Optimal Loading/Pressures for Ubertis in .45 Colt?

[megasupermagnum]

If you really want to be careful, shoot them over a chronograph. You are following published load data that is already on the conservative side. There's nothing to worry about.

[VariableRecall]

If you really want to be careful, shoot them over a chronograph. You are following published load data that is already on the conservative side. There's nothing to worry about.

I don't have one of those, but I'm following things by the books.

[35 Whelen]

I would load them to standard Colt SAA levels, and try to get an accurate load for my gun.

Even though they are made from modern steel, they are still the same size as a Colt Single Action Army.

In other words, if you want to hotrod the .45 Colt; get a Ruger Blackhawk or large frame Vaquero.

Robert

Not exactly. The Uberti's cylinders and the chamber walls are just about the same size as the Ruger New Vaquero and Flat Top Blackhawk's, all of which are larger than a Colt SA. And given they're available with 45 ACP cylinders, whose SAAMI maximum pressure is 21,000 psi, there's no reason the 45 Colt can't be loaded to similar pressures. These are commonly referred to as Tier 2 loads.

My brother and I are somewhat torn in the realms of a 5.5 inch, 45 Colt WheelyGat. We know that a Ruger Blackhawk, with a much more reinforced top strap, will allow us to load in a much more comfortable range of pressures. However, as far as I'm aware, there's going to be a fine line between working just fine and disaster with an Uberti Replica.
Then again, Ubertis offer a more authentic cowboy experience, and are more historically accurate in comparison to the more spiritually descended Ruger Blackhawk.

If any of you fine people happen to have Uberti Replicas, such as the Cattleman II's or other SAA-alikes, what do you load them at?

Our loading resources are 200gn SWC's and Win231. According to the Lyman Cast Bullet Handbook, this calls for 7.4gn at a minimum of Win 231. Is that going to be safe?

My experience with 200 gr. bullets is that they shoot a bit lower than 250-255 gr. bullets. I would suggest loading heavier bullets unless you don't mind using a little Kentucky Elevation. I've never used WW231 so I can't speak to that.

My 45 Colt is a lovely Uberti Frisco that shoots beautifully and isn't picky about loads.

My loafing/practicing load is 6.0 grs. of Red Dot or 700-X and a 250 gr. RNFP from a Lyman 454190 mold which pretty much duplicates the ballistics of the original load (~850 fps)-



If you don't feel like casting, I've used the Missouri Bullet Company Cowboy #1 250 gr. RNFP and had really good luck with it.



One could substitute the 454424 and have a dandy hunting load.

My hunting load consists of a 288 gr. cast SWC (RCBS 45-270-SAA mold) over 9.5 of Power Pistol for a smidge under 1000 fps from the 4 3/4" barrel. I found this load in Handloader #246 and they show it as a 20,000 psi load. It is sufficiently accurate out of my Uberti for deer hunting out to 75 yds., which is about as far as I am comfortable shooting these revolvers. I only use it for hunting and occasional practice, and so far shot one buck with it. Worked great.

So there you are.

35W

[DougGuy]

If I'm not mistaken, Uberti chambers those same guns in 45 ACP, which would be rated to 21,000psi. IF and I say IF Uberti says those are safe with 45 ACP+P which almost all modern manufacturers have to rate their 45 ACP guns to +P in case someone drops a +P round into one, then it is safe to say that the Uberti 45 Colt cylinder is also safe to 45 ACP+P pressure of 23,000psi because the cylinders share the same dimensional thicknesses. This would mean the Uberti is safe with Tier 2 loads up to 23,000psi.

Yes the Uberti cylinders are slightly thicker between chambers and slightly larger in diameter with thicker outer walls than Colt SAA cylinders.

[ddixie884]

I believe the last 2 posters are right on.............

[VariableRecall]

If I'm not mistaken, Uberti chambers those same guns in 45 ACP, which would be rated to 21,000psi. IF and I say IF Uberti says those are safe with 45 ACP+P which almost all modern manufacturers have to rate their 45 ACP guns to +P in case someone drops a +P round into one, then it is safe to say that the Uberti 45 Colt cylinder is also safe to 45 ACP+P pressure of 23,000psi because the cylinders share the same dimensional thicknesses. This would mean the Uberti is safe with Tier 2 loads up to 23,000psi.

Yes the Uberti cylinders are slightly thicker between chambers and slightly larger in diameter with thicker outer walls than Colt SAA cylinders.

Thank you for your insights! Come to think of it, much like 9mm and .38 Special, .45 ACP and .45 Colt, all as cartridges, are tradeoffs between maximum boolit weight and auto loading capabilities. Say what you will about 9mm and .38 Special, but they have very similar performances depending on what you prefer as an advantage defensively, be it mass or velocity as your preference.

Either way, if the cylinders can be adapted to the much higher pressure .45 ACP Cartridge, then it ought to be safe to load for standard given pressures of .45 Colt in the Lyman Bullet Caster's Handbook. 7gns for our first loadings is quite middling, but I'd rather have a less powerful cartridge starting out than one I'm not going to be comfortable with.

If you're curious about the SWC boolits we are using, they are Alox coatedRCBS 200gn SWCs, with the closest shape being that of this specific Lyman mold here: https://www.midwayusa.com/product/1010246569?pid=771796
The mold has worked great for .45 ACP and given the fact that we are saving 30gns per cast, makes it quite economical. From the look of things, we could definitely use the first "Grease Groove" as an impromptu crimping area.

[9.3X62AL]

I have loaded A LOT of 45 Colt cartridges over the years, both for Uberti/Colt-strength revolvers and for the Rugers.

The 45 Colt's usual bullet weight (255 grains) can be run at safe pressures to 875 FPS from a 4-3/4" barrel. I don't care how you slice it, 255 grains moving at almost 3 football fields per second is a FORMIBIBLE FORCE. My usual fuels for the Uberti/Colt-level loads have been Alliant's Unique and Herco; I use a lot of WW-231, but not for 45 Colt. As was alluded to above, you are likely to find with fixed-sight revolvers in this caliber that the 250-260 grain bullets will hit closer to point-of-aim, than will lighter bullets, which usually print a bit low.

Most of my 45 Colt shooting gets done with a Ruger Bisley Blackhawk these days, with Lyman #454424 running about 1000 FPS. This duplicates the old U.S. Army black powder load performance. A lot of the early black powder cartridges lost a bit of performance during the conversion to smokeless powders at the turn of the 19th-to-20th Centuries; the 45 Colt is among those.

[VariableRecall]

I have loaded A LOT of 45 Colt cartridges over the years, both for Uberti/Colt-strength revolvers and for the Rugers.

The 45 Colt's usual bullet weight (255 grains) can be run at safe pressures to 875 FPS from a 4-3/4" barrel. I don't care how you slice it, 255 grains moving at almost 3 football fields per second is a FORMIBIBLE FORCE. My usual fuels for the Uberti/Colt-level loads have been Alliant's Unique and Herco; I use a lot of WW-231, but not for 45 Colt. As was alluded to above, you are likely to find with fixed-sight revolvers in this caliber that the 250-260 grain bullets will hit closer to point-of-aim, than will lighter bullets, which usually print a bit low.

Most of my 45 Colt shooting gets done with a Ruger Bisley Blackhawk these days, with Lyman #454424 running about 1000 FPS. This duplicates the old U.S. Army black powder load performance. A lot of the early black powder cartridges lost a bit of performance during the conversion to smokeless powders at the turn of the 19th-to-20th Centuries; the 45 Colt is among those.

The 200gn SWC's are coming right out of our supply of .45 ACP boolits. I suppose that it would be nice to pick up a dedicated .45 colt mold, but it's hard enough to find anything out there these days. I think a chunky SWC, like the 255gn Lyman mold, would be an excellent choice. However, being able to use the same mold for both calibers would be more economical overall.

Do you think that using 230gn FMJ Boolits would be a viable potential loading? Hornady XTP boolits would be quite the modern defensive oomph to what would be a rather "yeehaw" kind of piece.