45 Colt Reduced or Cowboy Loads

[FlyfishermanMike]

I have some reduced 44 mag loads that my wife enjoys shooting and now want to do the same with 45 Colt. I have some Trail Boss loads to try but would like another option using Bullseye or Titegroup. I'm using the Lee 255-RF and 200-RF. Alliant wouldn't recommend a starting load. Shooting a 5.5" Ruger Blackhawk Bisley.

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[oldblinddog]

6.0 grs Bullseye, but 8.0 grs of Unique will work better.

[Outpost75]

Don't go below 5.5 grains of Bullseye in standard .45 Colt case.

[FlyfishermanMike]

Don't go below 5.5 grains of Bullseye in standard .45 Colt case.

That's right where is was thinking to start.

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[Larry Gibson]

5 gr is a good start load under the 200 gr RF bullet. Should run 800+ fps out of your Ruger. Work up to 6.2 gr. For better Cowboy SASS loads you might consider using the 45 Schofield case or even better; the 45 Cowboy American case. Both are available from StarLine.

[Rattlesnake Charlie]

5.5 gr of Red Dot under 250 RFN. Red Dot is fluffier than Bullseye so fills up more of the case. That's my standard load now for CAS.

[rintinglen]

I'm with the rattlesnake on this one, Red Dot is an extremely good choice for standard to midrange loads in the 44 Spl and the 45 Colt using 250-ish grain boolits. 5.6- 6.0 grains does good things.

[Calamity Jake]

Another RD user but at 4.5 with a 260 RF in a 45 colt case. Been using this load for ever 23 years for CASS.

[bedbugbilly]

I don't shoot CASS but I'll cast a vote for Red Dot as well. I've used real BP, Bulls Eye, Unique, Green Dot and Red Dot out of my Uberti 7 1/2" Cattleman and have had the best results with Red Dot. 6.0 grains of RD under a Lyman 454-190 boolit in a 45 Colt casing is what I stick to now - excellent results for me at 25 and 50 yards. For reduced loads? As Larry says, try some Scofield brass or the 45 cowboy brass from StarLine. Good luck and enjoy!

[Char-Gar]

"Reduced load", is a nebulous concept. Reduced to what, from what? A reduced 44 Magnum load can still be powerful load.

1. In the standard 45 Colt case, I would take Outpost's counsel to heart. That said, 6.0 to 6.5 grains of Bullseye is a factory equivalent load. That would be reduced from the full snort Ruger loads, but would still be a powerful round. My standard 45 Colt load is 6.2 grains of Bullseye under a 250 - 260 grain bullet.

2. The 45 Cowboy Special case is a great case for 45ACP cylinders, but if you are wanting first rate accuracy it won't deliver it in the longer 45 Colt chambers. There is quite a bit of free space the bullet will have to fly before it hits the throat. Cowboy shooting is close and fast and does not demand a high accurate load.

3. A 45 Colt SA with a 45 ACP cylinder installed offers all kinds of options for loading and would be better for accurate truly reduced loads.

[Ed_Shot]

I have success with Red Dot/Promo 6.0 under 200-250 gr. boolits in 45 LC

[FlyfishermanMike]

Hmm, looks like I should finally get some Red Dot.

Like I mentioned this is mainly for my wife, kids and new shooters that want to shoot a big, iconic cartridge. I don't shoot CASS so additional, special cases aren't worth the effort. I do have a 45 ACP cylinder and have loads for that.

Thanks!

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[Cherokee]

My SASS and plinking load for 45 Colt hits about 750 fps from 7.5" Ruger OM. That's 5.3 WST in RP cases and Win LP under my cast RCBS 45-230CM bullet. As for accuracy, here are the results from my Redhawk 7.5" the other day. If I wasn't 76 and had trouble holding steady, the groups would have been smaller.

[Rattlesnake Charlie]

Another advantage for Red Dot has been availability. When a lot of powders became difficult to find, Red Dot was not. Them shotgun shooters helped us out.

[FlyfishermanMike]

My SASS and plinking load for 45 Colt hits about 750 fps from 7.5" Ruger OM. That's 5.3 WST in RP cases and Win LP under my cast RCBS 45-230CM bullet.

I love WST in 45 ACP and have wanted to try it in 45 Colt.

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[fredj338]

Alliant Red Dot. I shot #s of it in CAS in 45colt. It does really well in the big 45colt case at modest vel.
BTW guys, w/o the distance, posting groups has little meaning.

[shootinfox2]

Don’t forget Promo, bulk red dot and is cheaper.

[Walter Laich]

echoing the Red Dot loads: 5.5 gr under 200 is my rifle load.
I take it down a bit when shooting from you Ruger Vaqueros

[tmatt]

I need a recused load for my 45 L/C lever rifle. I'll be using 180 gr, RN Lead. Any suggestions?

[AlaskaMike]

Look at using Trail Boss. It's a much "fluffier" powder than any of the others listed earlier in this thread. I'm a little surprised it wasn't mentioned. It excels in situations like this where you have large case volume.