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Thread: Deer with a rbh and 45 colt

  1. #81
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    44man's Avatar
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    Best load with a ball is 20 gr and the rest a filler, Cream of Wheat or cornmeal.
    I use 41 gr of Swiss FFFG and with a boolit I top at around 32-35 gr but don't know the velocity. Very close to a .45.
    Pete has the Rem buffalo hunter and he has taken many deer with it, he gets over 1100 fps and it seems to be more accurate then my ROA with the hot load. I don't know the twist.
    But back to the .45 BH, the 1 in 16" twist is very forgiving over a wide range of boolits. 250 to 335.
    A great deer boolit is the Lee C452-300-RF.
    Another good one is the Lee 452-255-RF.
    I made a mold for the ROA that shoots well and my friends also love it in the 1911's. I also have the Lee .456-220-1R.

  2. #82
    Boolit Mold
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    I have not loaded 45LC's but I would be concerned about what the brass could handle. It is not as heavy as 44 magnum brass so I would give any fired hot load close inspection before a reloading again. H-110 woulds be a good choice with what my experience with the 460 S&W. Work up with the minimum load on the Hodgdon's tables and watch the brass and primer for excessive pressure. I have not tried the Vn-110 because it is not available locally.

  3. #83
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    Quote Originally Posted by WillHill View Post
    I have not loaded 45LC's but I would be concerned about what the brass could handle. It is not as heavy as 44 magnum brass so I would give any fired hot load close inspection before a reloading again. H-110 woulds be a good choice with what my experience with the 460 S&W. Work up with the minimum load on the Hodgdon's tables and watch the brass and primer for excessive pressure. I have not tried the Vn-110 because it is not available locally.
    You'll be watching for a long long long time for any weakness. It isn't the brass. You can load 454 Casull loads in modern .45 Colt brass until the cows come home.

    I have retired a few factory WW and Remington .45 Colt brass with cracked necks, that were loaded to the max Ruger Only loads over and over and over again. No loose primer pockets. Same with .44 mag factory brass. Since Starline is so readily accessible it is the only brass I use these days for straight walled magnum cases. Have yet to throw away one of theirs.
    Got a .22 .30 .32 .357 .38 .40 .41 .44 .45 .480 or .500 S&W cylinder that needs throats honed? 9mm, 10mm/40S&W, 45 ACP pistol barrel that won't "plunk" your handloads? 480 Ruger or 475 Linebaugh cylinder that needs the "step" reamed to 6° 30min chamfer? Click here to send me a PM You can also find me on Facebook Click Here.

  4. #84
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    I have not had the same luck as you with
    Starline brass split necks and cracked sides
    made a trip to the trash
    I also believe the 45 colt will take any and all heavily loaded
    Ruger only loads have shot lots of them
    Hit em'hard
    hit em'often

  5. #85
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    True, modern .45 brass is STRONG. .45 brass can take .454 pressures at 55,000 or more.
    A strange thing was brass would split at the first loading in all my revolvers. I lost a few but my .44 brass has gone 42 loadings without a loss and I never lost a .45 case yet. I lost a .475 case and a .500 JRH the first sizing.
    Brass can take more then the gun. You load for the gun, NOT the brass. We do not have balloon head .45's today.

  6. #86
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    Why the hell lose a case to a split right off???? Most brass is good with a good anneal. But a friend brought 45-70 loads to shoot. Some Starline but others were A-Merc. A-merc could not be sized without cracking. I don't know who made them but nothing but junk. I use all kinds from Rem to Starline without a problem. I don't like WW because measurements can be off.

  7. #87
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    Quote Originally Posted by WillHill View Post
    I have not loaded 45LC's but I would be concerned about what the brass could handle. It is not as heavy as 44 magnum brass so I would give any fired hot load close inspection before a reloading again. H-110 woulds be a good choice with what my experience with the 460 S&W. Work up with the minimum load on the Hodgdon's tables and watch the brass and primer for excessive pressure. I have not tried the Vn-110 because it is not available locally.
    You are referring to the old balloon head cases, here is a good read about 45 colt http://www.customsixguns.com/writing...g_the_myth.htm

  8. #88
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    Good read. What I said and mirrors my experiences but without destruction of my guns. Loads shown are higher then what is accurate in any case. There is no sense going to what a gun can take since accurate does not need power and accurate will kill deer.

  9. #89
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    Quote Originally Posted by 44man View Post
    I use 41 gr of Swiss FFFG and with a boolit I top at around 32-35 gr but don't know the velocity. Very close to a .45.
    Pete has the Rem buffalo hunter and he has taken many deer with it, he gets over 1100 fps and it seems to be more accurate then my ROA with the hot load. I don't know the twist.
    But back to the .45 BH, the 1 in 16" twist is very forgiving over a wide range of boolits. 250 to 335.
    As Swiss, Olde Eynsford, and Triple 7 give very similar velocities (by volume) your bullet load is quite likely over 500 ft/lbs as 30 grns of 3F T7 behind the 220 grn Lee conical (his shows 225 grns) produced an average of 469 ft/lbs.

    https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=LP_dwo2nThA

    As the .45 ACP also uses the 1:16" twist a much lighter (shorter) bullet ought to do well also, no?

  10. #90
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    Yes, just slower. My love are the BFR revolvers with faster twist rates. If twist is too slow you need max pressures.

  11. #91
    Boolit Master Djones's Avatar
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    Been loading for two 1894 45 colts, one Ruger 45 colt SBH and one Ruger 454 casull SBH for about one year. I learned right off the bat that my standard RCBS carbide dies would split a case neck when sizing after the first shooting. My RCBS cowboy carbide 45 colt dies seem to be easier on the brass. Maybe a more gradual taper when sizing? I have tried only neck sizing and it works, but you need to have seperate brass for each gun...well my buddy and I sometimes get to shooting and don't do a good job of keeping ammo only for one gun. So, I have been full length resizing for the last four months. That keeps from having a big case head (from the 1894) that won't chamber into the Rugers. Sure wish the 45 colt chambers were all held to a tighter specification.

    Well enough history, going after deer with 35 Rem 35-200 and then going to try out my 1894 45 colt with Lee 300 grain wfngc loaded long over 20 grains of lil gun. I hope to whack a few does because my family and I sure love some deer steaks. Happy hunting.

    Last edited by Djones; 09-27-2016 at 08:01 PM. Reason: Pic added
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  12. #92
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    Cool

    I lived in Alaska for 27 years and hunted deer on Kodiak Island most years - limits varied from 4 to 7 animals a year so lots of opportunity to test load performance. I started handgun hunting there with my .45LC 4-5/8" BH and 255-grain SWC bullets. I was not impressed with their performance and had long tracking sessions for several animals. In an environment filled with brown bears, you don't want a long tracking session with a bleeding deer. Several other handgun hunters in my silhouette club had similar questionable performance so we switched to jacketed HPs and had much better success.

    After several years I wanted to try cast again, so I loaded up some Lee 250 RFNs over 15 grains of BlueDot and took the ferry to the island. This time I had much better luck with a more visible reaction of the animals and quicker kills than the SWCs; the LEEs have a larger meplat. A few years later I went with an LBT 300 LFN but they did not seem to kill any better than the LEE boolits. (I used them in my .45LC Dan Wesson silhouette revolver where they performed great out to the 200 meter rams.)

    I have recently started loading the LBT 280 WFN in the BH and a 10" Bullberry Contender barrel. This was a struggle since I wanted to develop a midrange load for both pistols, but any mild load in either pistol had mediocre to terrible accuracy. Heated up to over 1075 fps with 14 grains of BlueDot in the T/C barrel gives 1" groups at 50 yards, but down at 800-850 fps it looks more like a shotgun pattern - some groups were over 8"! Regardless, the hotter BD load should work great on Texas deer and hogs...although the LEE 250s have performed well.


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  13. #93
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    Howdy gents,

    I have a question for "Sixshot" that was prompted by clicking on the bear-trailcam clip in his Post No. 14 to this thread.

    My "click" on the trailcam photo led me, through a little more snooping, to Sixshot's absolutely incredible "Photobucket" containing literally hundreds of outstanding Rocky Mountain hunting and fishing photographs.

    I probably spent an hour pouring through better than 200 pics of interesting dead critters, fantasic western scenery, and an enviable collection of hogleg hardware. There was even a collection of some old home-grown Elmer Keith photographs. What a treasure-trove ...

    Anyway, Sixshot, among your many, many fascinating photos was a pic of what appeared to be a stainless-steel Ruger Super Blackhawk with three chambers blown out the top of the cylinder, and a very nice bow placed in the topstrap.

    My question is, what the hell happened to that revolver? What was the caliber and what, for gosh sakes, was the load? Was anybody hurt when that revolver came apart?

    Inquiring minds need answers.

    In the meantime, please accept my thanks for access to your outstanding Photobucket. It's one hell of a collection of hunting/outdoor photography.

    Happy trails,

    -- Cary Gunn --

  14. #94
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    Quote Originally Posted by PositiveCaster View Post
    Heated up to over 1075 fps with 14 grains of BlueDot in the T/C barrel gives 1" groups at 50 yards, but down at 800-850 fps it looks more like a shotgun pattern - some groups were over 8"!
    What you are running into is not enough spin to stabilize the boolit in flight. The heavier boolits *need* spin, and 900fps won't fling it hard enough out the muzzle to do the trick.

    Hunting loads with heavy for caliber boolits in both the .44 and the .45 need to be in the 1100 ~ 1200fps velocity range to be accurate. Plus they kill better at these velocities because they create a more effective wound channel.

    If you want a midrange load that will perform well at handgun hunting distances, try some of the LBT 250gr WFN solids. I am having great accuracy in a Vaquero that I have chambered in .45 Schofield, and loaded to a max of 23,000psi or tier 2 pressures. I have not made a kill with these but I am under the impression they will be very effective on thin-skinned game.

    L to R: LBT 250gr OWC (Ogival Wad Cutter) LBT 250gr WFN-PB, LBT 250gr WFN-GC

    Got a .22 .30 .32 .357 .38 .40 .41 .44 .45 .480 or .500 S&W cylinder that needs throats honed? 9mm, 10mm/40S&W, 45 ACP pistol barrel that won't "plunk" your handloads? 480 Ruger or 475 Linebaugh cylinder that needs the "step" reamed to 6° 30min chamfer? Click here to send me a PM You can also find me on Facebook Click Here.

  15. #95
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    I might have an answer for the Ruger. Only time I seen damage was from a stuck boolit in the barrel.
    My friend blew his .41 that way. He had a habit of loading one at a time instead of a block.
    His son distracted him and he seated in an empty case. Not too smart anyway, he did not notice the round did not fire and shot another behind it.
    Bent the pin down and top strap up enough to ruin a scope and bulged the cylinder. Amazingly the cylinder did not crack, pretty thick in a .41.
    A double charge of fast powder can happen, mostly on a progressive press.
    Doug is correct about spin, I found a .44 with a 300-310 gr needs 1316 fps, goes nuts at 1100.
    A 335 in the Colt needs 1160 fps. Both are 296 territory. Lighter boolits can be shot slow and a 245 RCBS shoots great with just 7 gr of Unique.
    One thing I found with Keith boolits is they need to be very hard and accuracy just formed with 28 to 30 BHN. Working alloys seen groups tighten as I tested harder and harder until I was center of pop can good at 50 yards.
    Once you have FIT, toss the obturation stuff. Obturate means to SEAL so if you cast for seal, you need no expansion in the bore. Too many SLUMP boolits into some strange shapes thinking it is better. Same goes for PB, hard will stop skid before the base band is reached.
    Anyway, recovered boolits should look the same as you cast them. Rifling marks should never be wider then what is in the barrel at the base, some skid near the nose will not hurt.
    Some powder coat to reduce skid so softer can be shot but I question that after finding softer boolits with GC's that failed.

  16. #96
    Boolit Master 35 Whelen's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by 44man View Post
    I might have an answer for the Ruger. Only time I seen damage was from a stuck boolit in the barrel.
    My friend blew his .41 that way. He had a habit of loading one at a time instead of a block.
    His son distracted him and he seated in an empty case. Not too smart anyway, he did not notice the round did not fire and shot another behind it.
    Bent the pin down and top strap up enough to ruin a scope and bulged the cylinder. Amazingly the cylinder did not crack, pretty thick in a .41.
    So you're saying a primer alone drove a .41 caliber bullet from an empty case into the barrel???

    35W
    The biggest waste of time is arguing with the fool and fanatic who doesn't care about truth or reality, but only the victory of his beliefs and illusions.
    There are people who, for all the evidence presented to them, do not have the ability to understand.

    NRA Life Member

  17. #97
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    Quote Originally Posted by 35 Whelen View Post
    So you're saying a primer alone drove a .41 caliber bullet from an empty case into the barrel???

    35W
    Yes it will and even a standard primer will do it. The difference from one primer to another can be 2000 psi. But even at the low side a Boolit will not hold. I bet 100 psi can move a boolit.

  18. #98
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    CO2 cartridges for BB/pellet guns are used to expel muzzleloader bullets from a rifle that may have over 40" of barrel with a projectile that can weigh over an ounce.

  19. #99
    Boolit Mold Old Two Wars's Avatar
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    Rossi circuit judge 7.5 grains reddot 160 gr lee flat nose got a small doe at 50 yards and a 300 lb black bear 7 gr reddot 255 lee flat nose from a new vaquero 5.5 in both passed through and they didn't run far all about shot placement oh and they were air cooled wheel weight material lubed with Molly bees wax through a star sizer oops not a .45 SBH but so far my Bisley SBH Hunter gets woodchucks with those pesky j word slugs but I'll be trying cast
    Last edited by Old Two Wars; 05-30-2023 at 11:01 PM. Reason: Directional bo bo

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Abbreviations used in Reloading

BP Bronze Point IMR Improved Military Rifle PTD Pointed
BR Bench Rest M Magnum RN Round Nose
BT Boat Tail PL Power-Lokt SP Soft Point
C Compressed Charge PR Primer SPCL Soft Point "Core-Lokt"
HP Hollow Point PSPCL Pointed Soft Point "Core Lokt" C.O.L. Cartridge Overall Length
PSP Pointed Soft Point Spz Spitzer Point SBT Spitzer Boat Tail
LRN Lead Round Nose LWC Lead Wad Cutter LSWC Lead Semi Wad Cutter
GC Gas Check