.45 Colt High Performance Loads

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MAtkins

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In a recent conversation with a friend I commented that I had heard that one could not load .45 Colt cartridges to higher levels due to an inherent flaw in the case design. (Which it seems it should be easy enough to over come.) I know commercial loads are limited for fear someone will put one in his Peacemaker and blow it to hell. He said this was not true and that he loaded his .45's to near magnum levels for use in a couple of rifles chambered for .45 Colt and for his Super Blackhawk. I have a Model 25 with cylinders for both .45ACP and .45 Colt. My question is: Can I fire .45 Colts with such high performance loads in my Model 25?
Mel Atkins
 
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I have had a Model 25. I did not and surely do not recommend you doing so. It is not a case problem but a question of cylinder wall thickness and the area of the notches for the locking bolt.
FYI not all Ruger revolvers will take the high performance 45 Colt loads. The Flattop and the late model Vaqueros do not.
 
Loads of that level are generally referred to as "Ruger Only" loads -- meaning they are meant for use only in guns like the Ruger Blackhawk and Freedom Arms .45's, or in appropriate lever action rifles. I don't know that they'd blow up your 25, but they'd pound the bejeebers out of it.
 
I believe there is a very good reason most reloading manuals call these "Ruger Only Loads"
Somewhere, likely Handloader magazine but not sure I saw loads specifically for S&W Models 25-5's and 625 45 Colt's, I believe the loads were meant
to mimic pressure levels of 45 ACP which is more like 20M PSI instead of the 14M PSI that is customary for 45 Colt to prevent as you said "blowing up old Peacemakers"
 
I load two levels of 45 Colts, the standard pressure one for my Governor and higher pressure ones for my 460's. I use the load data on Hogodon's web site and the rounds are stored in different types of boxes.
 
Groo here
There are many articles on loading 45 colt M-25's due a search.
The 45 colt in orginal BP loading from a 7 1/2 in colt was sed to go through a horse and into the person on the other side.
As this load was a 250ish gr bullet at 950 to 990fps , and
the m-25 can due this from 4in barrel with some modern powders...
Why load more????????
 
In my youth I loaded the .45 Colt cases well beyond reason.

I've packed W296/H110 in them for T/C and Blackhawks.

My first chronograph demonstrated the point of saturation was reached well before where I'd been.

The case stands up fine. I would never shoot these heavy loads in any handgun other than Ruger, etc. No Colt, no Clone, no Smith other than a .460!
 
I load the 45 Colt to the basic ballistics from days past . Yes, I have hot rodded the 45 Colt in the past . Then one day I feel I " wised up " realizing the performance it offers in standard spec's . I have an OM Ruger Vaquero . It's built on the 44 magnum frame so it will take those hot loads . I respect the 45 Colt for what it is and what it isn't . It's not a " 45 magnum " . Favorite powders -- Ramshot True Blue , Ramshot Zip , Winchester Super Field , Winchester Super Target , Accurate #2 . Many reloaders favor Unique , I'm not one favoring Unique in 45 Colt . Regards Paul .
 
Just in the last week or so, someone posted the article about loading the 25-5 a bit warmer. Can anyone find it?
 
I can tell you that using a 255 gr cast bullet with 13.0 grs of HS6 , using a magnum primer is a load that John Linebaugh has favor for . Regards Paul
 
I bought an original model Vacquero .45 Colt a couple years ago. Took me quite a while to find one. For the heck of it I bought one box of Grizzly +P 335gr 1175fps shells. Holy moly. I shot 3, my buddy shot 1, and I've still got 16. No way I'd shoot that load in your Smith.
 
hyena said:
I bought an original model Vacquero .45 Colt a couple years ago. Took me quite a while to find one. For the heck of it I bought one box of Grizzly +P 335gr 1175fps shells. Holy moly. I shot 3, my buddy shot 1, and I've still got 16. No way I'd shoot that load in your Smith.
Click to expand...

Now THAT'S video I wish you had made. Just to see it, no way I'd want to copy it or get close. I like my 45 colt loads to just plow along around 800 fps, sometimes 900'ish, often 750'ish.

I do not want to own another 44 mag or 41 mag, outside of my leverguns. I have moved on to loads that I can enjoy shooting all day. Whether they be 45 colt, 44 special or 38 special.

Magnums for me theses days level off at 357 and 32 H&R mag. My hand and ears thank me for "mellowing" down my "need for speed".
 
I load my 260 gr cast bullets up to 1000fps in a 5" gun. About the same pressure as my 45acp guns.There is no reason in the world a 45 colt cylinder is any weaker than a 45 cylinder and they both have the same case OD. A 260 gr bullet with a bigfrontal area doesn't need more speed.

Read some of Linebaugh stuff on the 45 colt and the model 25 DO NOT use his 45 colt Ruger loads, he does have some S&W loads, But I stay away from his max ones there too. More powder, more pressure with for small gains in fps after about 1050fps

The weakness of the case is long gone with modern cases. That was a problem with the old style balloon head cases made similar to 22 cases.
 
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Model 25s can be taken to max standard loads without problems they are a stronger gun then older Colt SAAs however they can't handle the loads listed as Ruger, T/C Contender.
 
Why beat up a fine piece of equipment? When I first started reloading and had a .44 Mag, it was a Ruger Super Blackhawk. I used stuff that was hotter than Hades. When I bought my Model 29, a friend (the gunsmith) told me to shoot .44 Special loads in it. His analogy was you don't beat up an expensive car like you would one that was a beater.

Another reason is that over years of shooting, I have arthritis in my shooting hand from being beat by handguns. I shot Bullseye and IPSC for quite a while. Now I am paying for it. A Model 342 Ti with a 2 inch barrel loaded with .38 Special +P, will just about make me come to tears after 5 rounds. Hot loads are not loaded here anymore........
 
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When Elmer Keith was working with " Heavy" handgun loads in the Colt SAA he discovered the area of the locking notch cuts in the cylinder were the weak spot in the 45 Colt ...his first choice . To get more metal in this area he switched to "heavy" loads in the 44 special chambered guns . This is why the 45 magnum wasn't invented then and the 44 magnum was .
The 45 Colt case was never a problem and it does not have any design flaws ... listen to your friend .

I would leave the "Ruger Only" loads to the Ruger's .
You can get a lot of power with modern standard pressure 45 Colt loads ... a 250 grain 45 bullet @ 900 fps is still a heavy hitter .
Gary
 
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Groo01 said:
Groo here
The 45 colt in orginal BP loading from a 7 1/2 in colt was sed to go through a horse and into the person on the other side.
Why load more????????
Click to expand...

Please cite your source of this information. Who said it? I've never considered that any handgun could do this.
 
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