SASS Reloadsing for 45 Long Colt

[Willie Shootum]

I am new to SASS. Just joined about 3 weeks ago Member #90227. I plan to shoot Colt 45's in my rifle and pistols. I am casting my bullets with a Lee mold that casts 160 gr. bullets. I need to know the Cowboy load for this weight of bullet. I plan to use Bulleseye powder because I have a lot of it. I shot my one and only match wiyh 6 gr. of Bullseye and the people watching said I should reduce my powder charge as I was getting a lot of recoil. I plan to go down to 4 gr. of bullseye for the next shoot. Can I reduce the load even more? Some of the videos I see the guys shooting 38 with about the same recoil as a 22. I guess my real question what is the least amount of Bullseye I can use without creating a problem? Any advice is appreciated.

[Brother King, SASS #69031]

Welcome to the fire! Glad to greet a new member here. I'm not an expert on reloading, but I've reloaded a few 1,000,000 things that go BANG!

 

The SASS WAHR doesn't permit the sharing of reloading recipes. It's a liability thing. However, you'll find a lot of useful information here and people who really do know what will work most of the time and what works for THEM.

 

Here is the weblink for Hogdon's website that will give you every single load known and tested by them for most powder/ bullet/ primer combinations. If it's not on there then you're probably better off using what is on there.

 

HODGON'S RELOADING LINK

 

http://data.hodgdon.com/main_menu.asp

 

You'll find many, many shooters who swear by Bullseye and may have a recipe that they'll be willing to share via PM or EMAIL.

 

For my own loading I use mostly CLAYS or TRAIL BOSS, but then load it behind a 200 gr bullet. We each get to make our own fantasy up in SASS. Mine has a little recoil.

 

Again, WELCOME.. I hope this helps.

[Adirondack Jack, SASS #53440]

160s are the right bullet for low recoil, but difficult to get to work at low levels in .45 Colt, even with fast powders.

 

But I use em to great effect at very mild velocities in 45, using short cases to reduce the case capacity that is the real problem when trying to reduce recoil in .45. You can too. See cowboy45special.com for data.

[Guest Hoss Carpenter, SASS Life 7843]

I am not a fan of the 160 grain 45 Colt bullet; 200 is better, but my favorite is the 250 gr with Bulleye behind it.

 

Hoss

[Abilene Slim SASS 81783]

Howdy Willie and welcome. If you haven't done so already, pick up a good reloading manual that describes the physics & fundamentals of what makes a cartridge go bang. I think you'll find the .45 Colt doesn't do well with light bullets and loads. It's a huge case and light loads lead to variations in combustion and a host of other issues. The case just wasn't designed for this kind of loading. Also take a look a loading tables and you'll find that as bullet weight goes up, powder charges go down and vice versa. I wouldn't use anything smaller than a 200 gr bullet in a .45 Colt case.

 

If your goal is light loads with minimum recoil, I recommend a smaller case like Schofield or .45 Cowboy Special. The lower volume of these cases works better for light bullets and powder charges. The .45 CS case has the capacity of a .45 ACP and the Schofield is between that and the .45 Colt. Be aware that the Schofield has a slightly larger rim diameter than the Colt and CS cases.

 

I use 250 gr bullets in my rifle and 180 gr bullets with a .45 CS case in my pistols. The 250s create more pressure with less powder, which results in better obturation (case expansion) in the rifle chamber. This reduces blowback considerably because the case seals better in the chamber, which means your action will stay cleaner. The 180 gr bullets with CS case makes a nice light load that's light on recoil.

 

Good luck!

[Irish Red OToole, #48939]

Don't let the tribe try to convince youy there is anything wrong with 160 gr RNFPs for SASS. I've used them and they work just fine. Experiment and find the load you like. Welcome to the fun.

 

Irish Red O'Toole

[Brother King, SASS #69031]

I use 250 gr bullets in my rifle and 180 gr bullets with a .45 CS case in my pistols. The 250s create more pressure with less powder, which results in better obturation (case expansion) in the rifle chamber. This reduces blowback considerably because the case seals better in the chamber, which means your action will stay cleaner. The 180 gr bullets with CS case makes a nice light load that's light on recoil.

 

Good luck!

Dat's kinda a dang good idear right there! Makes you load two different cases/bullets, etc. but DAMMIT I get so tired of the dirt, soot, pancake batter, goo in my '73 action. I even have to clean the dern thing from time to time. Don't do much to the pistols since they had the Sweetshooter treatment except use the lead remover on the cylinders when they don't fall free anymore.

 

Does that make me wrong?

[Driftwood Johnson, SASS #38283]

Howdy

 

A few comments. Always use published data from a recognized source. Never guess.

 

Having a large quantity of a particular powder on hand is not necessarily a good reason to use it for a particular cartridge. There may be better choices available.

 

With all due respect, you are one of a long string of cowboys who wants to shoot a 45 but wants it to behave like a lightly loaded 38. The 45 Colt was designed to hold 35-40 grains of Black Powder under a 250 grain soft lead bullet. It was the most powerful factory loaded revolver cartridge until the advent of the 357 Magnum in 1935. But many cowboy shooters want it to recoil like a lightly loaded 38.

 

Enough of the lecture. You will find that 45 Colt just does not behave very well with bullets much under 200 grains in weight. It is the size of the cavernous case. Light loads and light bullets tend to lead to erratic pressures. It is because of the nature of Smokeless powders. The more pressure they generate, the faster they burn. If they don't generate much pressure in the first place, they don't get a good burn going. This can lead to erratic performance.

 

If you want to shoot light 45s in a revolver, both the 45 Schofield and the 45 Cowboy Special are good alternatives. They have less interior capacity, so they will develop pressure faster with a light bullet.

[Elfego, SASS #50493]

I have used 245 grain, 300 grain, 330 grain, and 340 grain home cast bullets for my Ruger 45 Colt Vaqueros and cowboy Marlin with great effect at our bi monthly shoots.

 

Dont go too light with either powder or bullets.

[Deuce Stevens SASS#55996]

Before switching to .38's I managed to be fairly competative with .45's shooting the 160gr. bullet. there is nothing wrong with them for our game, they shoot just fine.

[Pinto Being, SASS #4476]

Welcome to the Game, Willie.

 

For what it's worth, after years of experimenting with .45 loads I have settled on the 160 gr. RNFP for my main match pistolas and Marlin rifles. I was a dyed-in-the-wool 250, 230, 200 gr. shooter until the cost and my desire to be competitive became overwhelming. Years ago, Train Robber sent me some of his lighter rounds and although I thought it was heresy at the time, I eventually moved into that camp. Now, it's 160's with Federal regular or magnum primers and Schofield brass, almost exclusively for main match work.

 

I like Clays powder all year 'round.

 

As others have noted, be sure and use the published reloading data for your powder as the starting point. If you have access to a chronograph, that will be extremely helpful in determining what you need to do to refine the load that you work up.

 

BTW, it's always handy to have some 200 or 250 grain loads made up and stashed in the cart in case of some long range shots or knockdowns that are excessively heavy. The 160's in the load that I prefer have rarely failed on heavy knockdowns, but you never know what kind of targets and target placement you'll encounter when travelin' from range to range.

 

Have fun with it, amigo. Customizin' your own loads can be a big part of the allure of this shootin' game.

 

This just one feller's opinion, you understand.

[Griff]

1st, welcome to the 2nd most fun you can have with yer clothes on! (The 1st being mounted shooting!) All good advice above; but these were the BEST:

 

Don't let the tribe try to convince youy there is anything wrong with 160 gr RNFPs for SASS. I've used them and they work just fine. Experiment and find the load you like. Welcome to the fun.

Irish Red O'Toole

...use the published reloading data for your powder as the starting point. If you have access to a chronograph, that will be extremely helpful in determining what you need to do to refine the load that you work up.

 

However, don't be too surprised if the lighter bullets don't work well in certain rifles... Ain't had any problem in any of my .45 Colt pistols, but one rifle doesn't like bullets less than 200. The other two are fine with either the 160s or 185s. Go figure.

[Silver Jack Hammer, SASS #56398]

Lately I have been buying lead round balls and loading them in Schofield brass. I run the balls through Lyman 450 resizer first. I am getting great results. Trail Boss is working out well with this combination.

[Smithy]

Not to tell you not to use the 160's, but just to say that my 200 grain loads are pretty light. They have just enough omphf to let you know that you have capped something off but that is it and they work like a champ on any of the KD's. Smithy.

[Willy Whiskers]

From one Willy to another Willie. I have gone from the 200 gr. down to the 160 gr and it was the best move I ever made. It shoots just as well as the 200, easyer to fit into the shell as the base is beveled. carries plenty of punch for knockdowns. I use Trail Boss to drive it. Have tried it at several loads but found the best for me is the mid range load. Load 10-20 rounds at different levels and see what works best for you and your guns. WW

[Tulsey, SASS#11236]

Years ago I experimented with all sorts of weights for my Marlin 45. Anthing under 200 grain in the Colt case had a lot of blow by in the Marlin. Years later the even worse Thunderbolt required hot 250 grain to seal unless I used Scofield brass then the 200 would seal. A light load with the 200 grain in Scofield brass seals fine in the Marlin. I have never tried lighter bullets in the Scofield brass in the Marlin, but expect with less case volume and a heavy crimp a satisfactory load could be found.