Sirs,
Any advice or recommendations as to source(s) to purchase reloaded .45 Colt ammo...?

Also anyone know of a custom reloader that will load with the larger diameter .454 bullets...?

Thanks
JMV366

I don't buy reloads.

In all seriousness, I'd encourage you to simply reload your own. With a caliber like the .45 Colt, you save from the get-go. It can be done very inexpensively (buy the cast bullets you want, powder, primers, a Lee hand press set and set of dies, dippers, a trickler, safety glasses and a cheap electronic scale) as has been discussed here many times in the past, and you'll know that things were done right (or have no one but yourself to blame). And it's less complicated than changing the flapper in a toilet tank . . .

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On line...GeorgiaArms

Plus one on Georgia Arms. I generally do not care for remanufactured ammo but their quality is top notch.

As said, Georgia Arms is great, as is Freedom Munitions. I just checked, however, and Freedom has gone up considerably.

As Erich pointed out above, 45 Colt is easy and cheap to reload with a minimum amount of equipment. $80 would get you a Lee Hand Press and set of dies. Add in another $40 for a brick of primers(1000), $30 for a pound of powder(pick your poison-most any fast or medium-fast powder will work great), $30 for 100 pieces of once fired brass, $50 for 500 cast bullets and you're at $230. That's still less money than Georgia Arms will charge you for 500 rounds of reloads(in other words you're already ahead), and you have the advantage of using any type, weight, and diameter of bullet you desire plus the ability to load to "Cowboy" velocities or more traditional 45 Colt velocities.

Plus, once you've spent the money on the equipment, each additional 1000 rounds will cost you about $100 for bullets, $40 for primers, and $30 for powder(Powers like you Unique or CFE Pistol will have you using somewhere around 6 to 7 grains, which works out to 1000 to 1166 rounds per of powder).

Not only DON'T I buy reloaded ammo, I have never even use reloads from friends!

As Erich stated, the way to go is reloading your own. If you are going to shoot any meaningful amount the only affordable and practical way is to reload your own ammo - unless of course you are very well fixed financially. Forgetting the cost itself, the new laws, hoarding and demand has made getting certain calibers and configurations of ammo all but impossible to even find.

A reloading outfit will usually pay for itself in the first year you own it. I load .45 Colt myself at a cost of approx. $8.00 / 50 rounds. If you buy them it would cost about $38.00 / box so there would be about a $30 / box savings. After 50 boxes (2500 rounds) you would save $1500.00 which is more than enough to pay for a descent reloading outfit! The rest is all downhill!

I'd suggest looking at a Dillon (the best IMHO) but others have great success with less expensive outfits from other Companies like Hornady RCBS, Lee and others.

I started reloading in 1972. Used Lee Loaders for a few years, 9mm, .38 Special, .45ACP, .30-06 and a couple of others. My kids liked to eat and my skinny little paychecks didn't allow much for discretionary spending.

Picked up a RCBS RockChucker bench press from a buddy, used, in good condition, for $25. Bought an Ohaus 10-10 powder scale. Caught a close-out sale on a Lachmiller powder measure for cheap.

Lee single-cavity bullet molds were about $10 or so, back in those days. Used wheel weights were easy to find. Local print shop would let me buy used Linotype metal that they were sending back for reconstitution to new metal, about $0.30 per pound back then. I have even been known to mine range lead with an old Army entrenching tool and wire screens to sift out the sand and dirt, then melt it, clean it, and flux it in an old cast iron pot on my old camp stove in the back yard.

One Christmas brought a new RCBS lubricator-sizer machine under the tree.

Over the years I've regularly added more equipment as needed, and as finances allowed. Bench-mounted priming tool, tumbler for case cleaning, and I now have 3 single-stage presses that I can use for different functions.

I used to figure that I could shoot most pistol calibers with cast bullet reloads for about the cost of .22 rimfire ammo, back when that was $0.89 per box. Now, with .22 ammo selling for $4 or more per box I'm still doing it.

Just finished gearing up to shoot a 100 year old Winchester 1892 in .25-20. With factory ammo seldom available, and about $75 per 50-round box when you can find it, I'm having no trouble at all making my own for around $8 per box. Some of my other old toys (.45-90, .45 Sharps Express, .348 Win, .405 Win, etc) wouldn't be shooting at all if I had to rely on commercial sources.

Keep your eyes open for bargains, watch the classified ads and Craigslist, don't forget eBay. You can probably find a few bargains here and there.

As others have pointed out, the investment in reloading equipment will pay for itself very quickly. The savings will continue as long as you continue shooting, and you'll be able to do a lot more of it without straining the household budget.

By all accounts , the Black Hills rloaded ammo ( red box ) has quality control as good as their new component ammo.

But that said , the .45 Colt is an easy to handload ctg , that begs to be reloaded.

As has been said, Georgia Arms & Black Hills have quality reloads.

That being said, reloading the .45 Colt is the bees knees, very, very easy and you can get started for just a small investment. You should consider it!

Not only do you not have to mess with somebody elses reloads, you can make whatever you darn well want to. Order the bullet diameter you want from a casting outfit. Some will make special sizes to order, no problem.

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"He was kinda funny lookin'"

This is very good advice.

Most 45 Colt ammo will cost you $50/box or $1 a round. You can load a box of 250gr LRN 45 Colt ammo for $8.05 with current component prices. Saving over $40/box will pay for a reloading setup very quickly.

Like said abive, you can start loading for very little money and you can be very well set up for ~$300. At those prices you start saving money on your 45 Colt ammo after only 7 boxes.

Anyone who shoots the .45 Colt, .41 Magnum .44 Magnum and to a lesser extent the .44 Special, .44 Russian and 38 S&W will benefit greatly from reloading those cartridges. (and of course the big magnums like the .460 & .500 Magnums, the 454 Casull and the 480 Ruger)

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