Loading some 45 Colt without flat points

[GuyKickinit]

Ever have one of those moments when you realize none of your books or online sources have a recipe?
So, I got some 230gr .452 lubed bullets and proceeded to load up some 45 Colt. Checking and cross checking data I find no data for a 230gr LRN. All the data is for LRNFP. So I say, did they really only use flat point in the old west? They didn't have rifles for this cartridge. So i'm thinkin' I'll just load for SA revolver.
Then I get this bright idea to look up 230gr LRN for 45acp. Ahhh. So I guess I have almost 1k cast bullets for my 1911.
Now the question is; Since I loaded up some 45 Colt with these using 5.6 gr of Trail Boss.
Should I send em'?
I only seated 5 before I decided to investigate further.

[Wheelguns 1961]

Do you have any unique? Try 8.0gns. Trail boss 5.4-6.8 230gn from lyman cast bullet manual #4

[Texas by God]

I used to load 230gr LRN in my 45 LC revolvers all the time. Just use data for the closest heavier bullet. It doesn’t matter what the bullet nose shape is if the weight is the same.

[Martin Luber]

Any load for 255 will be safe for a 230, your problem may be OAL. Unless seated on the ogive, the tip won't clear the revolver throat.

[Hickok]

Shoot them. What you have is about the equal of a .45 Scofield load.

The military issued just such a load for the Colt SAA and the S&W Scofield, so the ammo could be used in both revolvers. I believe the ammo was loaded in the shorter .45 Scofield case.

[Good Cheer]

Ran into the same thing with wadcutters seated flush with the case mouth in 45Colt.
Started off low with Unique, charges based upon the height of the remaining powder space and lots and lots of measurements and research in loading manuals.
Made a cracker jack accurate double action load for a 1909.:p

[fredj338]

Only diff in LRN & LRNFP is the OAL of the loaded round. If there is a crimp groove, that is your OAL. If there us no crimp groove, probably shouldn't load them in a revolver but if you do, OAL just isn't that big a deal in revolver rds unless loading full WC.

[megasupermagnum]

Is it even possible to overload 45 colt, or any cartridge, with Trail Boss? As long as you aren't compressing the powder, you are good to go.

[Froogal]

I load 200 grain LRNFP over 8.5 grains of Unique. I have also experimented with 228 grain LRN over the same 8.5 grains of Unique. My Uberti Cattleman, as well as my Cimarron likes both of those loads.

[mdi]

When I first got my 45 Colt SAA clone, I didn't have a mold specifically for the 45 Colt, but I did have .723 tons of 45 ACP bullets, so my first loads were with Lyman 225 RN bullets , loaded over some Trailboss. Worked pretty good...

[Outpost75]

My experience with standard-pressure loads in the .45 Colt is that Unique doesn't burn completely or give acceptible ballistic uniformity with bullets lighter than 250 grains, or with charges developing less than black powder loads. Bullseye, TiteGroup, Red Dot, 700X, 231, WST, HP38, 452AA are all better choices which ignite easily, burn completely and give uniform velocities even with lighter 200-230-grain bullets and with reduced loads down around 800 fps.

Factory velocity in loads assembled with 250-260-grain bullets similar to #454190 are closely approximated with 6.5 grains of Bullseye, TiteGroup, Red Dot or 700X, or with 7 grains of WST, 231, HP38, 452AA.

And with 250-grain bullets 8.0 grains of Unique or Universal or 9 grains of Herco.

Bullseye was used for assembling full-charge factory loads in the .45 Colt for over 100 years. In The Colt New Service, smokeless frame Colt SAAs or modern clones 7 grains of Bullseye with #454424 will achieve all that is ever needed of a handgun.

[jonp]

I load 200 grain LRNFP over 8.5 grains of Unique. I have also experimented with 228 grain LRN over the same 8.5 grains of Unique. My Uberti Cattleman, as well as my Cimarron likes both of those loads.

I run that boolit over Promo in my Blackhawks quite often for target loads in my 45LC. In fact, it's my plinking boolit.

[45-70 Chevroner]

I shot a ton of Lee 230 gr. 2R TL boolits in the Cowboy shoots back a few years ago. My load was 6 gr. Bullseye. These bullets were shot in Ruger Vacareos and my Rossi 92 lever gun. The only problem I had was the case's would get powder smudges down one side. I think the load was a little lite, I tried 6.5 but that didn't help so I just stayed with the 6.0. They were quite accurate out to 40 yards which was the longest shot of the shoot.

[kaiser]

I've been using 6.2gr of Trail Boss with 230gr Lee cast in a couple of converted BP pistol in .45 Colt with great success! (one pistol is a 1958 Pietti Sheriff model and the other a Ruger Old Army.) I've also tried this bullet in Schofield cases, but have not gotten as good of accuracy as the Colt case; perhaps a different powder recipe is in order. The round nose of the 230gr Lee also feeds smoothly in the 1873 rifle with passable accuracy, and makes for a cheap plinking round. (My 1873 rifle will not feed the Schofield round from the tube; too short!)