45 colt experts needed

[TXSlade]

I have been loading 454 Casull for over 20 years. I just bought my first 45 Colt. A SAA Uberti Clone.

RCBS Casull dies are obviously a bit tight and work great for the Freedom Arms. But will they be ok for the 45 Colt? Should I buy dedicated 45 Colt dies? Some dies say 45 Colt/454 Casull, but I wonder if sizing them a bit small is a bad idea safety-wise, or at least over working the brass possibly. I did run a couple 45 Colt though my Casull sizing die, and no issues were obvious.

For boolits, I really want a classic cowboy look-a-like bullet. I want to try black powder, and from what I can tell, 250-255 is the projectile weight of the original 45 Colt. The closest I've found is a RCBS 255 SWC. But I bet someone here will have a better idea.

[DougGuy]

The Lee C452-255-RF is a great boolit for that job.

[Outpost75]

While your Casull dies will "work" cases won't last long because .45 Colt chambers are still cut to black powder tolerances and are WAY larger than they need to be. Modern .45 Colt dies often work the brass more than necessary. The RCBS Cowboy dies are dimensioned better for cast bullets and work well.

I like the traditional style Saeco #954, 230-grain cowboy bullet in the .45 Colt, with 6.5 grains of Bullseye, which gives 880 fps from my ca. 1910 manufacture, 5-1/2" Colt. For me the #954 bullet was more accurate than the 260-grain #955 bullet of the same profile. I cast bullets of 50-50 COWW and plumber's lead, and load the bullets as-cast, air cooled and unsized, tumble lubed with Lee Liquid Alox. Works for ne.

[Beagle333]

I got the Pietta clone, and it likes anything from a 200gr to the 275gr RCBS SAA boolit.
The 452423 is a favorite of mine too and it is a classic boolit. NOE has a GB on that one that is closing soon, and.... you can get it in HP if you want.
I think Miha also still has overruns for his 45-270 RCBS boolit as well. It just closed recently.

The 452423
http://i613.photobucket.com/albums/tt214/shutupandjump/cast%20boolits/jan30006_zps8fb5134e.jpg

The 45-270 RCBS
http://i613.photobucket.com/albums/tt214/shutupandjump/cast%20boolits/45-270saa008_zps1cc62821.jpg

[Jupiter7]

The ideal/Lyman 454424 is the predecessor to the rcbs 45-270saa boolit. I prefer it to keep lead expenditure down. My original square groove ideal mold drops at 260ish and will shoot 2" groups regularly over 6.5grs bullseye in 4 5/8" NM blackhawk. I've been loading the colt for about a year and have settled on above load as my "do all". Enough pop to get stuff done and not too much to shoot easily.

[Zymurgy50]

Adjust your sizing die so that you are only sizing the first 1/2" to 5/8" of the 45LC case, and keep those cases for the Uberti. The 454 dies should work if the crimping die is short enough, unless barrel diameter calls for a 454 slug. In that case I would look at the RCBS Cowboy dies as I believe that they come with expanders for .452 and .454 boolits.

[9.3X62AL]

I had a Uberti Cattleman in 45 Colt, it was a delight in all respects. Should have kept that little jewel, 4-3/4" barrel. I now run a Ruger BisHawk x 7.5", which barrel gets me closer to the target than did the Uberti tube. It's a big old beast, and had the usual 1990s undersized throats when new. I finished building it, and it has been very tractable since its throats were relieved to .453" from their former .448"-.449" OEM form.

I am another that tossed out the RCBS tungsten-carbide sizer die, which reduced case diameters to .469". I replaced this with a steel sizer that leaves diameter at .476"-.477", depending on case make. Much mo bettah, and case life has been lengthened GREATLY.

I use the classic Lyman #454190 round nose with small meplat when I "duplicate" 1873 loadings. 9.0 grains of Unique give 875 FPS, and about the same with #454424.

[bangerjim]

I shoot anything from 160 to 300 gn in my 45LC revolvers & long guns. 200-255 seems to be good but that 300 in the long guns really packs a slow but HARD punch downrange!

banger

[dmize]

I would just spring for a set of RCBS Cowboy dies,or even a set of Lee's.
A lot of dies are marked 45 Colt/454 and my 454 rounds loaded with the Lee "do all" dies work fine in my SRH they wont chamber in my cousins FA 454.
Like others I think you are going to be working your brass an awful lot.

[44MAG#1]

I have used a set of RCBS 45 Colt dies for the 45 Colt and FA 454's since the mid 1980's. No problems.

[DougGuy]

I have only used Lee dies here so I cannot comment on other makes but I'm getting good neck tension out of them and great consistency, I think that is the main thing.

[mj2evans]

I have had good luck with the Lee 255 FP in an old Vaquero (yes I had to ream the throats too). I want to try a Keith SWC but they don't look right to me in a 45 Colt case.

[9.3X62AL]

I have had good luck with the Lee 255 FP in an old Vaquero (yes I had to ream the throats too). I want to try a Keith SWC but they don't look right to me in a 45 Colt case.

"....look right...." Some validity to that outlook, esp. if your baseline is the Old School 45 Colt loads from Back In The Day. My own Lyman #454424 is an older variant, and at its 255 grain nominal weight it presents a shorter and squattier profile than do other Keith SWC designs--which is the element of "not looking right" that occurs to me in this context.

That '9.0 grains of Unique' loading with either bullet in the Uberti revolver shot right to its fixed sights at 25 yards. I thought this was a fine trait, and perhaps a bit of an epiphany given the modest pricing of the Pasta Colta. Fast forward to 2013, and I bought a Uberti C-man in 44-40 WCF with 4-3/4" barrel--to match up with a '73 Winchester lever carbine I own in that caliber. In trying some of my rifle's loads in the revolver (SAECO #446/200 grain flattoint) atop 14.0 grains of 2400, these give about 1200 FPS in the carbine--about 900 FPS in the revolver--and again shoot right to the sights at 25 yards. No beef with that, at all!

[bobthenailer]

I have used the 454 Casull TC sizing die to size 45lc brass for use in two of my friends Taurus Judge pistols and used a set of used 45lc steel dies minus the steel sizer to finish of the reloading procedure. accuracy was ok at 30 feet

[jrmartin1964]

For boolits, I really want a classic cowboy look-a-like bullet.

Lyman's No.454190.
105064
This is the classic cowboy bullet.

And when partnered with Bullseye for 660fps +/-,
is an absolute delight to shoot in this:
105065
Uberti Cattleman, Old Model
.45 Colt, 5-1/2"

Jim

[Groo]

Groo here
I have a set of Pacific dies for 454 I use for both.
Unless you need .454cal bullets you should be fine.
The only thing with 45 colt [ if you load the colt not ruger loads ] is the case gets blowby in a larger chamber.
Have not lost a case to splitting yet but I load to colt specs.

[blackpowder man]

I like the Lee 255 rnfp too. I use rcbs dies for the 45 colt and used my 460 dies on the 454 so I'm not much help there. My wife just got me a mold for my birthday for shooting black powder .45s out of my 1894 marlin cowboy. It is the NOE 230 grain rnfp for black powder and is a copy of the old lyman .44-40 mold with a bigger lube groove. I use the .NOE version with the big lube groove in my .44 specials with good success with bp. there were still molds available on his site the other day. They look like an original style boolit when loaded. I need the extra lube for my 24" barrel, but honestly I've shot those lee 255s out of a new vaquero with bp lube and bp with no issues.

[wrench man]

I load the 45 Colt for my Uberti 1873 and Marlin 1894 on my Dillon 550 with RCBS 454 Casull dies, I use the sizing die and the seating die, the expander is (Dillon powder funnel) what ever Dillon made it to?, I never measured it??, I also use a Dillon roll crimp die in station 4, Winchester brass, boolit of choice has been the Oregon Trail/Laser Cast 200grn RNFP driven by 7.0grns of Trail Boss, they shoot VERY well out of the revolver, but they don't seal well in the chamber on the rifle?

[Good Cheer]

For black you may have difficulty finding a design that carries enough lube for longer barrels. Revolver and carbine not a problem but long barrels sometimes are. I wanna try this one with black, filling the base hollow cavity with LOOB (lanolin-olive oil-beeswax).
http://i791.photobucket.com/albums/yy192/SNARGLEFLERK/adjustable45_zps8651f1de.jpg (http://s791.photobucket.com/user/SNARGLEFLERK/media/adjustable45_zps8651f1de.jpg.html)