"Go to" .45 Colt load

[ktw]

I am trying very hard to love it but it does not always reciprocate. I have two Ruger convertibles that have been cylindersmithed and I have tried a bunch of different loads in. So far the acp cylinders way out shoot the colt cylinders. I love the idea of a big flat faced boolit lopeing along at 850-950 taking care of business but the accuracy is eluding me. .44 special is positivly friendly in comparison. I am not done working yet but it does get discouraging at times.

I've never had much luck with the Keiths in 45 Colt in the sub 1000 fps range, either. My experience has been that you may find a moderate velocity Keith load that shoots reasonably well at 25 yards, but none of them have remained stable for me out past 100 yards. For those sub 1,000 fps loads I have had much better luck with RF designs, like Lyman 454190. Shoots well close and remains stable at longer distances.

My Keith experience was with 240 gr (452423), 255 gr (454424, Catshooter group buy), a 270 gr NEI design and a 325 gr design from Dry Creek. I have never tried any of the RCBS offerings.

I suspect the trick to the Keiths is to push them much harder from the start (1200+ fps) and/or don't expect much from them at longer ranges. I would be interested in hearing others experience with this (45 Colt Keiths at modest velocity).

-ktw

[Land Owner]

Aaah. My one handgun kill, a 132 pound sow, through both shoulders, DRT, 21 yards, off-hand, open sights, stalking, 45 Colt, 255 gr. cast SWC, 10.5 grains Unique, Ruger Super BlackHawk Convertible, 7.5" bbl. I am still grinning about it. Guess I need to do that again some time.

Great thread btw...still alive since 01-2011 for us Johnny-come-Lately's

[white eagle]

Perhaps we writers tend to be more punctilious in our language use. I merely note that the forum has no such affectations regarding black and smokeless powders, or between pistols and revolvers - or between film and digital photos.

Any votes for pouder, or peestils or peechers? No? But how will we know what we're talking about? Shouldn't we then have a name for cast roundballs? BoOolits, perhaps? So we can tell them from elongated ones, you know?

As you can tell, I still think the use of "boolits" is little more than childish. "Wee-wee" is a clever made-up word, too. But not for adults.

I don't imagine the board will change on my account or any other. But I reserve the right to snicker up my sleeve. I also reserve the right to write ... right.

Its all about fun meester per fuss or

[zxcvbob]

My best .45 Colt load is a Lee TL452-230-TC bullet with 7.5 grains of Promo powder (just like Red Dot but cheaper.) It's a comfortable load for a large-frame Ruger, but probably a little too strong for a pre-war Colt or a cheaply made clone. I'd shoot it in a New Vaquero, but I'd have to ease up to it to make sure the gun liked it.

16.5 grains of Blue Dot with a 255 is a good "hot load." It's the only good use I've found for BD powder, but it's real good.

[pls1911]

I'm late to this string but for my 2 cents, the Mihec 270SAA and the RCBS RNFP 255 are sweet pushed by 9-10 grains of Unique. Want all your Rugers to love 'em both?
It's easy.
Ream all the cylinder throats to the same .4525 size.
It's easy and with the reamer and various bushings priced at $140 from Brownells, and it's free to me when the tool cost is spread across six guns of friends.

[.45colt]

18.5gr of 2400 under the Lyman/Keith bullet. My Favorite.

[Tracy]

For about 20 years now, my go-to .45 Colt load for 255ish boolits in full-size Rugers has been 9.0 Red Dot for ~1000-1050 fps, IIRC. My guns, etc. etc.

[zxcvbob]

For about 20 years now, my go-to .45 Colt load for 255ish boolits in full-size Rugers has been 9.0 Red Dot for ~1000-1050 fps, IIRC. My guns, etc. etc.

That's a *lot* of Red Dot. Pressure will be just over 30000 psi, even though the fps doesn't look like it.

[BossHoss]

6.0gns Red Dot 250gn RNFP ..

classic load, coyotes, porcupines, whitetail ,.....plink,kill,bullseye...........

[USSR]

My deer load for my S&W 25-5 is MiHec's 270-SAA HP cast from 25-1 alloy, and loaded in front of 18gr of 2400.

Don

[dougader]

I like Rocky's 231 load. With a 255 grain SWC and 7.0 grains 231 I got 832 fps from my 3.75" Ruger Montado. A bit over 14k psi book data with a 250 grain RNFP and 7.8 grains 231 gave 886 fps from the same gun.

Moving a bit up with Blue Dot and using Bear Tooth Bullets I got the following:

255 grain RNFP (quite a large meplat on this BT Bullet) and 13 grains Blue Dot = 1035 fps in the Montado.

With the 265 grain WFNGC bullet at 13 grains Blue Dot I got 1045 fps in the Montado and 950 fps in a S&W 625-6 Mt Gun. Don't know why exactly, but this particular Mt Gun always clocks slower velocity than other 45 Colts I have. But its so dang accurate I would never part with it.

[maglvr]

I have 3 N-frames, a Blackhawk 7.5" a SAA clone 4.5" and a Rossi 16" trapper.
To keep it simple I decided on 1 load to be used in all, and could not be happier with the results!
The bullet is either a .452 255gr,RF or the 45-270(280+gr)-SAA
The charge is 9gr. of unique.
I have yet to see an animal(no matter how large) that could stand up to that thumping

[superior]

I received a 7.5" Blackhawk for my birthday this year. The first 2 loads I tried gave uncanny accuracy, so I will not change them.
Lee 452-255-rf over 14 gr. Hs-6 (unsized)
Lee 452-300- f gaschecked and push-through sized to 454 over 12.5gr Hs-6
Magtech brass
cci large pistol primers
lube : 16oz. petroleum jelly, 16oz. paraffin, 2 tbsp. STP oil treatment, 2 crayons
Both loads shoot one ragged hole at 25 yards, with a rest, and sometimes offhand when I'm lucky.

[dougader]

16.5 grains of Blue Dot with a 255 is a good "hot load." It's the only good use I've found for BD powder, but it's real good.

That is close to what I use in Ruger Blackhawk strength guns. I get about 1300 fps with that load, and it is very accurate.

One thing I would say about Blue Dot, though, is don't work up your loads with one primer and then substitute another. Starting with standard primers is my rule with Blue Dot.... inadvertantly switching in magnum primers will get you into trouble if you're already close to max. But BD does burn very clean in higher pressure loads.

[greywuuf]

I have an " Econo" load that I use and it works ok for plinking (and probably for killin more stuff than i would imagine, just never tried it ) but I use 7 grains of unique behind bullets dropped from a Veral Smith 300 WFN ( Sized check and lubed they come out about 287 with WW) 7 grains is comfy and gets me 1000 rounds a pound of powder. it seems to work fine in the 6 1/2" ruger Vaq/BH hybrid I have. I have some hotter 4227 and 2400 loads that i carry in the woods and i am still mulling over a throat ream for my '94 "trails end" ( small lever 20") with the ugly cross block safety, because it is just to tight getting the wide nose in there.

I am at work So i dont have my chrono notes or group figures with me but I will see what I can dig up

[bowhunter]

i am late i know but. the load hank jr. shoots is mine two. but it is not a ruger only load. i have shot thousands of rounds of it in S&W model 25-5s i also use it in a uberti SA i do drop it to 19 gr. although 20 is fine. i think elmer kieth used it long before me or hank came along. it is a great load!

[frnkeore]

My most accurate load in my 625-5 is 8.5 gr Unique with my H&G 22 mold (454190 type).

Frank

[45lcrevolver]

So what load would you recommend in a 300 grain rfn coming out of an uberti sa that is safe and good enough to hunt deer up to 50 yards?

[ocelott]

Personally I'd stick to around 12.5gr 2400 - it should get you up to about 1000-1100 fps from a LA, and about 800fps from a SA pistol, and will should be a safe load

[Texasflyboy]

Lyman 452424 Hollow Point (by Erik Ohlen) Plain base, with Wc 820 loads.

Link to Post here @ Cast Boolits