.45 Colt load w/Bullseye powder

[Wally]

Has anyone developed an accurate load using B'eye powder in the .45 Colt using 250~260 grain cast bullets? I have tried the famous 6.0 grains of Red Dot and it was not good at all. Had been using 7.0 grains of W-231 with ok results in my Ruger Blackhawk.

[runfiverun]

i use 5 grs of regular clays with a 250 gr rnfp it is right in the 14k range.
clays is right close in burn rate to b-eye.
start a bit lower and come back up with the b-eye.
your set-up might benefit from a slower powder,say 7.5 grs of unique. to start.

[HWooldridge]

I use 6.0 to 8.0 gr of WW231 in .44 Special, .45 ACP and .45 Colt. It is a good, clean burning powder for light to medium loads with 200-250 gr pills. 7.0gr with an H&G 68 shoots one hole at 25 yds out of my old model Ruger 45 LC.

[geargnasher]

I don't know about Bullseye, I never liked fast powders in wheelguns due to a vague idea I had about the boolit hitting the forcing cone too fast. Since I have seen 44Man's explanation over and over again I feel a surer of sticking with slower powders, but I have experimented with almost a dozen and found 5.4 grains of Titegroup (I know, NOT a slow powder!) with a 250gr. rnfp hands-down gives superior accuracy in my revolver, I have tried many loads and always come back to this one.

9.5 grains of HS6 works well too, and gives an edge to the velocity in a rifle. I've gone up to 10.5, but 9.5 shoots most accurately and to point of aim.

My 2 cents,

Gear

[Rico1950]

6.0 of Red Dot with Lyman's 454190 sized to .452 has been an accurate load in my RB 5 1/2".

[2ndAmendmentNut]

I have three loads that I feed my Ruger NV. All use Remington brass, CCI 300 primers, a 250gr Lyman 454190 boolit sized to .452, and a C.O.L. of 1.600”. My moderate load at the upper end of what would be considered a “standard” 45 Colt is 8.6gr of Unique. My light target load is 5.8gr of Trail Boss. My favorite load however is a case full of GOEX 3fg Black Powder. All three loads shoot POA and have grouped on a good day at 1 ¾” from 25 yards.

P.S. Unique is a little dirty but shoots very accurately.

[Jim]

Wally,
What's accurate for me might not work for you. Primer choice, bullet choice, barrel length, phase of the moon, height of the corn, etc,.
I use 5 grains of Bullseye under a Lee 452.- 230-TLRN in mostly RP cases with Winchester LP primers. I don't shoot competition, but I can hit a 5 gallon bucket at 100 yds. with my Ruger 4.5" Vaquero.
Most of the time.
If my knees don't hurt.
If I ain't had too much coffee.
If it ain't bad windy.
If I ain't been shootin' that dang Gibbs.

[Wally]

I did some testing with my Ruger .45 Colt and 6.0 Grains of Bullseye using RCBS bullets--the 250 RNF & the 255 Keith..my chrony showed that the loads were more consistent than 6.0 grains of Red Dot...

250 RNF---average velocity was 810 FPS with a 8.88 Std Dev

255 Keith average velocity 800 FPS with a 9.43 Std Dev

Comparing with 6.0 grains of Red Dot and the 250 RNF bullet firing a no. of groups I rec'd spread as for 72 to a whopping 207 FPS..the highest I had ever recorded.

I have yet to get the accuracy that I feel these loads should offer---so far I haev gotten 2.5" groups at 40 feet with rge 250 RNF bullet. A bit more with the Keith. Perhaps teh .45 Colt caliber si not capable of doing better than that...but I will keep trying. Could be one must obtain more velocity to achieve better accuracy.

[Dale53]

I have shot my .45 Colt extensively with both black powder and smokeless.

My SERIOUS black powder load (most performance) in my 5½" Bisley Vaquero is a case full of Swiss 3f behind a Lyman 452664 (30/1 lead/tin) with Emmert's lube. It chronographs nearly 1000 fps and will shoot under 2" at 25 yards. Goex 2f gives considerably less velocity but also substantially less recoil. If you have any Elephant Black Powder, it is considerably less potent than either Goex OR Swiss and Elephant 2f makes for a very pleasant load.

I use an appropriate load of Unique to obtain factory velocities with the same bullet and it will shoot 1½" at 25 yards. My alloy for smokeless in this revolver is WW + 2% tin and I size .452". My lube is Lars White Label Carnauba Red.

Dale53

[Wally]

Dale53 Have you found that Unque is a better powder than Red Dot or Bullseye in the .45 Colt?

[R.C. Hatter]

:violin: While Bullseye has its applications, light charges in a case as cavernous as the .45 Long Colt is at best, a make-do practice. With 250 gr. boolits such as #454190 or #454424, Unique is a much better choice, being slower and somewhat bulkier. Try 8.0-8.5 grs. Unique which will about duplicate factory or black powder ballistics.

[Dale53]

Red Dot or Bullseye will work well in the .45 Colt as well as the .44 Special, .38 Special, .357 Magnum and .44 magnum.

However, I prefer the greater bulk of Unique in the larger cases. I like to SEE the powder when loading on my 550B's to minimize the chance of a double charge (easy to do with RD and Bullseye).

I won't try to argue or convince anyone of my choice here but there are sometimes other considerations other than the "first line choices" (Accuracy is always paramount to me, next is the particular performance level (whether I am interested in a light target load or a heavy hunting load or something in between). Cost always rears it's ugly head but I do NOT let than CONTROL my choice - it IS a consideration but should NOT control your choice. As a for instance, Unique costs about the same as Bullseye and Red Dot. However, you use more. That is a trade off that I welcome to get more bulk in the case and Unique when loaded for Medium loads is in the "sweet spot" of it's burning rate. Whereas, Bullseye is at the upper end of its range and while I do not consider that dangerous, it is something to think about.

When you talk a MEDIUM load in the larger cases you can hardly do better than Unique. It was that way 75 years ago and is still that way now.

I consider a medium load in these large cases to be slightly over factory issue in the .44 Special and .45 Colt. In the .44 Special, Skeeter's load of 7.5 is just about THE load for me when woods rambling. In the .45 Colt, depending on the platform (whether an old revolver or a modern one) I just use a comparable load of Unique which would be 9.0 grs of Unique. It is safe to use in a Colt SAA or a Clone as well as the Ruger New Vaquero (and of course, is OK in the stronger Ruger Vaquero and Black Hawk).

John Taffin calls these "Utility loads", meaning a VERY good general use load for woods rambling. The velocity will be 900-1000 fps with a Keith 255 gr in the .45 Colt and a 240-250 gr in the .44 Special.

On the other hand, if you are loading to target levels, then Bullseye and Red Dot may be a better choice, even if it DOES take up less room in the case. Both will burn better for light charges. However, 231 works well in target loads but bulks up a bit better (it takes slightly more for the same velocity than Red Dot or Bullseye). So, If I were going to buy target powder today, it would be 231 rather than Bullseye or Red Dot. It I had Bullseye or Red Dot (I do) then I would use it (I am). But-t-t, for Medium loads it is still Unique for me.

Dale53

[9.3X62AL]

I don't think I've ever tried Bullseye in the 45 Colt. WW-231 did all right with the 200 grainers after I opened up the BisHawk's throats to .453" from .449", but Unique was/is so much better that it has become my "standard" for 1873-level loads in 45 Colt. Same story in the Uberti PastaColt repro that preceded the Hawk. I believe my buddy's converted Model 28 Smiff re-done to 45 Colt with truck axle barrel and Aristocrat rib for PPC stuff does its target work with WW-231 and 225 grain wadcutters.

Too many shooters report too much good work by the Unique combination to ignore their recommendations.

[Dale53]

Too many shooters report too much good work by the Unique combination to ignore their recommendations.

Well said, Uncle Al!

Dale53

[Tom W.]

I've done it and was pretty well pleased with the accuracy and the mild recoil. I wasn't trying to make a hunting load, just a plinking load. Look in the Alliant pamphlet that is given away at the local gunshop...

[mroliver77]

I have used Bulls Eye in about every caliber I shoot. I like shooting "wimp"loads at times and B.E. lites easy and performs well in most every case. If I remember correctly B.E. was the first smokeless powder used in the .45 Colt. Actually a rather "warm" load. I picked up an 8# of Tite WAD powder for a good price and have been using it in place of BE.It lites and burns well but is very flaky and does not meter that well. The Lee auto disk does a good job with it so it has been my standard 45 Colt powder this last 6 months.
Jay

[TonyT]

I have switched to Trail Boss and American Select for all my cast bullet loads in straight walled pistol cases. The American Select burns a bit cleaner than Trail Boss but the Trail Boss loads appear to have less perceived recoil for the same velocity.

[TAWILDCATT]

I use 9.5 of unique in my ruger 7.5 barrel.trail boss looks like a good powder for milder loads,have not tried it yet but have can of it to try.seems bullsey has not enuf bulk.some one checked trailboss and seems its a remake of the old dupont bulk shotgun.

[Wally]

WILDCATT
Using the 9.5 grains of Unique load mentioned what kind of groups are you getting? Using a rest I obtained a 1.375" group at 40' using 6.0 grains of Bulleye with the RCBS 250 Grain RNF bullet. However at 50 yards I could not consistently hit a 12" diameter steel plate.

[opentop]

Red Dot or Bullseye will work well in the .45 Colt as well as the .44 Special, .38 Special, .357 Magnum and .44 magnum.

5.0 Gr's of Red Dot work well for me in 45 colt and the 452664 for a light practice and indoor range load.

[LAH]

Has anyone developed an accurate load using B'eye powder in the .45 Colt using 250~260 grain cast bullets? I have tried the famous 6.0 grains of Red Dot and it was not good at all. Had been using 7.0 grains of W-231 with ok results in my Ruger Blackhawk.

I load the same as Mr. Keith, 6 grains with a 250/260 cast. This load has always worked for me.


Dry Creek Bullet Works
Dry Creek Firewood

[BIG GUN]

6G of RD shoots fine for me out to 100yds in my Rugers & Uberti dups. I also find that 10G of Unq. @ 1050fps is a great load in Rugers using the Keith 255G.

[Wally]

I made up a bunch of test loads---using 8.0 grains of Unique with a poly-filler---then using the RCBS 250 RNF & 255 Kieth cast bullets sized to .452". Also wil try a Lee 230 TC-TL bullet with 9.0 grains of Unique with a poly-filler, sized to .452". I will chronograph and do some test groups to see how they compare. Hopefully these loads will provide the accuracy that I feel my Ruger Blackhawk should be delivering.

[RMulhern]

Use 35 grs. Goex 3F blackpowder!! Beats the krap outa smokeless!!

[LAH]

Use 35 grs. Goex 3F blackpowder!! Beats the krap outa smokeless!!

Spoken like a true castboolits member

[Dale53]

Well, I must admit I have shot a bushel basket of black powder through my Ruger Bisley Vaquero with excellent results. The .45 Colt was made for black powder and it can be a powerful round. I shoot the Lyman 452664 bullet (250 grs) ahead of a case full of Swiss 3f - it will give you over 900 fps in a long barrel (close to 1000 fps in a 7½" barrel). That will do fine for woods range deer with a nice, soft (30/1 lead/tin) bullet. Stepping down in power, if you have any Elephant 2F still around (it is no longer available) you have a pleasant load of about 750 fps. Goex is in between - 2f for somewhat less velocity and recoil and 3f for maximum velocity (and recoil).

It does take about ten minutes for clean up (I use a good, home mix, black powder solvent, dry, then finish off with Ed's Red). I generally do my clean up at the range, so that when I get home I am finished and don't have a chore facing me...

As with any black powder gun, it is advisable to go over it again with Ed's Red a few days later (just simply run a wet patch throught the cylinder throats and barrel. Wipe off the exterior and you are "good to go".

FWIW
Dale53

[jar head]

new to the pistol world of reloading looking for help . have a pietta 44 blk powder 8 on barrel with R&D taylor and co. conversion cycl. have bought 200 gr lrnfp star line brass cci lp primers is 6.0 gr of bullseye powder a safe starting load

[geargnasher]

My understanding is conversion cylinders are safe with STANDARD pressure smokeless powder loads, you should check with the manufacturer of the cylinder. While you're reading up on that, reference some standard pressure starting loads or "Cowboy Action" loads for BE in your loading manual and compare starting loads to those listed on Alliant's website. BTW welcome to CB and congrats for using the search feature to retrieve a 6 year old thread!

Gear

[therealhitman]

I loaded .45 Colt with BE and 250 RFN as a heavy load for quite a while after switching from BE to WST in .45acp (I like to use the same powders for multiple calibers where reasonable) but then moved to 700x and a lighter 200 SWC for some very accurate target loads. Makes shooting steel challenge with a single action a bit more fun. Not much faster Or more competitive) but lots o' fun!

[Outpost75]

Bullseye was used to assemble factory smokeless loads in .45 Colt for about 100 years.

A charge of 6.5 grains with the Saeco #955, 255-grain flat-nosed Cowboy bullet, cast 1:30 tin-lead, approximates the vel;ocity of factory load, shoots to the fixed sights of my Colt New Service M1909 and is accurate. The group shown shot off sandbags at 100 yards using then 65-year old eyeballs.

157167

[LAH]

The group shown shot off sandbags at 100 yards using then 65-year old eyeballs.

Your eyes were born the same year as mine.

[Outpost75]

Your eyes were born the same year as mine.

Actually that group was shot a few years ago, I am 67 now. 8-)

[JeffG]

I've shot probably 1500-1700 rounds of 45 Colt using 452-255-RF and either 6.3 or 6.5 gr of Bullseye. It has worked just fine for me. I've started using BE-86 instead as of late.

[Outpost75]

I've shot probably 1500-1700 rounds of 45 Colt using 452-255-RF and either 6.3 or 6.5 gr of Bullseye. It has worked just fine for me. I've started using BE-86 instead as of late.

How much BE-86 are you using in the .45 Colt, with which bullet? Have you chronographed or shot groups?

Inquiring minds would like to know, please!

[JeffG]

How much BE-86 are you using in the .45 Colt, with which bullet? Have you chronographed or shot groups?

Inquiring minds would like to know, please!

Here you go, I had posted this on another thread. I actually shot 50 of these yesterday but did the workup and chrony back in the summer.

Ruger New Vaquero 45 Colt, SS, 5.5 inch barrel
Starline Brass, Load 5
Federal LP Primer
Lee 452-255-RF, 258 gr, PB + 3% Tin
OAL 1.625, Roll crimp, not in crimp groove
85-90 degrees in sunny NC
Alliant BE-86 7.5 grain
Lube was White Label 50/50


HI = 860
LO = 809.1
AV = 838.3
ES = 50.94
SD = 13.78


1 = 836.7
2 = 836
3 = 844.4
4 = 841.9
5 = 859.3
6 = 830.3
7 = 825.7
8 = 833.3
9 = 809.1
10 = 840.9
11 = 841.7
12 = 860

[Outpost75]

Gee, looks like Unique substitute which will run through a Dillon!

[Char-Gar]

Sure, BE works well in the 45 Colt and was so loaded but factories for generations. In vintage handguns start with 6 grains and stop at 6.2. For Rugers and modern handguns 6.5 grains is a good load. These are loads for the nominal 260 grain lead bullets.

I keep a Lyman 55 measure set at 6.2 / BE for 45 colt loads.

[jonp]

In my 45lc BH i found promo to work better under a 200-230gr boolit than the heavier stuff. It will work fine for target plinking, though

[Larry Gibson]

I use 7.3 gr of Bullseye under a 195 - 205 gr cast bullet (mostly the Lee 452-200-RF or the 452-190-SWC) in the 45 Colt. I shoot those out of my 2 Uberti SAAs and M1873 Uberti Winchester. I also shot a lot of them out of a M92 Rossi rifle and several M92 and M94 carbines. The load runs right at 950 fps out of the revolvers and 1150 - 1200 fps out of the carbine/rifles. The PSI as measured in a Contender barrel with an Oehler M43 was right at the SAAMI MAP of 14,000 psi for the 45 Colt cartridge.

Larry Gibson

[1bluehorse]

Many years ago I shot multitudes of 230gr. cast out of several different 45 colts using BE powder. I do not remember the charge weight, seems like it was 6.5gr., but like I said years ago. They were pleasant to shoot and more than acceptable accuracy. You'll have to look long and hard for a 45 colt BE load anymore. And all you fella's that love Unique, just keep buying it cause' it keeps the availability and cost of Herco within reach. :bigsmyl2:.....same goes for 2400 (which I will admit is a good choice) but I'll stick with H4227 for the colt. I do like 2400 in the 44mag though.....:Fire:.............as always, YMMV...

[Jupiter7]

Bullseye was used to assemble factory smokeless loads in .45 Colt for about 100 years.

A charge of 6.5 grains with the Saeco #955, 255-grain flat-nosed Cowboy bullet, cast 1:30 tin-lead, approximates the vel;ocity of factory load, shoots to the fixed sights of my Colt New Service M1909 and is accurate. The group shown shot off sandbags at 100 yards using then 65-year old eyeballs.

157167

Old Ideal 454424 6.5grns BE, my favorite load in the colt. This at 50yds from 4 5/8" NM Blackhawk rested on range bag
http://images.tapatalk-cdn.com/16/01/06/ab68f7966cd8f649a41641b9059a5a62.jpg
Yes, the trigger and guard just so happened to make a smiley face with the print in the paper target, fitting I think