Rifle load for .45 Colt?

[ace1001]

Has anyone worked up a load using rifle powder for rifles in .45 Colt? 250 gr. for a 92. Maybe hotter than pistols. Ace

[runfiverun]

45 colt loads are 45 colt loads.
h-110 is as about as fast as you are gonna get.
i like the 2400 myself with cast.
but a case full of rifle powder in the 44 mag was done by imr a few years ago the loads were kinda funny as they were low in velocity and pressure too..
a 45 colt at 1500 with 2400 and 250 gr boolits matches the 38-55.
a case full of 4831 would work if thats all you got.

[Potsy]

My 2 favorite loads for my Bisley are 9.0 grn. H-Universal and 21 grn 2400 under a 454424, Starline Brass, CCI 300 Primer.
Out of a Mod. 94 Trapper (16.5" Barrel, IIRC) Universal gave right around 1200, 2400 gave a little over 1500.
Both are safe loads in a Ruger but I'd make sure I had the 2400 load labeled in a big way if I had an old colt or smith or import .45 laying around.
H-110 (Win. 296) will give more speed if that's what you're after.

[ace1001]

I was looking for a slower rifle powder that would make best use of the 24 inch barrel. I'm shooting cowboy lever to 200 meters. Ace

[McLintock]

You might try IMR or H4227, it works pretty good in large capacity pistol cases, or possibly 5744. but, H110 loads ought to do it. I've shot out to 180 yards pretty accurately with my '92 with 6 grs of Titegroup for a fuel; it will depend a lot on what your gun ends up likeing.
McLintock

[Doughty]

You might consider Reloader 7 and/or AA1680. Winchester 680 if you can find any.

[HWooldridge]

I use 19.0 gr of Blue Dot with a 260 gr pill. I don't have a chrony but it's whipping along at a good clip - hogs and deer are in danger out to 100 yds or so.

[Dale53]

I was looking for a slower rifle powder that would make best use of the 24 inch barrel. I'm shooting cowboy lever to 200 meters. Ace

This would seem to be logical (slower powders for a longer barrel). However, the case size is what determines what powder you can successfully use (always keeping the platform pressure limitations in mind). That is why, in strong guns in .45 Colt, 2400 or H110 level powders give maximum power, regardless of barrel length.

Dale53

[runfiverun]

19 grs of 2400 and the 452664 will knock down the rams at 200 meters with authority.

[NickSS]

I loaded some 45 colt loads in cut down 454 casul brass with a 250 gr RNF bullet and 30 gr of AA1680. I never cronoed them but they were stout and blew a hole clean through a black tail buck and dropped a 250 pound wild boar in its tracks. Is that what you had in mind? They were fired in my Puma 92 20 inch carbine and the load appeared to be safe with no pressure signs. Use this data at your own risk.

[Potsy]

Another consideration is bullets weight.
250's will do well with H-110, but slower powders will probably do better with heavier bullets
(300 grains +). Of course, H-110 does well with those also.
A while back, I was reading somewhere (Paco Kelly's site?) where they were experimenting with 350's and very slow powders (RL-7, IIRC) in leverguns. Basically treating a .45 colt like a .45-70. Don't remember the specifics but you might look around for info on that.

[Don McDowell]

4198 is about as slow of a powder that I've ever got to work very well in the 45. I've even tried 4064, while the velocity wasn't bad , it wasn't anything to get worked up over either, and that load did put unburnt powder kernels thru the cover of the lcd on my chrony at 15 ft.
Sticking with the +P handgun loads is you're best bet, as the rifle will generally turn in about 300 fps more than the same load in a handgun when using powders from 2400 and slower. The gain with powders faster than 2400 only runs 100-200 fps more.

[ace1001]

I have tried some very slow powders in the past that would not burn cleanly due to not enough pressure. I fear that pistol powders create an unwanted pressure spike. I have been using AA9 in my magnum pistol loads. Wanted something with smoother acceleration and maybe more uniform burning rate. Looks like I'm going to hav to buy some powder. Thanks for the starting points. Ace

[Don McDowell]

You might just want to go with some 4198. 25 grs with a 250 is a pretty decent load, not the fastest by anymeans but usually speedy enough and more than plenty accurate.

[ace1001]

I was thinking of IMR 3031 with a 290 gr bullet. I've got that right here. Any idea of a starting point? Ace

[Don McDowell]

I think you'll find 3031 to be to low.
You can find one of the old IMR load data sheets , and extrapolate the 44 magnum data, for some idea of what to try, but doing so is at your own risk.

[Potsy]

I'd start about 20 grains of H-110 under that 290 (you can go higher, but you don't say what style of bullet your shooting)and start flinging them over the chronograph.
I'm sorta guessing here but out of a 24" barrel I'd quit adding powder around 1650fps.
Another thing to consider is recoil. An afternoon of flinging top end loads out of a levergun with typical stock dimensions and buttplate could be a worth a little more holdover.

[Rocky Raab]

Ace, as was pointed out above, your basic premise is a fallacy, a myth and a miscalculation, In addition to that, it's just plain wrong.

Any good handgun load will give you more velocity from a carbine barrel - and it's not because the powder is still burning way out there, but simply because the gasses created have a longer push.

I've shot some, and 21 or 22 grains of 4227 (either one) behind a 255 to 270-gr cast slug is all you'll ever want or need from a 45 Colt carbine. Magnum primer and a firm crimp are needed.

[HEAD0001]

I load 19.5 grains of 2400 with a RCBS Keith style cast bullet, with a heavy crimp. For my Browning Low Wall. Tom.

[sagacious]

I agree with the others above about slow rifle powders being unsuitable for 45colt carbine loads. I have tried this, and the powder burn was incomplete and inconsistent, and velocity was mild. I cannot reccommend that as a useful practice.

I do shoot a lot of heavy 45colt loads from my Marlin 1894. I like to load the LEE 452-300-RF cast from ac ww's over 21grs of WW296. That load gives me an average of 1647fps at 10' from the muzzle, and is very accurate. That's a fair bit of power and a big bullet.

This is not a max load, certainly not in my gun, but in my case I cannot see any benefit in loading higher. Recoil is fairly stout but not too bad-- although if you're not accustomed to it in a light carbine, the recoil level may be a factor for consideration.

And I agree with Rocky about a 45colt handgun load achieving more velocity in a carbine barrel. That same recipe above does 1342fps avg from my 7.5" Super Blackhawk. The carbine barrel takes it up a significant notch, and in my testing this has consistently held true, even with lighter bullets and faster powder.

Hope this helps. Load carefully and stay safe.

[crgaston]

Haven't tried it yet, but I hear Lil'gun is fantastic for carbine loads. Also check out this...

http://www.leverguns.com/articles/paco/45coltlevergun.htm

Down near the bottom he lists some loads.

[w30wcf]

Haven't tried it yet, but I hear Lil'gun is fantastic for carbine loads. Also check out this...

http://www.leverguns.com/articles/paco/45coltlevergun.htm

Down near the bottom he lists some loads.

That is a very good reference on the subject. Paco Kelly certainly knows what he is talking about.

One thing though, I could get nowhere near his velocities with Rel 7. A capacity load of 30 grs. under a 265 gr. bullet turned up 1,465 f.p.s. in my Marlin's 24" barrel. I couldn't get any more powder in than that and I was using magnum pistol primers.:!:
"There is a whole world of surprises waiting the reloader using the rifle powder ReL#7 in the 45 long Colt case for rifles. (Rifle powder not #7 pistol powder) With the 260 Keith I start with 25 grains and work up. I want anybody that wants to try it...to work up slowly so I’m not giving the top load..but the top velocity from the Winchester is 1800 to top end 2000 fps. And in the Browning 1892 action it will reach nearly 2200 fps or more and a SK of 82. Go slow with mag/pistol primers, and ReL#7 and because of it’s slow burn rate, it gives great velocities. H4227 is the other really good powder, but obviously not as slow as ReL#7.'

w30wcf

[Catshooter]

Unless you're insensitive to recoil, that will probably be your limiter.

A 260 grain Keith over 20 grains of 2400 out of my Trapper runs just under 1600 fps. I've shot a couple of levergun silhouette matches and after 40 rounds you know you been shooting. The rams go down just fine, if you can hit 'em that is. :) This load drops about 10 inches at 200 when sighted 3 inches high at 50.

Good luck.


Cat

[Charlie Sometimes]

I've got a Navy Arms 1892 in 45 Colt. I've used 200 gr. boolits for CAS, and a Lee 452-255-RF for heavier loads in competition. It shoots good with both. I've also got a Lee C452-300-RF (wide meplat!) that I like for hunting- love it!

I usually use TiteGroup in CAS-type loads and notice considerable performance increases from handgun to rifle- maybe 300-400 fps increases. You can hear, and see the difference on target impact.
I think I will try Lil' Gun behind some of those 300's and see how it does. Hodgdon only shows around 1200 max in Ruger 7.5" pistols @ 29k to 30k CUP.

Anybody tried this in their '92?

[missionary5155]

Good evening
I have not had my Rossi but 6 weeks now and I have settled on 18 grains 2400 for just plain whatever and 19 grains as my heavy duty load. Both are topped with a Lee 260 grain flat nose plain base. Straight WW proved best for accuracy BUT if I was to want to bust a white tail I would use the 18 grain load with a 50/50 mix. It smacks steel plate with AUTHORITY at 100 yds !
I think if I needed more power I will get the 45-70 1886 out... no need to hot rod a 45 Colt with bigger rifles still about. BUT if all I had was my ROSSI I cannot think of anything on this east side of the 48 that it will not flatten.... and there is always 9 more follow ups if needed but the last I knew there just were no elk or buff herds about this AO of Illinois.