45 Colt Loads

[deputy king]

Pards,

Been loading and shooting 250 gr. up to now.

Been told to go to 200 gr. for less recoil, but is the 200 gr. as of accurate?

I look at the base and the 200 gr. and there is a lot less lead traveling along the rifling of the barrel for accuracy?

Please give me your experience.

Thanks in advance,

Deputy King

22910

[Guest diablo slim shootist]

you may notice your groups hitting a little lower and may have to up the powder charge

[Tex Jones, SASS 2263]

As Slim said above. But, at CAS distances there isn't that much of a difference.

[Prof. Fuller Bullspit]

I shoot 200 grain in both pistol and rifle with near top loads of Trail Boss. Accuracy is great at less than 50 yards. I shoot 250 grain bullets with near max load of Unique for long range. Every now and then I shoot the 250 grain loads in a match. I find the 250 grain bullets make a difference past 50 yards. Your results may be different!

[Hard Cash, SASS #68128]

I've been shooting the 200 gr bullet, in front of Trail Boss, for several years and it is extremly accurate in both the revolvers and rifle with less recoil.

Less recoil is a good thing.

[Doc Windshadow]

When I tried the 200g I found the cases more sooted and the action of the rifle quite a bit dirtier so I went back to the 250 big lube slug and the slight reduction in recoil was not much for me but at 280 lbs and 6'3" I am not a small person. Now if was a fast shooter I guess the reduction in flip would improve my times but I doubt I will ever get fast enough to matter as I am not getting younger or lighter.

Cheers

Windy

( the snapshot of me in the avatar to the left was taken more than 40 years ago when I was rather less overweight than now)

[Driftwood Johnson, SASS #38283]

Been told to go to 200 gr. for less recoil, but is the 200 gr. as of accurate?

 

Howdy

 

Bear in mind that if you keep listening to those guys, eventually they will tell you to load 125 grain hockey pucks with 3 flakes of Whiz Bang. If pursuing less recoil to the extreme, at some point it becomes more productive to change to 38 Special.

 

Personally, I load 250 grains in 45 Colt and 200 grain for 45 Schofield in my pistols. But I ain't trying to shoot fast. At some point, usually below 200 grains, 45 Colt starts becoming a bit inefficient, particularly with light loads. Blow by increases because optimum operating pressure is difficult to achieve.

 

Your question about accuracy with the shorter bearing surface of the lighter bullet is an excellent question. However at cowboy velocities, the bullet will not strip out of the rifling and accuracy will not be a problem. You will notice in the loading manuals that generally loads with lighter bullets require a heavier powder charge than with heavier bullets. This may seem counter-intuitive. It is because it requires more powder to bring the pressure up to optimum pressure with lighter bullets.

 

Always use reliable sources for loading data.

[Mad Dog Jack, SASS #77862]

I shoot Uberti Open Top pistols, 45 cal, black powder. My first loads were a LC case full of BP, 250 gr bullet, crimped hard. OTs are light guns, the efect was like shooting 44 mag loads out of a short barreled gun. Impressive flame and recoil. Switched to Schoefield brass and 250 gr lead, then settled on 200gr bullets. Recoil significantly reduced, but still there, for me just right. POI went down with each change, but not really enough at the normal SASS pistol distances to worry about.

[Capt Stephen D Hill, SASS #56151]

I've been shooting the 200 gr bullet, in front of Trail Boss, for several years and it is extremly accurate in both the revolvers and rifle with less recoil.

Less recoil is a good thing.

 

++!

[Jefro, SASS#69420]

What DJ said. Another way for less recoil and a lighter bullet is to use the Cowboy .45 Special brass, that's what I use in revolvers with BP. Check AJ's site, look under "User_data" for some load data. For smokeless I use the same 200gr RNFP for both .45sp and .45 acp. Good Luck

http://www.cowboy45special.com/

 

Jefro Relax-Enjoy

[Abilene Slim SASS 81783]

Howdy Deputy. Doc W. and Driftwood have pretty well covered it. I recommend staying with the 250 gr bullet for your rife as it will keep the action cleaner. The difference in perceived recoil between 200 gr and 250 gr in your rifle is negligable.

 

If your goal is reduced recoil in your current pistols, go with a smaller case like the Schofield or better yet, the .45 Cowboy Special. The .45CS has the case capacity of a .45 ACP where bullets smaller than 200 gr can be used effectively.

 

Good luck!

[Gunner Gatlin, SASS 10274L]

the 250gr helps reduce blowback, lessening fouling in the works of the gun...especially with BP

 

GG ~

[H. K. Uriah, SASS #74619]

I shoot a 200 grain bullet out my .45's over a minimum charge of Trail Boss. It is pleanant to shoot, and I get good accuracy from all the guns I run it through, 3 Colts (one is a clone), 1 Scofield (replica) 1 AWA Lightning rifle and one ASM '92.

 

The cases do get very dirty on the outside, which I am told is a consequence of using the lighter bullet, but I don't seem to feel any blowback on my face from using this load.

 

Why do I use a 200 grain bullet? That is what was on the shelf at my local bullet store the day I went to buy bullets for reloading, and I have stayed with it. I am a creature of habit.

 

FWIW, I also use a 200 grainer in .44-40 and .44 Special, all with similar recoil and accuracy to the .45.

 

I do tend to use light loads in all calibers that I reload for, but I never go below published minimums, and on two occasions, I felt that the loading was *too* light, so I bumped it up just a little. (Granted, that too light load was in a .38 S&W, but having it sound like a .22 was taking the mild loading too far, in my opinion.)

[Curley Cole, SASS #56849]

Bonus Target

 

I load a 205gr BearCreek rnfp bullet with Unique behind it. I shot a broken clay at approx 85yds (according to Old Tops calculations) and broke it holding dead on the target. Made the shot from an EMF 1873 with a 20" bbl.

 

Also at 5Dogs recent SheBang 2010 they had a bonus target of a credit card sittin on top of a steel target at approx. 20yds (according to Old Tops calculations) as a 10sec bonus target. above is the image of the card. I was pretty close to dead center..

 

Some folks have told me I should shoot 165gr for less recoil. I don't percieve the recoil on what I shoot in my 205's. It is what yer comfortable with.

 

good shootin

curley

[Dutch Coroner]

I shoot a 180 grain bullet with 6 grains of Titegroup in my Schofields and 66 and have not had any problems.

[BlackhawkPaul]

Lighter boolits cause more residue spray out the chamber (less seal) which is very irritating to lefties. One of the remedies for said spray is the Lee Factory Crimp die and using heavier (250) boolits.

[Elfego, SASS #50493]

You can buck the trend and try some heavier bullets.

 

My favorites are a 300 grain RNFP and a round noze 340 grain that was originally designed for the 45/70.

 

Since the 340 grain bullet has a round noze i do not load them in my Marlin.

 

Recently i found a flat point bullet mould that cast 330 grain bullets.

 

The more lead in the case the less powder - a savings!

[Guest diablo slim shootist]

You can buck the trend and try some heavier bullets.

 

My favorites are a 300 grain RNFP and a round noze 340 grain that was originally designed for the 45/70.

 

Since the 340 grain bullet has a round noze i do not load them in my Marlin.

 

Recently i found a flat point bullet mould that cast 330 grain bullets.

 

The more lead in the case the less powder - a savings!

Only if your lead is free

[Bulls Head Bill SASS#33692]

Want light recoil in a .45 Colt rifle load?

 

160 gr slug , max published load of CLAYS under it........and it's accurate!

[Smithy]

I've shot 300 grainers down to 200 grain bullets and everything in between and I've found the 200 grain loads to be the best. With the heavier charge of black I find I do not get the published blow back, but the contrary. It is clean as a whistle. Accuracy improved as the recoil went down and I had less flinching so I could stay on target and get the job done and at SASS ranges it worked perfect both for pistol and rifle. Smithy.

[Painted Mohawk SASS 77785]

Howdy..

200g in front of TB works for me, accurate & easy to shoot

[Marshal Wilkins SASS #57887]

I have found the 200 grain bullets work best in my revolvers - less recoil. It is a different story in the rifle. The 200 grain shoots dirty and I get some blowback. So the 250 grain bullets work much better in my rifle. It really is very simple as the powder charge is exactly the same. At close range the point of impact is so close little difference can be seen.

[Concho Billy]

I shoot 180's in rifle and pistol........no problems.