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160 gn RNFP bullet for .45 Colt?


Vaquero1

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They don't work in a rifle worth a tinker's darn.....personal experience in '92's and '73's.

I loaded up about 500 of 'em and was very glad the day they got all shot up.

But I had to use 'em in pistols only because they would jam up my '73. Just didn't work smooth like a 200 grain does.

 

Stick with 200 grain or shoot 'em in pistols only IMHO.

Can't say I've noticed that big of a recoil difference anyway, especially in a rifle.

 

I think there is also a 180 grain bullet out there but I've never shot those.

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My bet is its dependent on the individual rifle,when I shoot that smokeless stuff they feed fine in both my 66 & 73. When shooting the old H&G #.130,185gr. SWC bullet which carry's enough lube to shoot with BP. They feed like popcorn through the 66 but not so with the 73,dependent on the rifle. Adios Sgt. Jake

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2 things to think about here, over and above the possibility of feeding problems in a rifle, because of overall length.

 

1st. it's foolish to shoot any SWC bullet in any lever action rifle. While you will find an occasional rifle that will tolerate them, 95% of them will not. Most rifles will hang up on the edge of that bullet. Far and away the better choices are the Truncated Cone style bullets, or the RNFP.

 

2nd. Bullets of less than 200 grains will in most cases, exacerbate the problem of blowback around the cases. The 200 grainers are less sensitive to this, and the 250 grainers are even better/cleaner. Also use the fastest powders you can get for these loads. Powders such as Clays, or Nitro 100, or even Bullseye, will lessen the amount of blowback from the 45LC. Trailboss is one of the worst for this.

 

RBK

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Could this feed in a Win 1873? Does anyone know where to find these? Thank you

 

They shoot fine in my 66 as long as I pay attention to the cartridge overall length. I got mine from Badman Bullets.

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Why?!?!?!?

 

A 250 grain bullet with enough powder will seal the case and make a clean load.

 

Use a short case in the revolver if you have to use a 165 but with the oversized trash can called .45 Colt, use a real bullet and some powder.

 

Arghhhh,

 

BJT

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Why?!?!?!?

 

A 250 grain bullet with enough powder will seal the case and make a clean load.

 

Use a short case in the revolver if you have to use a 165 but with the oversized trash can called .45 Colt, use a real bullet and some powder.

 

Arghhhh,

 

BJT

Yup. 'Wouldn't put a 160 in anything but a .45CS. Asking for all sorts of "issues" by putting 'em in a .45 Colt and stuffing them in a rifle. Like putting kerosene in a 'Vette -- it don't run too good.

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I shoot 160s as my "heavy" load in rifles or when they put up a rare pistol KD. In the .45 pistols I use 130s.

 

The 160s feed slicker'n frog snot on a wet glass doorknob in the '73, but of course I'm using em in them stubby little .45s, with a carrier meant for em.... A pinch of Bullseye and all is happy happy ;)

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They shoot fine in my 66 as long as I pay attention to the cartridge overall length. I got mine from Badman Bullets.

 

DITTO What Charlie said...BADMAN'S160 works GREAT in my 73'! B)

 

THEY HAVE FREE SHIPPING on 1000 or more!

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I shoot 160s as my "heavy" load in rifles or when they put up a rare pistol KD. In the .45 pistols I use 130s.

 

 

130? Are they longer than they are wide? Or do they look like a hockey puck?

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They work fine in my '73 although I'm loading them fairly hot. I wanted a load that would get to the target as quickly as possible to keep me from listening for the clang. No feed issues whatsoever.

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I just hope that there are no CLASSIC COWBOYS out there using them whim-loads.

 

Ghost

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130? Are they longer than they are wide? Or do they look like a hockey puck?

 

Look like a shuttlecock (badminton bird) - deep hollow base. Remind me of the Civil War.

 

Good luck, GJ

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When I saw the topic title ,,,,,,, I too thought Why ??????????

 

 

Why shoot a .45 ,,,,, If you want bullets that light ????

 

Why try and make a .45 into a .38 ????????

 

Why not just shoot a .38 ????

 

 

 

Jabez Cowboy

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130? Are they longer than they are wide? Or do they look like a hockey puck?

 

 

Garrison Joe is correct. AAMOF the shuttlecock and airgun pellet was the inspiration for the shape of the 130. The weight-forward, thin skirt design, coupled with a very long driving band span makes the 130 inherently stable (it would fly well even from a smoothbore, and unlike many light for caliber bullets, has no tendency to swap ends in flight at low velocities. The HB design helps keep pressures up when gasses "inflate" the skirt. They are a pain to cast, virtually impossible in a machine, which is to say, it takes a little longer, but they fly well ;) Designed for pistols, the 130 sometimes glitches in the 73 owing to the full diameter forward driving band, so I use 160s in the rifle.

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Cause that is the gun you got. My question is why not use the right case for that bullet?

 

Cheers,

BJT

 

When I saw the topic title ,,,,,,, I too thought Why ??????????

 

 

Why shoot a .45 ,,,,, If you want bullets that light ????

 

Why try and make a .45 into a .38 ????????

 

Why not just shoot a .38 ????

 

 

 

Jabez Cowboy

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When I saw the topic title ,,,,,,, I too thought Why ??????????

 

 

Why shoot a .45 ,,,,, If you want bullets that light ????

 

Why try and make a .45 into a .38 ????????

 

Why not just shoot a .38 ????

 

 

 

Jabez Cowboy

 

 

JC, it all starts with "runnin what ya brung". I HAD .45s, and I liked em. I also knew recoil is not your friend in a timed contest. SASS has set a 60 PF lower limit and a virtual upper limit only limited by velocity and usable bullet weight. MY .45s can run the entire range from SASS minimum to maximum. I could hunt Moose on saturday and compete with minimum SASS-level loads on Sunday with the same guns....... Half that equation is the short case, the other half is selecting the right bullet for the job. Ain't NOTHIN a .38 can do a .45 can't, if properly equipped. The reverse cannot be said.

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They don't work in a rifle worth a tinker's darn.....personal experience in '92's and '73's.

I loaded up about 500 of 'em and was very glad the day they got all shot up.

But I had to use 'em in pistols only because they would jam up my '73. Just didn't work smooth like a 200 grain does.

 

Stick with 200 grain or shoot 'em in pistols only IMHO.

Can't say I've noticed that big of a recoil difference anyway, especially in a rifle.

 

I think there is also a 180 grain bullet out there but I've never shot those.

 

I wonder what I did wrong. Before I switched to manly .38, I shot 30,000 rounds of 160 gr. Round Nose Flat Points in .45Colt and didn't have any problems with my '73. But now that I know they don't work, I won't use any more.

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How often did you clean the 73? How long did you tumble the cases? Did you recycle the unburned powder? Did you enjoy the split cases (I have to assume you crimped the cwap out em).

 

Cheers,

BJT

 

I wonder what I did wrong. Before I switched to manly .38, I shot 30,000 rounds of 160 gr. Round Nose Flat Points in .45Colt and didn't have any problems with my '73. But now that I know they don't work, I won't use any more.

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I ain't readin' thru all the responses, but the real answer is that the ramp on the front of the carrier on YOUR rifle will determine if shorter than normal bullets will work in it. Early versions of the toggle links in .45 Colt tended to have more ramp than later units. My '86 production will feed just about 'em all, still minimum length adds to the effort to force the ones trying to get out back into the magazine. If the angle on your carrier is shallow, it'll feed shorter cartridges; if it's steep (more vertical), it won't.

 

As to the "why"... ain't "...because I can..." good enough?

 

George, that was funny!

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I wonder what I did wrong. Before I switched to manly .38, I shot 30,000 rounds of 160 gr. Round Nose Flat Points in .45Colt and didn't have any problems with my '73. But now that I know they don't work, I won't use any more.

 

Likewise.

 

How often did you clean the 73? How long did you tumble the cases? Did you recycle the unburned powder? Did you enjoy the split cases (I have to assume you crimped the cwap out em).

 

After every match. I dunno... hour or two... same as always. Nah... too much G96 on it. Didn't cwimp any more than with any other .45 Colt load... all the way up to Hillbilly Nation specs.

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Typically with smokeless and the huge .45 Colt case, to get a decent ignition, very strong crimps are required which ages the heck out of the brass. With 160s, you probably still do not have a good gas seal and get gunk thrown into the action which on a toggle is a pain to clean.

 

Don't let me talk anyone out of doing it but I hate to see folks new to the .45 Colt going through all that when in a rifle, the 250 grain bullet provides prefectly acceptable ballistics with a lighter crimp and a cleaner burn and in the revolver there are several better choices of case for a lighter bullet.

 

Cheers,

BJT

 

Likewise.

 

 

 

After every match. I dunno... hour or two... same as always. Nah... too much G96 on it. Didn't cwimp any more than with any other .45 Colt load... all the way up to Hillbilly Nation specs.

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I have been using the 160 grain RNFP in my Uberti "66 for ten years and haven't had a jamb. I have also tried the 160 grain SWC in the same gun and they worked fine. I wouldn't use the SWC in a match however. I was just seeing if they would work. I think it depends to the rifle like others have said.

 

Regards,

 

Cheokee Gambler

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Typically with smokeless and the huge .45 Colt case, to get a decent ignition, very strong crimps are required which ages the heck out of the brass. With 160s, you probably still do not have a good gas seal and get gunk thrown into the action which on a toggle is a pain to clean.

 

Don't let me talk anyone out of doing it but I hate to see folks new to the .45 Colt going through all that when in a rifle, the 250 grain bullet provides prefectly acceptable ballistics with a lighter crimp and a cleaner burn and in the revolver there are several better choices of case for a lighter bullet.

 

Never had a problem with ignition or consistency from round to round (I use Red Dot powder, if it matters).

 

Honestly, the rate of attrition for .45 brass wasn't any worse than it is with the .38s.

 

Yes, there was a lot of blow-by and gunk in the action. The 73s got a side-plates-off, bolt-out cleaning every week. I never claimed there wasn't a drawback.

 

At match speed the lighter bullet made a difference, even in a heavy 73 deluxe ... especially for a delicate guy like me. And the fact that they're cheaper didn't hurt either.

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I wonder what I did wrong. Before I switched to manly .38, I shot 30,000 rounds of 160 gr. Round Nose Flat Points in .45Colt and didn't have any problems with my '73. But now that I know they don't work, I won't use any more.

 

 

As to the "why"... ain't "...because I can..." good enough?

 

George, that was funny!

 

Yup, what them fellers said :lol: :lol: :lol:

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