Standard pressure loads are OK, if what you mean by "standard pressure" is that they do not exceed about 14,000 psi or so.
A toggle link rifle such as the 1860 replica will require BP duplicate loads as explained above. A good load that has been used for many years to duplicate factory .45 Colt ballistics and pressures is a 250 grain bullet with 8 grs. of Unique. I have fired several thousand of them out of two toggle-link replicas, an 1860 and an 1866. No problems, and you get about 1000 fps from a rifle barrel. Hit a deer, hog or black bear in the right spot with one of those at 100 yards or less and it will be time to break out the skinning knife.
I meant exactly what I said, if y'all will go back and read my post. Going by your standards, no loading data for the 45 Colt standard pressure loads exceeds 14,000 CUP in my copy of
Modern Reloading, probably the most comprehensive loading manual extent. A few maximum loads are at 14,000, but none exceed it. I have been under the impression for many years, that the old Remington and Winchester factory loads in their 250 grain lead bullets, duplicated black powder pressures. This is what I was saying.
I have no idea what pressures the 44-40 factory loads generated, but they were about 100 fps slower and kicked considerably less from a handgun, than the 45's. I have shot both loads from old handguns and the 44-40 from antique long guns and never had a problem. The 44 Special I have fired from both long and short guns as well and the old standard loading of it are even slower than the 44-40, but kick about the same...none.
The standard pressure loads started to change with the Blackhawk and Contender reloading data that was published back when I was a kid. Then Federal brought out their higher-powered 45 Colt loads back in the late seventies or early eighties. Now you have a plethora of loads, some made by small companies. Some are okay and some aren't, as I have tried to relate on every post that I've conversed about it here on. Cowboy Action loads, that Fairshake is speaking of are, to the best of my knowledge, an even different ballgame. They are loaded to even lower speeds and one assumes, pressures, in order to generate the most minimal recoil for fast recovery times in that game. Fairshake seems to think that one needs to go that low in replicas. That has never been my impression. If that is the case, I wish somebody would speak up as I do not want to give out bad advice. Some of those Cowboy Action Loads are extremely weak. In fact, if some of the ballistics are to be believed, they are weaker than any load I'd ever consider as you can get so little pressure as to not push the bullet out the bore, especially on a long gun.
The standard loads and the cowboy action loads seem to meet your criteria of 14,000 CUP or less. If anybody disagrees, please speak up.
