.45 Colt Missouri Bullets 200 grain RNFP Boolit over Bullseye

[il.bill]

I spent a while searching through the archives for a load for punching paper at 10 to 15 yards using Bullseye powder (it is what I have on hand for my .45 ACP and .38 Spl. reloads) with a Missouri Bullets 200 grain RNFP and wanted to thank all who share their experience.

These were my first .45 Colt reloads for my new 4 5/8" Ruger Blackhawk Convertible and I loaded up ten each in 4.0, 4.5, and 6.0 grain loads and twenty in 5.0 grains. They all worked well with the 4.0 a bit too light and the 6.0 approaching more serious business.

The 5.0 grain Bullseye load with the Missouri Bullets 200 grain RNFP using a good crimp in the groove were exactly what I was looking for. They hit right were I was aiming and had just the right amount of punch for an enjoyable day putting holes in paper out in the woods. I think that load will be a nice introduction for friends firing a .45 Colt single action revolver for the first time. They are just a tad bit sooty, but I will probably still have a big grin on my face while cleaning up the Ruger.

I certainly can see Unique and Trail Boss in my .45 Colt reloading future, but for now I could not be more satisfied. Thanks again to all who generously share their boolit knowledge and experience with us noobs.

[olereb]

I personally like Bullseye in 45colt,i loaded a bunch of 250g RNFP with 6.3g last week and they shot great out of my Blackhawk and new Vaquero. I have a bunch of Unique now which I will use but I wouldn't hesitate to use Bullseye again if needed.

[Deep Six]

From experience, Unique will be really dirty at "standard" 45 Colt pressure of 13-14K PSI. It doesn't really clean up much till you get past 20K PSI, at which point you are in "Ruger Only" territory. One of my favorite loads for 45 Colt is either a 230 RN or 255 RFN over 9.5 Gr of Unique. I estimate it to be somewhere around 20K psi and it's a little dirty still, but the accuracy is great and the feel of my Blackhawk is just perfect when you touch them off.

[coalgeo]

I have always shot Unique because it gave excellent accuracy in both 45 ACP and 45 Colt - but it is dirty - even the newer runs which are, as advertised, some what cleaner. However, I think I will try a few with Bullseye since I have some on hand.

[opos]

I load the Missouri #4 Cowboy (12 hardness) with 5 grains of Trail Boss for my Vaquero and for my Pietta....shoots great and easy....old guy with arthritis...never get a trace of lead and like the load really well...I also found the 4 grains is way low and the 6 grains just sort of wasted powder...I also am loading some Unique in a 'test" and like it just fine...I heard that keeping the "Cowboy #4" Missouri boolit under 850 fps will pretty much insure no leading...I like the smell of buring T/B too.

[olereb]

I have always shot Unique because it gave excellent accuracy in both 45 ACP and 45 Colt - but it is dirty - even the newer runs which are, as advertised, some what cleaner. However, I think I will try a few with Bullseye since I have some on hand.

I have always used Bullseye in my 45acp loads so having it on hand is why I tried it in my 45colt loads last week,i used 6.4g with a 250g RPFN and had no leading,it was very accurate at 25+50yrds and not very dirty. I have decided to keep using Bullseye for my regular 45colt loads and using Unique for the higher pressure loads(ruger only and 44mag) so it wont be as dirty. That load also worked good in my new Vaquero for what its worth.

[Jupiter7]

I'm in same boat, new 4 5/8" blackhawk in 45colt. Started with unique, a tad dirty. Tried bullseye in numerous loads, cleaner and more accurate. Right now, ideal 454424 sized .452, lubed with bens red over 6.5grs bullseye. Groups quite well at 25yds, easy to shoot but enough pop to feel like a serious big bore. I also looked in my Speer #14 manual, Ruger only loads listed for bullseye with a 260gr JHP starting at 8.5grs up to 9.4grs max. Loaded a couple at 8.6 and 9.1. The 9.1gr load definitely let you know you shot a serious load, but not so much that it wasn't pleasant to shoot. May do some more work on paper to see where it goes.

[rexherring]

Yup Unique is a little sooty on the cases if loaded light. So, try what I did. I kept a lot of old thinner WW and RP cases that had been loaded many, many times, just for light loads. I then annealed them to soften up the neck area. Now, with lighter Unique loads, they don't soot up as bad and also reduced neck splits on old cases.