.45 Colt & Trail Boss -- part 2

[Harry O]

I bought a couple of new-model Vaqueros in .45 Colt recently and was experimenting with Trail Boss powder. The IMR booklet shows 5.8gr maximum with a 250gr bullet. With Starline cases, the brass did not even seal until 7.2gr. There was blowback along the case for everything less than that, and the accuracy was very poor with the ones that had blowback. Once the case started sealing, the loads got a lot more accurate.

I had loaded up a bunch in increments to 7.5gr. There was absolutely no sign of excessive pressure on the cases, the primer, or the gun at 7.5gr. After shooting them, I decided to go back and load up a bunch more up to 100% of the case capacity with the bullet seated (no compression)

That amounts to about 8.0gr with a 250gr bullet. That is case full without compression. The accuracy was about the same for all of them. If anything, they may have grouped a little bit tighter with more powder, but I would have to do a lot more shooting to tell for sure. In any case, they were accurate enough for CAS shooting. With the 8.0gr load, the primers were just starting to flatten, but were no where as flat as factory loads for a lot of higher pressure cartridges. The flattening was not at all excessive.

I think that the bullets I have are not well suited to this cartridge. They ONLY thing I was able to buy was some 250gr Barnes plated bullets. I have had a mould on backorder for 2 months now. When it gets in, I plan to cast up some in BHN 9 or so to try. I would be willing to bet that those would seal better and be more accurate, maybe even at lower amounts of powder. I have not chrono'ed the ones I have shot yet (it was in a public indoor range), but from the recoil, I would guess that the velocity is less than 900 fps at 8.0gr. I am also thinking of getting a 230gr flat nose mould and go up to 8.5gr of Trail Boss -- if it is ever possible to buy something without it being backordered.

Anyway, just a report on going over the recommended loads in the IMR manual with Trail Boss.

[joec]

Did you actually try them at 5.8 grs of powder? Just curious since I load them at 5.4 gr and find them very accurate with a 250 gr bullet. I've had no leading with softer bullets or blow by either however I do put a good roll crimp on the finished bullets. Oh and I use Starline with either Winchester or CCI primers and Badman Bullets. I use the same bullets in 405 gr with the same combo only large rifle primers (same makers) with 12.8 to 13 gr of Trailboss and very accurate to 100 yards. Also IMR recommends 70% capacity of the capacity.

[BCB]

I’ve used Trail Boss in 10 different cartridges with some success…

In the 45 Colt with a 45-270-SAA boolit, 8.0 grains is to the base of the boolit seated to the crimping groove…

Velocities from a 5.5” Blackhawk…

6.5 grains = 737 fps…
7.0 grains = 782 fps
7.5 grains = 805 fps
8.0 grains = 825 fps

The most accurate was the 7.0 grain charge…

There have been many articles, pro and con, written concerning Trail Boss…

The most recent I read was in the 2013 Hodgdon Annual Manual…

The problem I find with it in the handguns I have used it in is the fact that P.O.I. is greatly different than the heavier loads I use for the same boolit…

Good-luck…BCB

[Harry O]

Actually, I started at 6.0gr the first time around. I have had problems with getting other cases to seal with it, using the maximum load they recommend. The cases at 6.0gr were black and sooty full length. At 6.5 gr, the soot was about half/two-thirds of the case length. At 6.9gr, they were one-third to half sooty. Only at 7.2gr did it start sealing. What was worse was that the accuracy was very poor when it did not seal.

I have been using the Trail Boss in my 38-40's in CAS shoots before this. I had less problem with blowback with it, but I still have to load to their recommended maximum of 5.5gr to get it to seal.