45 Colt Loads

[Jake]

I'm looking for a good .45 Colt load for target shooting and light hunting. Will be using an Uberti revolver so it cant be to woofy of a load. Any loads for red dot, green dot, blue dot, unique, universal, longshot, or clays? These are the powders that I use in my shotguns and hoped for a good .45 load. Using 250 grain Hornady HP/XTP. I've tried universal from 7 - 9.2 grains and all I can tell is that it gets louder and doesn't shoot much better. Any ideas?

[LDBennett]

Jake:

Don't exceed loads listed for Colt single action army revolvers. While the Uberti may be made of better metals, it is not substantially stronger than an original Colt. Several manuals list various levels of loads for 45LC pistols so be aware that Ruger, Thompson Contender, and Freedom Arms guns can take much stronger loads than your mere Uberti SA clone (assuming that is what you are shooting???).

The latest Hodgdon Reloading manual I have includes two sections: one for regualr 45LC guns and the other hotter loads for the Rugers, T/C, and FA guns. They list loads behind the 250 gr XTP bullet for HS-6, Universal, HP-38 (same as Winchester 231), and Titegroup. The load you mentioned is really too hot at 9.2 grs of universal and they recommend only 8.5 grs Max.

My suggestion is buy the Hodgdon Reloading manual. Use a real handgun powder like W231 or HP38 (same powder, as far as I can tell), that will work well for virtually any other caliber pistol or revolver. The yearly free powder booklet available at your dealer may list other Hodgdon powders as well but keep those loads to the lower levels or you may be looking at a destroyed Uberti and a big hospital bill! And don't rely on loads developed by other shooters regardless their qualifications. Shoot only reloading industry tested and published loads for your specific gun. Experimentation could be costly and hurt.

LDBennett

[Oneida Steve]

7.5 gr. Unique and a 250 gr. lead SWC works for me.

[Jake]

9.2 grains is a little stout but after about 100 - 150 rounds, I've had no problems other than poor accuracy, although this was one of the better loads at 15 yards.

[Jake]

Hay O.S. what's the pressure for that load?

[RugerBob]

I use Unique at 7.7 grains and lately have been trying Trailboss at 5.5grs. The trailboss burns cleaner, good luck, Bob

[Oneida Steve]

Jake, I can't say what the pressure is on the 7.5 Unique load, but it's mild-to-medium on the recoil.

I shoot a Colt Anaconda in .45 Colt. I don't worry much about pressure with a Colt Anaconda

[K. Mehaffey]

I've had extremely good luck with 9.0grs of Hodgdens HS-6 under a 250gr. XTP ,CCI large pistol primer,wrapped in a Winchester case, I also use this same load with a 250 gr. LRNFP,Meisterbullet

[pls1911]

Other powders are good, but Unique is the most versitile powder available if you load many calibers.
Today's Unique is cleaner than before.
A charge of 8.0-8.5 (9.0 with a Ruger) with about any cast or jacketed bullet around
250 graines will keep you healthy, and any furry target within reasonable distance of dead on the spot.
Keep it simple...minimize the number of components in your closet.

[RandyP]

"Keep it simple...minimize the number of components in your closet."

Great advice to a rookie reloader like me.

It has not yet shipped, but my Widener's order for primers and powder has an 8# tub of Win 231 headed my way. I have just started reloading and my first powder purchase at Cabelas was a small container of HP-38 which per the good folks at Hodgdons is the exact same powder.

For all the calibers I am likely to reload, this seems to be a pretty good choice with ample load data available for the plated/jacketed bullets I can shoot at the local range (no bare lead load allowed). I really only need enough FPS to accurately punch a hole in a paper target at a max distance of 50' and so far HP-38 has done so admirably.

[muddober]

Originally Posted by Oneida Steve

7.5 gr. Unique and a 250 gr. lead SWC works for me.

Me too...

[tEN wOLVES]

Hornady has there new 45 long colt leverlution ammo, I'm going to try as a load while hunting, not necessary for hunting, but as a much stiffer load for my Colt SAA, just in case I need it, it's recommended as hunting ammo, and they say this ammo is safe in all colt like SAA revolvers that can shoot smokeless powder and all lever actions that fire 45 long colt that can shoot smokeless powder, I don't think they sell the bullets alone, I'm not sure, I'll have to look into that, but for the cost of a box of these rounds it's worth it to me, I load for Cowboy action shooting, but I will insure my life with hornady.


tEN wOLVES

[gcalloway]

they sell the bullets now. I bought some to feed my 454 casul but realized I will need a new seating plug for my lee die to keep from smashing the soft rubber tip. anybody know where to find one?

[JohnTheCalifornian]

I believe LEE will make a custom seating plug for the bullet you want to use. On their website is a custom services page. They require you to send a bullet and they will machine a plug to match the bullet for you.

[gcalloway]

thanks john

[twobit]

I'm using Speer deep curl bullets with Unique powder for carry/hunting loads. Also using lead round nose flat point and Traiboss for target loads.

This is in a Cimarron Uberti 5.5 " barrel 1873. I use data from Unique, Trailboss, and the Lee book. The Lee book differentiates between regular guns and the beefed up guns with stronger frames.

[JohnnyFlake]

My favorite loads for my Taylor/Uberti .45 Colt Smoke Wagon 4 3/4" barrel are:

7.5gns Unique under an Oregon Trail 250 RNFP

and

5.5gns Trail Boss under an Oregon Trail 250gn RNFP

For me, both of these loads shoot pretty much to point of aim at 25/30 feet.

[chasdog]

Originally Posted by Jake

I'm looking for a good .45 Colt load for target shooting and light hunting. Will be using an Uberti revolver so it cant be to woofy of a load. Any loads for red dot, green dot, blue dot, unique, universal, longshot, or clays? These are the powders that I use in my shotguns and hoped for a good .45 load. Using 250 grain Hornady HP/XTP. I've tried universal from 7 - 9.2 grains and all I can tell is that it gets louder and doesn't shoot much better. Any ideas?

I had loaded up some 250 gr cast flat points in my 45 lc with 5 gr of Clays powder and tried them today . They were nice mild loads and very accurate at 25 yds out of my Taurus Judge. Clays is nice because its cleaner than Unique.

[76Highboy]

Sorry guys, I responded to the wrong post.

[Hammerslagger]

It often seems that the .45 Colt is the only cartridge ideally suited for Unique. The converse also seems true.

[44stevenson]

i was actually just fixing to post a topic about this when I saw this topic already going. I just started reloading 45 colt and when I was looking at my Lee Load data, it said using Hogdon Univesal and a 250 grain bullet (which I'm using a 255 grain lead semi wad cutter) to not exceed 7.5 and then in my speer manual it said starting loads of 8.5grns to 9.2 grs with the same bullets and powder. I went with the speer and loaded some up at 9 grains, and shot a few today that seemed to do pretty good.


Its weird how 2 manuals can be so far apart. It also blows me away how little powder is actually in the case, quite a bit of extra room in there. I know its supposed to be a slower round with a slower burn, just blows my mind.

[LDBennett]

44stevenson:

"It also blows me away how little powder is actually in the case"

45LC was originally a black powder cartridge. The power level of black powder cartridges was determined by the volume of powder in the case. Such cases were virtually filled to the top with black powder. When smokeless powder is used it is so much more efficient that a full case full of it would blow the gun up.

The bottom line is the case volume in 45LC is there because it needed it originally for black powder use. Today you have to be sure to use a non-position sensitive powder in those large cases or the variation in velocity will be all over the place. If you are not sure if your choice qualifies test the velocity by shooting over the chronograph by raising the gun from below for the first shot and then from high above your head and down to the point of aim for the second shot. Significant velocity differences will show up if your powder is position sensitive. I like to use Winchester 231 or its exact equivalent (same powder, different label) Hodgdon HP38.

LDBennett

[hunter29180]

ok LDBennett is TRAILBOSS powder consitered non-position sensitive?

[JohnnyFlake]

In answer to the question you asked LDBennett. I do not know this as a fact, but I have been using Trailboss a lot and I do not believe it is position sensitive. Trailboss is a lot bulkier than W231, taking up 2 or 3 times more space in the case. It is also a fast burning powder, just a hair slower than W231.

[LDBennett]

hunter29180:

I have not run any test and only testing it will prove if any powder is position sensitive or not. Run the test yourself.

LDBennett