6.0gr of Trail Boss in .45 Colt??

[Idaho45guy]

My dad gave me my first .45 Colt a couple of years ago. It's a Cimmaron Arms 1873 Peacemaker clone. He gave me a box of 100 .45 Colt rounds loaded with .455 250gr lead boolits pushed with 6.0gr of Trail Boss. Gave me the remaining can of Trail Boss, as well. I found the load to be extremely accurate and pleasant in the pistol. I then bought a Ruger BH Bisley in .45 Colt and the load performed well in it as well.

I finally ran thorugh the batch he gave me, so I went to load up another 100 of them and thought I'd verify the load. He has it written on the box, but I was at work and checked online. Online data shows a max of 5.8gr of Trail Boss for .45 Colt. He's using 6.0gr.

Now, he is older and possibly getting forgetful, so I just wanted to check with you guys if you think going over the max load given is OK, especially with that Colt clone.

[44MAG#1]

You really don't think for a minute that .2 grain is going to hurt anything do you? Come on think about it.

[Idaho45guy]

I'm a newbie at reloading so I worry about everything. I just talked to my dad and he said he doesn't remember working up that load.

[44MAG#1]

Even though that gun is a Colt clone it should stand as much as a Colt. Cimmaron, Uberti etc. are all good quality. If you will look at Hodgdons reloading sight they have STANDARD 45 Colt loads that go higher in chamber pressure in PSI than the load they listed for Trailboss.
.2 grain is nothing when you consider Trailboss will be more different than that just by changing lot numbers. It isn't like you are at a ragged edge of pressure.
If the load shoots well it is,okay. Regardless who worked it up. As long as it is 6 grains.

[CraigOK]

Ive read that as long as you dont compress trailboss you can use a case full. I guess when it compresses and breaks the burn rate changes. Might get someone to confirm this.

[Idaho45guy]

Went ahead and loaded up 6.0gr of Trail Boss. I'm sure it will be fine. The boolits I used were from Midway and 250gr LRN .455 diameter. They are out of stock and no backorder available. My Colt clone loves these for plinking. The only sizing die I have for .45 Colt is a .452 and I think it's just too small.

I haven't messed around with .45 Colt loads for nearly a year since I've been concentrating on GSSF matches.

[ReloaderFred]

I shoot most of my .45 Colt loads for both my Blackhawks and my Marlin rifles using a 200 gr. RNFP that I cast in a Magma mold. Those are loaded over 6.0 gr. of TrailBoss, and work like a charm. The nice thing about that bullet is I also use it in most of my .45 acp range loads.

Hope this helps.

Fred

[DougGuy]

.452" is good for any Ruger, provided the cylinder throats will let a .452" pass with finger pressure. Check your Cimmaron, if .452" will go into the cylinder from the front with finger pressure you are good to go!

[Harry O]

When I got a couple of new style Ruger Vaquero's in 45LC, I had problems with the maximum load listed with Trail Boss. I was using Starline brass. It is thicker than Remington or Winchester brass, and the 5.8gr load would NOT seal the cases in the chamber. I decided to go (very slowly) to the maximum load of Trail Boss that would fit under the bullet without compressing the load. That was about 8.5gr of Trail Boss or thereabouts. It felt like a stiff load, but not as stiff as some top end (but in several loading books) Unique loads I had used before. Anyway, I found that the cases started sealing consistently at about 7.2gr of Trail Boss. I decided to back down to that point and have used it that way since.

[Hans Gruber]

The original Colt loads were/are quite mild...less than 14K psi.

Even a "Colt clone" is every bit as strong as a "Colt" quite because Colt took advantage of having the basic pieces manufactured in Italy by Uberti, then shipped to it's factory for final fit and finishing...so don't kid yourself, modern "globalism" at it's very best! The reason I KNOW this to be fact is that I've had opportunity over the last six decades to compare certain details between "authentic" COLTS and Italian reproductions....regardless of what's stamped on the barrel, once "inside" it's obvious the lineage.

In any case, I happen to own no less than three Uberti Cattleman Black Powder revolvers that I converted to .45 Colt in such a way that one cannot tell they started out life as ".44 BP" revolvers. I've fired these "Colt clone, BP only" guns using heavy charges that pushed 255 grain LSWC slugs to 900fps from 4.75" barrels...and they have handled it for over over 20 years of regular shooting. I've also loaded them with the heaviest BP "substitute" I could compress into the case with a 255gr. slug squeezed down on it and they handled THAT just fine. I can tell you for sure and for certain that 36 grains of BP substitute compressed into a modern, solid-head .45 Colt case is quite a load!

Anyway, original .45 Colt loads were based on "balloon head" cases where copper tubing was formed in dies into a finished case, and the "web" area as we now know it, was no thicker than the rest of the brass case walls. These cases could not handle much pressure at all. Sometime after the beginning of the 20th century, ALL cartridge cases began to be swaged from thicker sections that resulted in finished cases with very thick sections capable of withstanding very high pressures. The "warnings" about loading .45 Colt to higher pressures is because someone just MIGHT come across an original "folded head" case and blow a gun up...typical liability issues.

Modern, solid-head brass for the .45 Colt will handle every bit as much pressure as modern .44 Magnum brass, even though, the larger bore .45 Colt can match .44 Magnum loads at pressures below 30K psi.

Finally, load data from years ago tends to be HIGHER than that of today thanks to liability issues. A difference of 0.2 gr. in a huge case like the .45 Colt as standard loads is inconsequential.

[Tripplebeards]

I plan on loading up some 255g Lee boolits with trailboss in my 45 colt tomorrow. I loaded 6g to 7.5g of trailboss with a 44 mag 265g devistator. I chronied the 6g load out of my ruger 77/44 rifle at 650fps. 6g in a colt pistol should be extremely tame to shoot and no where near max pressure. If you get over 550fps I'd be shocked. The 7.5g load felt a lot like recoil like a 223. I think the max load recommended was 7.2 or 7.3g. Still pretty wimpy felt recoil. Fun to shoot though.

[wildcatter]

I don't get hung on .452 sizing being the right size, I like slightly over sized boolits than my throats in revolvers. I believe >001" to .002" over throat size is best, has always worked best in my guns anyways. I have a ruger that I had David Clements turn the throats to .4525" I found my .454" sized boolits to shoot best, better than .452" or .453" sized slugs. The only thing I have seen destroy accuracy is shooting a loose slug when passed through the throats, I prefer to have to force my cast slugs through the throat to obtain my best accuracy,, and keep a clean barrel, I never clean my barrels after they have been seasoned, and all have 1000's of rounds of nothing but cast through them. I also am critical with what I call accurate!



I have found the looser the bullets are in the throats the worse they shoot, and the more they lead. This is just what I have experienced in over 45 tears hand loading for revolvers. I even use .454" 270 grn. HP cast in pure lead w/ 6.0 grains red dot in my 45 long colt Bond Arms derringer,, 100's of rounds never cleaned and no lead ever in the barrel, and shoots as good as using .452" sized bullets and see no difference in pressure and it has no gaps to shed higher pressure?

[18Bravo]

I’m a self-proclaimed Trail Boss junkie. When shooting lead at lower velocities, it’s hard to beat. As has been mentioned the only “don’t” with Trail Boss is compressing the load. It that’s not happening, don’t worry about it. Trail Boss is extremely versatile. If you’re in doubt check out Hodgdon’s recommendation for reduced loads for TB.

https://www.hodgdon.com/wp-content/u...-loads-r_p.pdf

[BCB]

I've shoot 8.0 grains of TB with the 45-270-SSA (283 grains) in my Blackhawk with no problems. The velocity is 825 fps...

But, the most accurate load with the same boolit and TB was 7.0 grains for a velocity of 782 fps...

So, the 6.0 grains of TB you mentioned is most likely a O.K....

Good-luck...BCB

[Tripplebeards]

My load book says 5.8g of trail boss as well for a max load of 886fps with a cast 255g boolit. I loaded mine with 6g of trail boss yesterday and loaded it to 1.662"...the bottom crimp groove On my Lee 255g boolit. If it shoots over 650fps out of my vaquero, my jaw will hit the ground.

All I got was 650fps out of my 2" barreled 44 mag nite guard with 6g of trail boss and a 265g boolit.

[BCB]

My load book says 5.8g of trail boss as well for a max load of 886fps with a cast 255g boolit. I loaded mine with 6g of trail boss yesterday and loaded it to 1.662"...the bottom crimp groove On my Lee 255g boolit. If it shoots over 650fps out of my vaquero, my jaw will hit the ground.

All I got was 650fps out of my 2" barreled 44 mag nite guard with 6g of trail boss and a 265g boolit.

I have adjusted the burn rate of Trail Boss as can be done on the Quick Load program…

I have found my canister of TB to be slower as I get lower velocities than the manuals show and I have verified what QL predicts without adjusting the burn rate. My chronographed velocities are always less than QL predicts…

So, by adjusting QL to show TB as being slower, the program is predicting pretty close to the actual velocity I am getting from straight-walled handgun cases…

I did run the load through QL that you are planning on shooting in your Vaquero assuming it has a 6” barrel and QL is saying you should get around 599 fps…

Trail Boss is a tricky powder to try to estimate what the velocities might be from lesser or greater charges with the same caliber and boolit…

I would say that is fairly amazing velocity for a 2” barrel and a 6.0 grain charge of TB…

Good-luck…BCB

[jeff100]

Idaho45guy I am a strong believer in checking multiple sources for load data. You will find that load data vary's from source to source no matter what components you use. Load data also varies from old sources to newer sources. Load data in my older load manuals is hotter (generally speaking) than load data in newer sources. I have been loading for more than 3 decades and have collected maybe a dozen different load manuals over the years. These days you can also go onto the internet and get load data from the powder manufacturers website and other websites. Hope this helps with your hand loading hobby...JJ

[Tripplebeards]

I have adjusted the burn rate of Trail Boss as can be done on the Quick Load program…

I have found my canister of TB to be slower as I get lower velocities than the manuals show and I have verified what QL predicts without adjusting the burn rate. My chronographed velocities are always less than QL predicts…

So, by adjusting QL to show TB as being slower, the program is predicting pretty close to the actual velocity I am getting from straight-walled handgun cases…

I did run the load through QL that you are planning on shooting in your Vaquero assuming it has a 6” barrel and QL is saying you should get around 599 fps…

Trail Boss is a tricky powder to try to estimate what the velocities might be from lesser or greater charges with the same caliber and boolit…

I would say that is fairly amazing velocity for a 2” barrel and a 6.0 grain charge of TB…

Good-luck…BCB

Your right! Brain fart! I chronied that 6g trail boss load out of my ruger 77/44 rifle at 650fps! I would guess they were 450 FPS at tops out of my snubby. It still had some decent recoil with that light little pistol.

[BCB]

Your right! Brain fart! I chronied that 6g trail boss load out of my ruger 77/44 rifle at 650fps! I would guess they were 450 FPS at tops out of my snubby. It still had some decent recoil with that light little pistol.

Yea this happens...

I suspect, without chronographing the snubby, you might even be a bit optimist at 450 fps! But then, you can only go so slow before the lead sticks in the barrel...

TB is sort of a fun powder...

Good-luck...BCB

[nitro-express]

My load for Cowboy is a LEE 452-255-RF. I use 5.3 gr of Trail Boss. This is the point where reliable ignition is obtainable, powder against the bullet and and against the primer. I use a Rem 2 1/2 LP primer. Out of my 20" barrel of my Uberti 1873 rifle I get 840 fps. Es of 40 and Sd of 9.9. For the game I just dont need any more than that. I size to 451, because finding a 452 was impossible. It works well. No leading. The powder burns clean, with some smoke and soot from the bullet lube.