New to .45 Colt reloading - bullet choices?

[dickttx]

This is interesting.........I've read about "oversize" cylinder mouths being a problem with S&W model 25-5's. I believe they can be as large as .0458" in some cases.

Just wondering what size you ended up with for your Ruger cylinder, and what size it was to start?

Thanks,
Lou

Go to Ruger Forum | Ruger Forum for Ruger Guns and Firearms and search for postings on this subject by Iowagen. Anything I would say would only be a bad recitation of what he said.

 

[VAdoublegunner]

I load the Speer (or local cast) 230gr LRN bullets for cowboy action shooting to about 800-850fps (about 1000 in rifles) all the time. They work fine in Ruger Vaqueros and Win 1873 or 1892 clone rifles. In fact the Speer 230 loaded with 11-11.5gr WSF has become one of my favorite plinking loads for the Vaqueros, especially the "Matt Dillon" 7.5" one. It gives me about 2" groups at 25 yards and is a lot of fun to shoot. Runs ~900+fps at the higher loading. I back off to 9.5-10gr for Uberti 1873 rifles, but the bullet does not stabilize well enough for shooting much longer than 75 yards.

If you have oversized throats in a S&W 25-5, the best commercial bullets for those seem to be the Rem swaged 250gr LRN bullets (.455") or the Win equivalents (.456"), if you can find the latter as component bullets.

But standing well above all the rest, the 45 Colt cartridge really shines with the RCBS 45-270-SAA cast bullet. When properly cast of a good alloy, it weighs about 282gr, and always gives me the best accuracy, stability, and penetration for a hunting load at about 950-1000fps of any 45 Colt bullet out there.

 

[fredj338]

But standing well above all the rest, the 45 Colt cartridge really shines with the RCBS 45-270-SAA cast bullet. When properly cast of a good alloy, it weighs about 282gr, and always gives me the best accuracy, stability, and penetration for a hunting load at about 950-1000fps of any 45 Colt bullet out there.

This is a very good bullet in the 45colt. It is my choice for a hunting bullet as well, but I also have one cav set up for diff HP.

 

[Cyrano]

I load for my S&W Mountain Gun; its bore is .452. I have a really nice SAECO mould for the 255gr bullet, however I find that I can get a good plinking load with a 180 gr SWC intended for target use in the 45 ACP. I use 8.6 grs of W 231, which happens to be the charge thrown by the RCBS Little Dandy powder measure rotor # 13. It doesn't shoot to the eame point of aim as the 255 gr bullet so you need adjustable sights or a lot of 'Kentucky elevation'.