Is 45 Colt a good place to start?

[Spawndn72]

Thinking about getting into casting. I have read a ton and the only question I don't have an answer for is. Is 45 Colt a good place to start?

[DougGuy]

It's probably the most accessible and forgiving caliber you could load for, plenty of dies, boolits, molds, and plenty of knowledge shared. The only thing you need to do is ensure the cylinder throats aren't too small if you are loading for a revolver. The rest is a piece of cake.

[Froogal]

I am casting 200 grain RNFP and 228 grain RN. All in .452 diameter. Work equally well in rifles and revolvers.

[stubshaft]

Very easy cartridge to load for. It is a good place to start off.

[murf205]

Doug's right, the old 45 Colt is a "gimmie" IF you get the fit of the cylinders right, but that's true of any other revolver for that matter. The 45 responds well to fast or slow powders and you don't have to load it to the hilt to get it to perform. Casters, shooters and handloaders alike would be a much poorer lot without that old round. Welcome to the Castboolits family, you will find the greatest group of people here with knowledge aplenty and eager to share and help.

[Spawndn72]

Thanks. I am picking up a Uberti Desperado today and after buying a box of bullets :violin: I will be buying dies for my Dillon 550B. But then after looking at projectile prices for the 45 I started looking into casting, which brought me here. I am not looking to make super powerful rounds for this gun, just something for some enjoyable plinking.

[DougGuy]

That pistol is stronger than an old Colt, but not up to the Ruger Only loads that go to 30kpsi. Standard 45 Colt pressure is right around 14kpsi, and since there is no SAAMI spec for +p, too many old guns would be destroyed, you will probably find it difficult to locate load data other than standard pressure loads.

It may be a stretch loading it to 23kpsi which is 45ACP+P pressure, a lot of thinner cylinders will hold this power level just fine, yours may tolerate a limited diet but I wouldn't push it to that level of power, if you need this just use a Ruger you can beat on them all day and night too and it will not be hurt.

My avatar is a Uberti "Old West" model, it has huge .4565" cylinder throats and a .451" barrel so I use the 454190 cast in 50/50+2% sized to .456" lubed with SPG over 9.0gr Herco. It is quite accurate with this load even with the generous throat diameters, I will probably use only this load as long as I own this gun, it just works.

If you are casting specifically for your Uberti, I would say stick with 250-260 grain boolits at 900fps, there are quite a few styles and molds but that 454190 will be hard to beat in this caliber at standard pressures. See if a .452" bullet or boolit will go into your cylinder from the front. If not, you can size to what will, or open the throats to take the .452" with a light drag fit.

[gwpercle]

Thanks. I am picking up a Uberti Desperado today and after buying a box of bullets :violin: I will be buying dies for my Dillon 550B. But then after looking at projectile prices for the 45 I started looking into casting, which brought me here. I am not looking to make super powerful rounds for this gun, just something for some enjoyable plinking.

Keep DougGuy's contact info handy , if you are having accuracy problems and the cylinder throats are either undersize, oversize or different sizes.... Call him , he can help you sort it out .
Because of all the throat/bore size monkey business I have avoided the 45 Colt SAA...38 special/ 357 magnum are my vote for easy .
Gary

[Petrol & Powder]

I fooled around with big bore revolvers long before I started casting bullets so I can't share any wisdom about casting for the 45 Colt. I will say that in terms of accuracy, I always the found the 44 Special to be easier to work with than the 45 Colt.
In terms of a good place to start casting, I would lean to the 38 Special. It's certainly more economical in terms of lead per round.

[goryshaw]

I started handgun reloading with a 9x19, not a good choice. Second caliber was a .45 Colt, much better for starting out. The large case is a lot easier to work with, and so voluminous that a slight difference in length or charge won't go from mild to wild like a 9mm case can. My only issue is that my Win 94 has such oversized chamber that cases will crack lengthwise in just a few firings, no such problem in any of my revolvers.

[Froogal]

My experience with casting for the .45. I enjoy the process but it is not always the least expensive way to go. I do not have a steady source for scrounging scrap lead, so I buy the lead. I have found a source where I can buy the bullets, already cast and lubed, for about 2 to 3 cents less than doing it myself.

[Thumbcocker]

I fooled around with big bore revolvers long before I started casting bullets so I can't share any wisdom about casting for the 45 Colt. I will say that in terms of accuracy, I always the found the 44 Special to be easier to work with than the 45 Colt.
In terms of a good place to start casting, I would lean to the 38 Special. It's certainly more economical in terms of lead per round.

In my experience the .45 Colt is a cantankerous old witch of a cartridge. The .44 special will shoot rings around it. Standard pressure. 45 colt has nothing on standard pressure. 44 special with power pistol powder. With that said my best results with .45 colt have been with an Uberti clone with .452 -.453 throats a Keith boolit and Unique or promo. I got this gun just to whip the .45 colt after years of frustration with other guns. Still I would take a .44 special over a .45 colt.

[fredj338]

I have been loading the 45colt for about 35y. I find it an easy cartridge to load for & accuracy can be ridiculously good with cast bullets in a revolver that is setup correctly. Throats need to all be uniform & bore dia + 0.001". I also find bigger bullets easier to cast than smaller calibers.
BTW, if you buy alloy for $1/#, that is about 4c per bullet. A significant savings over buying cast & you can have the exact shape & size you want. Which is worth the time casting your own IMO.

[Walter Laich]

Thanks. I am picking up a Uberti Desperado today and after buying a box of bullets :violin: I will be buying dies for my Dillon 550B. But then after looking at projectile prices for the 45 I started looking into casting, which brought me here. I am not looking to make super powerful rounds for this gun, just something for some enjoyable plinking.

you're ¼ of the way to having all your cowboy guns for SASS cowboy shooting

both my rifle and revolvers are .45 Colt and I'm having a ball shooting them--reliving my youth playing cowboys and Indians with real bullets!

might want to check out that avenue for shooting your hardware

[Walks]

I've loaded for this round for 55+yrs. First Colt SAA I ever fired. Been in love with it ever since. First Colt I ever bought was a SAA in .45Colt with a 5 1/2" bbl.

I've loaded .454 &.452 bullets depending on the Revolver.
My Favorite Bullet is the old IDEAL #454190 for Colts and some Uberti Rifles, sized .454dia.
Rugers & S&W's prefer .452dia. I have one old Vaquero that will hit a Tennis ball at 25yrds 6 out of 6 times.

It's easy to load for, just size for Throats.

[RogerDat]

My experience with casting for the .45. I enjoy the process but it is not always the least expensive way to go. I do not have a steady source for scrounging scrap lead, so I buy the lead. I have found a source where I can buy the bullets, already cast and lubed, for about 2 to 3 cents less than doing it myself. Compared to the 44 mag bullet cost the savings for 45 colt may be less pronounced but even paying a buck a pound for lead from the S&S forum you should be getting around 25 bullets at 255 grain per dollar of lead, this is after making a small allowance for shipping.

I scrounge lead and often pay a dollar a pound for clean lead. I jump at it for 75 cents when I can get that price which is seldom. Mostly only if I buy a few hundred pounds at a shot. Generally takes a group buy of a few local casters to make that happen. The dollar a pound price point, plus 3 cents for a primer, another few cents for powder, brass lasts a long time if the loads are mild and the cylinders are not oversized. I guess I haven't seen anything commercially offered that compares on price to making my own.

I agree the 38/357 is an excellent round to cast and reload for but both the 38 and 45 colt are from the same black powder cartridge era so work well with mild loads and make for an enjoyable time plinking. Either one should save you money in most cases. Plus offers the opportunity to tailor the round to the firearm for maximum accuracy. I also like the idea of having a supply of components on hand so I can make and load what is needed irrespective of what the market is doing as far as price and availability.

[Winger Ed.]

A wise choice.

You can cast & load about 'full house' loads for them, and the barrels will last almost forever compared to J boolits.

Casting for the .44 & .45 calibers is the only way I can afford to feed them.

[Driver33]

I started casting with the 45colt and a 255swc mold from rcbs. Have had no problems with it except I keep finding molds I want to try out

[lightman]

I have found the 45 Colt to be an easy cartridge to load and cast for. Like the others said, match the bullet diameter to the throat diameter. For revolvers I have always favored the heavier Keith type bullet.

[whisler]

Handloader magazine #320 (June 2019) has 280 standard pressure loads for 45 Colt in bullet weights from 150 to 280 grains, both J-word and cast. Well worth the cost of the magazine just for that article.

[Thomas Creek]

The info below covers the 45 colt well. I would prefer a .38 as a starting plinker but the 45 will do the job.

[Spawndn72]

Thanks for all the info.
I picked up the gun today and put 5 rounds of factory 250 gr round nose through it. Love the gun.
I measured the cylinder throats and they were all between 0.451 and 0.4515

[DougGuy]

Thanks for all the info.
I picked up the gun today and put 5 rounds of factory 250 gr round nose through it. Love the gun.
I measured the cylinder throats and they were all between 0.451 and 0.4515

That will let you size to .451" and have a little wiggle room. If you will shoot a softer alloy, soft lube, you would get enough obturation to made a good seal in the bore. Most prefer to size to .452" which I would suggest honing the throats to .4525" so the throats don't downsize when boolits are fired.

[hc18flyer]

NOE has a short sale on .45 Cal molds. I really like their 260ish grain rnfp plain base mold. 4 cavity mold 'rains' bullets, once you get rolling. Nothing wrong with the Lee 255 rnfp 2 cavity mold either!
hc18flyer

[lar45]

The 45Colt is one of my favorite rounds. I have loaded from 185-405s, but only shoot the heavier loads in my Rugers. I like Win or Starline brass, they last a long time.

[Larry Gibson]

Quite frankly, while I really shoot a lot of 45 Colt, the 38/357 or 44 SPL would indeed,as previously mentioned, be easier to load for for a beginner. Reason being is they are true straight walled cases and size better in carbide dies for use in the 550 Dillon. The 45 Colt is actually a tapered case and while carbide dies are often used they do not provide the best fit in the tapered chambers of revolvers, especially with the low end loads used in SAA revolvers.

[LenH]

I cut my teeth on .45 Colt when I was 15 years old. I went with a friend and his dad to a local sand pit and his dad handed me a box of his handloads and
a Ruger Blackhawk with the orders, 'Boy don't loose my brass. I shot all 50 rounds and have been hooked ever since. That was 48 years ago. Three years
after that (when an 18 year old could buy a revolver) I bought my own and my friends dad had been giving me reloading lessons and casting instruction, all
hands on experience. I still have that Blackhawk and several more but it was the first caliber I ever shot and have been hooked ever since.

[DougGuy]

Reason being is they are true straight walled cases and size better in carbide dies for use in the 550 Dillon. The 45 Colt is actually a tapered case and while carbide dies are often used they do not provide the best fit in the tapered chambers of revolvers, especially with the low end loads used in SAA revolvers.

45 Colt is straight walled just like 38/357, 44Spl/44Mag, 45 Schofield/45 Colt it is the chambers that are tapered for ease in extraction.

Note that SAAMI spec describes the case as .480" Cylindrical and the chamber is described as .4862" at the case web to .4806" at the shoulder below the crimp.

https://i1202.photobucket.com/albums/bb374/DougGuy/Reloading/SAAMI%2045%20Colt_zpsedcykqkj.png (http://s1202.photobucket.com/user/DougGuy/media/Reloading/SAAMI%2045%20Colt_zpsedcykqkj.png.html)

Also note SAAMI spec calls for .4520+.0075" cylinder throats meaning revolver cylinders made with smaller than .452" throats, are not to spec.

[Larry Gibson]

That's the point I made Doug.....the straight case, new or after sizing in a carbide die, does not fit well in the tapered chambers. Thus after firing the cases are tapered. The cases are then also over sized, especially in the web area, after re-sizing in a carbide sizer (excluding the Redding sizer). Many low end loads do not obturate the case sealing the chamber. With such loads in Winchester lever guns gas blow back into your face is common. That's why I size my 45 Colt cases in a steel RCBS on a single stage press first as it keeps the taper and then finish loading on my Dillon SDB. Such sized cases do not allow gas blow back and have proven more accurate in my revolvers also.

I've not encountered such with 38/357 or 44 SPL chambered revolvers or rifles with their cases sized in carbide dies.

I would also note the chamber of my Contender barrel is straight and cases sized with the RCBS steel sizer will not chamber. Such may be the case with other revolvers such as Rugers or Freedom Arms but I do not know. However, the OP os getting an Uberti made SAA which, in 45 Colt, will have the tapered chambers.

[DougGuy]

Larry Gibson, exactly. 7.0gr Unique will get you nothing but sooty cases in most revolvers.

I think the steel dies are tapered for the same reason the chamber is, so you can get sized brass out of the die without a lot of headache. This would produce a tapered cartridge, and like you said, a better fit in the chambers. A lot of folks only size the top half of the case so it doesn't overwork the brass.

As far as being more accurate, I would attribute fitment for one, as a plus, but also consistent case volume would be another. Any time you remove a variable in the chain of fire, you improve consistency and that alone is what makes groups tight or makes them resemble a load of buckshot out of a smoothbore 12ga landed on the target. There is no need to go to the extremes a benchrest shooter goes to for a revolver, but the improvements are there none the less to take advantage of.

I have for years said the most important part of the cylinder, is how even the throats are in size. Secondary is their actual diameter. You can always size to fit the throats, it's near impossible to size to uneven throats. Any time throats are more than half thou different in the same cylinder, they will shoot to their own point of impact because differences in pressure causes differences in recoil impulse which cause the gun to recoil differently in the shooter's hands from shot to shot, so the muzzle is not in the same position as the boolit leaves the barrel on it's intended trajectory.

Anything that varies the resistance the boolit runs into, anything that vents pressure down the side of the case, will do the same thing as uneven throats, uneven chambers, uneven neck tension, uneven crimp, uneven pressure from variations in powder charges, etc...

[jimb16]

Another word of caution: If you decide to get a rifle in .45 colt, make sure you know the acceptable OAL for the cartridge for that particular rifle. Some of them will not accept OALs that are fine for others and can jam the rifle.

[pmer]

For a first handgun to cast for I'd say 1911 in 45 ACP. Only one throat to be harassed by. Just learn how much to taper crimp and make sure cartridges plunk good. It would be a great way to learn the ins and outs of casting.

I started out with 45 Colt and couldn't tell if the alloy was too hard / soft or the load too hot, small throated 4 5/8'' Ruger SBH plow handle kicked like a mule (with hi velocity powders) and could never get past 8 grains Unique (galena mine)

[Cherokee]

45 Colt is a good starter. Easy to load in my experience and accurate when the throats and sizes match correctly. Not fussy about bullets and powder.

[DDJ]

The 45 Colt is where I started and never looked back.

[Walks]

All My BlackHawks and Super BlackHawks are fitted with the SBH Dragoon Grip Frame. My Vaqueros, either old style or new still keep the STEEL grip frames they were issued with.

I use Unique for most loads and Clays for My Cowboy loads, 5.0grs of Clays under a 225gr-230gr TC. Switched to using Clays for 12ga Trap/Skeet loads, almost immediately switched to it for My Only Dedicated Cowboy Load.

I load the Lyman #454190 with 9.0grs for Plinking, keep a few in my belt When Cowboy Shooting, just in case of a knockdown Pistol or Rifle Target. But those seem to be few and far between these days.

I like the Lyman #452423 (N.O.E. offers this as the 453-247-SWC PB) with 8.0grs of Unique for Paper Punching. I have a Old Model Vaquero with a 7 1/2" bbl that will group 6 shots of this load under 2" at 25yds.

I load to only std velocity/pressure.

If you want Hotter Loads, Buy a .44 MAGNUM.