.45 Colt, Goin' "Old School"

[jrmartin1964]

Will soon be using this...
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Ideal No.4, .45 Colt

To load these...
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.45 Colt, of course

For this...
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Uberti Cattleman, Old Model, 5-1/2"

[Der Gebirgsjager]

Looks like great fun! I have several of the old, old tools with the bullet mold and have never cast with them. I figure that if you're going to cast in quantity the handles are bound to get pretty hot--so be sure to wear some gloves! I have loaded some .45 Colt ammo on the later model tool where they no longer had the mold included using 310 dies and turned out some decent ammo. Enjoy.

[DougGuy]

You may want to pin those throats in the cylinder, as Uberti copied EVERY DETAIL they could from an 1875 "Pinched Frame" Colt Single Action commercial revolver, up to and including the cylinder dimensions. The only thing they didn't copy, was the .454" barrel, they used a modern .451" barrel.

I have an Old Model, and LOVE it, but my cylinder throats are .4565" and I size to .456" which makes it very accurate. Sizing to .452" will have it shooting all over creation.

http://i1202.photobucket.com/albums/bb374/DougGuy/Guns/DSC03733crop768_zpsyheifbcl.jpg (http://s1202.photobucket.com/user/DougGuy/media/Guns/DSC03733crop768_zpsyheifbcl.jpg.html)

[jrmartin1964]

I have owned the Uberti in the photo for several years now, and the very first thing I did - before I even pulled the trigger the first time - was to measure the barrel (which turned out as 0.445" bore, and 0.450" groove) and the cylinder throats (which turned out uniformly at 0.4535"). With that information in hand, I promptly placed an order for a mould for Lyman's No.454190, a sizing die of 0.454" diameter, and a set of RCBS "Cowboy" dies with a 0.454" expander. I was actually impressed that Uberti had virtually duplicated the specifications, as set forth in Ordnance Department publications of the 1870s through the 1890s, for the Colt Army Revolver, Cal. .45.

With measurements, mould, dies, etc., in hand, I went about assembling some ammunition to test - both smokeless and with black powder. For my own use, I settled on 5.0 grains of Bullseye - which seems to shoot pretty much to point-of-aim out of my Uberti's 5-1/2" barrel at 25 yards. For black powder, I eventually settled on 30.0 grains of 2Fg, which also shoots to the sights of my revolver at 25 yards. All was well, and I was a happy camper.:)

Being a peculiar sort, though, loading .45 Colts on a bench-mounted press seemed somehow to be missing something in the "romance and mystique" department, so I soon found myself in possession of a new set of Lyman's 310 dies and a set of handles for the same. This satisfied the romantic in me for a time, but still even this seemed a bit too modern of a method of loading the big old Colt cartridge. In particular, I think, it was the alloy handles that didn't have the right "vintage feel" to them for me.:???:

Skipping ahead a couple of years of diligent searching, and I turned up the Ideal No.4 in the first photo of my post. Now here was the perfect companion for my "Old Model" Uberti!:) I will likely not cast much with the No.4's mould (I've used these old girls before, and the handles do indeed heat up very quickly), but being me I know I'll have to pour at least a little lead into it - if only to compare the old cavity's product to the new one I already have. Likewise, I will likely continue to load ammunition for my Uberti using the press and dies on my bench - but have no fear, the old Ideal will be put into use for a box or two on a regular basis.

BTW, DougGuy, that's a pretty nifty looking Old Model you've got there!! :)

[DougGuy]

I was actually impressed that Uberti had virtually duplicated the specifications, as set forth in Ordnance Department publications of the 1870s through the 1890s, for the Colt Army Revolver, Cal. .45.

BTW, DougGuy, that's a pretty nifty looking Old Model you've got there!! :)

TYVM sir.. Yours is neat too. First time I laid eyes on one of these in a gun shop, I was duly impressed with their authenticity and attention to detail. I owned a 1902 Colt 45x4 3/4 in excellent mechanical shape, tighter than a new Ludwig drum even, but with no finish left on it except in the deepest protected areas, and I can tell you from first hand experience, these Old West models are SCARILY CLOSE to an original Colt. Unbelievably close.

Does yours have the "pinched frame" rear sight like mine does?

Colt's second Army contract was met with disappointment by the Army because the rear sight was narrow. As such they were rejected, and the first 200 civilian or commercial models of the SAA have the "pinched frame" rear sight. Of the valuable SAAs these first 200 are some of the most sought after models of all, barring those with US Military provenance to well revered officers.

[GoodOlBoy]

Looks good, and I like both guns.

Lee classic loader is what I use for my loads, always wanted a 310 tool, but the loader makes good ammo too!

God Bless, and One Love.

GoodOlBoy

[Landy]

Once upon a time your loading bench had to fit in your saddle bag.

Cool tool! Well, til to you cast with it.

[Green Frog]

I love nostalgia as much as the next guy, so I'm all in with loading for my Uberti 45 with a tong tool, but I'm too much of a wuss to subject my poor hands to casting with a tong tool... I'll put my dies on an old set of steel handles and be as "old school" as I need to be for my own satisfaction. YMMV. :mrgreen:

Froggie

[ironhead7544]

I like the antique finish. Then you dont have to worry about beating a new revolver up. It actually looks better as you put wear on it. The perfect finish, really!

[jrmartin1964]

TYVM sir.. Yours is neat too. First time I laid eyes on one of these in a gun shop, I was duly impressed with their authenticity and attention to detail. I owned a 1902 Colt 45x4 3/4 in excellent mechanical shape, tighter than a new Ludwig drum even, but with no finish left on it except in the deepest protected areas, and I can tell you from first hand experience, these Old West models are SCARILY CLOSE to an original Colt. Unbelievably close.

Does yours have the "pinched frame" rear sight like mine does?

As one who grew up in a home where a first-generation Colt Single Action Army lived (a .44 Special, from 1926), I can also attest to the authentic feel of the Uberti...of all the repros and replicas I have handled, the Uberti just feels "right" :) Mine, however, does not have the "pinched frame" rear sight like yours.

For those who might shy away from casting with a steel-handled tool, a pair of leather work-gloves does wonders to take some of the "sting" (or in this case, the "burn") out of such an undertaking. I have two other tools like this, a No.1 for .41 Long Colt and another No.4 for .38 Special, and I have cast shooting quantities with both of them on random occasions - not something I'd care to do on a regular basis, but for the sake of nostalgia and a handshake with those who cast in days long gone, I do get them out for a pouring of the lead.

[jrmartin1964]

A little "quality Time" spent with the Ideal No.4 today, casting a few for the .45 Colt. I am always pleasantly surprised by the old tools, especially the old moulds...only needed maybe five pourings before filling out and producing acceptable results. For those interested, the mould dropped at 0.456" diameter and weighing in at 256 grains. I only cast 11 from the old tool - for two reasons: 1) I have a mould (Lyman 454190) of recent production which, except for the shape of the lube grooves, is virtually identical to the old Ideal; and 2) the handles quickly become VERY hot, and require heavy gloves for continued use (or wrapping them with leather as some others have done).

Since my .45 Colt brass is all presently occupied, loading ten of today's castings will have to wait, while the eleventh will join my reference collection.
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