Help with a load for 45 colt

[nlpro]

Hello everyone just picked up a new ruger new vaquero in 45 colt and i want to reload for it . The only bullets i found in stock locally for it are hunters supply 160 grain FP cast bullets . None of my reloading manuals have any data for a bullet under 180gr so i was hoping someone could give me a place to get started .The current powders i have are ramshot true blue and Alliant blue dot i can get another kind if i need to but i have a lot of these two and would like to use them .

Thanks:-P

[Trey45]

Howdy and welcome to the forum.

In case you are not already aware of this, the New Vaquero is not built to the same strength as the old ones were, DO NOT load Ruger Only loads for the New Vaquero. If you stay within the confines of Colt SAA load data, you're going to have no problems at all.

I found 2 loads on www.handloads.com that you could use, although these loads are for a 150 grain bullet, if you cut the charge he's using there by half a grain you should be fine.

45 Colt, 150 gr
Bullet Powder Weight Powder Velocity OAL Primer Source
LFP 6.0 gr Green Dot Unknown 1.493" CCI LP

LFP 5.7 gr Titegroup Unknown 1.493" CCI LPM

I don't use any boolits as light as 150gr in my 45 Colts so i can't help any further than copy and paste data from handloads.com


http://handloads.com/loaddata/default.asp?Caliber=45%20Colt&Weight=150&type=Handgun&Order=Powder&Source=

[zxcvbob]

With a New Vaquero, I would use standard pressure load data, but I would start right at the max. And maybe push it a little.

Those light bullets are going to be terrible with Blue Dot (just my opinion), but probably would work OK with Trailboss or Red Dot or Bullseye. You need to find some 250 or 255 grain bullets (Blue Dot will work just fine with heavy bullets)

A classic hot load for Colt SAA's is 10 grains of Unique with a 250 or 255 grain lead bullet.

[nlpro]

Thanks for the safety advise on the new vaquero i was planning on sticking with standard pressure 45 colt loads for this pistol. I also have some Hodgdon Long Shot powder if that helps . thanks for the link to handloads.com i had not seen that website before .

[Gunsmoke4570]

I have had really good luck with 9.0gr Unique with the 250ish weight bullets. I start with this load and adjust for the particular firearm. For light weight cowboy/target loads, I use 4.5gr Bullseye with a 215gr LRNFP in .45 Schofield brass. This load is super accurate in my Cimmaron Model P and the recoil is pleasant to boot!

[EDK]

Get the freebie Hodgdon Cowboy Action Shooting pamphlet and work from there.

LEE two cavity moulds are inexpensive so you can experiment with boolit weights and styles. If you wish to do something different, sign up for the MI-HEC 45 full wadcutter...great quality, but not cheap! or see if NOE has any of their 45 full wadcutter moulds available. A large caliber full wadcutter is an impressive round.

If you wish to go more traditional, get a round nose flat point mould...it should feed in your rifle if you choose to get into Cowboy Action Shooting. RANCH DOG may have something available; LEE and LYMAN do. I'm using similar moulds for my 357 and 44 CAS set ups.

:Fire::cbpour::redneck:

[RayinNH]

If your manual gives you load data for the 180 grain bullet and your particular powder, you would be perfectly safe to use this data with your 160 grain bullet, assuming it's not Ruger only data...Ray

[zxcvbob]

Get the freebie Hodgdon Cowboy Action Shooting pamphlet and work from there.

LEE two cavity moulds are inexpensive so you can experiment with boolit weights and styles. If you wish to do something different, sign up for the MI-HEC 45 full wadcutter...great quality, but not cheap! or see if NOE has any of their 45 full wadcutter moulds available. A large caliber full wadcutter is an impressive round.

If you wish to go more traditional, get a round nose flat point mould...it should feed in your rifle if you choose to get into Cowboy Action Shooting. RANCH DOG may have something available; LEE and LYMAN do. I'm using similar moulds for my 357 and 44 CAS set ups.

My first boolit mold was a 2-hole Lee 230 grain truncated cone with tumble-lube grooves. It's still my favorite for loading .45 Colts. I load them as-cast without sizing. It has a large enough flat nose to work just fine in a tubular rifle magazine.

[Rocky Raab]

All due respect to zxcvbob, but his loads in a New Vaquero are irresponsible and foolhardy. Perhaps he was thinking of something else. As other wiser posters have advised, stick to published Colt SAA or "Cowboy" loads.

I wouldn't choose either of those powders for your use. With the bullets you have, TiteGroup or TrailBoss are perfect choices. I'd lean to TiteGroup myself.

[nlpro]

I just read that the lighter your bullet is for a given caliber the faster burning powder you need for good results . so i take this as 160gr bullet will need a faster powder like titegroup or bullseye where a 250gr+ bullet would be better of with a slower powder like blue dot universal or IMR 4756. Is that accurate information ?

Sorry for all the newbie questions im just trying to be safe i have only ever reloading 30-30 and 30-06 for hunting using the same moderate loads my dad has always used .

[zxcvbob]

All due respect to zxcvbob, but his loads in a New Vaquero are irresponsible and foolhardy. Perhaps he was thinking of something else. As other wiser posters have advised, stick to published Colt SAA or "Cowboy" loads.

I wouldn't choose either of those powders for your use. With the bullets you have, TiteGroup or TrailBoss are perfect choices. I'd lean to TiteGroup myself.

No offense taken. John Taffin lists that load (10.0 grains Unique) in his book Single Action Sixguns in the chapter about the Colt New Frontier. I've also been told that it was in Lyman's 44th and 45th, and in some Hornady manual or another. But 8.5 or 9.0 grains might be a better idea, at least to start with.

[btroj]

I have pretty well decided that a 45 colt loaded to standard pressures will do all need it to do. I like the fact it does not beat ME up so badly not to mention the gun.

[blackpowder man]

I used true blue in .44 special, .44 mag .38 special, and .357 magnum and it did well. I recall it being one of my favorites in .357 mag. In the Ramshot powder load guide edition 4.3 they list:
.45 colt
185 gr. Sierra JHP start 8.9 @ 942 fps 10.5 Max @ 1108 fps @ 13200psi coal 1.54

.45 Colt Cowboy
200gr. MCB SWCBB start 6.8 @ 667 fps coal 1.560

They used federal 150 lp primer on 1st loads and WLP on cowboy loads. I have found winchester primers to shoot differently than all other primers standard and magnum in my .45 colt New Vaquero. I have not tried true blue in my new vaquero and also couldn't get any suggested unique loads to poa, but HS6 is working well for me.

[geargnasher]

I have a New Vaquero with a 7.5" barrel, and I want to point out a couple of things in case yours is similar.

First, it shoots low. Unless you want to file off the front sight, you'll need sloooooow powders like BD or Longshot, and heavier than normal boolits like 300 grain. The faster you push it, the lower it shoots, like 12" low at 15 yards with a 255 RFN and a midrange SAA load that shoots to point of aim in a Cimmarron Bisely and 4" high in an Open Top, to give you a little reference.

If you want to file the sight and shoot lighter boolits, Titegroup is an outstanding powder for the .45 Colt, very accurate and burns cleanly in that huge case, but don't go crazy with it, Lyman and Hodgdon both have good data to go by, and if you want ultra-lite boolits just extrapolate down.

Gear

[NVScouter]

I tried 165g bullets in my 45LC and found that they shoot poorly. They dont have enough bearing surface IMHO. Try and stick to 230-265g bullets for a 45LC.

[Outpost75]

For a light recoil load for Cowboy Action shooting, a 230-grain bullet simiar to RCBS 45-230CM or Saeco #954, will give 700 fps from .45 Colt brass. This should not be reduced. It is OK to substitute a 250-260 grain bullet, such as the Remington lead component bullet, Lyman #454190 or Saeco #955.

For a standard-pressure, full power load equivalent to factory ammunition load either 6.5 grains of Bullseye, 7 grs. of 231 or 8 grains of Unique with the above 230-260 grain bullets for 870-900 fps, depending upon bullet weight.