First time loading 45 Colt

Greetings all. Long time lurker, first time poster. About 15 years ago I learned to reload - put it away - now I'm trying to get back into it. I decided to (re)learn on revolver ammo, since it's a bit more forgiving. So I'm doing 45 Colt for my Uberti Frontier.

The recipe calls for 6 to 7 grains of IMR 4227. That's a tiny bit of powder in a fairly large, otherwise empty shell. If you've loaded 45 Colt, is this your experience (little powder / lot of air) or am I doing something wrong? It seems to me that all the air in the case plus random powder distribution (e.g. could be a clump, or spread down the length of the case) would cause inconsistent ignition. I'm hesitant to proceed without hearing your experience. Thanks.

Billy

Yes, for gentle "cowboy" loads, big case/lots of air. Seems like HP38 Hogdon is only 3 or 4 grains for a light load. You're doing fine. 45LC is a good straight walled case to relearn on.

The recipe calls for 6 to 7 grains of IMR 4227.STOP!
You need a different powder, or a different receipe with that powder.

IMR-4227 is a Magnum class handgun powder used in large doses, in guns such as Rugers & Freedom Arms that can stand very high pressure.
It won't work at all at 6 or 7 grains, and you are risking squibs with stuck bullets in the barrel!

Buy some Unique powder, which is the classic .45 Colt powder.
8.5 grains + a 250 lead bullet will duplicate the old BP load and shoot where the sights are looking.

Or Trail Boss powder if you want a case full of powder that will operate at low pressure.

rc

As said above, you need a different powder.

I load the .45 Colt with 3 different powders. All work well and all are for different purposes.

I use HP-38/W231, Trail Boss and HS-6. W231 is for general use, Trail Boss is for light Cowboy Action type loads and HS-6 delivers more power for serious work. I suggest starting out with W231/HP-38 or Trail Boss. BTW, Trail Boss will fill the case with no possibility of a double charge.

Welcome back to reloading and welcome to the forum...

btintexas,

Forgive me if you are already aware of this, but the .45 Colt started off as a black powder cartridge. Black powder does not generate high pressure with large charges like smokeless powder does, so the original charge was around 30-40 grains requiring that big old case. With smokeless powder, the cartridge will be relatively vacant (unless you get a Ruger or other strong revolver and start stoking it to above SAAMI pressure levels with slow powders).

Because of the resurgence of popularity for BP-era cartridges due to CAS events, IMR created Trail Boss powder which is an extremely low density powder designed for these applications. It'll come close to filling a case and still produce light loads. As rcmodel said, Unique is a classic .45 Colt powder to look into.

Thanks everyone for the information and advice. Happy holidays.

I agree with the powder choices listed above. I load a lot of .45 Colt. The 231 and Trail Boss are great choices. But I find that Tite Group works very well. Supposedly it was designed so that it is not sensitive to the position that the powder is laying in with those big cases and little dabs of powders. Unique works well, but Universal Clays works even better. My very favorite powder for .45 Colt though is Vihta Vuori NN330. About 6.8 or 6.9 gr of it along with a 250 gr hard cast bullet makes a nice medium power load that burns very clean and won't wear out my Colt clone.

I like IMR 4227 in 357 mag & 45 Colt. You didn't mention a bullet. In 45 Colt, with a 250 gr. lead bullet IMR shows 17.7 gr., 890 fps, 14,000 CUP, which I consider a max load in my Uberti. Heavy recoil, but accurate. My preferred load is 16.5 gr., moderate recoil and good accuracy. Use a large pistol magnum primer.

I have not seen any load data with 4227 listed for cowboy loads, and I would be downright afraid to try anything less than 15 grains. Are you willing to reveal your source?

Billy,

Welcome to the site. I've loaded a few .45 Long Colt rounds. I think it is one of the easiest rounds to load, once you've got the crimp adjusted. I am currently using 7.1gr of W-231. It is one of the cleanest burning powders on the market. Winchester advices using 7.1gr of 231. This is the powder and charge I use and have found it to be very accurate. Several of the Cowboy action club we shot with switched to this load because it was so clean.

American Select for everything. 38/357 (rifle and pistol/revolver), 45 Colt. 45 ACP. 9MM, trap, skeet, clays.

My favorite powder for .45 Colt (with cast bullets) is Red Dot. It doesn't take much, but it's fluffy enough that you can easily see it in the case.

I have been using Tightgroup in the .45 LC loads as it is meant for large cases and small powder charges. It performs well as the velocity does not change as it would with regular powders if pointing the gun up or down.

I agree with rc.Unique is a great powder for 45 colt. I also use green dot for this caliber with very good success.

I have to vote for Trail Boss. It is a good bulky and forgiving propellant that will work well in the 45 colt. I also use Red Dot some but like TB better.

AA5 works great too.

10.5 gr under a 200 gr Cowboy# 4 from Missouri Bullet Co.
Over a chrony they run about 850 fps & POI is POA.
(at least in my New Model Blackhawk anyway) :D

In standard pressure 45colt I like AA#2. I use 6.3gr under a Missouri Bullet Cowboy #9(255gr SWC). Shoots very good.

I've been using Unique with 185 grain Remington Golden Sabers (bought a ton of those for 45 ACP, figured I'd give them a shot). 11 grains of Unique, virtually no recoil. This is out of an old Armi Jager SAA clone, so I'm intentionally not pushing things further towards max. It's been remarkably accurate so far, and with that lighter bullet at that velocity the sights are lining up close enough at 25 yards, about 3" at the 3 o' clock. It's also mellow enough on the wrists that even my wife likes shooting it (she's very small framed).

These old guns are a lot of fun to load for. Doesn't feel like a "production run" like with the semi-autos, and those big cartridges, man, they just feel good when you open the gate and feed 'em in one at a time. :)

Where is that recepie coming from btintexas? My Lyman #49 manual only lists IMR-4227 for use with 185 grain bullets and it calls for 16.5 - 20 grains of powder. There are no standard listings for a bullet heavier than that.

There are heavier loads listed but they are only for T/C, Ruger and the like. You DO NOT want to shoot those in your Uberti.

I would definately find a new powder to use. Several good ones have been listed here already that will fill your needs. I'm partial to Unique for standard loads. For light plinking stuff, Trail Boss is a hoot!

Welcome to THR by the way.

Here is what I show as loads for the 250 LRN. The 18.5 gr. is too heavy for older guns, IMO.

IMR 4227 15.6 794 17.7 890 14,000 CUP Lee
IMR 4227 17.7 890 14,000 CUP IMR
IMR 4227 18.5 937 Waters (Ruger only)

The load is from a Lyman manual - don't recall which issue but it's recent. Recipe was for 185 grain Speer #8800 JHP + 4227 + WLP primer.

Based on the group's recommendation, I'm going to put it away in favor of a more conservative cowboy load using Trail Boss + 250 grain LRNFP. I like the idea of less air space in the cartridge.

Thanks again for the recommendations.

My older Lyman #47 lists a Sierra #8800 not Speer 185 grain JHP.
That bullet with IMR-4227 & either a Win 7-111, or Rem 2 1/2 primer:
Start load = 16.5 grains
Max = 20.0 grains.

The same load is listed in the new Lyman #49 using a WLP primer.

Methinks you might want to check that Lyman manual again.

rc

4227 is a case-filling powder in most pistol loads. I have tried both it and Trail Boss. Both have their advantages. Personally, I like 4227 better because of the way it shoots. But Trail boss is a powder that is more user-friendly. About the only thing you can do wrong with TB is to stick a bullet in the barrel due to a light load. When you shoot light loads with any gun don't pull the trigger until you know the last bullet went downrange. A good reason to start with the target close enough to see the holes and keep track of them.

Here's some good information: http://www.reloadammo.com/45cload.htm

I like Unique for my 45 Colt loads. 8gr. Unique + 255gr LSWC works very well for me for an everyday load. I have been going a little hotter lately but I have a Blackhawk. I have found Unique to be very versatile in this cartridge.

PM me if you want more info.

8.0 of Unique and a 250 grain lead bullet have pretty much been the "standard" for loading the .45 Colt for around 100 years now! :evil:

Kinda like 2.8 B.E. and a 148 WC in the .38! :D

And here I thought for 50 years it was 8.5 Unique and a 250-255?

But Skeeter said it was 9.0 grains.

rc

Skeeter often loaded a little "hot." :p