Cartridge Type: Pistol/Revolver. Hawaii Department of Land & Natural Resources, State Agency: Others are the New Model Blackhawks, the Bisley Model, the Redhawk, and the Super Redhawk. It shoots VERY well, the recoil is tolerable, and it cuts a clean hole in both targets and small game. Oregon Department of Fish & Wildlife, State Agency: 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 new rifle is built on an aluminum billet chassis with carbon-fiber forend and cheek riser featuring V-block bedding. To protect the privacy and security of winners, names will not be made public. No substitutions or transfers to third parties allowed. To protect the privacy and security of winners, names will not be made public. In addition to outstanding terminal performance and accuracy in guns with correct internal dimensions, it offers low pressures, mild muzzle report and controllable recoil, all of which make it especially practical for an outdoorsman who uses a sixgun daily. Associated taxes and fees are the responsibility of winners. Winners must respond within 30 days of receiving notification or an alternate winner will be selected. The .45 Colt was soon loaded with smokeless powders with loads eventually standardized with 250- and 255-grain lead hollowbase bullets from Remington and Winchester, respectively, at around 870 fps, but today are listed at 860 fps. To protect the privacy and security of winners, names will not be made public. .45 Colt Rifle Data (Lyman Reloading Handbook 49th Edition) reloading data with 0 loads. flatpoint Keith-style bullets. Factory warranties may apply in some cases. These two examples were produced in 1875 (left) and 1887 (below). Deployed military should use stateside address. Both of these are plainbased Keith-style bullets, and their numbers are #310.451 and #325.454, with the first three digits giving the approximate bullet weight. If cast soft enough they can also slug up to create a gas seal, which helps reduce fusion and barrel leading. N340 is a tubular powder type with grain dimensions of 1,0mm length and 0,8 mm diameter. It is superbly accurate and will often shoot well in sixguns that are cranky about shooting plain-based bullets. Texas Parks & Wildlife Department, State Agency: Winners must respond within 30 days of receiving notification or an alternate winner will be selected. IMR Trail Boss, 4227, IMR 3031 and IMR 4895 are products of IMR (formerly DuPont) Powder Company. The powder that has the lowest velocities are produced by Trailboss which also has the advantage of filling up the 45LC case. No substitutions or transfers to third parties allowed. Illinois Department of Natural Resources, State Agency: Cast bullets can be sized to .455 inch (assuming the mould casts bullets large enough), which again helps to reduce bullet tilting in the throat. However, a tight-chambered 45 Colt cylinder may require tolerances offered by a 454 Casull full-length sizing die. So if one used 40 grains by weight of Pyrodex when the chart called for 40 grains of black powder, the result would be an overloaded charge. Joe Kurtenbach and Caleb Giddings also look at the first-ever optics-ready carry revolvers with the new Taurus 605 and 856 T.O.R.O. Marlin and Winchester 1894s will both handle heavier-than-standard .45 Colt loads but 1860, 1866 and 1873 replicas are for standard loads only! Dropping down to 30 grains results in an easier-shooting 835 fps and a group of 1.13 inches. Purchase A PDF Download Of The GUNS Magazine February 2021 Issue Now! (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.) Guns with larger throats will usually produce improved accuracy when loaded with bullets that measure .454 to .456 inch. The final level includes custom five-shot Rugers and the Freedom Arms Model 83. Addeddate 2019-02-27 13:08:05 Identifier LymanReloadingHandbook48thEdition2002Ocr_201902 Identifier-ark ark:/13960/t9093sd5t Ocr ABBYY FineReader 11.0 (Extended OCR) Rifle Data Here you will find load data for some of the most recent cartridges on the market, with more being added each week. There are some excellent jacketed bullets available for use in the 45 Colt, including the Sierra 240-grain JHP, Hornady 250-grain XTP-JHP, and the Speer 260-grain JHP, all of which I prefer for deer-sized game. 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. Pyrodex is cleaner burning than black powder and results in less fouling of the barrel. These figures correspond with the many other pre-World War II guns that I have slugged. Powders include sure they will feed and chamber through levergun actions. Load data for caliber ".45 Colt". top notch work!! Lyman now offers it as #452424, and it is a 255-grain bulletor thereabouts, depending upon the alloy used. 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. The availability of all of these bullets is dependent on how much time I have to cast my own. 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. However, this approach causes some bullet deformation by being shortened, then sized down in the barrel, which still leaves accuracy potential on the table. With the coming of Rugers Blackhawk chambered in 45 Colt in the early 1970s, we finally had a sixgun that could tap the tremendous potential of the 45 Colt cartridge. (II) Limit one (1) entry per household; multiple entries will disqualify entrants. Employees and agents of Publishers Development Corp. are not eligible. Factory warranties may apply in some cases. I have dozens of references from credible sources that state pre-World War II Colt revolvers feature a barrel groove diameter of .454 inch while postwar guns measure .451 to .452 inch. The .45 Colt was developed in 1872 and first chambered for the Colt Single Action Army revolver in 1873. Pyrodex P is the equivalent of Triple-F or FFFg black powder. replacement barrels from the 1930s, each slugged between .451 and .4515 inch. The smaller case-capacity means better performance with light loads, which is why I am interested in it. Checked and verified, page 285, 4th Ed.Lyman cast bullet handbook. Heavy loads that are safe for use in the Ruger Redhawk would destroy a fine Colt SAA. My powders of choice are Clays, HP-38, HS-6, Universal, Trail Boss, H110, IMR 4227, W296, and W231. Your load at 6.0 gr Unique is dangerously unsafe. About the same time the Winchester Trappers arrived, Marlin had a very limited run of 500 each of .44 Magnum and .45 Colt Trappers. The key for best shooting is to size cast bullets accordingly and open the throats if necessary. Not interchangeable. Kentucky Department of Fish & Wildlife Resources, State Agency: They are my choice for the heaviest loads especially with cast bullets weighing 300 grains and heavier. No substitutions or transfers to third parties allowed. 2023 Outdoor Sportsman Group. They are my choice for everyday use and also for hunting larger, tougher game. To protect the privacy and security of winners, names will not be made public. Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency, State Agency: 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. Most of these are custom, tuned and have accounted for several head of big game. Yes, these loads in this rifle could be stretched farther, however for feral pigs or white tail deer from a stand one would rarely have to shoot any farther than this. My most used powders for these loads are #2400, #9, #4227 and H110. 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. Smith & Wesson revolver throats have varied significantly. I have measured Colt revolvers with throats that run from. With my alloys this bullet runs around 280 to 285 grains while at the same time having a slightly shorter nose than the original Keith design so it fits in all Colt cylinders. Contest open to U.S. residents only. We are blessed to have many excellent cartridges and sixguns available to us, but it would be hard to find any cartridge that is as versatile as the old 45 Colt. Normal powders vary quite a bit and also have a larger spread between shots. Deployed military should use stateside address. 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. 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. 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. 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. But the 45 Colt is a survivor. .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 the large .45 case, a large difference has been noted in speeds. Then comes the Freedom Arms Model 97, the original Ruger Vaquero, Ruger Blackhawk, Ruger Redhawk, and the Ruger Super Redhawk. Lyman has a 255 grain .45 Colt gas-checked bullet, #454490GC, that was designed by Ray Thompson who also brought forth the .357 Magnum #358156GC and the .44 Magnum #431244GC. Then something dramatic happened in 1869: Smith & Wesson brought forth the 44 American sixgun that used fixed ammunition. And about 1450+fps out of the 20" 454 Puma Levergun. On paper, the 357 Magnum was the first cartridge to exceed the 45 Colts muzzle energy, but many knowledgeable sixgunners, Elmer Keith included, believed the 45 Colt actually offered more practical power than the First Magnum. Today, it remains one of our most popular sixgun cartridges. It is clear why the .45 Colt had such a stellar reputation as a man stopper and for its effectiveness on game. 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. Bullet is .452 diameter. The company also distributes IMR and Winchester powders as well as Goex black powder. I have found two things necessary gas checks and hard alloys, also in most cases muzzle velocities over 1,200-1,300 fps. (III) Giveaway winner(s) chosen by random drawing. I seat and crimp just over the bullet radius. Jeff Bradley shows off the Modern Hunting Rifle (MHR) from Christensen Arms at SHOT Show 2023. 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. That is, until I tried IMR 4227 with Lymans #452424 and a 20.0-grain load, and that combination produced one-hole groups. 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. (III) Giveaway winner(s) chosen by random drawing. Bullet sizes vary from .450 for jacketed to .454 for some lead in diameter. Contest open to U.S. residents only. All of the Keith-style bullets mentioned feed and chamber even though they have shoulders in front of the case. Contest void where prohibited by law. Massachusetts Division of Fisheries & Wildlife, State Agency: Nevada Department of Wildlife, State Agency: 2021. To get started, click the link below to visit mymagnow.com and learn how to access your digital magazine. You may even have bullets stopping partway in the barrel with that light of a charge. In actual weight, Pyrodex is lighter than black powder, being about 80 percent of the weight of black powder. Oregon Trails 250-grain RNFP over 8.0 grains of W231 clocks out just under 1,100 fps with three-shot groups of 1" or less. It is my most used powder both in cap-and-ball and cartridge-firing sixguns when black powder loads are desired. South Carolina Department of Natural Resources, State Agency: There simply is not much that cannot be accomplished with the 45 Colt. (I) Giveaway ends March 31, 2023. Sam Colt became a millionaire producing percussion revolvers. It is loaded not by weight, but by volume. SWC - 9.6 grains Unique Lyman # 454190 , 250 gr. Vermont Fish & Wildlife Department, State Agency: It also is a most versatile powder as it can be used for standard loads for the Colt SAA and heavy loads for the Blackhawk. (See note on Powders below or read all about various Powders.) Velocities in a test For loading black powder 45 Colt loads, I use Goex as well as Pyrodex and Triple Seven. South Dakota Game, Fish & Parks, State Agency: I use my Winchester and Marlin Trappers for relatively close-range shooting. 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. Originally loaded with 40 grs. Beginning in the early 1980s both Winchester and Marlin began offering .45 Colt leverguns. I would conclude this powder is much more consistent in speeds than others that I have tried in the .45 Colt. Winners will be notified by certified mail on official letterhead. Associated taxes and fees are the responsibility of winners. The top of the can says NOT FOR HANDGUN LOADS. That is, if the loading table calls for 40 grains of black powder, then one uses a 40-grain volume powder measure for the same amount by volume of Pyrodex. In preparation for this article, I pulled from my personal collection a Colt SAA with serial number 16xxx (1875) that slugged an average groove diameter of .450 inch. Instead of being overly large, Rugers have been way too tight, with some measuring around 0.449 inch, but now Ruger is cutting all cylinder throats at 0.451 to 0.452 inch. Make sure your gun can handle it before you use any of these loads listed below with STARS (*). The Lyman bullet 452651 GC will cast 20-1 at about 325 grains including gas check. It served me well while riding the ranch on horseback, running a trap-line, hunting big game, varmints and pests, etc., and it even saved my skin a time or two. California Department of Fish & Wildlife, State Agency: Jacketed bullets are also more difficult to push down the bore and therefore produce less velocity than a cast bullet of equal weight. No purchase necessary. I did find a 225 grain jacketed bullet. Maryland Department of Natural Resources, State Agency: I'll be a nice to you as you'll let me be, or as mean as you make me be. Discussion: The old Western Style COLT normally uses big, heavy and slow lead bullets. 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. My powders of choice are Clays, HP-38, HS-6, Universal, Trail Boss, H110, IMR 4227, W296, and W231. The weight would more properly be closer to 32 grains. But the 45 Colt is a survivor. When Ray Thompson was designing his line of bullets, he did not neglect the 45. All entries must be received by giveaway end date. I custom tailor my loads for the Trapper to match with the sixgun I am using alongside. If your Hornady book says 45 Colts use a 458 bullet, they are wrong. Lyman Reloading Handbook 49th edition. 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. Factory warranties may apply in some cases. Alaska Department of Fish & Game, State Agency: Two other powders for standard loads include W231 and HP-38. . (III) Giveaway winner(s) chosen by random drawing. (WC= WadCutter, SWC= Semi-WadCutter, HP= Hollow Point, RN= Round Nose, FMC= Full Metal Case, FMJ= Full Metal Jacket, JHP= Jacketed Hollow Point and if GC indicated, means Gas Check at bottom of lead bullet), Loads for .45 Colt: The (top) Model 25-5 has .458-inch throats while the (bottom) Model 25-5 has .451-inch throats and is far more accurate. 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. So both the up and down positions were closer in speeds and the spreads were noticeably closer. RCBS also offers an excellent bullet of standard weight with the #45-255KT that has a better crimping groove than the Keith 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. in pistol calibers than the old. This revolver and cartridge proved to be a great teacher as I learned how to shoot a big-bore single-action sixgun accurately. I normally stay under 900 fps with a 250-grain bullet in Colt Single Action Army revolvers and its replicas. Ben Voss FN Product Manager talks about the new FN SCAR 15P ultra-compact rifle-caliber pistol at SHOT Show 2023. That brings us to the next level, which includes 45 Colt revolvers built on the Ruger Super Blackhawk frame and the Ruger Old Model Blackhawk, the arrival of which led to two separate load sections showing up in loading manuals. Low Recoil Loads | Hodgdon Reloading Handloading allows the flexibility to adjust load ballistics for a particular purpose. H110 works well for heavy bullet loads in the .45 Colt levergun. rifling. For loading black powder 45 Colt loads, I use Goex as well as Pyrodex and Triple Seven. It is loaded not by weight, but by volume. 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. His #452490GC was originally made for the 45 Auto Rim cartridge for use in the Smith & Wesson 1950 Target revolver, but I also use the Thompson design, which weighs around 255 grains, for heavy-duty loads approaching the energy of the 44 Magnum in the Ruger Blackhawk. The accompanying data was developed using Starline cases that are strong, offer long life and are available factory direct. Employees and agents of Publishers Development Corp. are not eligible. For the 45 Colt, I especially prefer the 250-grain RNFP and the 255-grain SWC. Keith bullet, the Lee 452-255-rf 250gr bullet and the RCBS 45-270-SAA for .45 Colt. I cast the Lyman 452-424 250gr. Clays, Universal, HP38, HS6, HS7 and H4895 are products of Hodgdon Powders. During Lyman's long history in the manufacture of uality reloading euipment, the most freuent uestion we received from our customers was when is Lyman In 1935 we entered the Magnum Sixgun Era with the arrival of the 357 Magnum; however, long before that we had the 45 Colt. I certainly dont know of anything in the lower 48 that cannot be handled with this load. 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. Michigan Deptartment of Natural Resources, State Agency: HS7 is slowest of the group (Similar to 2400) Note that the "Ruger New Vaquero" uses a smaller frame and cylinder like original Colts. My loading dies are from Lee, Lyman, and RCBS, and all of them give excellent service. 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. Load up some Low Recoil handloads. You can certainly use the Jacketed bullets fine, but dont look for incredible speeds. 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.