Home Forums Reloading Handgun Reloading reloading the 45 colt

My most accurate loads in .45 Colt and .454 Casull Rossi Lever Action rifles are with Lee 300 gr bullets and H110 followed by Unique.

Steve ..........

I picked up the H10 load from from Paco Kelly, I think. The muzzle flash is impressive.

I found an accuracy load in an old Lyman handbook from around 1970. It is 8 grains of Unique under a 250 grain bullet. I have been loading 255 grain hard lead bullets with 8 grains of Unique for use in my 4-5/8" barrel Ruger Blackhawk. That load shoots better than I can and doesn't stress the revolver or me. I have lots of Unique, H110, and 4227. I can try the others when the Unique is gone.

10 grans of Herco or 9 grains of Unique is very accurate in my 45 colt caliber Ruger’s with a 250 gr LBT WFN Hard Cast bullet along with max loads of WW-296.

H110 is real similar to WW-296

The same?

DF

H-110 and 296 are exactly the same powder put in different cans

280 gr SAA bullet over 9.5 of Unique gets 950 fps out of my 4 5/8 Blackhawk.
Exceptional accuracy - should be since Bowen worked the revolver over, though.
Darn few others I'd run 'em in, though. Redhawk is one.
No Colts or much of anything else - I'd have to research the Smith before I'd attempt it.

All with a 270SAA (286 grains from my mound). 5.5” Ruger Bisley. Starline brass.

9.0 Universal. Right at 1,000 FPS. It’s my “everyday” load. 75% of my 45 Colt shooting. Somewhere just under 20000 cup, according to one of Brian Pierce’s articles.

20.5 grains 2400. 1250 FPS. Good hunting load without pounding you. I heat treat my bullets on this one.
Somewhere around 32000 cup, according to Brian Pierce.

25.0 grains 296. 1350 FPS. Awesome hunting load, but it is a bit less “fun” than the other two. Heat treated bullets and bump up to CCI 350 primers. 32000 cup, according to Pierce again.

I’ll occasionally play with other bullets or powder puff loads, but these three are 95% of my .45 Colt shooting.

Know what gun you’re putting these in. My Bisley has no trouble and I don’t suspect my Henry will (it’ll feed a 270 SAA with a little filing on the back of the lifter).

I’d not run any of them in an old Colt, and only the first load in a Smith or New Vaquero.

I owned and loaded for several Ruger Bisley 45colts , a Marlin 94 and a S&W Mountain Gun and found I don't need top level performance, velocity, recoil or muzzle blast...
296 and H110 worked well in the Ruers but only for top loads and heavy bullets so I backed away pretty quickly.
These loads had to be carefully segregated to stay out of the Smith. Doable but not ideal...

2400 and 4227 gave me the performance level I wanted for everyday use in everything I had.
Unique remains great for standard loads and I'm sure a 250gr cast won't bounce off the local whitetails.

Only the 94 and the Mountain Gun remain and the standard loads are all I need.

I'll have to look for a Handloader article by Pierce about standard 45 Colt loads with all the appropriate powders...

These days I generally run 10.5 grs CFE Pistol and a 280 grainer for all my 45 Colt loads and let the bullet do the work.

tag

I load my mtn gun with 250s and just enough longshot to hit 1000 fps. I could probably go a little hotter but the mtn gun isn't built for the ruger level loads.

Bb

Accurate No 11fs has the same burn rate as 296 according to Western Powders. I picked up 8 lbs.

I've used 9.5 grains of Unique behind 250-grain cast bullet sized .454 in Ruger Blackhawk, 5 S&W model 25s and 625s, 6- inch and 4-inch barrels. I can get the same accuracy using 8.5 grains of unique same bullets and size. All barrels have been lapped and cylinders uniformed.

Anyone know anything about the 300gr Speer Deep Curl in a 45 Colt single shot rifle? I'm pushing it with 23gr of H110 and it's very accurate at 80ft. I hope to shoot them over a chronograph this weekend and stretch it out to 50yds.

Thanks, Dinny

For loads under 950 FPS, I like trail boss. Very clean burning and accurate. I like the fact that it nearly fills the case to the bullet base. I haven't seen it proven, but I feel flash over powder ignitions occur in big cases with light powder charges.

I had a stainless 4-5/8" barreled .45 colt Blackhawk back in the days before Ruger offered the Super Blackhawk in that barrel length. My standard load was a 270 grain SWC from an RCBS mold backed by 25 grains of Win 296. Recoil was .. peppy. Accuracy was very good. After Ruger added the short barrel to the .44 magnum line I traded the .45 Colt. Later on I had a couple of short barreled Blackhawks that were blued. Those had shorter front sights than the stainless gun did and I was unable to get them sighted in with anything beyond Cowboy loads so they got sold.

Anyway, as to the original question, the Redhawk is stronger than any other .45 Colt I know of other than one built for .454 use that has a .45 Colt extra cylinder fitted ala Freedom Arms. There are no .45 Colt factory loads I would have any hesitation to shoot in a Redhawk.

Tom

I have a question about loading straight lead bullet in the colt case do I want to crip case above or below the lube ring on the bullet
Thanks Pat

Above. Check your OAL before crimping.