.45 Colt loads

medic15al

medic15al

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Howdy! I am about to start loading for my 25-13 Mtn. Gun and was looking for good loads for the 250 grain bullets.

One I would like to get is the 250 Gold-Dot around 1000 FPS as a Defense and woods load and another load around 800-850fpd General purpose loads.

Bullseye and Unique is what I have at the moment. What do ya'll recomend?
 
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I would like to get is the 250 Gold-Dot around 1000 FPS as a Defense and woods load and another load around 800-850fpd General purpose loads.

Bullseye and Unique is what I have at the moment. What do ya'll recomend?
Click to expand...

(What's your barrel length?)

First of all, forget Bullseye for meeting either loading specification.

I see that Alliant has wussied-down the data even further on Unique, so I won't post what I run in my 3.5" Cimarron (Uberti) New Thunderer (turns out it's a heck of a lot hotter than what Alliant says is max now with Unique) - even so, I'd wonder whether you should try to achieve the defensive velocity you seek (which I believe is unnecessarily fast, but that's your call) with Unique. The loading that I use in the Cimarron would make for a great general purpose loading (per your specs) with that bullet.

http://www.alliantpowder.com/reloaders/recipedetail.aspx?gtypeid=1&weight=250&shellid=36&bulletid=70

I believe you're going to be SOL trying to get that performance with those powders sticking to "modern" wussified charge data. Sorry.
 
7.5 grains of Unique with that 250 grain lead bullet is a classic, and very accurate for me. Pretty close to 800 fps.

Good luck!
 
Erich, 4 in BBL.

I have been looking at Unique and thought it might be a good powder.

Anybody recommend Trail Boss for those loads?
 
Hello!!

My favorite SAAMI-level loads for 45 Colt are 255 grain SWC bullet over either 11-12 grains of Blue Dot or 13-14 grains of 2400. The Blue Dot load brackets what Alliant's 2002 loading manual gives, with listed muzzle volicity of 890 fps in 7,5 inch barrel and with 11,5 grains BD. The 2400 load should be a bit on +P side of SAMMI. Both shoot nice groups, very close to POA in my 4 5/8 inch barreled Ruger Vaquero.

I have never chronoed either load in my revolver but, the 2400 load gives slightly more recoil. I use soft lead bullets, either from custom casters or Remington bulk 45 Colt 255 grain bullets and get no leading. Never used jacketed bullets with either loading -- actually, never shot jacketed bullets in this gun.

Niklas
 
45 LC Loads

max said:
As has been stated, 7.5 or 8.0 of Unique seem to work for just about everybody.
Click to expand...

John Linebaugh-customsixguns.com lists his favorite loads with WW231&HS 6 for900-1050 fps.
 
I think you'll find the consensus for Unique is 7.5 to 8.0 grains. I'll let you know how 6.0 grains with a 200 grain RNFP handles in my Mountain Gun. Could be tomorrow, if it don't rain.
 
625

10 grains of unique under a 185 grain JHP.

Shoots like a rifle out of my 625 with no signs of high pressure.
 
Yep, 8gr of Unique is a nice working load for the 250gr. Go to 10gr under the 250grGD, but for a woods load, I would rather run a good 250-270grLSWC o/ 9gr of Unique. I also like 2400 for heavier loads, but you'll need 15gr-16gr to hit 1000fps.
 
I like Unique at 8 grains for pratice using lead bullets and H110 for my jacketed self defense loads using either 250 grain Honady's or the 300 grain bullets. A 45 long colt with a 300 grain jacketed flat point justs looks nice to me.
 
RCBS 270 SAA cast bullets
9.0 Unique - CCI300 primers = 950 Fps
Very accurate, easy to shoot in my 625-6 mountain gun.
 
Like said above, trying to achieve 1000 fps from a 250gr bullet in a .45 Colt with today's load data is probably not going to happen, especially from a 4" barrel. You will get the 800 fps you're looking for but 1,000, I think not. If you're willing to use data from 10 years ago you will reach the 1K mark.

A 2002 Accurate Arms manual listed a 255gr LFN bullet and AA#5. A min charge of 10.9gr delivered 950fps and a max charge of 12.1gr delivered 1033fps. The current AA manual lists min/max of 9.4gr and 10.4gr for 846fps & 961fps. That story is repeated by all the powder companies and reloading manuals. Sorry...
 
45 LC Loads

250 gr. LRNFP with 5.0 grs. of Trail Boss. Light recoil and very accurate. I like the way the powder fills the cases and burns fairly clean. I realize this is not the powder you mentioned, just my 2 cents! Good luck and be safe.
 
I just took my new 625-6 MG for a test run today with 185 Grain SWC over 6.5 grains of Trail Boss. Nice easy recoil and accuracy was great. I don't have any measurements on how great the acuracy was, but it was good enough for me. I'll probably stick with trail boss and tite group for this gun for the time being. I may also look to work up some loads with Bullseye as I have about 10 pounds of it.

Bill
 
ArchAngelCD said:
Like said above, trying to achieve 1000 fps from a 250gr bullet in a .45 Colt with today's load data is probably not going to happen, especially from a 4" barrel. You will get the 800 fps you're looking for but 1,000, I think not. If you're willing to use data from 10 years ago you will reach the 1K mark.

A 2002 Accurate Arms manual listed a 255gr LFN bullet and AA#5. A min charge of 10.9gr delivered 950fps and a max charge of 12.1gr delivered 1033fps. The current AA manual lists min/max of 9.4gr and 10.4gr for 846fps & 961fps. That story is repeated by all the powder companies and reloading manuals. Sorry...
Click to expand...

I'll have to respectfully disagree. Using 9gr of Unique under a 250grLSWCHP will get me just to 1000fps in my 4 5/8"RBH. Obviously every pistol is diff. but that is how my 45colt rolls. That is over what most data for ColtSAA use but not by much & certainly not max. in a Ruger. The S&W falls somewhere in between.
 
Fred, Where did you get the LSWCHPs? I am interested!!!

Thanks for all the replies and I have some good ideas now!!
 
Fred,
You really didn't disagree with what I said. I said, "You won't reach the 1k mark with current data." You said, "That is over what most data for ColtSAA use but not by much."

It's good to know 9gr will achieve what the OP was looking for but then again, that data is over current data. As you, I don't think that charge is max of harmful but I wouldn't recommend it to anyone because the books no longer support that data. I could easily reach the 1k mark using my favorite mid-range powder HS-6 but I have to use older data, not current data. I do use HS-6 for a "working load" when loading a 255gr SWC bullet.
 
AA, I guess it really depends on where you rate the current S&W revolver. If it is rated as a Colt SAA, then you are sort of correct. Most rate them above the SAA but not a Ruger. So any data not pushing Ruger should work. The current Speer SAA data shows 9.5gr as max. w/ a 250grLSWC going 941fps from a 5.5". We all know every rev. is diff. but I have no doubt that load gets you pretty darn close to 1000fps depending on the 4" rev. & is rated as safe in the SAA, at least by Speer. The BlueDot load does hit 1000fsp & I have also used it & found it does do wat the book says. That is where the starting loads are for the Ruger. I would feel fine pushing SAA data.
medic, the 250grLSWCHP I cast myself. The mold is a modified RCBS 270grSWC. I have diff. pins to throw anywhere from 250gr to 270grLSWCHP (cast soft, the solid weighs 285gr). You can see results here, just scroll thru the pics. http://www.hollowpointmold.com/Test-firing-page.html
 
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