Barnes no.4 manual question

[corvette8n]

Does the new Barnes manual have any loads for .45 Colt used in a rifle?
I am specifically looking to use the 225gr xpb in my Puma carbine.

[AZ-Stew]

First, what's wrong with the pistol load data? The .45 Colt is a pretty powerful handgun cartridge. Shooting it from a carbine length barrel should give more velocity and power. Too much speed may exceed the designed capabilities of the Barnes bullet. The nose "petals" that result from bullet upset on impact may shear off if the impact speed is too high. At that point, you may as well be shooting a good SWC cast boolit.

Have you considered sending Barnes an e-mail to ask them if they have any rifle data? I suspect they'll refer you to their published pistol loading data, but it never hurts to ask.

I'm speculating here, and you take this suggestion at your own risk, but I'd think .45 Colt data developed for the T/C Contender using a bullet with the same length bearing surface would satisfy your needs.

If your rifle has a Winchester M-1894 style action, such loads should be OK. On the other hand, if it uses a Winchester M-1873 style action, I'd stick with the pistol loads.

Regards,

Stew

P.S. Just checked around and found a Puma chambered for .480 Ruger, so strength of the action should not be a problem.

[Heavy lead]

I use pistol data in my rifles with handgun cartridge. My go to do everything 45 Colt load with 10 grains of Unique, Fed 150, under a 270SAA gets between 1030 and 1100 depending on which one of 5 revolvers and 1225 out of the 94 with a 20" barrel. Clean burning and no leading in any of them all sized to .452 50/50 wheelweights and pure lead with BAC lube.
On the x-bullet, I have only shot these out of an acp in the 185 weight, and in bottleneck rifle calibers. From what I understand the 225 as well as the 185 are tapered, the heal is sub caliber. The 250 (which I have not seen or used) is full bore to the heal. Barnes only pushes this for the 454, but there is no reason you couldn't use this in the Colt in a strong gun.
FWIW, I am done with J-bullets in handguns, love them in rifles, but there is nothing I will do with a handgun that can't be done with lead. Unless they outlaw it, then I guess we will be smelting copper, cause I'm not spending 1.50 a bullet to shoot them.

[runfiverun]

i have an old imr data book where they used rifle powders in the 44mag in their rifle data
their velocities were actually lower. [surprise]
but your 45 colt at 15-1600 with a 250 gr bullet isn't to be laughed at
don't matter how long the bbl is.
i have used the xtp and a rnfp plain based boolit over sr-4756 and 2400
amazingly the deer i have shot with either load or bullet were dead.

remember load for the gun not for you.

[missionary5155]

I use the same loads in my 44-40 Colt New service and my 1892 Winny. 8-10 grains of Unique with either a 220 or a 260 gr boolit. The 44-40 and 45 Colt cases are near twins . There is a huge difference in inpact expansion in the boolits fired from the Winny...
My old Lyman Book shows The same basic loads in a Colt SAA (7 1/2") and a 1894 Winny with about a 300fps increase out of the Winny barrel (24").