Lightest load

[Texas Jack Black]

 Here it comes, What do you consider to be the lightest allowable load for the 45 Vaquero for our game. case and powder  please.

 

I thank You

 

PS I have a full pot of coffee brewing.

[Garrison Joe, SASS #60708]

I didn't know there was a cartridge named the .45 Vaquero. 

 

The .45 Colt revolvers as built can shoot at least 3 commercial and popular wild cat cartridges of course -

Colt

Schofield

Cowboy Special

 

Smallest case capacity of these is the Cowboy .45 Special, and with the very low pressures that the large volume cases suffer from when trying to make a light load, the Special wins out for easiest to load a light load into.

 

Allowable within SASS rules?   Must make 400 FPS and 60 PF.   So the math says a really dedicated shooter trying to make a .38 Special out of a .45 Colt revolver might try a 130 grain bullet at 461 FPS.    Several powders might make that load work; I'd start with Extra Lite or Tite Wad, maybe even Bullseye.

 

I've seen a shooter or two show up whose loads did not MAKE 400 FPS.   I was entertained watching the slugs rainbow into the targets 7 yards out.  Pards will laugh some.   A shooter firing that load will not magically become lightning fast.   But, there you go.

 

GJ

[Griff]

With a PF of 60 and velocity of 400 fps... it's right there in the rules.

 

For me, personally, I find the C45S with a 160 grain pill and 3.2 grains of Clays.  Although I generally use 3.4... for some obscure and mysterious reason.

Edited January 19 by Griff
I see that once again, GJ is faster than I!

[Randy Saint Eagle, SASS # 64903]

I used to shoot with a Cowboy that made a big deal out of shooting .45’s.  He always asked those of us shooting  .38’s if we were shooting our wives guns? We knew his loads were very light and found out for sure when he shot a match with a 50 yard rifle bonus, his bullet hit the ground about 10 yards shy of the target!  Needless to say he heard about that for a long time!

 

Randy

[Widder, SASS #59054]

I figure the 125 grain or 135 grain 'Barnstormer' bullet would be about the lightest in .45 caliber.

If anything lighter than those, then it would be your lightest load.

 

..........Widder

 

Edited January 19 by Widder, SASS #59054

[Skullbone Willie]

I like a 160gr with 5.4gn of Titegroup in my pistols, same powder charge with a 200gn in my rifle. Not the lightest but works for me. 

Edited January 19 by Skullbone Willie

[Gateway Kid SASS# 70038 Life]

2 hours ago, Randy Saint Eagle, SASS # 64903 said:

I used to shoot with a Cowboy that made a big deal out of shooting .45’s.  He always asked those of us shooting  .38’s if we were shooting our wives guns? We knew his loads were very light and found out for sure when he shot a match with a 50 yard rifle bonus, his bullet hit the ground about 10 yards shy of the target!  Needless to say he heard about that for a long time!

 

Randy

I think a lot of shooters know someone like that. Ours would make a big deal about the same kind of stuff until I pointed out that my 38 rifle rounds @ 147 gr at 750 fps generated 110 PF while his 45's running 160 gr at 550 fps only made 88 PF. Was downright annoying to him to see ballistics in action! 

Sometimes wonder whatever happened to him. Pretty nice guy otherwise.

Regards

    

Gateway Kid

[J.S. Sooner, SASS #73526]

4 hours ago, Randy Saint Eagle, SASS # 64903 said:

I used to shoot with a Cowboy that made a big deal out of shooting .45’s.  He always asked those of us shooting  .38’s if we were shooting our wives guns? We knew his loads were very light and found out for sure when he shot a match with a 50 yard rifle bonus, his bullet hit the ground about 10 yards shy of the target!  Needless to say he heard about that for a long time!

 

Randy

We shoot indoors in the coldest winter months in PA.  Shooting cardboard targets, at one club using heavy triple thick cardboard, I have picked up some 45 slugs that didn't penetrate the target, even found one slug stuck in the cardboard.  I gave them back to the shooter at the unloading table, though he may be able use them in his reloads. 

[Eliphalet R. Moderator]

If you have to consider angle of elevation when the target is ranged at 7 yrds, and a crewman is standing by with a squib rod and mallet; then you've earned your "Lightest Load" certificate.   "Here's your sign".

[Reverend P. Babcock Chase]

Howdy TJB,

 

I find that the ultra light loads don't provide the feedback I like. I shoot duelist and like the gun to let me know it went off. If I shot squaw grip (Heaven forbid!) I might pursue extra light loads. That said my .45 (not long) Colt loads are 6gr. of American Select driving a 200 gr bullet. No where near the top end of the power curve, but I know when it goes off.

 

Rev. Chase

[watab kid]

going too light can cause you problems with primers not to mention squibs 

[Tom Bullweed]

Shooting .45 OMVs, and .45 Colt loads (200 gr over 5 gr of Reddot or 5.2 gr of Amer Select), I can run a Nevada sweep in Gunfighter in about 4.5 seconds.  I am not bragging, just making a point.  I am an average shooter, shooting medium loads, and know that half of the shooters will beat me with their skills, not lighter loads.

Extremely light loads will have inconsistent combustion and may stick in longguns.

[watab kid]

that first load is what i run but near so fast , its all what you want to do i guess , some of t depends on your approach too , im not looking to beat the fastest time - anymore i just would like to shoot clean and finish middle of the pack if i can in my category 

[Dantankerous]

In my experimenting I've found 5 grains of Trailboss with a 200 grain bullet (45 Colt) shot one handed from a Ruger Bisley has no discernable recoil. Too light for me as I do like some feedback as previously mentioned. So IF you have Trailboss you might try something similar but I bet you'd find exactly what you want in the 45 Special (with a lighter 160ish grain bullet) as previously mentioned.

[Nutmeg Ryder, SASS # 74966]

Well the lightest load is one that reliably gets the bullet out of the barrel and has enough pressure to reseat the primer.   (found all of this out with experience) 

When using trail boss I used 5.4g with a 200 g bullet.  Recoil is mild enough gives about 700 fps and has a reliable POA.  

Also takes any knock down presented.  

 

With Trail boss becoming impossible to find, I have switched to Titegroup, 5 g under a 200g bullet same velocity, but more perceived recoil.  And boy it is small pile of powder in the large 45c case! 

 

Just got some Clean shot, and yet to make up a load for it, but I am optimistic as it seems a fair number of people use it.  

 

Less recoil and a slower/lighter bullet may be achievable, but if they squib or do not "do their job" what good is it? 

 

 

 

 

[Charlie MacNeil, SASS #48580]

170 grain DCB bullets and 3.9 grains of Clays in .45CS brass for my Old Model Bisleys. Enough recoil for good feedback, but light enough to shoot six stages without my arthritis saying terrible things about my ancestry...