.45 Colt Load

[jimmyj]

What was the original U.S. Army loading for the SSA .45 ?

Bullet weight was 255 grain lead RN ?

 

[arjay]

I think it was black powder up to the base of the bullet?

 

[Skeet 028]

Don't remember the charge but it was a compressed load with a 250-255 gr round nose concave base bullet

 

[boatbum101]

Was stout as one of the specs was be able to kill a horse @ 50yds .

 

[DR505]

250 grain bullet over 40 grains of black powder (FFFg?) rings a bell.

 

[Ivan the Butcher]

I had some friends use 45-40FFFg-255 for a Cowboy Action shoot. Course of fire used 60 rounds handgun, 60 rounds carbine, 25 rounds 12 gauge.

Those guys all complained about what their hands felt like! Later they complained about the baked-on fouling and cleaning it!

Ivan

 

[Cdog]

I'm not sure either, but I've read the traditional loading was 40 grains of BP. A 45-40.

 

[diyj98]

I'm not sure either, but I've read the traditional loading was 40 grains of BP. A 45-40.

I've read the same thing. a 255 grain bullet over 40 grains of black powder.

 

[DWalt]

The original .45 S&W (or Schofield) inside-primed military load from 1874 used a 230 grain lead bullet and 28 grains of Black powder. Later the .45 load was reduced to 26 grains with a 225 grain lead bullet around 1901. Boxer primed cases began in 1882. Smokeless powder replaced BP in 1908. The final variation was the .45 Colt-length M1909. It used a 250 grain lead bullet and around 5 grains of smokeless powder.

 

[Skeet 028]

+
I had read the 40 gr load also but had a recollection that it was hard to pack 40 gr in the case and was one reason for the concave bulletI also have a recollection of reading 35 gr was the easier to load. It may have been in Handloading magazine with the Pet loads column...or the pet loads books. There's still a LOT of useable data for all kinds of calibers and older powders come to think of it!

 

[StrawHat]

The original load was indeed 40 grains of pistol grade black powder under a 255-260 grain RNFP swaged bullet. It was reduced to 35 grains of powders because it burst more than a few of the iron cylinders of the day. It was further reduced to 28-30 grains of powder because of complaints from the field of excessive recoil.

While it is not easy, you can stuff 40 grains of 3F into a modern 45 ,one Colt case and still seat a 255-260 grain bullet. From my 5 1/2" barrel Italian replica it averages close to 950 fps. Recoil is "stout". Accuracy is very good.

As for the myth of being able to drop a horse at 50 or 100 yards, that has never been substantiated in any Army requirements.

Kevin

 

[Nevada Ed]

Hodgeon 23 has the 45 Colt with the 255 Lead at..............

FFg 40 grs at 770 fps.

Good for taking "Wabbits" at 89 yards if you can hit them.

 

[DWalt]

I will refer all those posting replies to the most definitive source on early military ammunition. That is "History of Modern U. S. Military Ammunition" by Hackley, Woodin, and Scranton. I have fully and correctly answered the exact question asked in my #9. Note that the .45 Colt cartridge itself had a very brief and essentially insignificant service career with the U. S. Army. The earliest .45 military loads used a 250 grain bullet and 30 grains of black powder. That loading was quickly replaced by the shorter .45 S&W/Schofield cartridge which could be used in both the Colt SAA and the S&W Schofield revolvers. That was the official military revolver cartridge used during the Indian and Spanish-American Wars and beyond. The civilian .45 Colt cartridge is a completely separate story.