Astra 45 Long Colt

[TCLouis]

If all you have is a comment to bash the product please answer someone elses posting.
It appears to be in like new shape, the bluing on the cylinder is not even "rubbed".

A coworker recently bought one (he thinks a 357 kicks). He wants to have it and use it if he can get a close range deer shot for our smaller TN deer.

If it were mine I would fire polish the barrel with 30-50 shots, BUT it isn't.

He does not reload and the overall selection of loaded rounds seems to be the bottom and over the top.

I have some brass and the Lee 255 grain SWC PB mold. I was hoping to get the boolit up to 1000 fps for him but none of my manuals get there.

What loading will this revolver take (surely it is at least as strong as a model 25) and what has been your best loads in that 1000 fps range.

Your ideas/ experience would be appreciated.

[Bula]

I'd keep to the standard load velocity. I'm betting plenty of deer have fallen to a 850-900fps 255grain cast round. 8.5g of unique would be my choice. I bet the dead deer would agree with me.

[Guesser]

I'm with the 850/900 crowd also. It is probably a variation of the Super Commanche if its the revolver I've got in mind. If it is, recoil is a bear to handle. I've been around one in 44 Magnum and the grip frame configuration was all wrong for heavy recoil. Stay with the standard loads for a happier camper.

[TCLouis]

As i remember it from way back then, a Commanche is a LLama product, but then that was a long time ago and I forgot to look when he showed it to me the other day!

He is what I consider recoil sensitive, so I will go for 900 vs the 1000.

I told him the other day I figured 250 grain boolit at that speed would not be found in the deer.

[missionary5155]

Good morning
I am going to assume this is the double action.. Astra made the same revolver in 41 & 44 mag so it will have some strength to it... maybe not a Dan Wesson but reasonable.
A .454 255 grain boolit just does not need to be moving any more than 1000 fps to smack corn crunchers. People been shooting deer with .45 RB for 300 years and that is about 70% the wack of the 45 Colt.
I would start at 8 grains Unique and load 5.
Add 1/2 grain and load 5. Keep that up until your friend is happy. If 10 grains is not enough switch to 2400 starting at 15 grains and keep adding again in 1/2 grain increments.
You can always stuff 36 grains of 2F under that 255 boolit. Train loads of deer have been harvested with that load.

[StrawHat]

I do not have experience withthe Astra revolver but I do have some experieince with the 45 long Colt. My favorite load is a 255 Keith over a full case of black powder. This load will give complete pentration of whitetailed deer from most angles. I have also used the Lee mold but have not hunted with it. When I use smokeless powder I load about 8.5 grains of Unique and am pleased with the performance. I have loaded more powder but from a 25-5 it is a bit more noticable to fire. That bullet at black powder ballistics is a sure thing on deer.

[Trey45]

I'm in the 8.5gr of unique crowd. There's simply no need to go any harder than that unless Tennessee deer have become bullet proof. If the guy is recoil sensitive, 8.5gr unique under any 255gr boolit is going to generate substantial recoil for someone sensitive to it. Especially in a double action revolver. (Just because of the ergonomics)

[Big Dave]

He thinks a .357 kicks but then buys a 45? This don't make a lot of sence to me.
However Lyman 44th edition says 10 gr. Unique or 22 gr. 4227 will get you your 1000 fps from a 5 1/2 inch barrel with a 255 gr. cast boolit #454424
NOTE: both are maximum listed loads. Suggested starting at 8 gr. Unique and 18 gr. 4227 which are in the 800 fps range.

[MtGun44]

Stay down around 900 fps with a Keith 454424 or equivalent and he will never recover a
boolit and it will kill well IF he can put it into the heart-lung area.

Bill

[NSP64]

I don't have a 45, but(there is always a but) I have shot Big Dave's loads of 10gr unique and 22 gr of 4227 in a 250gr 44 load. To me the 4227 load gives more of a push and less snap.

[9.3X62AL]

The "Ruger Loads" for the 45 Colt cartridge might leave the less discerning reader with the mistaken impression that #454190 or #454424 at 900 FPS are prone to bouncing back from target paper mounted on a cardboard backer. Au contraire, mon amis! 45 caliber/250 grain lead moving at 3 football fields per second will most assuredly make venison very efficiently.