Reloading 45 Colt with .454 LCRN

[GuyKickinit]

I picked up a batch of LCRN 250 grain and I want to load for an Uberti 1873 Cattleman and a Henry BB, Both 45 Colt. The bullets measure .454. optimally they should be .452, correct? how much difference will the extra 2 thousandths make?
I don't know the alloy. One lube groove and a crimp groove.

[Walks]

Should not make a difference. Make up a couple of dummy rounds. Check that O.AL. is within specs. Do a plunk test. And then a cycle test in that lever.

[cwlongshot]

Mine like 454 in cast.

CW

[curator]

.454" is correct for .45 Colt on any platform. Most, if not all .45 Colt firearms are rifled with .4525 groove diameter. Smaller lead bullets will leave leading behind bore leading where larger will not. This is why you constantly find .454" as the correct diameter for .45 Colt lead bullets.

[jrmartin1964]

I can't say regarding the Henry, but my Cattleman very much prefers 0.454, whether cast or jacketed.

[jrmartin1964]

I can't say regarding the Henry, but my Cattleman very much prefers 0.454, whether cast or jacketed. YMMV.

Jim

[gwpercle]

The revolver should be no problem, the Henry will depend on it's throat size , it may or may not chamber...also need to test feeding in the Henry .
Load up a few dummies , no primer - no powder , and check fit in both...only sure way to tell .
Gary

[Good Cheer]

And don't forget the .454 diameter hollow base molds for when .454 just wasn't big enough.

[GuyKickinit]

So, the hollow base expansion is what you are referring to?

[Silver Jack Hammer]

Remind me what the “C” stands for in LCRN.

[GuyKickinit]

Remind me what the “C” stands for in LCRN.

CAST

I took the Cylinder out of my Uberti 45 Colt and no matter how hard I tried to push that lead through it wasn't havin it. Since I already have the sizing die for .452, I guess I'll be sizing some bullets. The bullets may be harder alloy, I'll have to do the pencil test.

[Silver Jack Hammer]

Cast, OK. So we are talking about Lead Cast RN. I cast the Lyman 454190 with wheel weights. It’s a great boolit but no good for tubular magazine rifles due to its rather small meplat. I size to .454” for my Colt’s SAA’s 3rd gens. It’s an old standby that works. Colt’s have oversized cylinder throats .456”-.457” ish and tight bores .450”-.451.”

[Walks]

I have shot more Lyman #454190 cast of 50/50 COWW/#2 in at least 8 different Lever Rifles in .45Colt for more the 25+years, then I can began to count. Many thousands. In Marlins, Winchesters, both US Made and Japanese Made, Uberti's and Rossi's.

Have never had a Bullet set back during recoil or a primer go off in the Mag Tube.

And add at least 500+ Factory rounds from Winchester and Remington.

[Finn45Colt]

Pushed Lee 255 boolit sized to .452 trough my Improved Cattleman cylinder throats and it went quite easily all six of them. I have Noe 280 SWC sized to .454 that wont go trough at all pushing by fingers. So cylinders throats seem to be more like .453. Been sluggin barrel too and it is under .452. That slugged boolit went very easily through NOE .452 sizer.
Lee bullets are pc:d twice and after that they are very tight get trough cylinder throats. Havent shot NOE boolits yet in Cattleman

[Silver Jack Hammer]

I have never owned a .45 Colt lever rifle.

[GuyKickinit]

Got 2, Love 'em

[Silver Jack Hammer]

We shoot a match every year that is not SASS sanctioned, there is reloading on the clock at every stage. It’s a 2 day match. The challenge to the black powder shooters is to keep your guns running for 2 days. Probably the most common rifle cartridge is the .45 Colt. The Henry’s are challenging to reload on the clock, but the ‘73 is more prone to malfunctions from black powder fouling.

I had 2 .44 Special Cimarron ‘73’s and they were fine but I sold one and bought a new Winchester ‘73 in .44-40.

[DougGuy]

CAST

I took the Cylinder out of my Uberti 45 Colt and no matter how hard I tried to push that lead through it wasn't havin it. Since I already have the sizing die for .452, I guess I'll be sizing some bullets. The bullets may be harder alloy, I'll have to do the pencil test.

This is pretty common actually. Your groove diameter in the Uberti is likely right at .452" and if you were sized to .452" with the cast boolits they MIGHT go through the throats from the front, most times the throats need honing to .4525" which is the most common size for 45 Colt cylinders, and is correct for using .452" boolits.

You really should check the leverguns though, if both of them will chamber AND feed from the tube with .454" dummies, then you may elect to have the Uberti throats opened to .4545" so you can use the same size universally. It certainly won't hurt the accuracy of the revolver to shoot .454" but they must at the very least chamber.


.454" is correct for .45 Colt on any platform. Most, if not all .45 Colt firearms are rifled with .4525 groove diameter. Smaller lead bullets will leave leading behind bore leading where larger will not. This is why you constantly find .454" as the correct diameter for .45 Colt lead bullets.

This has not been my experience at all. Only older lead boolits were sized .454" and if you can remember buying a box of these, you are older than DIRT!

.452" is the norm, and truthfully VERY FEW revolvers chambered in 45 Colt will actually accept a .452" boolit slid into the cylinder throats from the front. Most are smaller than .452" and no way under the sun will these accept a load assembled with .454" boolits, and only custom ammo for 45 Colt can be had with .454" boolits. I know of NO jacketed bullets commonly offered sized .454" none of the big mfgrs make them.