Home Forums Reloading Handgun Reloading 3in 45lc results with Enforcer and True Blue

FYI I am not nor have I ever been one to do reviews or share data. I am more of a scratch pad vs spreadsheet guy. However due to not finding much data for such a short barreled revolver and basically none with the Enforcer powder I wanted to share.
So with that said a few weeks ago I acquired the 3in old frame Vaquero that was listed for sale on this site. I didn’t buy it for any one reason but I did think it could make a nice trail gun if the velocity wasn’t horrible with 3in barrel. I sorta expected it would be and why such a cool custom pistol IMO didn’t sell as fast.
With all the load data out there for soft cowboy loads I decided to see what I could do on the performance side. Not that it’s a shock but there isn’t a lot of velocity data for a 3in modern Ruger load especially with the Ramshot Enforcer powder in almost any barrel length.

After playing around with some softer loads to make sure everything functioned I got started. Unfortunately I had some issues with my chronograph and didn’t get data on the last loads. I will go back and retry even though I don’t need to.
All loads used were with virgin Starline brass and cci 350 magnum primers along with 265g has checked Cast Performance bullets seated to 1.285 and heavy Lee factory die crimp.

Starting at 10g of True blue I had a average of 907fps
10g is starting 2.5 g higher than a max 14k psi load but 2.1 g lower than the 30k starting load on westerns 255swc load data. It was what I expected. Slow

Me being me I skipped to 12.2 g and got 1072fps. I was sorta impressed and would be perfectly happy with this as a woods load. We do have a ton of Black Bear in my area which is about a hour south of Asheville NC. Never had any issues but need and not have etc
This was a little snappy but not by any means harsh load
I have not went any higher, but may try 12.5-13g


Next was the Enforcer powder with the same brass primer etc.
I also used Westerns 255 swc data as my start point with the 265g bullets.
The data goes from 22.9 to 27g Enforcer not being as sensitive as h110 I started with 22.2 and got a average of 1215fps. That was much better than I expected and honestly met my goal of 1200fps
That’s 868fts energy and a Taylor KO of 20 with a min +p load.
It’s a stout load with a fair bit of recoil but not abusive. I plan to use this as a carry load. I could hit my 6in plate from 20 yards each shot so it’s plenty accurate for my needs.

I had some 24g loads with me so I decided to let them fly. Recoil was harsh. Like sting my hand and immediately inspect my brass for pressure signs. Brass looked fine but my chronograph showed error I believe due to a bit of sprinkle outside and or muzzle blast . I tried 5 more shots none recording data. You could tell from the sound of the steel it was definitely hitting harder. How much so I will have to find out on a different day. I doubt I’d use it for carry in my woods but I’ll test for the sake of science for you all in Brown Bear country.

Like I said I’m not much for format but the Enforcer data shocked me and I wanted to share. It was way higher velocity than I expected. I checked my charges on two scales and can confirm that and my crimp isn’t crazy and my seating depth is GTG. There was no rain when I shot these loads so I believe my data is good. I will load up some more rounds and recheck this weekend.

For anyone Intrested I got 1308fps from 24g Enforcer with the same glass checked 265g cast performance bullet.

Thank you for sharing your results. I will try some enforcer in 45acp when I finally locate some!

David

I shoot a lot of Enforcer in 44mag. I like the stuff. Faster than H110/296 and slower than AA9 and 2400. I'm currently using 18gr of it to push a 300gr cast to 1030fps from a 4" barrel SW329pd.

I bought up a few more lbs and will be loading up some more .44 mag.
I like it better than h110. It’s way more flexible

I bet that’s a handful