I'm trying to better utilize the full 24" tube.

DF

7.5grs Unique and 250's for my Uberti.
10grs Unique and 300's for my large frame Rugers.

To me, you have two different worlds, .45 Colt revolver and 24" Marlin Cowboy rifle.

Different parameters, different components, different loads, different performance. Only in my strongest Rugers would I shoot these loads, and they may or may not be optimal in the handguns. I'm loading specifically for the rifle, boxes are labeled "Rifle Only".

DF

Any 250/255gr bullet, case, large pistol primer and 8.5gr of Unique will do ya for plinking.

I'm past plinking, I'm after meat.

I'm trying to safely push a 300 gr. cast (or jacketed) bullet as fast as a 24" barrel will allow, keeping pressure w/i Marlin 94 limits.

DF

With 300's and a 24" barrel, I'd try give H110/W296 a very serious look. It's also the powder I used for heavy loads in Rugers, though I quit in favor of 10grs Unique.

I like H110 in mine, also 2400. Both have worked well for me!

The nice thing about 4227 is, it's a single base powder which doesn't burn as hot as a double base powder and is easier on handguns. The bad thing is, you have to live with the kernals it leaves in the bore. The accuracy is usually outstanding, so I live with it.

Don

I haven't tried H-110/W296 in my Marlin, need to check it out, have plenty of both. I even have some vintage H-110 from the '60's. It still looks and smells like it should, no brown residue. I also have Lilgun, 2400 and Vv n-110.

What about CFE-BLK? Anyone tried it in a .45 Colt rifle?

DF

One of the OP's revolvers being that old calls for HOLY BLACK!!!!!

Yuck...

DF

, Tis good stuff DF!

Yeah, smokeless powder is just a passing fad...

DF

there is a guy on here that has a ruger old army. Loaded with black powder in which he used 45/70 400grain bullets. Wasn't real fast, but it was entertaining.

I have a 50 cal. Old Army conversion by Dave Clements. It's five shot and has a bunch of punch. I've never killed anything with it; it would be a great hog slayer.

I got that work done a number of years ago before it got so expensive. I fitted burl rosewood grips, installed Ruger medalions, soaked the oily rosewood grips in acetone so the tung oil would dry.

The acetone took the black background out of the medalions for a pure SS look. I think it looks better on the SS gun than with the black background.

http://www.clementscustomguns.com/rugeroldarmy.html

DF

Those have been my experiences too. I continue to use it.