Colt SAA 45 LC Loads/Ammo to Avoid

[Captain Clark]

 

 

 

 

 

 

I have not bought any factory 45 Colt in a long time, but when I did, I always corrected clerks who referred to it as 45 Long Colt.

 

 

That is a beautiful box of cartridges!

[Doc McCoy, SASS #8381]

 

Doc: as far as I know, the Army load for 45 Colt was 30 grains, not 35.

 

 

 

 

I have not bought any factory 45 Colt in a long time, but when I did, I always corrected clerks who referred to it as 45 Long Colt.

 

 

Howdy Driftwood!

I checked my notes, it says 35 grains. Unfortunately I didn't write down the source of the info. I think it was the back of Dixie Gun Works catalog, they have a lot of info there and used to have more cartridge load data than in the 2005 edition I now have. But it's hard to argue with an original box! I am puzzled by the ammo in the picture. I don't see a primer, is that rimfire?

 

As for store clerks, as an FFL myself I often find myself speaking the language of Joe Customer. I may say 45 Colt or 45 Long Colt. Too many customers say Colt 45 and think that is exclusively a 1911 etc. I like educating them, when time & mood allow. Around a crowded gun show table I often just go with the flow while tracking 4 guns being inspected by prospective buyers. One on one it's fun & easy to talk a lot about these things.

[Driftwood Johnson, SASS #38283]

Howdy Again Doc

 

Those are Benet primed cartridges. Benet priming was used in the first version of the 45 Colt, before Boxer priming. They appear to be Rimfire, but they are inside primed Centerfire cartridges. Inside there is an anvil plate pressed in place against the bottom of the cartridge. The priming material is sandwiched between the case head and the anvil plate. The anvil plate is held in place by two crimps, down near the bottom. The anvil plate has two holes in it, to communicate the fire to the powder charge. Rather than brass, they are made of copper, so the firing pin will give the bottom of the case a good dent.

 

In this photo you can see the two crimps at the bottom of the case that hold the anvil plate in position. Next to the two Benet primed rounds is a modern 45 Colt round for comparison. Notice the tiny rims on the Benet primed rounds.

 

As you can see on the box, these cartridges were made at the Frankford Arsenal in 1874, and they are the military issue 30 grain loads. There is probably wadding taking up the empty space in the cartridge, but seeing as I have a full box I am not about to take one apart to see.

 

 

 

 

Here is a cutaway view showing the interior anvil plate. The rims are what is called 'folded rim' construction. This is not the same as Balloon Head cases and should not be confused with Balloon Head. Much like a Rimfire case, the rim is hollow, and not very strong. Although the 19th Century load for 45 Colt is often quoted as being 40 grains of powder, Benet primed cases are probably the only ones that had enough powder capacity to actually contain 40 grains. Later Balloon Head cases probably only held about 38 grains or so.

 

 

 

 

 

On the left in this photo is a Benet primed 45-70 round, also the first type of priming used in 45-70. These are probably the type of cartridges that caused trouble with the early 45-70 Trapdoors, the weak construction of the folded copper rims was probably responsible for case head separation in the early Trapdoors.

 

[backshootin beauford mcgee]

Just looked up Hornady's Leverevolution and they indicate:

 

"The new LEVERevolution® round is loaded to SAAMI spec pressure so it’s safe for all 45 Colt firearms, AND the specially designed FTX™ bullet delivers exceptional terminal performance that makes it a great choice for hunting. If you want to take a classic 45 Colt out in the field and have 100% peace of mind that there’s no chance it will damage the gun — and deliver LEVERevolution® performance you’ve come to trust — Hornady has the answer."

 

Sounds like this fits the bill!!

 

Thanks for your responses.

Except the lever evolution bullet is a 'gummie grenade' and will not fully penetrate a deer shoulder. You could get lucky with a lung shot, but the 7 deer I shot with this bullet had to be shot more than 1 time because it won't break and penetrate the shoulder.

[Newt Ritter]

Avoid loading it with 10.6 grains of Clays. That can be accomplished by double-loading a cartridge that has a normal load of 5.3 gr. Clays. I don't know about a Colt, but in a Schofield with a 200 gr. bullet, that load is strong enough to split the cylinder wall and the brass in the adjacent cylinder, setting off a total of 15.9 gr. of Clays at once and sending two bullets down range. Very exciting (and very loud). I hit the target with both bullets - and I have witnesses to the whole thing in case someone thinks this is one of those Texas tall tales.