45 Colt & IMR 4227 Dilemma

[GypsmJim]

After having some outstanding success with 4227 in .357 mag, I decided to try it in my .45 Colt.

My go-to load is 9.0 Unique pushing a 230 LRN bullet. The starting point for the 4227 was 16.9 grains, which was a formual I found in one of my books.

First of all, vs. the Unique it was a milder load. My issue, however, was inconsistency from round to round and a ton of unburnt powder. I use a pretty tight crimp and all charges were weighed, so I don't think i did anything wrong.

So, my question is do I need a higher powder charge or hotter primers? The cases were quite sooty, so I guess the charge was a bit too low. But, won't more powder yield even more unburnt? or should i just stick with unique?

 

[Yorkie Man]

I think it's too slow for the weight you are using. What is the maximum load that your book shows. 30 years ago I had a 22 hornet and I used the data from the IMR book that showed loads for 4350 and 4895 for the Hornet and I had the same problem that you have, mild load eratic accuracy and lots of unburnt powder. The fact that the outside of the cases are dirty tells me that there is not enough pressure to seal the case against the chamber wall.

I just looked in my Lyman cast book and it does not show any loads for 4227 for the 45 colt.

 

[SteveFi]

are you loading standard .45 colt or for a stronger firearm? i didnt see 4227 in either lyman or hornady for standard .45 colt - i would stick with the unique as the 4227 is pretty slow for standard .45 colt.

 

[Doubless]

I am going to approach this from the standpoint of someone who has been handloading since 1980, so I have done a bit of extrapolating.

Now: the 13th Speer Reloading Manual lists 17.0 to 19.0 grains of IMR 4227 for their .452" 250-grain cast bullet. Velocities given are 775 and 904 fps, respectively. The firearm used to test the loads was a Smith 25-5.

I believe I would continue to go up with the 230s you are shooting, and I suspect you may be able to increase the top load listed for the 250 by as much as a full grain, i.e., a full 20 grains, and maybe a bit more since you are loading 230 grain projectiles; but go slowly. Copper builds pressure differently from lead; you are stating you use a LRN, so you should be okay, but again, work up slowly.

Finally, my experience with IMR 4227 was in the 41 Mag, and I found that even at full power loads I had a few unburned or partially-burned kernels of powder in the cases or down the barrel. It didn't bother me a bit because recoil was significantly softer with the 4227 than other powders, and accuracy was world class.

Good luck.

 

[DR505]

I agree with the gents above...4227 is just too slow of a powder for that bullet. You can see that 2400 and H110 are above it on the burn rate chart (partial below). For my HEAVY .45 Colt I'll use 2400, but not H110 or anything slower. I use those for heavy .41 and .44 magnum loads. Stick with Unique.

54. Alliant 2400
55. Ramshot Enforcer
56. Accurate Arms No. 9
57. Accurate Arms 4100
58. Alliant Steel
59. NORMA R123
60. VihtaVuori N110
61. Hodgdon LIL' GUN
62. Hodgdon H110
63. Winchester 296
64. IMR, Co IMR 4227
65. Hodgdon H4227

 

[alwslate]

Many years ago I owned a three screw Ruger Blackhawk with a 4 5/8"
barrel in .45 Colt. I worked up some pretty heavy loads, a bit beyond
the manuals, with IMR 4227 and 250 gr Hornady JHPs. I got a lot of
unburned powder grains in the barrel even at warm pressures for the
.45 Colt. With today's powders I would look first at Hodgdon Longshot
and second at 2400 for heavy loads. A recent issue of Handloader
magazine had a good article on loading the .45 Colt for a bear hunt.

 

[11e40]

been loading .45 colt for about 40 yrs. now. 4227 has always left unburned powder in every load I tried. try some hs-6 or some hs-7 if you can find some. unique usually works very well especially with lead bullets. green dot also works well.

 

[ArchAngelCD]

As you see for yourself 4227 is the wrong powder for standard pressure 45 Colt loads. It's just too slow a powder for light loads. I used a lot of W231 over the years for the 45 Colt and of course Unique is a good choice. Universal is also a good choice since it mimics Unique. My powder of choice for the past years or so for the 45 colt is HS-6. It's very accurate for me and I like it best right now. Red Dot and Herco are also good choices for the 45 Colt, 4227, not so much...

 

[GypsmJim]

I have a Blackhawk, a Redhawk and a 25-5. I really didn't want a Ruger-only load, so I can use it interchangeably.

I'll just stick with the Unique and leave the 4227 for .357. In that load it really did shine.

Thanks for all the comments...

 

[ArchAngelCD]

I have a Blackhawk, a Redhawk and a 25-5. I really didn't want a Ruger-only load, so I can use it interchangeably.

I'll just stick with the Unique and leave the 4227 for .357. In that load it really did shine.

Thanks for all the comments...

Do you have any HS-6 on hand? I was using W231 for years in the 45 Colt until I tried HS-6. I'm sold on HS-6 for the 45 Colt for now and that's all I now use.

 

[fredj338]

You could try a mag primer but 4227 is a very slow powder, best at the top end. In 45colt, that means ruger only loads for best results. That is 21-22gr min for a 230gr lrn, & you still need a firm crimp.

 

[USSR]

GypsmJim,

If you up your bullet weight, 4227 is a good powder for the .45 Colt. With 255 - 270gr bullets, I use 22gr which essentially is at the same pressure level as .45 ACP+P and is perfectly safe in your S&W Model 25-5. You will have kernels of unburned powder leftover (it's the nature of 4227), but VERY accurate loads.

Don

 

[Nevada Ed]

Imr is best with the very largest bullets.

It is just too slow for most bullet weights to get a clean burn.
I have several accurate target loads but the unburned powder
is all over and stopped one revolver from working on one of
my outings.
For this reason it is a target powder only............. not for SD use, for me.

Even with a heavy crimp and near maximum load in my 357
I got a face full of powder spray !!

It will probably end up on the lawn....................