.45 Colt loads for SAA's?

[jphendren]

I am looking for a good load for a 3rd gen. Colt SAA, as well as a USFA Ainsworth pre-war model. Most of the threads that I find on the .45 Colt are dealing with stronger guns, such as the Ruger Blackhawk/Redhawk and Freedom Arms. Those loads would be dangerous in a SAA. I have a box of 500 commercial hard cast .452", 250gr. LRN bullets, and Bullseye, Unique, and 2400 powders. About 10 years ago I tried 2400 in my Colt SAA; while it did go bang, there was quite a bit of unburnt powder pouring out of the cases afterword, which means it was not burning in its proper pressure range. I have also tried 5.0gr, and 5.5gr of Bullseye, those seemed to shoot pretty well.

I have read quite a bit about the 8gr of Unique load, would this be safe in a SAA?

What do you recommend for SAA's? BTW, I am using WLP primers.

Jared

 

[Gun 4 Fun]

You need to call Wolfe Publishing and order a back issue of Handloader # 217. There is an article by Brian Pearce that is about the best one ever written on the .45 Colt and what guns will take what loads. In it he states that your gun will safely handle loads that run up to 19,000 PSI, so you have lots of choices that you can use. One that is listed and still at or under SAAMI specs is 11.5 grains of HS-6 under a 250 grain CPBC RN FP for 1020 fps from a 5.5" bbl.

The issue/article is well worth buying, and the data is pressure tested and proven in a variety of guns.

A lot of guys will warn you about internet loads, and staying at very low pressures. That's all good and fine, and is why I mentioned this article. With some of the powders that are available now, you can safely boost velocities without boosting pressures above safe levels. Also keep in mind that the SAA has been chambered in .45 ACP and is rated for +P loads in that caliber which run 23,000 psi. Since the cylinder walls are exactly the same thickness and made from the same materials, the .45 Colt can be loaded to similar levels for occassional shooting. Those loads will accelerate wear though, and is the very reason he mentions staying at or below the 19,000 psi threshold.

 

[michael thornton]

i had a colt saa 4 3/4 but let it go and got a ss ruger blackhawk, the colt was sweet but i can use the ruger alot more, i did load and shoot some 255 swc with 9.0 unique out of the colt, and it was a good shooter. csa

 

[Dragon88]

Of those powders, I would go with 7.0 to 8.0gr of Unique. I have tried several different charges of Unique and all shot well, it's just a matter of how much recoil you want. If you want to try a new powder, Trail Boss also works well. A close to max charge under the 250gr gives a nice shooting load and still seals the case reasonably well (for 45 Colt).

 

[max]

I have an Italian clone of the SAA and use 7 or 8 grains of Unique and a 250 grain cast swc. I have had no problems to date and loads of this level can be found in magazines and loading manuals for the past 40 years or further back.

 

[jphendren]

"You need to call Wolfe Publishing and order a back issue of Handloader # 217"

Are you referring to the June-July 2002?

I see an article by Brian Pearce entitled "Understanding the .45 Colt."

Of the powders that I have, it seems that Unique would be the best. I've read that modern steel Colt SAA's, as well as USFA's can handle slightly higher pressure than the older guns, but I am fine with 900fps if I can get there. I have been shooting Swiss FFFg powder, which makes the .45 Colt fairly potent, but the cleanup is sort of a pain.

Jared

 

[Gun 4 Fun]

Yea, that's the article I mentioned. Very good info there, and I have used an awful lot of it since that issue came out.

A 250 @ 900 + fps is a serious load, and will take most any big game animal within reasonable distances in the lower 48.

I just checked my logbook and see that I reached 865 fps ave @ 15', in my 4" 25-5 with 9 grains of Unique under a 255 cast swc bb bullet. That is the most commonly cast design for the .45 Colt from the commercial makers in that weight, so that is why I mention this particular combo.

Also, the speeds I reach in this 4" 25-5 are fairly representative of most .45 Colts with 4"- 5.5" barrels, when I compare what I get to those speeds shown in various articles and load manuals that actually use revolvers instead of pressure barrels. I own several different .45's, and have owned a bunch more in the past, and checking my log book confirms that this gun is right in the middle of the road for the speeds it turns in for any given load, so the velocity I gave above should be close to what you would get with that load.

 

[whelenshooter]

I've used 8 grains of Unique with a 250 Grain cast bullet for ages in my two U.S Firearms .45 Colts. Many people consider this the "standard" Single Action Army .45 Colt load. (I call this the load from the Beatles' Reloading song... 8 Grains Unique, I lo-o-o-o-ove you, 8 Grains Unique, are not enough to blow you up...)

Enough of the products of my sick mind...

I've started using the same 8 grains of Unique behind the .45 caliber 270 grain Keith style semiwadcutter cast bullet from the RCBS mold, and that load has been totally safe in my guns. It is a great bullet and load!

If there is a better powder for the .45 Colt in Colts and Colt clones it MIGHT be Universal Clays. I haven't used it a lot, but some say it is cleaner than Unique. I've never considered Unique too dirty with these loads, so I don't know.

 

[cp1969]

I have always had good luck with Unique in the .45 Colt. I always thought it was clean, at least in comparison to 2400, the other powder I've used a lot in the .45. I've used 8.5 grains most of the time; even this load at around 850 fps will penetrate a LOT of tissue.

It is amazing what the .45 Colt cartridge can do, given that it is one of the lowest pressure cartridges available. I think the SAAMI pressure rating is something like 14,000 psi.

 

[Beans]

"You need to call Wolfe Publishing and order a back issue of Handloader # 217"

Are you referring to the June-July 2002?

I see an article by Brian Pearce entitled "Understanding the .45 Colt."

Of the powders that I have, it seems that Unique would be the best. I've read that modern steel Colt SAA's, as well as USFA's can handle slightly higher pressure than the older guns, but I am fine with 900fps if I can get there. I have been shooting Swiss FFFg powder, which makes the .45 Colt fairly potent, but the cleanup is sort of a pain.

Jared

There is also a good article in Handloader issue #246 on loading the RCBS 270 SAA bullet. This article list loads for 3 different types of guns and their pressures 14,000 PSI for Colts,----20,000 psi FOR Post war S&W N frames and Ruger new models and 32,000 psi For Ruger redhawks, Ruger Super redhawks and Freedom Arms

 

[TSQUARED]

You might want to invest in Trail Boss powder - it is the only powder I now use for my lead bullet revolver loads. Trail Boss meyters well in my Dillon 550, is very bulky so it is virtually impossible to double charge a case and provides excellent accuracy.

 

[Vulcan Bob]

You might want to check your cylinder throat diameter's in your's. Both my 3rd gen Colt SAA's in 45 Colt have .456 dia. throat's and shoot's best with .454 and .455 diameter bullets. A good load for mine is 7.5 gr of unique under a .454 dia. 255gr SWC lit off by a standard primer. Another good load is useing the bulk .455 dia. Remington 250 RN's with 8.0 gr of Unique with a standard primer. As usual result's do vary! Good luck and enjoy that thumb buster!

 

[m657]

Another vote for the virtues of Trail Boss here.

Most of my 45 SAA use is in moderate loads for Cowboy Action under cast 200 gr RNFP.

I've come to favor Trail Boss so much I'm loading my 44 specials & 44 mags now for field trials.

For my own use, it seems about anything that puts 200-250 grains of cast lead down range at around 850-950 fps does everything I want.

Stalking the feral free-range bowling pins tonight! Will be sampling 230g ACPs over Trail Boss, among others.

 

[Dale53]

If you want good, reliable data look at Hodgdon's Web Site. They list bullet, powder charge, and pressures as well as velocities (in their pressure barrels).

Any data listed for the ".45 Colt" is safe in a modern Colt SAA.

FWIW
Dale53

 

[BUFF]

In my guns, a lead bullet of 250-260 grains over a charge of 8.5 grains of Unique "about" duplicates the velocities and impact points of the traditional factory .45 Colt loads from W-W and R-P, with great accuracy when the bullets' size is matched up to chamber throats or a bit bigger. I have been using that handload for 30+ years.