plinkin fun load for 45 colt

[white eagle]

Just wondering what you all use for a lighter load on the colt
I used 10.5 gr unique and just had a blast at the range today
I have a swingin steel that I got spinin and swingin [smilie=l::razz:
once I got the timing down I could hit it most of the time :redneck:

[btroj]

I have been using lots of surplus 105 and a 280 gr GB bullet. Gives just over 900 fps in the Ruger and about 1150 in my Marlin 1894 cb. Good shooting, not enough recoil to be painful. Darn accurate too.

[MT Gianni]

The Dan Walker load of 6.5 gr Red Dot, 250 boolit.

[stubshaft]

8.5 gr Unique with a 250 boolit.

[StrawHat]

For most of the time I use black powder and one of the 260 grain bullets (454424, 545190). For one of my S&W revolvers I have a load with the 280 SWC boolit but it is not a light load.

[Nobade]

The Pigeon Roost Slim bullet over a lightly compressed load of FFFg is what I shoot in my USFA. It's not a light low recoil load but sure is a ton of fun to shoot! It's just too entertaining to touch it off and have everybody else on the line stop shooting and start staring wondering what that was that just went off!

[bigboredad]

I have found 8.5 grains of unique and any bullet weight between 255 and 340 to be a nice change when the olds hands are hurting but the will to shoot is still there. bouncing cans can be a great way to kill a afternoon and those spinners can be very satisfying to shoot. But I've found the spinners don't last long with the heavier bullets

[DanWalker]

The Dan Walker load of 6.5 gr Red Dot, 250 boolit.
WOW! I have a load named after me now?
Does this mean I'm famous? LOL!

[zardoz]

I go even lighter yet, at 7.0 grains Unique under the 250 grain pills. My replica 1873 SAA is for fun only, and sake of nostalgia. No stress at all, and only shoot at 10 to 15 yard distances.

I might try a black powder load in it someday though, to really get the nostalgia.

[saz]

WOW! I have a load named after me now?
Does this mean I'm famous? LOL!

AAAAAAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!!!!! Too funny! I see I'm not the only you got hooked on red dot.....

[357Ruger]

What do you guys like about Red Dot in the 45 Colt?

[MT Gianni]

Accuracy, impossible to double charge without overflowing and moderate velocity. Combine all that with 1076 shots per pound and you have a winner.

[DanWalker]

Accuracy, impossible to double charge without overflowing and moderate velocity. Combine all that with 1076 shots per pound and you have a winner.

YUP! That about covers it. It also seems to have a softer recoil impulse to me when compared to loads of equal velocity and bullet weight, but using different powders.

[405]

Oh heck why not add another load.
200 gr. RNFP over 4.5 gr. Trailboss in 5 1/2" Colt SAA. 550 fps and plum ackert!

[drklynoon]

Wow my loads are way soft comparativly. I'm using the 255 gr. Keith and using 6.0 gr. Unique. I'm having some luck with it too. lol I am considering making a change as soon as I can get some durn cases (all on back order.)

[edsmith]

sinclair has 45 colt brass, just received 200.

[bbs70]

Lately I got hooked on 10g of hs-6 with a 255g lead boolit in my USFA .45.

[MT Gianni]

The Dan Walker load of 6.5 gr Red Dot, 250 boolit.

The same load works well in a 44 magnum for a thread hijack. Useful if you don't have to reset the powder measure.

[Stainz]

I like 5.5 - 6.1 gr Titegroup under a 255gr LSWC in a Fed LP primed brass (mostly GA Arms/Starline brass) - yields 700-818 fps from my 4" 625MG. Fine for recoil with Ahrends wood grips, too. I also load Speer 250gr GDJHPs over 5.7-6.1 gr Titegroup yielding 752-814 fps. A bit too dear for plinking!

For real light loads, I put a 200gr LRNFP over 4.4 gr Titegroup in a Fed LP primed .45 Schofield case for 628 fps - with a high SD of +/-21 fps (All other loads were +/- 11 fps or less.). I never length size - could be a lot of variation in the Schofield cases. Larger groups at 25 yd than any of my .45 Colt loads - but mild shooters.

Stainz

[orangezuk]

For the "Red Dot Guys" I'v been using the same 6.5g load with Promo. If you doing a lot of plinking it's great, an econo Red Dot. I load my 12gauge trap/skeet, .40, .38/357, & the .45colt.

[drklynoon]

Thanks Ed I just completed an order. Sorry for the hijack.

[Dframe]

I shoot a 200 grain RNFP over 6 grains of trail boss. great shooting light load for plinking or cowboy.

[Hardcast416taylor]

I`ll say it one more time so listen carefully. I have been using 6.0 gr. of Red Dot for as long as I have had a pistol, or two, in Long Colt. The load is used with about any bullet in the 250 gr. range. The load is almost identical in velocity as the original old time load that yielded about 900 fps. This load has been mentioned by writers in articles that I remember back in the late 60`s and earlier. I use a 50/50 alloy air cooled RCBS swc bullet that I size .454". This is a fun load, yet has the authority to do real business. I have taken a whitetail with this load, so don`t say it can`t do the job. It is a load that should be tried by anyone owning a pistol in .45 Long Colt.Robert

[Tristan]

I`ll say it one more time so listen carefully. I have been using 6.0 gr. of Red Dot for as long as I have had a pistol, or two, in Long Colt. The load is used with about any bullet in the 250 gr. range. The load is almost identical in velocity as the original old time load that yielded about 900 fps. This load has been mentioned by writers in articles that I remember back in the late 60`s and earlier. I use a 50/50 alloy air cooled RCBS swc bullet that I size .454". This is a fun load, yet has the authority to do real business. I have taken a whitetail with this load, so don`t say it can`t do the job. It is a load that should be tried by anyone owning a pistol in .45 Long Colt.Robert

That sounds just dandy!

Over a thousand loads in a pound, sounds like about 2-1/5c for powder and 3c for primer!

Anyone try this load in a Smith 625?

- Tristan

[bowfin]

Thanks for the good advice on the Red Dot. I puchased some 255 grain boolits from Matt's andwas looking for a close to factory load for my cousin to shoot.

[DanWalker]

The reason I went to 6.5 grains of Red Dot was that I only got 725 fps in my blackhawk with 6.0 grains. 6.5 grains gives me 890FPS from the 5.5" barrel of my gun. This load shoots through deer and antelope with no problem out to as far as I can hit them.

[lead-1]

Wow my loads are way soft comparativly. I'm using the 255 gr. Keith and using 6.0 gr. Unique. I'm having some luck with it too. lol I am considering making a change as soon as I can get some durn cases (all on back order.)

With this load do you use any filler?

Actually I could use a light plinking load for a little fun in a double barrel derringer.

[drklynoon]

Nope no filler. It's not the cleanest load but it is surprisingly consistant.

[bigboredad]

Hardcast416taylor
could you repeat that I wasn't paying attention:kidding:
Sounds like a fun economical load and it has worked for you for years. I think I'll gave ti give it a try

[Tristan]

Checked my Speer #11 loading book, and for their swaged 250 gr. SWC with Red Dot, they show

6.7 gr. (max) 864 mv
6.2 gr. (start) 792 mv

This is from the standard 45 colt section, not the 'Ruger Only' section.

Looks like Red Dot is building a following on this forum. :)

- Tristan

[saz]

Looks like Red Dot is building a following on this forum. :)

- Tristan

+1 here. I love using the stuff.

[zxcvbob]

I use 7.5 grains of Promo* with Lee 230 grain tumble-lube boolits cast from whatever scrap lead I can scrounge. This is a little hotter than normal load, but way less than most "Ruger" loads.

*Cheap version of Red Dot without the red dots.

[Hardcast416taylor]

Like some of the powders Alliant (formerly Hercules) makes now some are a little bit different in velocity than the real McCoy of olden days. So it appears that the newer stuff needs 1/2 gr. additional to be near the 900 fps of the old days when I was a boy. I`ve let daylight thru a whole bunch of critters and varmits with the "old" load and a 250ish bullet. For whatever it is worth knowing, I finished emptying my last larger than 8 lb. metal drum(bought 4 of these drums back in the early 60`s) of the older powder about 2 years back, got about 3/4 of a lb. of it left.Robert

[Wally]

I will be trying this weekend 7.0 grains of Red Dot with a poly filler and a Lyman 452389 185 WC bullet...

[zxcvbob]

Why the filler? Red Dot doesn't need it.

[Wally]

Why the filler? Red Dot doesn't need it.

I find I get more consistent velocities and the same powder chg with a filler always gives you more muzzle velocity (50~75 FPS).

A few years ago I loaded up 6.0 grains of Red Dot with the 454190 bullet--no filler BIG mistake...accurate but the spread was almsot 200 FPS...I learned...

[DanWalker]

I find I get more consistent velocities and the same powder chg with a filler always gives you more muzzle velocity (50~75 FPS).

A few years ago I loaded up 6.0 grains of Red Dot with the 454190 bullet--no filler BIG mistake...accurate but the spread was almsot 200 FPS...I learned...
ODD...I also shoot the LEE 300 grainer over 6.5 grains of red dot and get around 900fps and tremendous accuracy.

[drklynoon]

I've never really considered a filler for a handgun load. For a 45-70 yeah but never a .45 colt. I haven't shot mine over the crony cause... well I don't care about the speed just the accuracy. I know thats kind of an oxy moron(consitant speed gives better accuracy) but I'm just shooting at 25 yards.

[saz]

Like some of the powders Alliant (formerly Hercules) makes now some are a little bit different in velocity than the real McCoy of olden days. So it appears that the newer stuff needs 1/2 gr. additional to be near the 900 fps of the old days when I was a boy. I`ve let daylight thru a whole bunch of critters and varmits with the "old" load and a 250ish bullet. For whatever it is worth knowing, I finished emptying my last larger than 8 lb. metal drum(bought 4 of these drums back in the early 60`s) of the older powder about 2 years back, got about 3/4 of a lb. of it left.Robert

SO true! A little while ago I scored a few pounds of the old Hercules Unique in a pawn shop with the seals still in tact. Way better stuff than the unique made today, not that there is anything wrong with today's Unique. The old stuff is just a little better.

[drklynoon]

I got some trail boss this weekend and I'm gonna give it a try maybe next week. I'll update.

[drklynoon]

6.2 gr. of Trailboss gave me some leading after 50 rounds so I am softening it down to 6.0 gr. I was getting about 820 FPS with 6.2 but my W/W bullets didn't care for it. Accuracy has been fantastic. I am a true believer in Trailboss.

[odis]

For my old new model Blackhawk which has 454 throats I shoot 270 gr. SWC over 6 grs. of red dot, have no idea what the velocity is just that it is extremely accurate and very pleasant to shoot, for me its the ultimate in fun or plinker load.

[longbow]

Same idea, different gun and boolit weight.

I decided I wanted a light boolit for fun plinker loads so had Tom at Accurate Molds scale down a .45 cal. 165 gr.:

http://www.accuratemolds.com/bullet_detail.php?bullet=45-165C-D.png

to .44 for my Marlin. He made the 43-165B for me:

http://www.accuratemolds.com/bullet_detail.php?bullet=43-165B-D.png

Easy on powder, easy on lead, light recoil and it also seems to like being pushed pretty fast too so makes a nice little screamer too (a gas check would allow even higher velocity)... and it is accurate.

If I had a revolver I would be shooting these in it too. All the benefits brought up by many in this thread with the added benefit of less lead being used for plinking. I will be casting some for a friend so we will see how they do in a revolver.

So far I have been using up to 12 grs. of Unique and recently 10 grs. of 700X which was a bit more energetic than I thought it would be so we were into screamer territory there.

Anyway, 5 to 10 grs. of most relatively fast pistol or shotgun powders should make a nice shooting load for a handgun. Red Dot will be in my inventory shortly as well.

Just another option if you want a light load that uses less lead.

[Wally]

I have a Ruger Blackhawk w a .45 ACP cylinder..for economical plinking fun I use a 452389 Lyman 185 WC bullet and 6.0 grains of Red Dot....excellent accuracy to 100' and it is an ideal plinking bullet. Frankly lead is not as easy to get as it used to be for me and I now feel shooting a 260 grain bullet at a defenseless can is not a good idea, with such a heavy bullet. In the .45 Colt I use 7.0 grains of Red Dot with a Lee 240 grain WC bullet for my plinking. The Lee 200 RF is also a good bullet in my Ruger.