45 Colt load development

[Wadestep]

I recently have recieved a Mihec mold that casts nice 330 gr boolits for the 45 Colt. It is a 'ruger only' 45 load that I am trying to develop and right now, I only have 2400 powder to work with. There's a lot of info online about 300 gr boolits, lots with 110 powder, but I haven't found anything about 2400 powder with 330 gr boolits. This is in a Ruger Blackhawk, 5.5" barrel.
This is the first load I will 'work up' that is outside published data, and I'm looking for some help.

Handloads.com shows a 325 gr unknown type of boolit with 17 gr = 27,700 CUP.
per Linebaugh - 310 gr LSWC with 19 gr of 2400 produces 1172 fps and 29,400 CUP.

So, I believe that I should be working up from 17-19 gr of 2400 with these 330 gr, maybe not exceeding 18gr to account for the increased weight?
Any thoughts? This will be for deer/bear/???? hunting. I don't care to push every last ounce of energy out of it, accuracy at 1050-1100 fps would be perfect. The mold is plain based, if that matters.

If anyone knows of a source for published data I'd like to know of it.

Thanks

[Tatume]

Hi Wade,

Alliant 2400 is fairly forgiving of reduced loads. I don't have my loading manuals here at the office. If it was me, I would go to the loading manuals, and look at the starting loads for the heaviest bullets I could find for the 45 Colt and 2400. If I could find a 300 gr jacketed bullet load with 2400, that would be worth considering. Start low and work up. Don't exceed the speeds in the manuals.

BTW, those loads you published in your post look stout to me. While they may be safe, I would have to work up to them.

Take care, Tom

[winelover]

Here are some published loads from the April/May 2007 issue of Handloader Magazine for the 285 grain RCBS 45-270-SAA cast using 2400.

32,000 CUP

2400 / 19.0 grs. / CCI 300 for 1145 fps
2400 / 20.0 grs. / CCI 300 for 1195 fps
2400 / 21.0 grs. / CCI 300 for 1262 fps

The would be Ruger ONLY IMO

I don't load for 330 grain boolets and my Mihec SSA clone casts 293 gr solids for the 45 Colt using a soft alloy. That being said, I probably would start at 16.0 grains and work up with the heavier 330 grainer.


Winelover

[Wadestep]

Thanks for the replies. I'll revise my thought to work from 16-18 grains for now, then. These would definatly be stout loads, Ruger only. I figure on soon buying a 250 (ish) grain mold as my standard/plinking boolit.
I did just find a reprint of the Hogdon manual online showing a 325 gr boolit, using 17.5 to 19 gr of 2400. 19 gr is 1122 fps and 29,900 CUP. I'm only whitetail hunting, so I'll plan on working up to and staying around 18 gr. More seems excessive for my needs. Seems like that will get me just over 1,000 FPS.

[runfiverun]

i'd definately be looking to start in the 16 gr area.
i'd also compare how much more case you are using versus a 300 gr bullet, and reduce that much more powder.
18 grs might be right up there close to max, the nose shape will allow more weight out of the case even though they weight the same.
you might be on the good side or the other side there...
and bearing length has an influence on engraving/engagement pressure.
look at the whole picture not just weight.

[Wadestep]

Yep, thanks for that thought. Looks like these boolits will take up .365 inches of the case to the crimp groove. I'll be keeping what you say in mind. Heck, I may just find that 16 gr is all I Want to shoot. I'll start there.

[Wadestep]

I finally got out to test the loads last weekend. I loaded 6 rounds each at 16 gr, 17 gr, 17.5 gr, and 18 gr of 2400. The Blackhawk felt like a hand cannon, significantly more recoil that any other handgun I've shot - it made the 357 that followed it seem like a pop gun, and the 9mm a toy. After about 25 rounds I was done. No mas for today. Anyways, I just wanted to share that I had absolutely no pressure signs and no problems with any of the rounds. This may not work in your gun if you follow in my footsteps, but it worked for me.

I also decided that 16-17 grains is all the powder I feel I need for any whitetail, by a large margin, and the gun shot high with this load - need to work on that.

[winelover]

I also decided that 16-17 grains is all the powder I feel I need for any whitetail, by a large margin, and the gun shot high with this load - need to work on that.


And that is the caveat for heavy for caliber boolets and the main reason I steer clear away from them in all calibers. Besides the unnecessary recoil, wear and tear on the firearm you just don't need the heavies for whitetails.

Winelover

[44man]

I shoot a 300 gr Lee, the LBT 335 gr and a Lyman 325 gr that drops at 347 gr???
I don't have a 2400 load but I use 21.5 gr of 296 with a Fed 150 primer for all the boolits. The accuracy velocity from a Ruger is about 1160 fps, give or take.
I have shot 1" groups at 75 yards with all three from my old Vaquero. Shot many deer. I had to put Pachmeyer grips on the gun.
My best shot was off hand at just over 100 yards, dropped the doe in her tracks.
Not much will stop the boolits. I shot clear through a 16" tree, cut a huge grape vine and could not find the boolit in the ground.
Thousands of them has shown zero wear on the gun, just use STP on the pin and ratchet. That stuff will cushion cylinder bounce.

[cbrick]

I'm quite a fan of heavy for caliber boolits and slow powder in revolvers. 44man is right, put the Pachs on that OMBH and you'll not know it's the same load/gun, huge difference.

Rick

[DougGuy]

I'm right in the same ballpark with 340gr wfn gas checks, and I have the same 330gr pb, also some 325gr wfn gas checks and 300gr j words.

I have been using 22gr of H110 for the 340s, 22.2gr H110 for 300gr J words, these are both very stout loads, I found a real gem with the 325gr WFN GC over 19.0gr of LilGun, best shooting boolit of the bunch!

Also have been working on a mid velocity soft cast gas check just for the smaller deer we have here, 260gr lswc gc over 17gr 2400 is a real sweet shooter and groups great. It shoots a little low out of my Vaquero, so I am looking for a 300gr soft cast gas check that I can use over 17gr of 2400 to see if it brings the point of impact up to the sights. Your 17gr and 18gr loads should be fine.

One thing I would check being that you mentioned your BH shoots high, check the cylinder throats. If a .451" or .452" boolit won't go into the front of the cylinder, then every time you shoot the gun it has to swage the boolit down to force it through the cylinder throat, it creates excess pressure and recoil causes the gun to shoot high with hard cast boolits. Also, if you slug the barrel and find a tight spot where it is threaded into the frame, that will do the same thing. Ruger 45s are notorious for having tight dimensions in these two locations.

I had that problem with the Vaquero and it shot the 340gr linotype SSK boolits high, and once the cylinder throats were reamed to .4525" I elected to Taylor throat the barrel to remove the constriction at the threads (.449" groove diameter... YIKES!) the point of impact for those heavy Ruger Only loads dropped 6" in 15yds without changing nothing but those two dimensions. The gun is now the best shooting Ruger I have ever owned.

[44man]

Yeah, I had to ream my throats too. Even a jacketed bullet would not go through.
You do shoot some stout loads! I found 22 gr opened groups a little. I have some of the J words somewhere but my gun has never shot one.
Normally the J bullets use less powder then cast but I have no info for them at all in my book.
All of you would laugh at my book, it has one load for each boolit for each gun. It is a little book 5" by 4" and a gun will use half a page.

[Wadestep]

Thanks for the replies. I have not checked the cylinder throats yet - will slug those next. Also, found out I needed a bigger roll crimp, as one boolit slipped the crimp under recoil, not allowing the cylinder to rotate. Only one out of the 25 or so. PS - what's the best way to deal with that situation? I took a hammer and - CAREFULLY- tapped the boolit back into the brass while it was in the cylinder. since it's a single action, not sure what else could work well? couldn't rotate the cylinder or remove the cylinder. Any thoughts? I wasn't that happy about tapping a boolit with a hammer, over a load of powder and a live primer.

[LAH]

Never had to tap a bullet back into a case but I don't see how it could be dangerous unless you had a high primer & really drove the bullet with a big hammer. Try this, prime a case, place it in the cylinder, then use a punch & hammer through the throat & see if you can set the primer off. Wear gloves & glasses but I doubt you need them.