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For those of you loading black powder 45 Colt...


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... who use filler, what's your recipe? I've been shooting Swiss and Grafs FFg (full load with a Lee 2.2 cc dipper) with a 200 or 250 grain but am curious to see what I can produce that yields a bit lighter recoil in the revolvers.

 

Thanks for any help.

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21 minutes ago, Dantankerous said:

... who use filler, what's your recipe? I've been shooting Swiss and Grafs FFg (full load with a Lee 2.2 cc dipper) with a 200 or 250 grain but am curious to see what I can produce that yields a bit lighter recoil in the revolvers.

 

Thanks for any help.

Screw the filler, takes too long to load. Use C45S (Cowboy Special) or .45 S&W (Schofield) cases.  I prefer the C45S cases because the rim is the same as .45 Colt. 
 

Lots of smoke and flame too. Ask anyone from posse 3 this weekend!

 

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I don't shoot 45 Colt any more, but if I want to lighten my 38-40 pistol loads a bit, I top off the reduced 2F load with activated charcoal, as per a Garrison Joe recommendation I've seen several times on the Wire.

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Finely ground corncob filler. 

Bought it from Powder Inc.

They used it in Black Dawge cartridges.

 

I moved to using Schofield cases with 20 grains FFG a bit of corncob filler, and a 200 grain bullet.

Pleasant & accurate.

--Dawg

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My 45 Colt pistol load for many years has been 200gr bullet, 1.6cc dipper of FFg (~24gr) and 1 cc dipper of grits.  Nobody besides me knows it is not a full load.

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I have too many 45 Colt cases to delve into 45 Shorter. :D

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19 minutes ago, Dantankerous said:

I have too many 45 Colt cases to delve into 45 Shorter. :D

You can always trim a bunch of them shorter ;) 

 

I know of a few people who are adding cream of wheat on top of their black powder.

 

This should start at 14:02 for the trimming, though you may want to start earlier for an explanation on why he trimmed them a little extra short. 

 

 

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Just now, Larsen E. Pettifogger, SASS #32933 said:

BP or sub on the right.  Cream of Wheat on the left.

 

 

Does the cream of wheat autodrop or do you have to hand cycle it? Which powder measure is that?

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My wife was shooting 1.6cc 3Fg APP with .7cc of cream of wheat under a 180gr bullet in the rifle at Chapman this past weekend. 
 

My only thing about that is the action gummed up way too much. I’m going to experiment with either annealing the 45 colt cases or getting a carrier for the rifle.
 

She was also shooting 45 cowboy specials loaded with 1cc of 3Fg APP under a 180gr bullet in her pistols… that were also shot gunfighter. 

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Corrected post.  Grits on the left.  Yes everything is automatic.  I am lazy.  Powder measure is a Lee.

 

P.S.  BP filler is the only thing Grits are good for.  I understand some people actually eat the stuff!  But then some people think Ballistol is a spray on deordorant.

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37 minutes ago, Dantankerous said:

I have too many 45 Colt cases to delve into 45 Shorter. :D

So do I... but... I was not disappointed when I moved to the C45S in my pistols.  And for what it's worth... I've loaded 28 grains of Goex Cartridge or 2F under a 200 grain RFN in my 45 Colt ammo without using a filler since 1987... initially in just my 1873 Sporting Rifle, then in my Colt SAAs when they deleted the BP category in 1989.  (Airspace in a muzzleloader is detrimental to firearms... not so with cartridges).*  Then back to just in the rifle with they introduced Frontiersman.  I somehow got a bunch of my APP C45S loads mixed in with my smokeless inventory and shot this past Saturday.  The smoke was noticeably greater, but not the recoil.  160 grain RFN pills.

 

* Note:  According to my unscientific testing.  A patched round ball in the barrel of a muzzleloader with an air gap between the powder charge and the ball is, ( or can very well be) an obstruction, possibly (or likely) causing a "ringed" barrel, depending of how much of a gap, how long its been sitting there, whether spit or grease lubed.  (According to conventional wisdom, which I'll not dispute).  A lubed bullet inside a brass case is not necessarily the same obstruction.  Even a crimped bullet of nominal size has room to move, opening the crimp and jump to the rifling at the initiation of combustion, creating a space before engaging the rifling, making room for the expanding gas to continue pushing at the bullet until it either passes the cylinder gap or exits the barrel.  But, whatever you do, don't let my unscientific findings keep you from continuing to use full loads or fillers.  

 

Yes, Larsen, grits are for eating.  

Quote

Grits are a type of porridge made from coarsely ground dried maize or hominy, the latter being maize that has been treated with an alkali in a process called nixtamalization, with the pericarp removed. Grits are cooked in warm salted water or milk. They are often served with flavorings as a breakfast dish.

White or brown sugar are the best flavorings!

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When I use filler in anything, I use fine walnut polishing media.  Bought 25 lbs from harbor Freight several years ago and still have a lot of it left. 

 

It is easily compressible, Doesn't clump or get hard like grits or CoW, and easily flows through any powder measure. 

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21 hours ago, Will Kane said:

I don't shoot 45 Colt any more, but if I want to lighten my 38-40 pistol loads a bit, I top off the reduced 2F load with activated charcoal, as per a Garrison Joe recommendation I've seen several times on the Wire.

I too use charcoal in my 45-70, but grits in my 45colt. The finest charcoal I could find when GJ recommended it to me was a 20-50 screen. A lot of those chunks are quite large! What are you using and where did you source it?

EH

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Gunslinger - Actually, Cowboy 45 Special will load in 45 ACP cylinders right out of the box/bag.  Unless the the 45 ACP cylinder has been miss-chambered.

 

Dantankerous - Actually it's physics.  If you're really determined to reduce recoil, you will also have to reduce the weight of the Pay Load.  I heartily agree with reducing the Propellant charge however that alone ain't enough.  I would suggest dropping to either a 180Gr or 160Gr projectile.  My preferred filler for reduced loading is Cream-0-Wheat.

 

L Luck - Annealing will eliminate the Blow-By that is gumming up the action.  Pretty simple process actually.  Your other alternative is to fire form 44-40 brass to 45 Colt which will also seal the chamber nicely. 

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2 minutes ago, Colorado Coffinmaker said:

Dantankerous - Actually it's physics.  If you're really determined to reduce recoil, you will also have to reduce the weight of the Pay Load.  I heartily agree with reducing the Propellant charge however that alone ain't enough.  I would suggest dropping to either a 180Gr or 160Gr projectile.  My preferred filler for reduced loading is Cream-0-Wheat.

 

I agree. The 250s I relagate to the rifle but once I did try them in a revolver and oh boy, where they interesting. As I have some 3500 200 grainers laying around I'll use them up but would certainly be open to experimenting with 180s and filler. This last weekend I discovered I have considerable stage time difference with full house BP loads recovering from recoil, the sight picture and re-engaging subsequent shots versus my normal smokeless Trailboss loads, thus my need to find a more suitable "go a little faster" load.  I'll be experimenting with a couple of the suggestions in this thread.

 

Thanks.

 

 

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49 minutes ago, Colorado Coffinmaker said:

 

Gunslinger - Actually, Cowboy 45 Special will load in 45 ACP cylinders right out of the box/bag.  Unless the the 45 ACP cylinder has been miss-chambered.

I don't have a 45 acp cylinder to try and in the video it apparently didn't fit in his cylinder which is why the cut it down shorter. I just thought I'd point out why he cut them shorter to eliminate any confusion and to let people know that they don't have to do the same as him. 

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6 hours ago, Eyesa Horg said:

I too use charcoal in my 45-70, but grits in my 45colt. The finest charcoal I could find when GJ recommended it to me was a 20-50 screen. A lot of those chunks are quite large! What are you using and where did you source it?

EH

20-50 mesh from Highwater Filters. No chunks in mine.

 

https://www.highwaterfilters.com/collections/bulk-carbon-bone-char-and-gac/products/1-lb-granular-activated-carbon-20x50

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1 hour ago, Will Kane said:

Now I'm curious... what is that generally used for?

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13 minutes ago, Dantankerous said:

Now I'm curious... what is that generally used for?

Water or fish tank filters.

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On 5/6/2024 at 11:49 AM, Larsen E. Pettifogger, SASS #32933 said:

BP or sub on the right.  Grits on the left.

 

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Larsen,

 

Are you loading real BP through the Dillon powder dispenser? If so any issues or mods?

 

I’m using a 550, but run the cases through stage 1-2 and then offload into reloading trays, then using Lee scoopers load real BP and then run the charged cases through stage 3-4. I’d prefer to safely leave everything in the press and charge through the press on stage 2, but have read not to with BP.

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I charge with real BP on my Dillon SDB without issue. Just clean well afterwards.

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I've run real BP thru my Dillon 550 since it was new in 1987, and the MEC 600Jr.  

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