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NOT asking for load data, but your fps goals, 45 colt


Throckmorton,23149

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for your sixguns shooting 45 colt ammo, what fps do you strive for ? powder data NOT wanted, per the rools . ADDED    using 200 grain boolits

  thanks 

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I shoot about an 80 PF for .45 revolvers. 200's & 160's.

Edit: That would be 100 & 80 PF respectively.

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A "magic" muzzle velocity for most pistol loads seems to have settled in between 650 and 750 over the years, with a light bullet.  So, that's about where I am, with a Cowboy 45 Special load at 650 FPS with a 175 grain slug.   So, power factor of 113.  

 

You are in violation of rules below 400 FPS, or also at 60 Power Factor.  If you could get there with .45 Colt.

 

Lots of folks have a hard time loading in .45 Colt below about a power factor of 125.  The loads get squibby and inconsistent and temperature dependent because of the low pressures of combustion.  Whereas it is very easy to make a clean, accurate and consistent load with a 38 Special case at about 80 PF.

 

You are hitting targets (and your wrist) real hard at a Power Factor of 150.

 

Getting a good load in .45 Colt case is one of the unfound holy grails of Cowboy Shooting.   It's a unicorn.  Something folks search for and never find.  IMHO.  

 

Dropping to a Schofield case or C45Spl case, much nicer for Cowboy matches.

 

Good luck, GJ

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7 hours ago, Garrison Joe, SASS #60708 said:

A "magic" muzzle velocity for most pistol loads seems to have settled in between 650 and 750 over the years, with a light bullet.

 

You are hitting targets (and your wrist) real hard at a Power Factor of 150.

 

Getting a good load in .45 Colt case is one of the unfound holy grails of Cowboy Shooting.   It's a unicorn.  Something folks search for and never find.  IMHO.  

 

Dropping to a Schofield case or C45Spl case, much nicer for Cowboy matches.

 

Good luck, GJ

That 150 power factor in a 45 equates to a 200 grain bullet at 750 fps and (IMHO) that is loading the 45 Colt cartridge very, very light.  Trying to go below that level is like chasing the will-o-the-wisp.  The 45 Colt is a very large case and was originally loaded with a 250 grain bullet in the 850-900 fps range.  By CAS standards these days that is a very heavy load with a power factor approaching 225, but it is right in the wheel house for the cartridge and easily achievable with any number of powders and no problems and not especially hard on the wrist or difficult to shoot.  Best answer for reduced recoil is smaller bore/smaller case instead of asking the 45 Colt to do what is was not designed for.

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10 hours ago, Throckmorton,23149 said:

for your sixguns shooting 45 colt ammo, what fps do you strive for ? powder data NOT wanted, per the rools . ADDED    using 200 grain boolits

  thanks 

I do it the other way around.

I like the 250 gr bullet (because I don't have to alter my sights) but the principle is the same.

 

For CAS purposes I reload using Trail Boss (other powders for other uses), and I started at the

minimum load and worked my way up until I was getting one hole groups, or at least until I hit the

sweet spot where they then started to open back up.  5904204a087b2_TrailBoss45Colt.thumb.jpg.c2445ab86216ebaf44de538d2d51378a.jpg

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My fps goals in the pistol (when I shoot suppository pistol) are best met with the C45S case.  I want to hit ~700fps, but not under, and not over 750.  For the rifle I'm still using 45 Colt case and hit in the low 800s with good consistent loads.  I can easily maintain good consistency into the mid-700s with the .45Colt case, but...  need to make a higher power factor... 

 

 

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   I of course shoot 38/357,s (And 32 H&R's also).  I shoot 125's in the pistols and 158's in the rifle. Using the same load data in both, results in 675 FPS in the revolvers and just under 1000 fps from the rifle.  Performance and accuracy are excellent.

 

   In the 32 Mag., I run 100 grain bullets at 675 FPS.  Works well on KD targets and is quite accurate.

 

       RBK

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The problem with shooting bullets lighter than 230 gr in the .45 LC is that you wind up shooting fast-burning powder (Trail Boss being a possible exception). With the amount of case capacity in the .45 LC case you can run into problems with ignition delay/premature shotstart, and in extreme instances a blown gun. OTOH, if you push a 200 gr bullet a bit faster, say in the 900 ft/sec range, you will probably get a good result with less felt recoil.

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