Advice please on .45 Colt load

[Kermit2]

I purchased one of the new Lipsey's Ruger flat top Blackhawk revolvers with the 4 5/8" barrel. I'd like to work up some handloads in the 850 to 900 fps range, and would appreciate your opinions. I have two bullet styles available to me to test. The first is a 250 grain cast lead semi wadcutter produced by GLC Bullets with a Brinnell rating of 15. The other bullet is a 250 grain round nose flat point produced by MO Bullet Co. with a Brinnell rating of 12.

I'm planning on using Unique powder, Remington brass, and CCI LP primers. I'm considering working up to 8.0 grains of Unique. In your opinion is that a safe load for this revolver? From looking at the Alliant website and my Lyman and Lee manuals it looks to be safe, but I'd appreciate your opinions. I have read that this revolver will take loads up to 20,000 psi and can use loads up to 9.0 grains of Unique. Would that load be safe in that revolver? All information will be appreciated. Thank you!

[hporter]

Kermit,

I shot a variety of loads through my new Lipsey's 45 colt 4-5/8" flattop last week, to the tune of about 300 rounds. Of them, 8 grains of Unique over the Lee 255 grain rnfp was the most accurate. I don't have my chrono records with me tonight, but if I remember correctly that load was in the 850-900 fps range.

The loads utilizing Power Pistol and the RCBS 280 grain Keith boolit were also quite accurate and plenty stout. I went by Brian Pearce's article in Handloader magazine #275, Dec-Jan 2012 issue. This article was specifically on the new flattop convertible Ruger, and Brian had many loads to recommend. Pick up a copy if you can, or PM me your e-mail address and I will try to get you the relevant information.

The new flattop convertible is a wonderful revolver. I have the Lipsey's flattop 44 special and a new vaquero in 45 colt, but this one is definitely my favorite! I have been having fun this week with 45 ACP loads from mild to wild. Yesterday I shot a group of six shots into one little ragged hole with a 200gr SWC at 15 yards that tickled me pink.

My only negative comment is that the front sight is so tall that I have to crank the rear sight up to the point that the stout loads knocked it past the point where spring tension keeps it in place and it went to the far north position. I know I can file the front sight down, but I hate to do that to a brand new gun - just yet. It is curious to me why the sight is so tall when the boolit length on the heavies will be too long to shoot in the short cylinder. The 280gr Keiths load almost to the very end of the cylinder.

Good luck, and good shooting. You picked a fine revolver their buddy!

[Wolfer]

I believe 8 grs of unique behind a 250/255 gr lead boolit has been the standard 45 colt load
since unique came out. I don't know the exact date but late 1890s or thereabouts.
I have the new vaquero and have ran several thousand of lee 452-255 RF ahead of 8.8 grains.
With the Lyman 452-424 it takes 9 grs to get to the same velocity ( 970 fps )
These guns would no doubt take a lot more but I like to stay below the speed of sound to
keep the noise to a bearable level. My 7.5" model is quite accurate and powerful enough
for me. It's taken several deer, a couple coyotes, and various other critters.

Unique is my favorite powder for my load/ gun but if was going to go much lower in velocity
I would probably go with titegroup, I think I was running about 7 grs
5 grs of clays behind a 200/228 gr is quite pleasent to shoot

[Kermit2]

Thanks for the replies. Through my research it's looking like loads of Unique in the 8.0 to 9.0 grain range are going to do the trick for me. I'm not trying to hot rod the gun and destroy it. Far too beautiful a revolver for that, and I realize it's built on a lighter frame than the New Model Blackhawk. It should be an excellent holster gun to tag along with me into the woods and such. Personally I think a 250 grain LSWC at around 900 fps would be a good defensive round in the off chance that I ran into Freddy Cougar or one of the giant Ozark sabre toothed black grizzle bears that occasionally wander up from Arkansas.

Also, does anyone have any thoughts as to whether the GLC LSWC bullet at 15 BHN would serve best in this application or the MO Bullet RNFP bullet at 12 BHN? As always all information is appreciated!

Wolfer, I'm in SW MO also. Barely County.

[x101airborne]

Either will work well for your needs. I prefer rnfp style boolits. I just seem to have better long range stability and better accuracy with that style. Although my redhawk seems to love swc's also, I just prefer to work with the rnfp. Either hardness will work just fine.

[frank505]

22 grains of BlackHorn 209, CCI 350 will give you zero leading great accuracy and smoke!! Really a fun load duplicating black powder loads without the cleanup.

[Wolfer]

Kermit
I live between ash grove and walnut grove in Greene co. I work in Springfield and usually have a few extra boolits laying around, if you want I could get you some to try. I gather you haven't bought a mold yet?

[donr]

As info, the stainless model has a pinned front sight. I called Ruger and was able to obtain a front sight about .055-.060 lower for about $7.50, shipped. Knock out the roll pin, remove ejector shroud, place barrel in drill press vise, align existing ramp hole with bit, press in new blade, drill, and replace pin. With a 250 SWC & 8 gr. of Universal Clays the rear sight is several clicks from bottom. About 5 clicks up and a 200 gr. Lee with 4.6 B.E. is zeroed. With both cylinder throats at .4515 and barrel at .4508, it is the most precise revolver I own besides a Freedom Arms .454that sells for over 3 times as much. Both are very accurate arms.

Don R

[JohnnyFlake]

8.0 of Unique most certainly is not too much for the Ruger you have.

I don't own a Ruger, but I have seen others shooting Ruger Flattops in .45 Colt with loads up to 10.0 of Unique with no issues of any kind.

[TXGunNut]

If you're not committed to Unique I'd suggest Universal Clays. Burns cleaner, runs better in a powder measure and IME is as accurate as Unique. My RBH likes 7.5 grs of Universal under a Lyman 452424 boolit. Plenty mild enough for less robust revolvers but all the power I need for a hunting backup load.

[Kermit2]

I have both Unique and Universal powder. I plan on starting with Unique as I've had very good luck with it in .357 and .44 special. I have a New Model Blackhawk in .41 magnum that seems to prefer loads using Universal over those that use Unique, and I keep it on hand for loads for that revolver. If the Unique loads don't perform well enough I'll try Universal.

[supertodd]

I find a copy of the latest Handloader magazine, Brian Pierce just had an article and load data for that exact pistol.

[BBarrett]

8 gr. Unique gets a nod. I have also went to 10 gr. Unique and shot it very well.

[Wolfer]

There are powders out there that probably are better than unique. Cleaner for sure, cheaper maybe, more accurate maybe, but Unique is made in the USA and that is important to me.

[Grapeshot]

Unique was the first powder I used in my Colt SAA in 1974. My charge was 8.0 grains touched off with a WLP primer pushing a cast Lyman 454424 Keith Style SWC. Over the years and several .45 Colt revolvers later, Unique is still my Go-To powder for plinking. For the Western and Coboy Shooting It's Pinacle and/or Goex 2Fg and Large Magnum Pistol primers pushing a LRNFP Lyman 452664, ot the Lee 255 grain version or the Big Lube 250 grain PRS Boolit.

I've also shot quite a bit of Lyman's 454190, RCBS's .45 LRNFP, as well as a variety of lighter boolits just to see what kind of accuracy I can get out of my .45 Col Revolvers. Youir choice of Unique is a good one.

[Char-Gar]

The Lipsey 45 Flatop is a great sixgun. I really like mine.

I shoot the 454424 Keith over 8.5/Unique with total satisfaction. I size them .452.

I also shoot the lighter 452423 Keith bullet over 9/Unique also sized .452.

I have been shooting these loads for 50 years is various SA and DA sixguns with great results. They certainly won't place any stress on the Lipsey 45 FT.

[Larry Gibson]

My "standard" 45 Colt load for years has also been 8.5 gr Unique over a 255 - 260 gr 452490 SWC. It runs right at 850 fps out of my 4 3/4" Uberti and 875 fps out of my 5 1/2" Uberti. Runs 975 fps out of my 20" M73 and 1020 fps out of my 24" M92. Accuracy in all is excellent. The bullets drop at .454 out of my Lyman mould and I size them at that.

Larry Gibson

[Kermit2]

Went to the range today (2/24) and shot my new .45 Colt Blackhawk. I loaded up 50 rounds using .45 Colt cases, Wolf large pistol primers, 9.0 grains of Unique, and 250 grain cast lead round nose flat point bullets made by GLC Bullets. My buddy came along to help and after a few rounds we had the sights tweaked for that load. We then proceeded to kick plastic water bottles around at 25 yards, and kicked around a grapefruit sized rock at 50 yards. Good enough for me! I'm going to reload the brass and on my next range trip I'll shoot some targets and try to post photos.

Also, I tried a few rounds of .45 ACP ammo that I'd loaded using Wolf primers, 4.1 grains of Bullseye, and 200 grain cast LSWC bullets by GLC. I was very pleasantly suprised at how well they shot. Point of impact is very close to the heavier load without changing the sights. This is one sweet revolver. :grin:

[Outpost75]

The 8-grain Unique load has been a reliable standby in the .45 Colt for many years.

If you want nearly identical peformance with a finer grained powder, which is moe onvenient for machine loading it is hard to beat 6.5 grains of Bullseye. With the Saeco #955, 260-grain cowboy bullet, cast 1:20, in Winchester cases, with WLP primers at 1.59" OAL this load gives 900 fps from my Colt New Service with5-1/2" barel and averages 2-1/2" groups, sandbagged at 25 yards. In my H&R Handi rifle with 20" barrel velocity is 1090 fps and groups average 2" sandbagged at 50 yards.