Help with .45LC 281gr LSWC Load!!

[jleneave]

Hey guys, I am sorry to keep bothering ya'll but I need help with coming up with a load for .45LC. I will be using my own cast bullets for the first time. The bullets were cast from a RCBS 45-270-SAA mold using just WW alloy and weighing 281 grains + or - 1 grain. I can't find any load data in the manuals that I currently own (Speer, Sierra, Nosler, and Hornady) that have anything close to this bullet. I will be using new Starline brass and CCI 300 large pistol primers. My powder choices are; Alliant Bullseye, Unique, 2400, Power Pistol, Blue Dot and IMR Trail Boss. These are the only handgun powders that I have on hand. Not sure if this is important as far as choosing a load but my bullets are lubed with White Label Lube Carnauba Red 2700+. These rounds will be fired from a Ruger Blackhawk .45LC with a 5 1/2" barrel. Any load data that ya'll are using for this bullet would be great or if you can point me in the direction of where I might find this data would also be great. Thanks in advance and if I have left anything out that is important let me know and I will add it. Thanks again!!

Jody

Edit: If you know the approximate velocity for the loads that would also help. I hope I am not being too demanding, sorry if I am.

[ktw]

Try 8-10 gr Unique or 17.5-18.5 gr of 2400. I suspect there is also a decent Bluedot load out there, but I don't have it.

-ktw

[454PB]

I use 11.5 gr. of Bluedot behind the Lee 325 gr. RF. This is marketed as a 300 gr., but actually weighs 325 in WW alloy. My BH has a 7 1/2" barrel, and this chronographs 900 fps. I use it without a gas check in this application.

[runfiverun]

look up 300 grains for each of the powders and start with that.

[jleneave]

Thanks for the replies!! Does anyone have load data for this bullet using Trail Boss powder?

runfiverun,I tried looking up 300 grain bullets on the Alliant and the Hodgdon/IMR websites and they only list jacketed bullets for 300 grain bullets. IIRC you shouldn't use load data for jacketed bullets on lead cast bullets but I can't remember how it exactly is. Can you or someone else set me straight on this?

ktw & 454PB, thanks for the load data that you posted. I appreciate it.

If there anyone on here that has loaded this bullet at this weight I would like to hear about your expierences with, it like how accurate the bullet is and what powder and charge weight shot the most accurate, ect., ect.

Please keep the data coming.

Thanks,
Jody

[runfiverun]

your pressures GENERALLY are lower with a cast boolit, than a jacketed one.
you do however don't want to be pushing your acww boolits to 2000 fps
generally match your hardness to your pressure or keep it under.
this is where the start at the low end and work up comes in, your gun will generally
tell you what it likes.
by working with the heavier data you have that margin to work with.

[Bass Ackward]

The guy that claimed that he invented the bullet for RCBS, liked 15 1/2 grains of 2400.

[StrawHat]

There have been several write ups of this bullet in Handloader Magazine.

Brian Pearce, Dave Scovill and Mike Venturino have all given comment on it.

If I can scan the articles I will send them.

[IronAir]

One of the above mentioned articles can be found here...

http://www.riflemagazine.com/magazine/PDF/HL%20246partial.pdf

[pipehand]

had a very extensive writeup of this boolit about a year ago. They published three ranges of pressure, 14k,20k and32kpsi loads. I haven't tried any of the 32kpsi loads, as most of my shooting with the 45 Colt is in a Smith Mountain gun.
Here's what I found so far- all cases Starline and all primers WLP, boolits cast of ww/range scrap sized .453 and loobed with something close to FWFL. Shot from
4" barrel.

7.5 grains Titegroup- 900+fps snappy recoil, and a bit of leading
8.5 grains Unique (and Hodgdon's Universal)- 875 fps, good accuracy
20.0 grains H-4227 975fps, very good accuracy, some unburned powder
18.0grains Alliant 2400 1025 fps, very good accuracy, all the speed I want in the MG. Will try this load in my Ruger Bisley.

I've also tried Red Dot, and HP-38, but they didn't perform as well as the loads with Unique or Universal. 13 grains of HS-6 steps out about like the 2400 load, but I'll need to load up some more for accuracy testing.

For a go to load, the Unique wins in terms of economy and efficiency. Universal Clays can be used in its place. The 2400 load gives about 150 more fps, but uses twice as much powder, and is less pleasant to shoot for extended sessions.

I hope this helps. All the loads listed came from the Handloader article, and if their testing is to be berlieved, run at less than 21,000 psi.

My initial loading was done with boolits cast in the RCBS mould, but subsequent loading and shooting has used the 45-283 Group Buy mould. If there is a difference between it and the RCBS boolit, I haven't been able to measure it.

[pipehand]

Thanks IronAir. Thats the exact one.

[jleneave]

Thanks for everyone's input on the load data. I loaded up 50 rounds charged with 9.0 grains of Unique. I plan on trying them out later this week when the weather gets a little better here.

Strawhat,if you can scan those articles that would be great!! If it is too much trouble I understand.

Ironair,thanks for writing such a detailed response!!

pipehand,thanks for the link. I will check it out.

Jody