Would like to hear your recipe (and FPS) using 250-255gr cast bullets over Unique in the 45 Colt (Long)
Thank you.
Maglvr

I have loaded 7 and 8 grains of Unique with that bullet. I have no idea as to the velocity, but they are easy to shoot and accurate.

I get 1050 fps over the screens of my Oehler with 18.5 grains of 2400 under the Lyman 454424 265 grain Keith bullet, and Fed 150 primer, Win cases, in my 25-5 4".


I got 865 fps with 9 grains of Unique under a 255 swc BB, Fed 150 primer, and Win cases

994 fps with 12.5 grains of HS-6 under the same bullet, with the same primer, and Midway cases

Sir, FWIW, I've long used 8.0 or 8.5 grains of Unique with cast 250s in .45 Colt. The 8.5-grain charge is noticeably cleaner and less smoky than the 8.0 load. Haven't ever chronographed either one (been meaning to), but both have been accurate in my guns.

Hope this helps, and Semper Fi.

Ron H.

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Wishin' don't make it so.

While there are many excellent powders for the .45Colt, the gold standard is 8 ~ 9 grains of Unique under a 255g cast SWC.

8g gives you @ 800fps.

8.5g gives you @ 850fps.

9g gives you @ 900fps.

I call that a pattern!

The original BP load is @ 900fps, so I use 9g Unique in mine.

the only way to know what a load will do is to chronograph your load. a load of 7.5 grains of Unique with a 255 grain swc in a 6 inch S & W M25-5 and a 4.625 inch sst Ruger both chronographed at 860 fps. all guns will be different and in some cases there will be quite a bit of difference.

Well, I'm going to comment even though I have neither of the things you set up as criteria for want answers to!

I did just get the 45Colt cartridge and have been having a BLAST (literal) working with it. Very nostalgic, and cool!

I cast and the bullet I use is a 240gr LSWC from an H&G #502 mould. It is of the Elmer Keith design just originally for the 45AR. Mine drops from the mould right at 245gr.

Also, I don't have a S&W 25-5 or any Smith in 45Colt (yet)! Got you wondering why I even came to post in this thread, don't I?
What I do have is a new Ruger Blackhawk 45 Convertible, 45ACP & 45Colt with a 5 1/2" barrel. This thing is a tank with a nice trigger and is pretty accurate.

The load I used for this lighter bullet was 8.5gr Unique. Here are the chronograph results from it:
Low: 928fps
High: 974fps
Avg: 951fps
ES: 46fps
SD: 16fps
My notes say: "Accurate, easy recoil, not too smokey."
The rounds I made up for future plinking use were 9gr under the same bullet but I haven't ran them over the chronograph them yet.

19gr of 2400 gave me an average of 1151fps from the same firearm but it wasn't all that consistent across the screens. That load needs worked on a bit!

Of late, many have shared loads that are much hotter than normal 45Colt loads. After speaking with John Linebaugh, I am thoroughly convinced that the newer 25-5/625 platform can take those rounds too. The only problem being, shooting loose. Keep that in mind.

Thank you folks:
Very informative info. given!!
I have a thing for Unique powder, even though others can give more velocity, just something nostalgic in using a powder from the 1800's for a cartridge of the same era.
Many thanks everyone!!
Anyone else, please feel free to chime in also.
Safe/Happy shooting!
Maglvr

Sir, I might add a "Ruger only" .45 Colt load that I like: 10.0 grains of Unique with a cast 250. It's a thumper, and accurate as well. I wouldn't run this one in a Smith, but it's a very good field load in suitable guns.

On the lighter side of things, 8.0 grains of Unique with a cast 200-grain bullet makes a great plinker. Feels like a big .38 and is very accurate. Its only drawback is that it prints low in guns sighted for 250s.

Hope this helps, and Semper Fi.

Ron H.

__________________
Wishin' don't make it so.

I use 7.5 Unique in mine, with good results. Also, you will probably want to use .454 bullets, as the chamber throats on the Smith run on the large side. I have heard of them going .457 on some pistols, but mine are .454-.455.

I cast the Lyman 454424 bullet, a 255 grain SWC. I size them to .454 for all of my guns. 8.5 grains of Unique seems to pretty well replicate the traditional W-W conical lead bullet load. I have shot a lot of this load over the years, mostly S&W's.

It's a good one.

"Got you wondering why I even came to post in this thread, don't I? "

Sometimes, the answers we seek, aren't to be found from the question we asked
Glad you chimed in!

I don't own S&W in .45 Colt do but use that 8.5 grs of Unique with either a 255 gr SWC or 250 gr FP in a Ruger Blackhawk with a good firm crimp. It is very accurate in my gun. Also 7.5 to 8 grs of Universal Clays with the same bullets works well too.

I will be trying the 10gr./250gr. load for my 45 Colt,Blackhawk.
I just recently tried a 44 mag load in a super Blackhawk that was 12gr. Unique under a 255gr, YOWZER!!! I sure knew when I had pulled the trigger!

Good morning
Why shoot HARDCAST ? At the pressure that 8-10 grains of Unique creats in that FAT case you can shoot near pure lead.
I have a 44-40 revolver down here in Peru with me. I use a 265 grain plain base bullet from a Rapine mold. I load it with 7-9 grains Unique for plinking and "wild dog control" out in the desert. No leading and impact on a to near 100 pound + snarling dog is all I can want from a handgun. No leading ever.
Too hard a lead bullet can be even more problem than to soft.

I prefer a hardcast WFN because I do a lot of bear hunting, I like the complete pass through, it leaves a much better blood trail to follow, if they make it back into the brush. And, the damage the wide flat nose does on bone is amazing! Hit a shoulder and bone pieces usually destroy the heart as well as the lead crushing both shoulders.
They don't usually go too far.

Why don't you use H110? Unique is just too fast to throw that bullet at any kind of real speed.

Use the same bullet, just start at 22gr-25gr, Mag primer, watch your primers. And don't shoot em from anything but that Blackhawk....

300gr JHP over 24gr H110 and Mag primer run 1350FPS from my Ruger with Minimal primer flattening.

It'll make that Super Blackhawk look like a childs toy

Hmmmmmmmmm, food for thought!
Thanks!!

My results mirror Smith Crazy. My standard 45 Colt load is a 250 grain over 8.5 grains of Unique. It averages 945 fps out of a 4" barrel (the only length I shoot), has a low SD and is very accurate.
Keith

__________________
Keith Herrington

my 45 colt plinking loads are 252 gr swc 225 gr rn cast over 9.0 gr of unique

__________________
WILL WORK FOR AMMO!

I am experimenting with combinations like this as well. W296 is the only difference. I have been working on some lever action rounds with these too. I just (within the last several months) bought a Ruger 45 Convertible with a 5 1/2" barrel. These loads will are what I carried in it on my last hunt. I felt backed up very well!

Have to get the book out to see what I am getting from it though. Can't seem to remember right off the top of my head!

Mine are runnin from a 7.5" barrel. Have'nt got around to tryin in my levergun yet, its too cold for rangework. I'll let ya know how they do when it warms up.

The other thing is, you won't find 25gr as a max in to many books, I did quite a bit of research to find that max as a standard by many "Ruger Only" handloaders/researchers.

The ONLY reason I stopped at 24gr is I have to change to a double disk in my powder drop to go 25

My Colt Peacemaker (2nd generation) likes 250 LRNFP in front of 8 gn's of Unique.

A little dirty, but ya gotta clean em anyway.........

When I had the M25(wished I had it again) I always used 9 gr of Unique with the Lyman 454424, best I remember on the mold number. It was a great bullet/load combo.

Bad, bad advice. Do not load like this in your M25-5. Large frame Ruger's are fine with it and then some. I shoot 325 gr WLN's in mine just fine but the M25-5 won't last long with such high pressure loads. I just sent a used M25-5 I bought to S&W due to a bulged chamber. They claimed that it was not all that unusual. It was a good deal for me as I ended up with a new cylinder with proper .4525" throats.

Boxhead,
There isn't any advice in my post friend! I am just speaking about what I do with my RUGER! Nothing was said about running them through a M25!

Ruger Convertible, that's what I run them through! John Linebaugh suggests, and he carries a M25 or M625 most of the time, loads that are in the 30,000psi range for maximum in them. At least according to his website.

This is one of my favorite reloading discussions. I am currently loading a Lyman (Ideal) 454424 sometimes sized to .452” over 8.5 grains of Unique and getting almost the exact velocities as Smith Crazy out of a S&W 25-5, 4” barrel with cylinder bores up to .458”.

For years I was loading for this revolver using anywhere from 7 grains up to 9 grains of unique and crimping the bullet into the crimp groove with nowhere near these previous mentioned velocities.

Recently I acquired a Rossi 92 carbine and had to shorten the OAL (crimping on the forward edge of the first driving band) to fire my revolver rounds in this rifle.

That is when I noticed the increase in velocity and a much cleaner burn.

As a side note I also fire this round in a S&W 25-7, 5” barrel with the proper size cylinder bore and contrary to other discussions I have read can see no difference in accuracy between these two revolvers.

Howdy

For a long time my standard 45 Colt load was 7.5 grains of Unique under a 250 grain RNFP bullet.

Somebody mentioned 900 fps as the standard Black Powder load. That may have been possible in the old days with balloon head cases, where you could really stuff 40 grains of FFg into a 45 Colt, but with modern solid head cases it is tough to stuff much more than 35 grains in with a 250 grain bullet, depending of course on the brand of powder, since not all brands weigh the same. Velocity is only about 750fps out of a 7 1/2" barrel. I do it all the time.

I have a Ruger Vaquero .45 Colt that I have shot a LOT of black powder in. I use nothing but solid head cases. I fill the case with black powder so that the bullet compresses the powder by 1/16" as it is seated. I use the Lyman 452664 RF 30/1 lead/tin sized .452" (my cylinder throats are .4525"). The velocity runs from 750 fps with Elephant 2F to over 900 fps using Swiss 3F. The .45 Colt with Swiss black powder is a powerful round. It's no magnum (in heavy frame Rugers H110/296 will give you that) but it is an excellent field load.

My general purpose .45 Colt load is 8.5 grs of Unique with a 250 gr 454424 bullet from an NOE mould. This is within normal pressure limits of any modern .45 Colt and will give you velocities that rival the old black powder load.

Dale53

Ditto! Check your cylinder throat diameter and use that as a bullet size guide then load 7.5 to 8.5 grains of Unique under that 255gr LSWC, all will be good!

__________________
Stay safe people!

I've used 8.5 to 9.0 gr of Unique with the 255 gr Lyman bullet. Being honest I preferred the 8.5 gr load, just seemed more accurate and cleaner burning.

"I fill the case with black powder so that the bullet compresses the powder by 1/16" as it is seated. I use the Lyman 452664 RF 30/1 lead/tin sized .452" (my cylinder throats are .4525"). The velocity runs from 750 fps with Elephant 2F to over 900 fps using Swiss F."

Howdy Again

Thanks for that additional information. I too have shot a lot of Black Powder 45 Colt, although I have never used Swiss. Granted, it is the best Black Powder on the planet, but it is just too expensive for the amount of BP I shoot. I have shot Goex FFg, Elephant FFg, and Schuetzen FFg, which is my current favorite. My 750 fps figure is based on those powders in modern solid head cases. I use 2.2 CC of powder, which works out to about 34.5 grains with Goex FFg, about 37.5 grains with Elephant FFg (no longer available), and about 33.5 grains with Schuetzen FFg. I seat a 250 grain PRS Big Lube bullet lubricated with SPG that I cast from a mix of about 25/1 lead/tin and size to .452. I seat them so the powder is compressed about 1/16".

If you get a chance, try some Schuetzen. It is made with the same high grade buckthorne alder charcoal that Swiss uses, but only costs about as much as Goex. It burns much cleaner than Goex because of the superior charcoal. Graff sells the same stuff under their own label. Not as powerful as Swiss, but much cleaner burning than Goex, for about the same price.

Two loads I use for my 25-7. Both use the 250 Keith Bullet

8.5 of Unique and 18.5 of 2400 (sparingly) Both give exceptional accuracy with no signs of high pressure, and recoil is very managable.

I loaded both 8 and 8 1/2 with that bullet my S&W 25 liked the 8gr
load but my Ruger likes 8 1/2 better

dick44

I am quite fond of the RCBS 45-270SAA, it drops from my mould at 284grs, it is my all purpose 45 Colt bullet (have used in my 1911 a few times). I cast heavier bullets, but rarely ever use them. I load them over 9grs of Unique, and have for a few years now, I also load them over HS6, they are exceedingly accurate, and work quite well on the animals I have killed with them(mostly jackrabbits, a couple of coyotes).

If you are determined to use Unique, 8.0-8.5gr are an old tried and true load for 250-260gr. leads in the 45Colt. I personally have gotten the best results with 9.0 gr. of Unique with a 255gr. LSWC(sized at .452) in my Smith's. That load may be too warm for your gun, as I don't know anything about the condition of your gun. I also caution working up a load using this new "clean burning" formulation of Unique. My experience is with the old dirty stuff. All of this said, Tite-Group will shoot circles around those old Unique loads. I don't use anything else for 45Colt anymore!

I have always said happiness is 8grs of unique under a 255gr bullet

I don't have a lot of time loading the .45 Colt. Being a cast bullet dealer I do find myself talking to customers a lot. One had been shooting the Colt for over 30 years, this is what he told me.

The .45 Colt was loaded hotter years ago then it is now. A good load is 8.5 gr of Unique and is the most common. The 9.0 gr load is good and will not hurt a S&W, it should clock about 900 fps.


I went with the 9 gr load behind the Lyman 255 gr LSWC. My loads were shot in a 625 MG with 4" barrel. Recoil was stout but not punishing. I still have 500 rounds in the basement (I no longer own a .45 Colt).

My reason for selling off the .45 Colt was I just don't like that large case with small charges of powder. There is also a lot of discrepancy on throat diameter with the Colt.

My second Colt revolver was a 25-5 6" that I bought on this site. No one wanted it because the owner had the throats reamed and the forcing cone recut. This gun turned out to be the most accurate S&W I've ever owned. To this day I still laugh how no one wanted it because it had been reworked, idiots.