If ya had to guess.......

[SharpsShooter]

Given the following criteria, which powder would you select Unique or 2400???

45LC Ruger BH (3-screw) 4 5/8"

Boolits shot "as cast" .454 diameter, alloy 20:1 258gr.

Wanted 1100-1200fps

Here they are before culling
http://i146.photobucket.com/albums/r255/SharpsShooter_photos/10045Keiths.jpg

Looking to develope decent hunting load for Whitetail deer to about 100yds or so.

My initial workup has shown decent results with 7.5 and 8.0gr of Unique at 50yds. I have just a tiny bit of leading in the forcing cone after the last range session of 90 rounds. If I could stop letting the front sight wander:roll: my groups would be in under 2". As it is right now, I have groups of 1"H x 4"W that will hopefully tighten up as I get a few more miles on it. I plan to shoot a lot more of the above mentioned load for self improvement purposes, but i want to also start working toward this falls hunting season. With the above load and my rear sight cranked all the way down, it is still 5" high at 50, but comes right in at the 100yd ram:-D

I know both powders will get me to the velocity I want, but which will be more accurate etc. with that boolit?



Suggestions??



SS

[44man]

Very nice batch. I only see one thing wrong though---you spent way too much time lining them up real pretty for the picture.
I would try the slower powder too to see if it is easier on the soft lead. Let us know.

[SharpsShooter]

Very nice batch. I only see one thing wrong though---you spent way too much time lining them up real pretty for the picture.
I would try the slower powder too to see if it is easier on the soft lead. Let us know.


44man,


Ah well the yard was cut and it is raining here. Good excuse to cast right? What do ya suggest as a slower alternative? I like the soft boolit for hunting and it makes it easy to remember what is in the pot, since I use the same alloy for my BPCR. This 3-screw was nearly NIB with not even a ring on the cylinder. The trigger is very nice and if all I wanted it to do was clang ther 8" swingers at 50yds, the load I have will do that nicely:Fire: . I want to see at least groups under 4-5' at 100yds. That sounds like a lot, but with that fat front sight, I suspect it will be a challenge. Until I get that front sight to stop wandering[smilie=1: , I will self limit myself to 50yd shots on game.


Thanks


SS

[targetshootr]

Nice lookin boolits. I'm still excited about the big 45 Keith group buy. A 3 screw shouldn't develop a ring as long as the hammer is always pulled to full cock after being in the safety position. 2400 is the slower powder.

:Fire:

[Lloyd Smale]

i wouldnt push those bullets past 1000 fps with unique. 2400 would be a better powder to go faster but with the soft alloy you might want to consider 1000 fps loads

[Lucky Joe]

I would use more words here but Lloyd said it for me. I think anything past 1000 fps means your are going to begin trading.

[44man]

Use a slow powder like 2400 that you can safely download. Although Unique is not a bad choice either. It would be a good test for you to compare what the leading and accuracy difference is between the two. I would stay away from the real fast powders with soft boolits. There are a few other powders that might work nice too like HS6 and HS7, they fill the case better and velocity is low.

[C A Plater]

Blue Dot is my favorite .45 Colt powder these days. The Alliant guide show 11.5 grains giving 890 fps @ 12300 CUP which would make it a old Colt SAA safe loading. In my S&W Mtn gun I use 12.5 grains pushing a 275 grain Keith and 13.5 in the Ruger Bisley under a 310 grain WFN slug. I used to get that same leading in the first inch or so of the barrel but cured it when I had the cylinder throat reamed to .451" from the factory .447". Rugers are notorious for undersized throats.

[44man]

That is a question I would be interested in! When did Ruger start to make tighter .45 throats? Did it involve the flat tops, three screw guns too or did it come about later? I had the .44 flat top but not the .45 so I don't know.
I had to ream my Vaquero, also my friends and I never understood Ruger's reasoning for these tight throats.

[SharpsShooter]

I guess 2400 is probably going to be the test media then. I was sort of expecting a few H110 suggestions, but haven't seen any. Several folks I know use it for large capacity 44 and 45 caliber wheelgun stuff. The blue dot is interesting too.


Thanks


SS

[felix]

Ruger's reasoning for these tight throats: protection (somewhat) for shooting hollow base boolits too hard with a too fast of a powder. ... felix

[ktw]

That is a question I would be interested in! When did Ruger start to make tighter .45 throats?

I had an early 80's vintage NMBH Convertible in 45 Colt with .454-455 throats (.453 in the ACP cylinder).

I would much rather purchase a gun with undersize throats than oversize throats. You can always ream/hone out throats that are too small. Hard to change the oversize ones and it restricts you to using molds that throw large boolits.

-ktw

[MT Gianni]

To me it has been the inconsistency that is a puzzler. My 90's era 45 had throats from .448-.451 yet the matching 45 acp cylinder were all true at .451. A phone call resulted in the answer "that is with in spec's." Gianni

[C A Plater]

That is a question I would be interested in! When did Ruger start to make tighter .45 throats? Did it involve the flat tops, three screw guns too or did it come about later? I had the .44 flat top but not the .45 so I don't know.
I had to ream my Vaquero, also my friends and I never understood Ruger's reasoning for these tight throats.

As to when I have no information but the why, and this is second or third hand information, old Bill Ruger figured they could sharpen the reamer a couple more times before retiring it. I don't know if that is true but it fits with some of the other things I've heard about Bill. Most probably come out just fine and it seems to be more prevalent with .45s though I've heard of it in other calibers.

[44man]

Thats funny you said that because those were my exact first thoughts. That could be the reason for all the different sizes in one cylinder. Six re-sharpened reamers!

[9.3X62AL]

Seems to be most prevalent in the 45 Colts and 44-40s. The 357, 41, and 44 Magnums I've owned/used were all pretty good dimensionally. This is a sample size of about a dozen revos over 20 years. My BisHawk x 45 Colt (1999) had the .449" throat/.452" groove malady, now reamer-resolved.

[johniv]

My Blackhawk 45 convertable purchased in '71(first year production I think) had cyl measurments of .449 . Seems the 45's always had problems.
John