45 colt powder choices

[bigboredad]

one thing I really like about the .45 colt is that there are so many powders available that work. Some better than others but in times like what is going on today if you can't find a powder that will work good for you in the old .45 you aren't looking hard enough. They may not be what all the cool kids are shooting and recommending but you would be surprised what will work well

[outdoorfan]

I like Unique and Red Dot, myself, behind a 285 grain RCBS 45-270-SAA. 8.5 grains of Unique for 900 fps or 5.2 grains Red Dot for 650 fps. Both are plenty accurate for me out of a 4 5/8 barreled Blackhawk. The 650 fps Red Dot load is accurate to at least 50 yards, fairly quiet, and still penetrates 10 1-gallon jugs of water in a straight line.

[RobS]

one thing I really like about the .45 colt is that there are so many powders available that work.

Definitely

[Doc.Holliday]

With all the panic buying of powders and primers I've picked up a pound of 800X for my 45 colt chambered guns.
I have read good things about this powder in this caliber from Ken Waters; and a "Real Guns" article on the 45 colt.
It looks as Mr. Waters had his second best accuracy load with this powder and a 255 gr boolit. This weekend will be one of load development ; but it looks as if by extrapolation with this powder I will be over the magic 75% case fill; which old timers told me led for more accurate loads??
I weigh my loads, so the metering issues I have heard with this powder will not be an issue.

Respectfully

Doc

[donhuff]

Doc,
How did it go with the 800x in your 45 rossi? I bought 8 pounds of that powder last saturday at a gun show, partly cause that was all he had in a big quantity. And also because I cant find hardly ANY powder lately, and I'm down to a 1/2 pound of unique (which is my favorite) and the 800 is just a couple of notches slower than uniq. I also use the 800x in 10mm where it is "THE" powder for top performance, so they say. It does do well in the 10 and I have shot a few rounds loaded with it in my 44 rossi 92 @ 11.0 grains and a lyman 429421 swc. I also tried 13.0 grains and the same boolit, and that was a strong load. No real pressure signs, but my shoulder could tell it was strong. Could have been that I had already shot the gun maybe 225-250 times that day. I'm wondering about your experience cause about 4 hours ago, I bought a 20" 92 in 45 colt. I have 3-400 rounds of 45 loaded up and ready for my blackhawk using 9.0 unique, but when they are gone (probably in the next couple of days!) I'll have to move to the 800X. According to my old Lyman manual, 10.8 gets around 1100+. And like they told you... I have got to get a chrono. I use to have one, but i let it get rained on one day and it quit.

[helice]

From all I have been able to see finding any powder is a good thing.

[Ziptar]

After much experimenting and trying different loads, powders, and bullets I reached a conclusion.

The only load I really enjoy and would ever need for. 45 Colt is 9 grains of Unique under a 270-SAA. Mine drop at ~295 grains. Its all I need for everything from plinking to hunting with rifle or hand gun.

Yes it might be boring and mundane but it is also simple, consistant, and a pleasure to shoot. Its the sweet spot for me.

Sometimes I'll go 10 grains if am feeling squirrely but not too often. I also do load some 350 grain WFNs over 21 grains of H110 but, I pretty much save those for when elephants invade the back yard.

[robertbank]

8 Gr of 800X under a 260Gr LSWC Mountain Mold shot from a Beretta 4.75" SAA gave me an avg vel of 790 fps with a Standard Deviation of 7 and an Ext. Spread of 35 fps. Loads was accurate. This load should work equally well in a carbine.

[jmort]

"The only load I really enjoy and would ever need for. 45 Colt is 9 grains of Unique under a 270-SAA. Mine drop at ~295 grains."

Thank is so true. KISS. That simple combination will do just about anything a gun can do. Will shoot through just about any critter on a broadside. That is a great bullet and I am a Unique Fan-boy.

[40-82]

I've learned not to assume that a load picked out of a loading manuel at random will be accurate in the 45 Colt. It's much touchier than say the .38 special or the 44 special, but with the right load it's as accurate as anything. Right now I'm using 6.0 grains of titegroup or 6.0 grains of HP-38 behind a 255 Lyman or 260 grain RCBS. 7.0 grains of bullseye works pretty well too, but is about as hot as I would want to go in some of the older guns I use. These loads for me at least are accurate in a number of different guns.

[opos]

I load a lot of Trail Boss and Unique in 45Colt. I've used 231 as well. I'm older and my eyesight is not the best...I load single stage and weigh all my charges and am super cautious about over and under charging. Trail Boss makes things pretty simple as it's a real "fluffy" powder...I load it with a 200 grain LRNFN boolit and it sort of putters along, is really accurate, doesn't scare me or anyone on either side of me at the range, is easy on brass and just an all around great plinking load. I use Unique when I want to step things up just a tad and aside from some soot which I don't mind it's accurate, easy on the shooter and economical...this under a 255 grain Boolit. I got some Nosler 240 grain "blems" (can't see the blem) that I've run with 23l....works fine and moves right along and clean...I just don't like the way the cases being so large kind of hide the 231 load...might be fairly easy to overcharge.

I shoot only Ruger Blackhawks and Vaqueros along with one Pietta SAA clone which is a low pressure "original" type of gun. With my lower loads and soft lead I've not had to have the cylinders reamed and don't get leading...once in a great while I get a little with Unique loads but never have had any with the low loaded Trail Boss...I shoot a 12 Harness


If I want to hot rod a 45 Colt I go get my 44 mag and problem solved easilly, cleanly, safely and with no experimenting.

[Herb3]

I have tried Red Dot, True Blue and Universal in my 45 Colt. What has worked best for me is 7.3 gr of Universal under a Accurate Molds 45-260K. Fun and very accurate plinking load out of my 7.5" Blackhawk

[Noah Mercy]

I mostly load Titegroup since it isn't position sensitive, uses very little powder, and runs moderately clean. Downside is the muzzle blast...Titegroup can be very annoying to those around you. 6 grains under a 255 grain RNFP Lee (260 grains actually) cast from straight WW, lubed with stick alox, and sized .452 is my go-to load. Most every 45 Colt handgun I've shot this load in grouped fairly well and right to the sights (on fixed sight guns).

Other powders I've had great success with were Hodgdon Clays, VV N320, IMR Trail Boss (mild loads for introducing new shooters to CAS), and Hodgdon Lil'Gun for Ruger loads. My +P loads use 300+ grain LBT-style projectiles, but my standard loads generally carry 250-260 grain boolits. My 24" Marlin Cowboy actually shoots 200s more accurately, but my 20" Rossi loves the heavier slugs. All the powders I have listed work great with 200s or "250s".

I just loaded some pretty hard cast (50/50 lino/WW) 255s over 9.5 grains of Unique for my Mom's Ruger New Vaquero as bear/wolf/mountain lion/politician protection for when she's on the mountain this summer. It's a very nice, strong load that doesn't beat up the shooter or gun much. I haven't benched it, so I can't speak to accuracy, but knowing Unique, it likely shoots tighter than I can hold.

[Doc.Holliday]

Doc,
How did it go with the 800x in your 45 rossi? I bought 8 pounds of that powder last saturday at a gun show, partly cause that was all he had in a big quantity. And also because I cant find hardly ANY powder lately, and I'm down to a 1/2 pound of unique (which is my favorite) and the 800 is just a couple of notches slower than uniq. I also use the 800x in 10mm where it is "THE" powder for top performance, so they say. It does do well in the 10 and I have shot a few rounds loaded with it in my 44 rossi 92 @ 11.0 grains and a lyman 429421 swc. I also tried 13.0 grains and the same boolit, and that was a strong load. No real pressure signs, but my shoulder could tell it was strong. Could have been that I had already shot the gun maybe 225-250 times that day. I'm wondering about your experience cause about 4 hours ago, I bought a 20" 92 in 45 colt. I have 3-400 rounds of 45 loaded up and ready for my blackhawk using 9.0 unique, but when they are gone (probably in the next couple of days!) I'll have to move to the 800X. According to my old Lyman manual, 10.8 gets around 1100+. And like they told you... I have got to get a chrono. I use to have one, but i let it get rained on one day and it quit.

Sorry for the delay in responding about 800X as I have been playing with my new to me 1957 Winchester 94 carbine in 32 special at most opportunities..
But I loaded up 10 rounds at 12.0 gr and 10 at 12.5 grains and didn't take my Chrony but Ken Waters at his word.
At 40 yards with Marbles iron sights on my 92 Rossi Trapper I had 4 rounds touching and the other 6 very close; the farthest being not quite 2 inches off this cloverleaf. This was with the 12.5 grain load which was superior to the 12 grain load by alot.
I will chrony this load next time out; but I am well satisfied with iron sights ; a 16 inch barrel and 60 plus year old eyes.
This load left a clean barrel and action and is economical too boot.
The recoil in the little Rossi is also quite stout and the blast is louder than 11.1 grains of Power Pistol with this 800X.
My cast bullet comes in at 242 grains and using Fed 150's.
At 40 yards my bullets were impacting about 8 inches higher with the 12.5 gr of 800X over my 7.5 gr of Red Dot load.
Will keep you posted when I chrony but I think 800X will make a fine hunting load.

Doc

[snaketail]

Newbie here - will I get better rifle accuracy driving a light boolit faster or a heavy boolit at mid-range velocity? Looking for 200 yard (Rams) accuracy.
My best so far is a 230 gr LRN over 8 gr of HP-38 from a 20" Rossi. 2nd best was 10 gr of AA5 under a 230 LRN.
I tried 7 & 8 gr of HP38 with 200 gr booits, but they "patterned" rather then grouped at 50 yards.
Should I try going heavier or faster?
Thanks
M

[zxcvbob]

Have you tried 250 or 255's yet?

[Moonie]

So far I've only used 2 powders, Unique and H110/W296 but I load Ruger level loads. I don't know that I'd use Clays for 45 Colt as the powder charges would be rather small, I save the Clays for my 45 ACP loads in my 1911's and the 45 ACP cylinder in my NMBH Convertible.

[Doc.Holliday]

Decided to try and make some plinking rounds with 800X today; Used my 242 gr RNFP -FB bullet and Fed 150's. Loaded up 10 rounds each of 9.0 gr; 9.5 gr; and 10.0 gr of 800X .
Was not happy with group size with 9.0 grains and sooty cases; 9.5 grouped better and cases were cleaner; 10 grains and group was so tight that 4 rounds of that 10 were in 1 hole ! Average Chrony speed was 1206 fps with 10 grains.
I am really liking 800X in 45 colt. I weigh each round so them big flakes are no problem for me. I can see where they probably don't meter worth a hoot.

Doc.

[blackhawk4545]

The last time I went powder shopping, the shelves were as bare as Ole Mother Hubbard's cubbard. I have 5# of Goex black power. Does anyone use Goex as their go-to? I saw in one of the above posts, 40 grs for 960 fps.

[Kull]

8.5/Unique under 260 grain plain base cast bullet has been a standard 45 Colt load in my part of the world for many years. I use it.

This ^^. I've tried half a dozen other powders and most I didn't like as much as Unique. N340 is one I did like more, and it's what I'm using at the moment.