45 Colt Dual Loads

[akbeard]

I just purchased a new 5.5" stainless Bisley and am looking for some advice on a couple loads. I'm not sure if it is possible, but I would like to be able to have a plinking load like my current 250gr rnfp over 9gr unique and have a heavier bullet load like something in a 300gr cast bullet in the 1100-1200 fps and be able to shoot both without changing front sights. I have read that most times when you go to a heavier bullet/load you usually have to change your front sight height. I mostly like to just shoot the mild loads for fun and practice but I'm thinking that this might also be my stomp around in the woods carry piece. If its not possible, would it be better to stick with a heavier bullet and keep the speed down and use it for both applications? I'm sure others have come across this same issue and I am curious what you went with. Thanks

[Groo]

Groo gere
Make your hunting load , and then the target load.
Usually you SLOW down the target load to hit close to the hunting load.
Ps unless you just want to or hunt Bear and such, I see little need for the heaver boolet as the 250 at 900 was known to go through a horse.

[OS OK]

When we make hot loads for the carbine or .454 Cassul or Ruger…we color the primers with a 'red' marks a lot pen so that they never find their way into a standard SAA pistol. We mark the boxes-O-boolits as usual too with a warning and advise the other fellas who don't load their own on our shoot days.
Can't be too careful with hot loads.

[Hickok]

Your load of 9gr/ Unique and a 255 gr boolit will kill anything that walks, crawls or breaths in the lower 48 states if put into the heart/lung region at handgun distances.

But yes usually the heavier boolit will shoot to a higher point of impact from a revolver. I have done what you are wanting with a 45 colt before.

Zero your present load with the 255 dead on @ 25 yards, and a 300 gr load @ 1100-1200 should shoot about 2-3 inches high (give or take a little) at the same distance. But I have to tell you, the 300 gr load kicks like a mule, and it may "torgue" to left a bit as to impact.

Just my own findings shooting a .45 Colt Blackhawk, and your results may differ. I now shoot NM Vaqueros with the 850-900 fps/255 gr load, and have quit the heavy weight boolits.

[akbeard]

Groo gere
Make your hunting load , and then the target load.
Usually you SLOW down the target load to hit close to the hunting load.
Ps unless you just want to or hunt Bear and such, I see little need for the heaver boolet as the 250 at 900 was known to go through a horse.

I wasn't planning on hunting grizzlies with this gun, but I wanted to carry it for bear protection while out fishing and general stomping around. I'll keep my grizzly bear hunting to my 375 but I like to have a hand gun with me too! This 45 colt is just such a fun gun to shoot and it seems that it will be a nice combination between weight and barrel length. The 255gr would probably be good enough but when ever I get around a grizzly or brown bear, I don't care what I'm carrying, it doesn't seem big enough! haha

[DougGuy]

I have done a lot of load work with a short barreled Vaquero in .45 Colt. My loads are all heavy boolits and I was able to get 7 different loads that shoot to the sights. As mentioned before, the only way you will get this to work is by putting a lighter boolit slower, thereby giving it more "dwell time" in the barrel, it gives the gun time to recoil and the muzzle will be pointed higher with heavy boolits, generally light boolits exit the muzzle before it has a chance to flip up as far as a heavier slower boolit will flip it.

[Hickok]

Akbeard, if your Ruger has tight cylinder throats, (I have owned several and they were all tight) Doug is the guy who can fix'em.

[gpidaho]

Just got my new 45 Colt Blackhawk. I tried some heavy boolits (Lee 300gr WFN) 315gr when checked and powder coated. The BH loves them. but as Hickok says, They're a handful. Another + for Doug's work, he will go the extra to do what he's asked to do for your handguns and at a very fair price. Gp

[akbeard]

Thanks for the help guys. I'll order me up some 300 gainers and start playing with some different charges and see how it likes them. I'll also check my chamber throat measurements. If they are undersized, can I just send the cylinder or do you need the whole revolver? I'm just concerned about having to take it to someone with a ffl to mail it off.

[wildcatter]

That 5.5 is not going to do it in my experience. Like said the dwell time with a light boolit is hard to slow down enough to get the muzzle jump you need to make them 300+ hunting loads to match. In mine I am shooting a 340 grain hunting bullet out of a mold I had built by mountain molds, at 1250 fps, and yes it is an attention getter. I had another mold made by Dan in a 255 grain with the same nose profile, WFN--- I just can't the accuracy I want loading the 255 down.

Now I do have a Ruger Super Blackhawk Bisley Hunter, and that gun shoots everything within 1'2" to the same POI out to 50 yards, I have three bullets the two I just mentioned, and the MH 454-270 the MH is my slow bullet at 466 grain and 1050 fps, all will cut one hole shooting a cylinder full of each of the three at 25 yards. Quite impressive,,, but my 5.5 I just can't do that with, but dam thats a sweet little revolver!

[salvadore]

ak, if you worry about griz you should pack bear spray. Even tho I have been close to griz I don't worry about them much.

[DougGuy]

Something I DID document and notice with my Vaquero..

Shooting 340gr SSK truncated over 22.0gr of 296 is a HEFTY load with plenty of recoil. Before I reamed the cylinder throats and Taylor throated the .448" choke out of mine, these shot 4" higher than a 300gr Speer "deep curl" JHP at 25yds. AFTER reaming cylinder throats and Taylor throating the barrel, both loads shot to the same point of impact! The point of impact of the 340gr SSK TC hard cast had dropped 4" in 25yds.

Was this due to a change in dwell time, or due to less pressure via less restrictive throats and thread choke? Both?

The reason that the JHP didn't change POI after throating, was easy to explain. J-words that have a dead soft lead core can swage down and go through tight throats, and a thread choke, but with the pressure from lighting off 22.0gr of W296 hot on it's tail, once these got past the tight part of the barrel, they swaged back up in the barrel which caused them to shoot good (and to the same point of impact) both before corrective action was taken on the cylinder and the barrel, and afterwards as well.

The SSK TC boolits are very hard and once swaged down to go through tight throats and then an even tighter choke, they stayed swaged and never obturated in the bore. After corrective action was taken on the gun, both pressure and dwell time were reduced, dropping their point of impact significantly.

[str8wal]

Was this due to a change in dwell time, or due to less pressure via less restrictive throats and thread choke? Both?


I don't suppose you clocked them on a chrony at the time, before and after?