Home Forums Reloading Handgun Reloading .45 COLT what is your favorite bullet wt. and style.

Do you have a preferred weight and style of bullet for .45 Colt or .454 CASULL.....?

I like Oregon Trail 255gr lswc's and the old Speer swaged lead 250gr swc's for 45 Colt in my Ruger Blackhawk. Hornady 250gr XTPs are very accurate, but loading them fast enough for bullet expansion on impact can turn shooting into something more serious than fun.

In a carbine and an S&W revolver, I've always found the Lyman #454424 255 grain SWC to be more accurate than lighter bullets. Cast bullets in the 200 grain range that are designed for the .45 ACP have all shot pretty poorly.

Ditto old reliable 454424. If you're gonna have but one mold that's the one to have.

I've found medium hard bullets from Saeco SWC 250 grain mould,
. I use two four cavity mould so when I cast I can cast a bunch. I size them 454 in a star sizer luber with LBT lube, These are used for my S&W 25s and 625, I use Winchester primers 9,5 grains of Unique. For my Rossi 92 I use Saeco 300 grain swc with gas check. sized 454, the gas checks are annealed, I lube with LBT, Winchester primers, 20 grains of H110. All of my 45 caliber barrels have been lapped. The handguns were hand lapped and the rifles were fire lapped,

I like the RCBS 270 SAA SWC.

2nd that!

Lee 310 gr cast WFN. Are you in ANC? I can give you some to try.

...and a 3rd! That's about all I use in 45 Colt anymore. I also like the 335 WLN in 454 Casull.

300-310 gr. wfn around 980 to 1000 , really shoots good and will go through about any critter. dropped elk right there , not a twitch .

For a similar bullet I have a Walt Melander made NEI 454-270-PBK that is a doozy. It has a Keith shoulder and a WFN width, sharp cornered meplat.

I started with the Lee 452-255RF and have yet to change.

These are no more better than any other bullet, but...they look cool.

I felt it move.

For 454 or 45 it’s hard to beat an XTP or Sierra JHC. For lead target loads I haven’t seen much difference between a 250 RNFP or a SWC for accuracy.

300 cast or jacketed over max 4227 out of my 24” Marlin Cowboy does nasty things to ‘dillers.

Never tried one on a hog or a WT, but wouldn’t bet against them doing a job on both.

DF

45 Colt...45-270 SAA
454 Casull...300 gr Swift A Frame
Each will do very well for what is intended with the load.

What is a WT........Water Tower......??? What is 'dillers

White tails and armadillos.

DF

Wow......I doubt I would have figured that out.......Thanks. Those not in this area. But you don't have Sic Sic Pucks.

Depends. But 270-280 grainers get the nod from me.

My "universal" 45 bullet is the NOE 270K mathman mentions, along with an LBT 280 LFN. Both shoot well at popgun speeds in SAA type guns, up to the 25-5 with midrange loads into the Colt Anaconda all the way to the brutish Ruger Redhawk and Bisley 454 Casull. At around the 1,000 fps mark, they are well suited to a wide range of guns and sight limits.

As mentioned, the 270K is essentially a WFN meplat with similar attributes to the RCBS 270 SAA. It fits in the SAA length cylinder and is a bit more suited to the 45 Colt than the Lyman 454424, which Elmer had an imposed weight limit when he created it. The NOE 270K also drops a .455 bullet with wheelweight metal, something the RCBS 270 SAA doesn't always do. It's needed to do best work in the 25-5 and Anacondas and some SAA's or older Rugers.

As good as they are, the .455 LBT 280 shoots a trifle better once ranges go to 100 and beyond; anyone who has used the old 454190 Lyman in a 45 Colt will tell you how flat accurate that bullet is. The LBT 280 LFN is that shape with a better killing profile. Nose first sized, it goes down to .451 and still stays balanced without misaligning.

The 300's and beyond are more specialty bullets; they have their place and more limited platforms, but are generally more horsepower than most people need for a day to day gun. Not that they can't do it. Sight regulation in some guns gets iffy unless top velocities are used.

A load with 18 grs of 4227 and that bullet shoots dead nuts to the sights at 25 yards from my 4 5/8" Standard Manufacturing SA. That SA will see no other load.

The 270 gr. Thunderhead from Penn Bullets hits with a whallop, big meplat. Does a job on hogs.

Agree with 4227, 18.5 gr. with a 255 gr. SWC works great. This 25 yd. group from a line bored .45 Colt, Ruger SBH with 6" Shilen barrel by Jim Stroh. Jim took my three screw SBH 44 Mag and made a .45 Colt out of it. He fitted a long extractor, milled the front sight. I did a trigger stop, fitted the stag grips, installed the Ruger Medallions.

This gun, set up like it is, shoots pretty close to my FA .357 Mag. Those are also line bored and do lock up tight. The FA with taller front sight is a tack driver with 170 gr. Gold Dot and 180 XTP.

DF

That is a great bullet. Just loaded a bunch in 45 ACP test loads for my recently acquired Mountain Gun.

454424 is the gold standard. But my current mold I think is a 310. It is the go to load. Probably too late to buy a replacement for the sold Lyman. I have too many molds to use with both hands. Went over to mostly tumble lube 6 cavity Lee. They work in anything I tested them in. I like to cast more per time spent. I shoot to have fun and after emptying those cases, well, of course I have to get them all loaded up, then I have to empty them, ............... I don't want to get better Doc. Be Well, RZ.

My 454424 is a five cavity Arsenal Mold. Pretty faithful copy of the original Lyman.

Thanks Mart. Be Well, RZ.

My favorite is a 255 grain SWC cast from straight clip-on wheelweights from a H&G mold.

I'll echo the sentiments of the Lyman 454424 mold users. That bullet is AWESOME for penetration and I've used it in my Blackhawk and now in my 3.5" barreled Cimarron bird's head grip. The Cimarron has become my favorite packin' pistol. It goes with me on all my hunts, 4 wheeler rides and sometimes serves as my CCW if I'm not carrying my Commander .45 acp.

I have been going back to the Keith bullets as well. 270 or 285 grain. Tried all of the CP wide meplat bullets, and I'm sure I'll never need to bring down an elephant or Cape buffalo. And no longer need the punishing velocity that GC bullets are needed for. The FB Keith bullets are just sexy and they work.

Still somewhat new to .45 Colt loading, so, it's Missouri's 250gr rnfp coated for my Henry and two Italian import SAA. They seem to work fine.

My favorite comes from a mold, Verl Smith of LBT molds made for me. It's a 285 gr WFN (wide flat nose). I used it in both of my Ruger Bisley's and my Win M92 lever gun. I can load it up for elk, bear, etc. I can load it down for plinking and practice. I can use pure lead with about 2% tin added for low velocity stuff. Straight wheel weights make a great "every day" bullet or I can drop those WW bullet directly into water to increase their BHN for faster velocity rounds. When I put the petal to the metal, I get about 1150 in my 5.5" Bisley or 1550 fps in the 20" Win M92. Used it quite successfully to harvest a nice mule deer at 100 yds with an open sight Win M1873 lever gun at standard SAAMI pressure loads. Fed very well in that lever gun, too. It just works.

Alan

Wow! Bet you can sometimes hear those big flat faced slugs hit when they're used for hunting?

Now that you mention, that mule deer.....the wallop was quite fierce.

I use Lee Mold 452-255-RF. Drops 254 grains cast from wheel weights and Lee Liquid Alox. Works great in my 2 pistols and one lever.