Heavy Bullet .45 Colt loads for 625-6

[Paul5388]

Since my last post, I've acquired a .45 Colt, but it's a H&R BC Carbine with 20" barrel.

I don't have any .45 Colt dies yet, so I used some Lee .45 ACP dies and a Universal Decapping Die. That way, I only "neck size" the cases.

The RN seating stem is a little hard on SWC, but it does work.

Here's what they look like with a slightly rounded nose.

They were loaded with 13.0 gr of Blue Dot that produced 1270 fps MV and 970 ft lbs of ME with a WW LP primer.

When I used 23.0 gr of H4227, I got 1455 fps MV and 1275 ft lbs of ME, again with a WW LP primer.

The 13.0 gr of Blue Dot load with a RCBS 45-255-SWC (270 gr) produced about 5 fps more than the longer nosed 270 gr bullet.

19.0 gr of 2400 gave me 1450 fps MV and 1263 ft lbs of ME.

Remember, I shot these out of 20" of barrel and there may be an OAL problem with longer bullets. I seated to the crimping groove on all of these loads.

As I mentioned before, I shoot 960 fps and more with 270 gr bullets out of a 5" M625 in .45 ACP. In fact, it seems like I had them over 1100 fps with no ill effects.

 

[Groo01]

Groo here
AK I know that you are looking for a big heavy bullet.
What do you want- long deep holes or great big holes not so deep?
Remember that after you get hard bullets that the depth can be regulated by the
shape and or the size of the flat on the bullet.
The original 45colt had a small flat and even at 900fps with a soft bullet from the BP loads
was a good deep driver.
If you use a hard bullet then you are half way there. then adj your nose flat for how deep you want to go..
I think both the wfn and the lfn bullets are to large for deep driving on large game at the
speeds you get from a colt or smith load. Also don't use a swc as a round flat nose of the same crimp length will use less space in the case and keep the pressures down.
I would try a cowboy type rfn of 250 or so with a good load of powder [not over 1000fps
more like 900 to 950]...and very hard.

 

[Paul5388]

The alloy of the bullets pictured above is pretty soft, like 50% clip-on WWs and 50% stick-on WWs. In 20" of barrel there has been zero leading, but that may be due to the lube (White Label BAC and/or Lyman Super Moly), the diameter or the softness obturating better.

There's a good bit of momentum to a 5/8 ounce (270 gr) bullet and it will take a good bit to stop it.

 

[S.B.]

There's some interesting reading at
http://www.handloads.com/articles/default.asp?id=12

Basically, John Linebaugh--the inventor of the 475 and 500 Linebaugh cartridges--says that a 260-grain bullet at around 900 fps will "...consistently shoot length ways and exit on mule deer and antelope at 100 yards."

I don't see the need for much more velocity or bullet weight than that.


Okie John

He also says he carries a load with a 315 grain bullet and a stout charge of H110 while in bear country? This in a S&W 25-5 and a good flashlight are what's under his pillow when he goes to bed at night. You must of only read part of his article?
Steve