200gr SWC ACP boolit in 45 Colt....

[Snyd]

So I got my hands on a friends Lyman 4 cavity mould (for a while) that drops these nice little swc's. This one's lubed with Lee Alox for a test.
http://homepage.mac.com/perryschneider/.Pictures/pics/200swc.jpg

I'd like to cast up a good supply and load up some plinkin rounds for the 45 Colt wheel gun. I'm thinking 7gr Unique. I load 8.5 gr Unique with 255gr RNFP. But, I am wondering about how/where to crimp these rascals. In the lube groove below the driving band? It'd be like a mini Keith style boolit. Or seat the driving band to the case neck and roll crimp over it? Or just seat it on the driving band and give it a slight crimp like a 45 acp round with my Lee factory crimp die? It's from my 45 Colt die set and I believe is only a roll crimp die though.

Should I be concerned about too much room in the case if I don't seat it deep as possible? I'd like to stick with Unique since it's what I have.

[mtgrs737]

I have loaded a 200gr. boolit in a 45 colt case and they shot just fine. The only problem is the point of impact for those fixed sight revolvers, most of them are set for 250gr. boolits at around 850fps. I would try them to see where they impact and then make powder adjustments to dial them in. My standard load is 8grs. of Unique with a 250gr. RNF boolit. I have not experianced any problem with a powder charge that does not fill the case completely using Unique or Red Dot powder. I roll crimp but I think that with the lighter boolit you could use a taper crimp OK, give it a try and see. You will find the lighter boolit load pleasant to shoot. Good luck!

[Glen]

Seat it deep and roll-crimp over the forward driving band. Try 6.5 grains of Red Dot for about 750 fps. VERY accurate in my guns.

[Snyd]

Thanks guys. mtgrs737, I'm shooting a Redhawk so I've got adjustable sites. I think I'll take Glenns advice and seat it deep, try my Unique since I've got a bunch, and see how it goes. This might be a great round for plinkin at the indoor range this winter. And, save a little lead and powder over the 255ers.

[Shiloh]

The adjustable sights solve the problems normally associated with tweaking the powder charges. You're good to go!!

Shiloh

[Crash_Corrigan]

I have made and shot thousands of these buggers.

I load them over 4.3 Gr's of Clays and I have a photo to show how good they are. I use the Lee FCD to lightly crimp the load and seat them so just a circle of round boolit sticks out from the case and then the tapered SWC profile starts.

How about a 1.26" group at 25 yds?

Is that accurate enough?

[.45Cole]

I had some 452460's i bought to load in the .45 auto and just loaded some of them in my .45 colt for fun. Over 8.3grns unique seated front driving band even with case mouth and crimped so brass ever so slightly bends over the shoulder gave GREAT accuracy. I have BH pistols so I'm not too overly worried about pressures. I have since used this load as my standard load, while I try to get a 45-255-SWC mold. I have been using AA#5 instead of Unique b/c it's more available and a little less smokey.

[Four Fingers of Death]

"and seat them so just a circle of round boolit sticks out from the case and then the tapered SWC profile starts."

Are you saying that you seat them with a bit of the front driving band showing?

Between what I had before and what I've picked up in deals and friends saying 'hang on, you shoot 45s still (most people in Australia don't anymore), these will suit you!' I have about 5-6 thousand commercial bullets, most polymer coated (95% of pistol shooters used teflon/plastic coated bullets, I don't think there is much teflon used nowadays due to the cost, it seems to be some polymer). I have used these for practice and used the old taper crimp die from my 45ACP set.

[Wally]

One cans use the Lee 90463 (200 SWC TL..tumble lubed) bullet and roll crimp on the front grease groove...I have not had good accuracy with this slug in my Ruger Blackhawk however...but that is true for any .45 ACP type pof bullet that I have tried. Many have mentioned that lighter .45 Caliber bullets aren't all that accurate in the .45 Colt.

[oldhickory]

I've had good accuracy with the 200gr. boolits in my .45Colt, (a Colt New service, 1904 vintage) with 9.5gr. of Unique. I don't need that much velocity, but it shoots to point of aim at 25yds.

[45 2.1]

I've had best accuracy by crimping in the top lube groove useing Bullseye near its top load level for the 200 gr. boolit. 44Man would like the groups.

[Wally]

I've had best accuracy by crimping in the top lube groove useing Bullseye near its top load level for the 200 gr. boolit. 44Man would like the groups.

What was the powder charge that proved to be the most accurate?

[45 2.1]

What was the powder charge that proved to be the most accurate?

As I remember, it was from the Lyman #45 manual (the actual load was the max in that manual). Now it is an over pressure load it seems, but I shot in a convertible Blackhawk long ago.

[sneno77]

Guess if we're showing groups, I'll show off a little too... This was five shots at 25yds from sandbags. 4.5gr Bullseye. Cast from WW w/ just a touch of tin added. For a bottom of the line Kimber, it shoots like a house-a-fire. I tried this bullet in my 45 bisley, and it did shoot good, but the sight adjustment was too much of a PIA to deal with for me.

http://i27.photobucket.com/albums/c165/sneno/kimbergrp.jpg

[Lloyd Smale]

never shot it in a 45 colt but its my favorite 45acp bullet. Ive shot a bunch in 45 autorim brass so it should work fine in the 45 colt.

[Curtis44]

Ditto what 45 2.1 said. I have had excellent results with the 200 swc Lyman in a S&W mtn gun and a colt clone. Bullets were seated to crimp in the top lube groove. Tried them crimped over the front driving band but my guns did not like that as well. I have also had good results with the 200 Lee rnfp. 9.5 grs Unique, 8.3grs 231, and 7.0 grs red dot all seem to do well. You will find that the 200 gr loads will shoot low in fixed sight guns.

[Calamity Jake]

So I got my hands on a friends Lyman 4 cavity mould (for a while) that drops these nice little swc's. This one's lubed with Lee Alox for a test.
http://homepage.mac.com/perryschneider/.Pictures/pics/200swc.jpg

I'd like to cast up a good supply and load up some plinkin rounds for the 45 Colt wheel gun. I'm thinking 7gr Unique. I load 8.5 gr Unique with 255gr RNFP. But, I am wondering about how/where to crimp these rascals. In the lube groove below the driving band? It'd be like a mini Keith style boolit. Or seat the driving band to the case neck and roll crimp over it? Or just seat it on the driving band and give it a slight crimp like a 45 acp round with my Lee factory crimp die? It's from my 45 Colt die set and I believe is only a roll crimp die though.

Should I be concerned about too much room in the case if I don't seat it deep as possible? I'd like to stick with Unique since it's what I have.

I load the RCBS 45-185 SWC(like yours just shorter on the nose and a bevel base) for my wife to use in the CAS game with 4.0 RD/or 1/2 case full of Pyrodex then add enough shot buffer to leave about 1/8 empty case then the boolit seated to compress the Pyro. and taper crimped in the the front drive band(about .030 of front band showing)

6-8 grains Unique and your boolit should work just fine.
Try taper crimping in the front drive band.

[Snyd]

As usual, great responses to my questions. Thanks guys!

[Snyd]

Well, here's a pic of what the 200gr swc's look like all crimped up and ready to shoot. Left to right...Lee 255gr RNFP, 200swc crimped in front lube groove, 200 swc crimped over driving band. The boolits are water dropped ww. Sized to .452, lubed with 2 coats lee liquid alox, going through .4525 throats to a .451 bore. I'll see if I get any leading. It looks like I may make it to the range tomorrow or saturday to try them out.

It sure is fun casting these things and getting a load worked up :D

http://web.mac.com/perryschneider/pics/45_swcs.jpg

[Snyd]

Here are the results of the 200gr SWC "45 ACP" boolits loaded up for the 45 Colt. I can say I hit on a GREAT plinkin round. 8.2gr Unique. I was going for 8 but the powder measure was dropping at 8.2 so close enough. Crimped in the lube groove below the driving band, Lee factory crimp die, 3/4 of a turn. Lee says 1/2 turn for light, 1 turn for heavy crimp. Definitely less recoil that the 255 rnfp with 8.5 gr Unique. And, more accurate. But, the rnfp were leading the barrel heavy. They were the first ones I cast a lubed and I think I was a little light on the alox. The 200's have more lube for sure. I cleaned it some and then shot these and swear it shot the barrel even cleaner. Here are the pics, 25yds with a rest to see how they group. 20 degrees and 49 year old eyes!

This turned out to be the load right here. This is my new go-to plinkin round for the Redhawk 45 Colt. It saves me 55gr of lead per boolit!! This spring I'll chrony them for grins. I'll shoot the 255 rnfp's in the 454 Levergun. It loves em.

http://web.mac.com/perryschneider/pics/swcLoad_01.jpg
http://web.mac.com/perryschneider/pics/swc_01.jpg

Same powder load, just different crimp. The 7gr load (no pics) was all over the place with this crimp.

http://web.mac.com/perryschneider/pics/swcLoad_02.jpg
http://web.mac.com/perryschneider/pics/swc_02.jpg

[Bula]

Great write up, thanks.

[Wally]

A man after my own heart, to obtain a load using less lead---I was wondering maybe TC crimping over the front driving band might even prove to be better? Next spring I will try using the same cast bullet and 8.0 grains of Unique. The same bullet is quite good in the .45 ACP w/5.0 grains of Bullseye in the .45 ACP cylinder, in my Ruger Blackhawk.

[dbldblu]

I am experimenting with deep seating as in nose flush with the case mouth. This gives about the same internal volume as a 45 ACP. I then use 45 ACP data. I find no crimp is necessary. Trying this as people like Wally report good results with the 45 ACP cylinder in their Blackhawk. I have a Blackhawk but no 45 ACP cylinder.

[The_Vigilante]

I want to reload some 200g SWC's in my Ruger Redhawk .45 Colt for plinking. I read the discussion above where some use the lube groove to crimp. When using the lube groove my COL is close to 1.71 which is over the 1.60 listed as maximum OAL for the .45 Colt. Is this OK? Thanks

[Potsy]

I don't worry a whole lot about the length as long as it chambers easily.
I bought one of MiHec's H&G 68 molds. Tried it in my Bisley .45 Colt. 5.0 grains of Clays, used a Lee .45ACP taper crimp die on the front driving band with about 1/16" of the band sticking out of the case.
It made the only one-hole 25 yard group my Bisley has ever fired. Need to experiment with this one some more.

[Newtire]

I had real good accuracy just seating it to put a slight roll over the top band. However, this is using a Ruger Old Army with the R & D conversion cylinder which is shorter than a Blackhawk. I'm using 7.0 gr. WW231.