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Trying to get started in reloading and casting boolits for my .45 Colt.
My Lee press kit came with a loading manual and my dad gave me his preferred load for plinking (6 grains of Trail Boss behind a 250gr boolit using large pistol magnum primers).
Looking for some hotter loads using my only mold (300gr .452 Lee) or the Hornady XTP hollowpoint.
What handgun or rifle do you have, it makes a big difference with regards to what loads you use.
http://www.hodgdonreloading.com/
Ruger Blackhawk Bisley
Lee load manual is data they collected from other sources. It's okay, but you can go right to the powder mfgr's reloading data on their site and find load data.
Your RBH should have a 2 digit prefix in the serial number, this would mean it is a large frame Ruger and is capable of the Ruger Only loads you will see mentioned in loading data throughout the various load manuals and also throughout the web. It has a 30,000psi pressure ceiling, safe up to that pressure so you would want to keep that in mind when choosing loads.
With the .45 Colt in the Ruger single action, it goes like this. The heavier the boolit, the slower burning the powder you need. Lighter boolits and less than max loads can be enjoyed with powders like Unique, TiteGroup, HS-6, Green Dot, Bullseye, 231, 700x, and plenty of other faster burning powders.
250gr and heavier loaded to maximum loads, you would want to use powder like H110/W296 (the same exact powder btw, made in the same plant and sold to two different vendors, the only difference is the label on the jar), 2400, LilGun, AA#9 and other slow burning magnum or shotshell powder.
Look on Hodgdon's site for load data for their powder, Alliant's site for load data for their powder, you will find what you need.
Also, do *not* download H110/W296 below published minimum starting weights.
It's best not to load Unique above 10.0gr even though you will find load data listing 10.0gr and more, Unique burns too fast to achieve magnum velocities before it exceeds your revolver's safe pressure ceiling.
With the above in mind, good luck with your RBH and the grand dame of metallic cartridges, the .45 Colt.
Also check your cylinder throats, if you can't slide a .452" boolit into the throats from the front, they may need to be reamed and honed to .4525" for best results with cast boolits. Very common for Ruger throats to be .450" ~ .451" in size and usually uneven at that.
Throats are .4515; checked them yesterday. The pistol does not particularly like factory loads. Got 2.5" groups at 25yds with the off the shelf HPC and Ultramax 250gr stuff. Loved my dad's reloads with .4525 250gr boolits and 6grs of Trail Boss...
I have a can of Lil' Gun and Trail Boss on the shelf.
These are what my dad gave me that he had left over. They are labeled as being .455 but actually measure out at .4525...
Attachment 177398
That'll work. Check out the Hodgdon website for loads.Quote:
Lil' Gun
I use LilGun to get into the 75% ~ 90% powerband of the Ruger in .45 Colt since H110 cannot be downloaded safely and LilGun works really well for exactly that purpose. If you want to push for max loads under your 300gr, hunt up some H110, standard WLP primers are perfect, and crimp in the lower crimp groove. I think 23.5gr H110 is max for this load, I had good accuracy with 22.0gr.
Currently I am using 20.5gr LilGun under the 300 for 1100fps from a 4 5/8" barrel and I'm happy with it cutting cloverleafs at 20yds from a rest.
If you are shooting an alloy soft enough you can scratch it with a thumbnail, your semi-tight throats aren't an issue. The harder the alloy, the more resistance it takes to swage a boolit through them, and the greater pressure rise because of it. I would not push for max loads with H110 unless you get the cylinder done. Prolly will never be an issue if you do, but I know my point of impact dropped 4" in 20yds when I reamed the throats in my Vaquero to .4525" so that to me is proof that there is significant differences in pressures when the alloy is hard and throats are swaging the boolits down upon firing.
I was hoping to find a load that stayed in the 1100-1200fps range, so that would be perfect with my 5.5" barrel. Went to my LGS today and no magnum large pistol primers, but plenty of the regular large pistol primers. Would those be OK with that load?Quote:
Originally Posted by DougGuy
Should be just fine. What brand? I use WLP's for all my large pistol primer needs.Quote:
Went to my LGS today and no magnum large pistol primers, but plenty of the regular large pistol primers. Would those be OK with that load?
Use WLP they are between standard and magnum and work well for any pistol round both revolver and autoloader.Quote:
Originally Posted by Idaho45guy
300 grain JHP or Hornady XTP
Bullseye 5.0 gr. 605 FPS
Unique 6.8 gr. 690
Universal 7.3 gr. 700
HS6 10.5 gr. 712
HS7 12.0 gr. 771
231 6.0 gr. 640
2400 12.5 gr. 735
ZIP 4.7 gr. 652 start
ZIP 5.5 gr. 767 Max
True Blue 6.4 gr. 689 start
True Blue 7.5 gr. 811 max
==========-[only RUGER and T/C below]=========
H4227* 19.0 gr. 1,051
H110* 21.8 gr. 1,191 start
H110* 22.1 gr. 1,192 max
Lil'Gun* 18.0 gr. 1,140 start
Lil'Gun* 20.0 gr. 1,198 max
Unique* 10.0 gr.* 970*
2400* 16.0 gr.* 1,150*
IMR 4227* 18.0 gr.* 1,150*
AA No.7* 13.0 gr.* 788*
AA No.9* 15.2 gr.* 1,100*
* ONLY for Ruger and T/C guns. CAUTION!!
MAXIMUM+ Use at YOUR OWN RISK
-----------------------------------------
310 grain Lead RNFP (Ruger and T/C Only)
Lil'Gun 19.5 gr. 1,155 near max
H110/W296 24.5 gr. 1,195 max
What's WLP? Winchester Large Pistol? Never seen those around here, just CCI and Federal due to them being just down the road in Lewiston...
Good stuff; was eying that RCBS mold the other day...Quote:
Originally Posted by 5.7 MAN
Our LGS's have plenty of Magnum pistol primers but no standard pistol primers. I'm in the area of the People Socialist Utopian Society of Seattle and planning to come to Boise this weekend. If you want we could try to meet for an exchange of a brick of primers.
Throats are too small. What is groove size? A full size .45 can take good loads. My old vaquero with the LBT 335 gr or the Lyman 320 takes 21.5 gr of 296.Quote:
Originally Posted by Idaho45guy
Have Doug fix the throats.
Be careful with Lil'Gun, can overheat your gun.
I use a Fed 150 with mine, no need for a mag primer but the WLP works too.
I NEVER use a mag primer in the .44 mag and the .45 Colt is in a transition point where a WLP can work. Not yet a full mag primer.
I don't have loads for the 300 gr but I think 21.5 gr of 296 will work, NEVER download it or H110. Same powders but long ago a burn rate went to Hodgdon and another to WW, others went to ammo makers with test equipment. There WAS a difference. I can't prove it today since I never buy H110. If you think the Colt can't shoot, here is my Vaquero at 50 yards, Creedmore.Attachment 177528 I have done 3/4" at 75 yards with both boolits.
Another point to make. Heavy bullets will not shoot slow. My heavies are 1160 fps so don't expect 700 fps to be better then a shotgun. Sorry those Bulls Eye loads and all the slow loads will NOT work.
You are into 296 ranges.
Even a .44 mag will not shoot heavy slow at 50 yards.Attachment 177622 Spray and pray. Get it right for twist and see what you get at 200 yards. Attachment 177623 Why does anyone ignore twist?