Others are the New Model Blackhawks, the Bisley Model, the Redhawk, and the Super Redhawk. Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency, State Agency: : .451" Be Alert: Publisher cannot be responsible for errors in published load data. top notch work!! The 45 Colt brass was up to the task. HS7 is slowest of the group (Similar to 2400) ok 45 long colt lovers,,ring out ,lets hear from you,,the more the merry. Giveaway prizes may have evidence of being test fired or exhibit minor handling marks. Contest open to U.S. residents only. The original conical bullet found in black powder 45 Colt loads from the 1870s is very close to the Lyman #454190 and the RCBS #45-255 FN. Make sure your gun can handle it before Mike, who used to live in Newport News, but now resides in Poquoson VA. (IV) Winners must undergo a background check (if required) and comply with all other federal, state and local laws. Because case capacity is large, trying to produce lighter loads with slow-burning powders can give very poor results. Contest void where prohibited by law. The other problem, that of cylinder throat diameters, centers around the fact that they vary considerably. Moving up to the second level, loads at around 1,000 fps with the same-weight bullet are used in the Colt New Frontier, Smith & Wesson Model 25/625, Ruger Flat-Top New Model, and the Ruger New Vaquero. Sam Colt became a millionaire producing percussion revolvers. As I have gotten older and my hands have become more tender, I find myself moderating my everyday shooting loads. The Judge has been promoted! Pyrodex is cleaner burning than black powder and results in less fouling of the barrel. 2020, Lyman Products Corporation, printed in U.S.A. All other trademarks in this catalog are the property of their respective owners. This means you have the option to read your magazine on most popular phones and tablets. These Smith & Wesson .45 Colts include a (1) Model 25-5 with 838-inch barrel, (2) Model 25-5 with 6-inch barrel, (3) Model 25-5 with 4-inch barrel and a (4) Model 625-6 Mountain Gun with a tapered 4-inch barrel. Prizes will not be awarded if illegal in jurisdiction of winners. The company also distributes IMR and Winchester powders as well as Goex black powder. A pair of Old Model Blackhawks with 4-5/8 and 4-3/4 barrels put five rounds in 1 at 20 yards while traveling at about 800 fps. Elmer Keiths custom Colt single action was used to develop his heavy 44 Special loads in the late 1920s, and for a long time the 45 Colt cartridge was accused of being weak. One problem inherent with the original #454424 was the fact that when sized to 0.451 to 0.452 inch, the crimping groove almost disappears. However, when using soft swaged-lead bullets, an expander ball around .002 inch smaller than bullet diameter is preferred. Bob Meinert, FN Marketing Director, introduces FN's first commercial pistol suppressor, the FN Rush 9Ti. We switch now from the use of PC (Powder Coated) bullets to cast bullets. .45 Colt Rifle Data (Lyman Reloading Handbook 49th Edition) reloading data with 0 loads. It is a good choice for self-defense, long-range shooting, hunting everything on four legs, and just plain fun shooting. By the standards of the day when it arrived in 1873, and even to this day, the 45 Colt was and is a powerful cartridge. You can certainly use the Jacketed bullets fine, but dont look for incredible speeds. They often equal or surpass the accuracy from my carefully tailored hand-cast bullets. For the 45 Colt, I especially prefer the 250-grain RNFP and the 255-grain SWC. More than 45 years of shooting and slugging the barrels of hundreds of Colt SAAs suggests differently. considered more the norm. Hawaii Department of Land & Natural Resources, State Agency: ew eginnings - Mark 7 is now part of the Lyman family! Those first Winchesters were 16 Trapper Models, with mine being purchased in 1985. Here you will find load data for some of the most recent cartridges on the market, with more being added each week. The .44 Magnum is a great cartridge that offers a flatter trajectory and helps to make hits easier at longer distances; however, this added performance comes at the cost of greater pressures, heavier guns, increased recoil and muzzle report. No substitutions or transfers to third parties allowed. It is a good choice for self-defense, long-range shooting, hunting everything on four legs, and just plain fun shooting. These two bullets in a custom five-shot Blackhawk or Freedom Arms Model 83 five-shooter can be driven to 1,450 fps with W296 or H110. The minimum load for a 200 gr cast SWC in 45 Colt is listed as 8.6 gr Unique for 918 fps. Any time I have a 45 Colt that doesnt shoot the way I think it should, I dont give up until I try this load of IMR 4227 with Keiths bullet. In guns with .452-inch throats, the Magma designed 250-grain RNFP offered by most commercial cast bullet companies (Oregon Trail used here) can be surprisingly accurate. If you want those speeds and power, buy a .44 magnum. Marlins from the era have Micro-Groove rifling which may or may not work with cast bullets. We are currently populating the cartridge drop-down menu with updated cartridge renderings, new propellants and bullets, and links to complimentary product pages. About 1200+ fps in the 7.5 SBH, 1150fps out of the 4" Redhawk. The Smith & Wesson Model 29 is the sixgun by which all other .44 Magnums are judged. Texas Parks & Wildlife Department, State Agency: Handgun Data. This was achieved with 40 grains of black powder. In part one of this series we saw the history of .45 Colt leverguns, which turned out to be quite recent, beginning in the early 1980s. For example with the 4-5/8" Ruger Blackhawk, I use the NEI 310-grain Keith bullet over 21.0 grains of WW296 or H110 for 1,125 fps in the sixgun and 1,445 fps from the Trapper Barrel. Mail-in entries accepted; send postcards (no envelopes) to: GUNS Magazine, GOM March 2022, P.O. Rim Rocks 255-grain SWC with gas check is accurate and alleviates leading issues with revolvers (or barrels) that are prone to that. No purchase necessary. 454190 (255 grains) shares a similar profile as the original Government bullet but is a plainbase design that is generally very accurate and can be sized to around .454 to .455 inch for guns with larger throats. During my early teenage years I acquired a beautiful pre-World War II Colt SAA .45 that was customized by one of the masters during the 1920s. There are some excellent jacketed bullets available for use in the 45 Colt, including the Sierra 240-grain JHP,Hornady250-grain XTP-JHP, and the Speer 260-grain JHP, all of which I prefer for deer-sized game. With Accurates 5744 the speeds with 17.0 were 853 fps UP and 802 DOWN, but spreads were much better at 45 fps and 16.6 fps respectively. Your load at 6.0 gr Unique is dangerously unsafe. With the 45 Colt, IMR 4227 is almost magical in being able to provide excellent accuracy when other powders will not. Handgun Reloading Data .45 Colt 9mm Luger .32 Smith & Wesson Long .32 ACP .357 Magnum .44 Magnum .41 Remington Magnum .460 S&W Magnum .38 Special .327 Federal Magnum .357 SIG .25 Automatic 10mm Auto .500 Linebaugh Powder Data Accurate 5744 Hodgdon Extreme Powder Alliant Reloder 15 Norma Powder Ramshot Powder Accurate Powder Vihtavouri Powder Kentucky Department of Fish & Wildlife Resources, State Agency: North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission, State Agency: This is probably when it became so common to use cast bullets sized to .454 inch with pre-World War II guns but was largely confused with groove diameter. Eric Poole and Tom Beckstrand test the Aimpoint Acro P-2 against one of red dot sights' biggest myths: distance. now im looking for top performance load data to ass to my load data book for this caliber. Connecticut Department of Energy & Environmental Protection, Kansas Department of Wildlife, Parks & Tourism, Massachusetts Division of Fisheries & Wildlife, Oklahoma Department of Wildlife Conservation, Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources, West Virginia Division of Natural Resources, Virginia Department of Wildlife Resources, South Carolina Department of Natural Resources, Rhode Island Department of Fish & Wildlife, North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission, New York Department of Environmental Conservation, Mississippi Deptartment of Wildlife, Fisheries & Parks, Minnesota Deptartment of Natural Resources, Michigan Deptartment of Natural Resources, Maine Department of Inland Fisheries & Wildlife, Louisiana Department of Wildlife & Fisheries, Kentucky Department of Fish & Wildlife Resources, Hawaii Department of Land & Natural Resources, Florida Fish & Wildlife Conservation Commission, Alabama Department of Conservation & Natural Resources. A huge hit among hunters, it remained popular in deer camps long after the .30-30 Win. As always there are occasional exceptions, including two guns manufactured in 1900 and 1902 that slugged .458 and .453 inch, respectively, but they seemed to be more out-of-spec than the normal. I use the same industry measurement as the .45 ACP .470 inch. Moving up to 22.0 grains increases the muzzle velocity to 1,300 fps and then 24.0 grains is right at 1,400 fps with both putting three shots in at 45 yards. Subscriber Services. Heavy loads that are safe for use in the Ruger Redhawk would destroy a fine Colt SAA. For many decades reloaders have been arguing over whether or not H110 and W296 were identical. Meet the all-new Taurus Judge Executive Grade, a revolver featuring a hand-polished satin finish, presentation-grade wood grips, a brass rod front sight and an exceptional hand-tuned trigger. Due to different barrel lengths, type of bullet, seating depth, primer type and other factors, you may not . With the 45 Colt, IMR 4227 is almost magical in being able to provide excellent accuracy when other powders will not. However, Dick Casull started with the 45 Colt single action and the weak 45 Colt case to come up with his cartridge, which eventually became the 454 Casull. When using bullets designed for the .45 ACP that dont have a crimp cannelure, a taper crimp applied after bullets are seated to the correct overall length is the best option. Guns with larger throats will usually produce improved accuracy when loaded with bullets that measure .454 to .456 inch. The 45 Colt also predates the 38 Special, the 44 Special, and the 45 ACP, and not only is it more than 80 years older than the 44 Magnum, but it also has more case capacity and in the proper sixguns can outrank the 44 Magnum. Oregon Department of Fish & Wildlife, State Agency: California Department of Fish & Wildlife, State Agency: The Complete Reloading Manual For The 45 Colt Item Preview remove-circle Share or Embed This Item. Universal is an excellent powder for the 45 Colt with 8.0 grains under a 250-grain bullet duplicating the old black powder load. My brass of choice is Starlines excellent 45 Colt brass with CCI 300 Large Pistol primers for all powders, except I switch to CCI 350 Magnum Pistol primers with IMR 4227, H110, W296, and all black powder and black powder substitutes. Low Recoil Loads | Hodgdon Reloading Handloading allows the flexibility to adjust load ballistics for a particular purpose. Not only do the Hodgdon folks offer excellent powders, but also they are simply some of the nicest folks in the industry. This one is from Lyman 48th addition Reloading book. I found both of these on the shelf of a little gun store, actually a small gun department, in a local grocery store. The Colt factory has told me these large throats are intended to keep chamber pressures low, which is nonsense. Bullseye is a bit fast for this big cartridge and I dont especially recommend it, but it will work. I soon added single-cavity molds for the .45 Colt and .38 Special. For the 45 Colt this is the Single Action Army revolver. Not only do the Hodgdon folks offer excellent powders, but also they are simply some of the nicest folks in the industry. 458 is a rifle bullet. I shot all kinds of bullets and powders from my 45 colt from 200gr to 350 gr trying to find something that was better than the other. bullet type,style,powder ,amount,col.,primeres,and if possable fps. .45 Colt (180-200 grain bullets) .44 Mag (180-200 grain bullets) .38-40 (180 grain bullets) I had hangfires in the .45 Colt with less amount of Reddot. In ranking the various 45 Colt sixguns now in production from the least strongest to that capable of a handling the heaviest loads, I would set the following order. Factory warranties may apply in some cases. Employees and agents of Publishers Development Corp. are not eligible. Although far from perfect, the old Taylor Knock Out (TKO) formula, which is caliber x bullet weight x velocity 7,000, is far more accurate. Taurus Marketing Manager Caleb Giddings highlights the features of the new Taurus Raging Hunter 460 Magnum, a purpose-built revolver with a 10.5-inch barrel and an effective recoil-taming brake, with Guns & Ammo Executive Editor Joe Kurtenbach. None of these loads will work through the action of my Rossi .45 Colt Model 92. Associated taxes and fees are the responsibility of winners. Beginning in the early 1980s both Winchester and Marlin began offering .45 Colt leverguns. Cast RCBS 45-270-SAA bullets are generally loaded to an overall length of 1.650 inches to not over 1.655 inches, utilizing the full length of the Colt cylinder. Some of my most accurate loads are as follows: The Lyman/Thompson #454490 GC over 20.0 grains of #42274 gives a group at 1,275 fps or 20.0 grains of #2400 for 150 fps more velocity and a group just over 1. One problem inherent with the original #454424 was the fact that when sized to 0.451 to 0.452 inch, the crimping groove almost disappears. I especially like the 260-grain Keith gas-check bullet which shoots exceptionally well using #4227, 20.0 grains is 1,115 fps for 5/8 and then it gets even better! (NOTE: Sections marked Ruger Only are not for the New Model Blackhawk Flat-Tops or the New Vaquero!) The Colt Single Action Army, Colt New Frontier, Ruger New Model Flat-Top, Ruger New Vaquero, and Smith & Wesson Model 25/625 are all very close strength-wise. The Colt fanciers had .45's, usually in the New Service model, unless they were cowboy fans who had SAA's. The guys that worked in the paper mills and machine shops had 1917's. If you want-ed a handgun with power, the GI surplus .45 ACP in the 1917 was the only thing you could afford to shoot as reloading "ca'tridges" was unknown. It follows Keiths original idea of three equally sized driving bands, one forming the base, the middle one serving as the top of the grease groove, and the front driving band helping true up the bullet in the cylinder and is located above a generous crimping groove. Factory warranties may apply in some cases. Mail-in entries accepted; send postcards (no envelopes) to: GUNS Magazine, GOM February 2023, P.O. My brass of choice is Starlines excellent 45 Colt brass with CCI 300 Large Pistol primers for all powders, except I switch to CCI 350 Magnum Pistol primers with IMR 4227, H110, W296, and all black powder and black powder substitutes. Contest void where prohibited by law. The charge weight is 9.2 grains. Most of these are custom, tuned and have accounted for several head of big game. I also have been having good luck lately with 10.0 grains of HS-6 and 250- to 260-grain bullets, which duplicates the performance of the early black powder loads. The Hornady 225-grain FTX bullet should be loaded in cases trimmed shorter than the industry standard of 1.215 inches. However, due to their heavier weights and increased barrel time, many fixed-sighted sixguns may group high. The Sporting Arms and Ammunition Manufacturers' Institute (SAAMI) has established the maximum average pressure for .45 Colt at 14,000 psi (commonly referred to as standard pressure), which should only be used in guns originally designed for smokeless powder ammunition. No substitutions or transfers to third parties allowed. (Note: These are near maximum loads, you should use 10% less to start, unless it is lesser of several loads or other indications like mild or cowboy etc.) It is my most used powder both in cap-and-ball and cartridge-firing sixguns when black powder loads are desired. For developing the accompanying data, a 1970 vintage (second generation) Colt New Frontier SAA with 5.5-inch barrel was. Even with their short barrels, they still carry nine rounds in the tubular magazine. You find load data for cartridges in caliber .45 Colt with all common powders and bullets by clicking the "Loads in this caliber" button above. Their max load is 6.2 grains for an approx 881 feet per second and a pressure of 13K cup. It is often associated with its vital role in settling the western frontier, where it found favor with lawmen, outlaws and anyone that needed a potent sixgun. RF - 8.2 grains Unique Now we are all confused! Give a Gift It is clear why the .45 Colt had such a stellar reputation as a man stopper and for its effectiveness on game. When he died in 1862, the company was dedicated to producing the same percussion revolvers. LYMAN Reloading Products A trusted Brand since the 1800?s. Its also a good choice for hunting. In his classic 1955 book Sixguns by Keith, Elmer Keith stated, As one grows older and his hair starts to turn grey, his respect for this grand old load increases. However, Dick Casull started with the 45 Colt single action and the weak 45 Colt case to come up with his cartridge, which eventually became the 454 Casull. Alas, the days of gun departments in grocery stores, department stores and drugstores are long gone. By the standards of the day when it arrived in 1873, and even to this day, the 45 Colt was and is a powerful cartridge. After that date bore diameters were reduced to .451-.452 inch, the same as the .45 Auto. I can only assume the above statement of bore diameter was intended to indicate groove, diameter. It is just a guide and the reason you should start under these charges and work up. This brings us to powders, and I use a lot of Hodgdon powders. Idaho Department of Fish & Game, State Agency: Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. like original Colts. Again using 255-grain factory loads at 860 fps, the .45 Colt reaches a factor of 14.09, while select standard-pressure handloads containing 280-grain bullets pushed to 950 fps factor at 17.17. (III) Giveaway winner(s) chosen by random drawing. Colt single actions are right around 0.454 inch. The Colt Single Action Army, Colt New Frontier, Ruger New Model Flat-Top, Ruger New Vaquero, and Smith & Wesson Model 25/625 are all very close strength-wise. Basic Load Data Hornady Manufacturing Company develops and publishes reloading data for the Handbook of Cartridge Reloading. Incidentally, the U.S Cartridge Company first listed a 255-grain bullet with 35 grains of black in 1882, but. After all the work and expense, it turned out to be a somewhat mediocre performer. This is a plain base bullet and I found out very quickly it was not very accurate in either rifle. North Dakota Game & Fish Department, State Agency: All Guns and Ammo subscribers now have digital access to their magazine content. There simply is not much that cannot be accomplished with the 45 Colt. Reference to Powder UP and Powder DOWN is to actually shake the gun in an up or down position before firing each round and gently bring the gun to the horizontal and shooting. Contest open to U.S. residents only. (I) Giveaway ends December 31, 2022. Mail-in entries accepted; send postcards (no envelopes) to: GUNS Magazine, GOM Old West 2023, PO Box 488, Escondido, CA 92033. Space constraints keep me from looking at all of these powders in depth, but I can cover a few. and other smokeless cartridges were introduced. Incidentally, many jacketed bullet loads will produce higher velocities in revolvers with shorter barrels. Giveaway prizes may have evidence of being test fired or exhibit minor handling marks. I have been pleasantly surprised by the Marlin Trapper. In 1898, Colt made the necessary changes to permit its guns to be used with smokeless powders; however, it wasnt until 1900 (revolvers with serial number 192,000 or higher) that Colt began to officially warrant its guns for such. Mail-in entries accepted; send postcards (no envelopes) to: GUNS Magazine, Altor Pistols, P.O. Balloonhead cases were discontinued around World War II but still show up regularly on handloaders benches. The 45 Colt also predates the 38 Special, the 44 Special, and the 45 ACP, and not only is it more than 80 years older than the 44 Magnum, but it also has more case capacity and in the proper sixguns can outrank the 44 Magnum. Camp Guns: Sometimes Perfect, Other Times Not But Often Essential! Over the nearly 15 decades since its arrival, there have been many attempts to pronounce it dead. This revolver and cartridge proved to be a great teacher as I learned how to shoot a big-bore single-action sixgun accurately. There were no 45 Colt heavyweight bullets available at the time, so we sized down 300-grain 45-70 bullets in several stages, going from around 0.460 inch to 0.452 inch. It shoots VERY well, the recoil is tolerable, and it cuts a clean hole in both targets and small game. Contest open to U.S. residents only. Winners must respond within 30 days of receiving notification or an alternate winner will be selected. Heavy loads that are safe for use in the Ruger Redhawk would destroy a fine Colt SAA. Improving the Keith Bullet Keith's #454424 was an excellent bullet, however it has been improved by Dave Scovill and is offered by RCBS as #45-270SAA. The weight would more properly be closer to 32 grains. To protect the privacy and security of winners, names will not be made public. Soon after smokeless powder came into use, throats were increased to .4555 inch (according to Colt specifications), which worked fine with .456-inch lead hollowbase bullets contained in Remington and Winchester ammunition. The Oregon Trail 250-grain RNFP bullet should be seated with an overall cartridge length of 1.570 to 1.580 inches, depending on case length. Most are either .451 (jacketed) or .452 (lead) and Sierra even makes jacketed bullets for the Colt SAA that are .4515 splitting the difference. These will still work in the vast majority of sixguns with the exception of the old short cylinder Smith & Wesson N-frames produced prior to 1978 and a couple of others not commonly encountered. For a heavier bullet with #4227 I use 22.0 grains with the 305-grain Lyman #454629 gas check at 1,315 fps while grouping in 5/8 for three shots. South Dakota Game, Fish & Parks, State Agency: Many early black-powder-era Colt revolvers (1873-1898) feature .449- to .452-inch throats that corresponded reasonably with .450- to .452-inch barrel groove diameters. No substitutions or transfers to third parties allowed. It is an excellent compromise between the 250- and 300-grain cast bullets. The new big bore pistols feature industry-first capacity, with a standard 15-round capacity and 22+1 rounds of 10mm or 18+1 rounds of .45 ACP from the extended magazines. Load up some Low Recoil handloads. The proud tradition and history of Lyman Products began simply in the late 1800?s when William Lyman, an avid outdoorsman and inventor, created a product that resolved problems with gun sights of his day. take the .45 Colt as my game and defense cartridge. It is noteworthy that this statement was made 20 years after the development of the .357 Magnum, a cartridge Keith also tested and used in the field. In spite of the above factory loads featuring the old Government bullet profile with a relatively small meplat, they are still effective. It should be crimped over the ogive and seated to an overall cartridge length of around 1.575 inches, which helps reduce case capacity and results in lower extreme spreads with powders that tend to be position sensitive. Pennsylvania Game Commission, State Agency: your comments are very greatful. Stay tuned. Virginia Department of Wildlife Resources, State Agency: I load 7.5gr of HP38 in Starline brass and crimp in the crimp groove of each of these bullets. My gun was a new model Bisely blackhawk long barrel. These black-powder guns should not be fired with smokeless powder loads. within an inch or 2 of each other at 50 yards. But the 45 Colt is a survivor. Washington Department of Fish & Wildlife, State Agency: Oklahoma Department of Wildlife Conservation, State Agency: Winners must respond within 30 days of receiving notification or an alternate winner will be selected. Moving up to the second level, loads at around 1,000 fps with the same-weight bullet are used in the Colt New Frontier, Smith & Wesson Model 25/625, Ruger Flat-Top New Model, and the Ruger New Vaquero. Utah Division of Wildlife Resources, State Agency: Due to their reduced velocity combined with greater resistance in the bore, I dont recommend loads that produce less than 750 fps because there is a significant chance of sticking a bullet in the bore. I have found 5.0 grains of Clays under a 250-grain bullet delivers a very pleasant-shooting load at 725 fps and will group all its shots in 0.63 inch at 20 yards. His 45 Colt bullet was #454424 and was available for decades from Lyman. Quality 300-grain jacketed bullets are also offered by all three of these manufacturers. By this time Winchester had changed its name to USRAC (United States Repeating Arms Co.) and the Trappers were offered in two versions, a blued receiver or a case-colored receiver. Again, a groove diameter of .451 to .452 inch remains standard by all manufacturers. I normally stay under 900 fps with a 250-grain bullet in Colt Single Action Army revolvers and its replicas. With the Winchesters, equipped with receiver sights, most of my shooting is done around 30 to 35 yards with relatively mild loads. The final level includes custom five-shot Rugers and the Freedom Arms Model 83. The performance level is pretty close to the original Black Powder load but far more effective due to the bullet I use. Ben Voss FN Product Manager talks about the new FN SCAR 15P ultra-compact rifle-caliber pistol at SHOT Show 2023. Giveaway prizes may have evidence of being test fired or exhibit minor handling marks. To protect the privacy and security of winners, names will not be made public.