Your Favorite 45 Colt Load

[tominboise]

Zombie thread but still a good one.

13.5gr HS-6 and 45-270-SAA

How is the recoil of this load? It would be shot out of a Ruger Blackhawk with a 4-5/8" barrel.

[GSSP]

My favorite bullet has, so far, worked very well in 4 different guns. It's an air cooled 284 gr LBT WFN PB. Two Bisley's; 3.75" and 5.5" barrel. A 20" Winchester 1892 and a 20" Taylor Tuned (Uberti) 1873. The first 3 use the same load of 23 gr H110 in Starline cases capped with the Fed Gold Medal 155 match primers. Velocities run 1100, 1150 and 1550, respectively. The 1873 gets 9.5 gr of Longshot in Starline cases capped with CCI 300 primers for 1175 fps. This load is max for the old style guns. All are accurate, hit hard and are devastating on game animals.

[DougGuy]

My favorite, after shooting all levels of power and many boolit styles and weights in different guns, turns out to be the LBT 250gr WFN or 250gr OWC over 21.5gr H110 in Schofield brass.

This load is safe in medium framed Ruger, large framed Ruger, and any other 45 that is safe to 45ACP+P of 23,000psi.

1200fps and just shy of 23,000psi according to QuickLoad, it is snappy but pleasantly so, not brisk or sharp. This would be a great hunting load for deer, hog, black bear.

[Eddie Southgate]

18.5 grains of 2400 in my Colt and the better clones , 20 grains 2400 in Rugers and my Marlin . All with either 454424 or Rcbs 270 bullet cast just slightly hard . I add just enough tin and lino to toughen the pure lead to a little more than what wheel weights used to be . I also keep a box loaded with 20.5 gr 2400 and one with a full case of black since I still have a few hundred good balloon head cases .

9 grains of Unique also is a pretty decent everyday load with the same bullets .

[GSSP]

My favorite, after shooting all levels of power and many boolit styles and weights in different guns, turns out to be the LBT 250gr WFN or 250gr OWC over 21.5gr H110 in Schofield brass.

This load is safe in medium framed Ruger, large framed Ruger, and any other 45 that is safe to 45ACP+P of 23,000psi.

1200fps and just shy of 23,000psi according to QuickLoad, it is snappy but pleasantly so, not brisk or sharp. This would be a great hunting load for deer, hog, black bear.

Doug, the OWC's have always intrigued me. Would you please share your impressions of them compared to the straight WFN?

Thanks,

Alan

[DougGuy]

Doug, the OWC's have always intrigued me. Would you please share your impressions of them compared to the straight WFN?

Thanks,

Alan

They have the largest meplat of any boolit I know of in 45 caliber that still maintains a bit of ogive, the only larger meplat is a full wadcutter. I never liked driving a squared shoulder like a K type LSWC or a full wadcutter into the forcing cone, so the OWC has a little curvature to the sides that are more parallel with the angles in the forcing cone, a gentler introduction if you will, as the boolit exits the cylinder and enters the bore.

Other than that, it's hard to beat a wide meplat for a hunting boolit, there are two distinctly different schools of thought on this subject it seems, one view is that a HP kills better because it expands, the other view is that the wide meplat kills better because it cuts a wider wound channel. Truth is both are deadly at 1100+ fps and you put the boolit in the right place on the animal. The OWC would cut bone better than a HP and retain mass, less fragmenting, so if the shot wasn't placed well I would say the OWC might come out slightly ahead of the HP in terminal performance.

As far as how they shoot, they seem to be about equal with the WFN at short barreled handgun hunting distances, 25-35 yards, easily within 3". I couldn't elaborate on groups beyond that distance as my only intention is to hunt with them.

Plus, my load may not shoot as well in another gun, OR they may shoot better, you would have to try it and see. The cylinder in the Vaquero pictured has been reamed to 45 Schofield to reduce the amount of unsupported freebore that you would have shooting 45 Schofield length loads in a 45 Colt cylinder. This was done before the EO issued by our least liked POTUS deemed a simple conversion is manufacturing and not gunsmithing. I wish trump would rescind this one. I wanted to tweak the 45 Colt cartridge to fit the Tier 2 power level, less case capacity = higher load density, more consistent ignition, more consistent pressures, better groups, the 45 Schofield seemed like a logical choice for this project and so far it has proven itself worthwhile.

[10or45]

13 grains of HS6 behind a 45-270 SAA for 1050 fps in my Blackhawks and OM Vaqueros.
24 grains of H110 behind a 45-325V Accurate for sledgehammers in Blackhawk hunter and Redhawk.

[NorthMoccasin]

Lee 200gr rnfp 8.6gr 231. Shoots great, easy on the lead supply.

[fcvan]

The first time I loaded 45 Colt, I was loading for my dad's 1899 New Frontier, a very well maintained piece. He bought some black powder loads for it but light Unique loads can be produced to keep the pressures down. The only mold I had then was a Lee 452-230 RN, which was more than fine for just general shooting. I don't think my dad has shot that Colt for 30 years.

8 years ago, I picked up a Ruger OM Vaquero in 45 Colt. The gun was originally owned by a guy who shot wax boolits for quick draw competition. He changed the factory springs which lightened it up. I don't like it, needs to be put back to stock. I have another OM Vaquero in 38-40/40 S&W that was new in-box. Love it!

As far as loads for the 45 Colt, I generally keep things on the light side, but have loaded and shot some barn burners. A bit snappy in the Ruger, a bit brutal in an H&R 1871 Classic Carbine in 45 Colt. That case hardened crescent steel butt plate is incredibly efficient at transferring the energy to the shoulder with minimal loss. Favorite load is 45 RB over a light charge of Bullseye with 900 fps from the carbine and 750 from the Ruger. Dad liked those loads too, real tin can killers.