45 Colt

[Lloyd Smale]

7 is about it for me you could probably go 8 in a ruger but when i want more velocity then 6 or 7 will bring i go to a slower powder. I actually prefer bullseye to redot. It meters much better. Funny thing is though ive gotten some scary good accuacy with redot dropping it from a measure and ignoring the small weitht variations.

Thanks Lloyd. So I take it that 7 grains is about as hot as you want to go with a 250? Same goes for a 300?

[jh45gun]

Dan can you clear one thing up? You state you get 900 fps with a 300 grain bullet using 6.5 grains of Red Dot yet with a 255 grain bullet the FPS is 850 with the same load of Red Dot. I guess I do not understand I would think the lighter bullet would be faster? Not trying to question your results just trying to understand why this would be?

[NickSS]

I have been using 6.5 gr of Red Dot for years in the 45 Colt with a 250 gr LFP slug. I think I have fired several thousand of them in my rifle and pistol. Works so good in both that I never have done and further experimentation

[lathesmith]

jh, it's not unusual for a heavier slug to post nearly identical or even slightly higher velocities than a lighter slug with the same powder charge, especially as your barrel gets shorter. The heavier slug gives you a better "burn", and is able to get more energy from the powder in the shorter barrel than the lighter slug can.
I agree with Lloyd, Bullseye meters better than RD, but I still use and love RD because it works so well. The only time I don't like to use RD is when charges go below about 4 grains; RD dispensing with my Auto-disk measure gets irratic with these light charges of RD, so Bullseye is my go-to powder then. But this is only for 45 ACP, you wouldn't want to load that light in a 45 Colt anyhow.
lathesmith

[jh45gun]

Thanks I did not know that now I do. I am gonna have to get some Red Dot and try it the last loads I loaded were with 8 grains of Unique. Be interesting to try some Red Dot too.

[LeMat]

I'm planning on using a 6.5 Red Dot recipe, but have a question about crimp grooves.

I've got some D&J 300gr TCFP that two crimp grooves. These are the same exact pills as shown below (I hope Roper doesn't mind if I use his picture):


I'm using a Ruger Redhawk and am curious to know which crimp groove I should use.

Thanks!

[zxcvbob]

Use the longest one that will chamber properly in your gun. Seriously, that's all there is to it. (Some revolvers have longer cylinders than others.)

[DanWalker]

Dan can you clear one thing up? You state you get 900 fps with a 300 grain bullet using 6.5 grains of Red Dot yet with a 255 grain bullet the FPS is 850 with the same load of Red Dot. I guess I do not understand I would think the lighter bullet would be faster? Not trying to question your results just trying to understand why this would be?

I'm baffled as well. I'm guessing that the heavier slug has more initial resistance to movement at the moment of firing, and increases pressure, which increases velocity.

[LeMat]

Use the longest one that will chamber properly in your gun. Seriously, that's all there is to it. (Some revolvers have longer cylinders than others.)

Looks like I shouldn't have a problem using the bottom crimp groove - it'll fit just fine.

So having two crimp grooves is nothing more than giving one the ability to use it in a shorter/longer cylinder? Nothing to do with powder volume or compressing a load?

[jh45gun]

I'm baffled as well. I'm guessing that the heavier slug has more initial resistance to movement at the moment of firing, and increases pressure, which increases velocity.

That Explanation works for me LOL I was just wondering as you would think the lighter bullet would be faster. As you say I guess other things factor into it. Thanks for the reply.

[zxcvbob]

So having two crimp grooves is nothing more than giving one the ability to use it in a shorter/longer cylinder? Nothing to do with powder volume or compressing a load?

That's all there is to it. (of course I could be wrong.) Yes it changes the powder volume, that's why you probably want to use the longer crimp if you can (reduce the peak pressure or allow for more powder)

[Yaak]

Dan,

You are correct, also the bullet spends just a bit more time in the barrel as well, again allowing pressure to increase which supplies more velocity. I learned this little tid bit from John Linebaugh who of course was able to explain it a whole lot better than I can....grin. My favorite bullet in the 45 Colt is the lyman 454424 cast with pure wheel weights and water dropped then lubed with LBT soft. I've used quite a few different powders under this bullet but you guys are way ahead of me with some of this stuff.

I just had to join in, this is my first post. Years ago I had a web site on 45 Colts and learned a lot, but I'm afraid I need to refresh my memory on some of it. In those days I shot a lot of bullets from Cast Performance Bullet Company along with pouring plenty of my own.

Yaak

[Rodfac]

I like 8.0 gr of Win 231 with Lyman's 454190 cast from WW, which gives me 890 fps, chrono'd. That load in a 30 yr old Colt SSA with 7.5" bbl shoots into 1.25" at 25 yds, sitting with a back rest. With most anybodies 255 gt SWC, 7.5 gr of Win 231 does as well and is somewhat milder.

Using my .45 ACP cylinder and 4.7 gr of Win 231 with 200 gr TNC's, accuracy is just as good but impact points are 1" low at 25 yds. It's still a useful load, especially if all I've put up for use are 45 ACP loads for my 1911's.

HTH's Rodfac

[.45Cole]

my 45 cents worth-
found 452460 good with 8.5 grns unique. Recoil, but very accurate. Been playing with AA5 and like it with 250 grainers. 260LFN and h110 works well too. All in rugers and marlin/browning
PS browning low wall rifle is beautiful and fun to shoot.

[DanWalker]

I've been experimenting with 454424HP's lately, in an attempt to make a good thing even better.
I'll keep you guys posted as to how it works out.

[Wills Point Pete]

I have clones of the Colt SSA so my cast loads are all within SAAMI Specs. My heavy loads for my '92 clone are always loaded with jacketed so I don't accidentally blow my fool head off.

Anyhow I shoot a lot of Big Lube Pigeon Roost Slim bullets over various charges of ffg and fffg black. Those same slugs, or the more or less same slugs with standard grease grooves in a Lee mold over TiteGroup work well.

When I'm too lazy to cast I use a whole lot of those Remington swaged lead bullets with that dish shaped base. They used to have a real hollowbase but... Oddly those work well with black too if you fill that dish with soft BP lube and seat over a fiber or waxed cardboard wad. I almost hate to admit it but those bulk packed Remington bullets are ugly, beat up from packing and shipping, the black lube flaking all over everything and still, to get a tighter group on a target I have be absolutely merciless in my QC on my own cast bullets, and even then, I can't beat them by much.

[gc45]

Willis; I too have shot several thousand of those same Rem bullets, all through my first Ruger BH years back. Like you stated, they shoot as good and mostly better than my cast bullets, especially after opening up cylinder holes to .45225. At that time, I used 8.0 of Unique in all my loads. I never thought to pack their bases with lube but something I might try one day.

GC45

[Tackleberry41]

I keep seeing red dot loads, but none for green dot. I have a lbs of green dot on the shelf but no red dot. Was testing some loads over the weekend and found my rossi and single shot pistol really like the lee 300gr. I was just using standard pressure data from the lyman book, so they were not moving very good. Was wanting to avoid any sort of slow burning magnum powder and stick with Unique or maybe even tightgroup since I have some of that to. But a green dot load would be nice. The rossi can handle the heavier loads.

[w5pv]

I have been reloading since the early 60's and came upon a load that I just never tried before and fell for it like a hunk of lead.I ran out of 255 grain boolits that I usually shoot and had some 230 grain LRN on the table and loaded them up with 5.8 to 6.3 grains of titegroup and all the loads were very accruate to I backed down to 5.8 grains of titegroup under the 230 grain LRN and shot about a box of them.No heavy recoil and very accurate.This will be my plinking and small game round.It shoots straighter than this old man can aim,love it.

[SPRINGFIELDM141972]

I like 8.5 gr. of Herco under a 330 gr. Lee 45/70 boolit sized to .452. It shoots as well as I can hold out of my SRH chambered for 454 Casull.