45 Colt: Powder recommendations?

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Hale

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My normal 45LC load is 200gr RNFP over 6.5gr Trail Boss, which Hodgdon lists as max, 855fps/11,000psi.

I used this load for years in cowboy shooting, but it seems a bit on the dirty side and I'd like to try something different for the casual range shooting I do nowadays.

I want full power but I'm using Ruger New Vaqueros, so NO +P.

Here's my two bullet choices, can you recommend a clean burning powder?

200gr RNFP (Brinnell 12)
255gr SWC (Brinnell 18)

Thanks in advance!
 
My normal 45LC load is 200gr RNFP over 6.5gr Trail Boss, which Hodgdon lists as max, 855fps/11,000psi.

I used this load for years in cowboy shooting, but it seems a bit on the dirty side and I'd like to try something different for the casual range shooting I do nowadays.

I want full power but I'm using Ruger New Vaqueros, so NO +P.

Here's my two bullet choices, can you recommend a clean burning powder?

200gr RNFP (Brinnell 12)
255gr SWC (Brinnell 18)

Thanks in advance!

I've always enjoyed Alliant's 2400 under a 250gn lead round nose bullet in my Ruger Blackhawk. Nothing on their site seemed to indicate any pressure concerns. But read through carefully and choose what's right for you.
https://www.alliantpowder.com/reloa...=1&weight=250&shellid=36&bulletid=67&bdid=206
 
Give Universal Clays a try with your 200grain bullet. I find it gives good velocity and does not leave much residue in the bore. I am shooting my .45 out of a SA revolver.
 
On my, so many powders from Red Dot to 2400 have been used in the 45 Colt successfully. Unique is the most recommended mostly because back in the day it was the only choice available.

I used to use nothing but W231/HP-38 and I got good results. It is clean enough and cleaner than Trail Boss. Now I use mostly HS-6 but it will be dirty if loaded light so it's really only for full power loads if you are looking for a very clean load.

Some of the newer powders out there today are probably cleaner but I have not tried any. You know, if it ain't broke!
 
Starline brass, Winchester primers, Missouri coated 250 gr. projectiles and anywhere from 7.2 to 7.7 gr. of Unique. Lower end my kids can shoot all day, upper end is easy fun for me. Plus, 7.7 put me safely at a power factor below 200 (which I need at my range to shoot steel). I've gone up to, if I recall, 8.7 gr. of Unique which was zippy but I don't think I'd feed my gun a steady diet of that. I use a pretty heavy crimp.
Those loads in the 7's, for me, shoot ridiculously clean. Could be the coated bullets, but no leading and the bore cleaned up in a snap. The heavier loads (mid 8's) were producing quite a bit of flash from my 5.5" gun. My goal is to find one load that shoots well in both my Blackhawk and my 1873 (24").
 
Unique is the most recommended mostly because back in the day it was the only choice available.

There were other choices, but not many, and none as good as Unique. Just go through an older reloading manual, such as my Lyman 41st and there is a paucity of choices.

GpBUEvu.jpg

I tried others, most recently Universal, and Unique is still the best for accuracy at standard pressures. It does a great job in that big case.

But to get back to choices, we have so many powder choices that I am going to say, if you clump powders into classes, the primary differences are the blaring labels and anecdotal claims. Just think of how many decades shooters swore that W231 was better than HP38. I have a Ken Warner article on the 45 ACP where he praises W231 and "gives up on HP38" . Ken was very clever, he never published his round count nor his group size. His recommendations were probably based on three shot groups, and he grouped them as "accurate", "very accurate".

When someone shows me a target like this:

9uK7aUJ.jpg

Or this:

VOPjztG.jpg

this tells me that the shooter is a good shot. And that he has fired enough rounds to make me an excellent case that this load is accurate.It does not hurt when the same shooter has a better score than me, by lots. :oops: (You have to shoot Bullseye Pistol to discover just how impossible it is!)

I am certain I could find similar with H110/W296. Reloaders claiming one was better than the other. And W231 is the same powder as HP38, and W296 is the same powder as H110! These powders are the same stuff in different containers! And yet names, reputations, money made claiming that one was better than the other.

We do not see any of the technical data that will differentiate powders. Such as pressure curves, pressure extremes, temperature sensitivity, time to peak pressure, pressure duration, pressure consistency, ignition source sensitivity. None of that, just blaring labels, blaring product roll outs somewhat less spectacular than a 4th of July fireworks show, but just as noisy. How many times have you read that a new powder was the end of history? Hundreds of times? Tens of times?
 
Most of my .45 Colt loads are the standard 8.5 grains of Unique and a 250-255 grain SWC.
I don't really consider "clean burning" in my choice. I'm shooting lubed, cast bullets. It's gonna get dirty no matter what powder you use.

I will say at this standard loading, make sure your 18 BHN bullets are a good fit. That's a little on the hard side for standard sub 1k fps loads and may create leading if you're not getting a good seal in the barrel.
Don't get me wrong, it may very well work fine, just something to keep an eye on.
 
Unique is good for a lot of things, but isn't really the best at anything... EXCEPT making non-magnum, but still decently powerful, ammo in big old cases. That's really all I use it for anymore... but I doubt I'll ever stop using it in that role.
 
Hi ..
I only use two powders in. 45Colt.
Unique for 250-255 gr commercial cast LSWC and LRN bullets and 2400 for 250gr Hornady HP/XTPs.
I get excellent accuracy in several different revolvers and an 1873 Uberti Cimarron lever action rifle.
Some say Unique is a dirty powder but I don't see it as appreciably different than other powders in straight wall cartridges. I do not load light loads nor do I go to the maximum loads in the manuals...I do apply a firm crimp.
 
There were other choices, but not many, and none as good as Unique. Just go through an older reloading manual, such as my Lyman 41st and there is a paucity of choices
I'm not talking about 1957 when Lyman 41 came out, I'm talking about before 1911 from DuPont and then 1912 from The Hercules Powder Company.
 
I use Unique, but that's because I picked up an old 4lb can of it for cheap, and haven't burned through it yet. The old dude who sold me that can said "back in the day, 6gr of Red dot was the go to powder for 45 Colt".

Unique isn't the cleanest burning, but its accurate for me. I suspect any published load that has a high case fill % will give the best accuracy.
 
I'm not talking about 1957 when Lyman 41 came out, I'm talking about before 1911 from DuPont and then 1912 from The Hercules Powder Company.

According to Wiki, Unique was introduced to the market in 1900. Given the thousands (?) of powders that have come and gone since then, I claim that Unique's longevity must be due to customer satisfaction.
 
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Unique has worked well in .45 Colt since forever. I have found True Blue to work well with cast in .45 Colt.

Target at seven yards with chrono at 5 yards.
USSR 265 Gr SWC-HP .45 Colt.JPG
 
My normal 45LC load is 200gr RNFP over 6.5gr Trail Boss, which Hodgdon lists as max, 855fps/11,000psi.

I used this load for years in cowboy shooting, but it seems a bit on the dirty side and I'd like to try something different for the casual range shooting I do nowadays.

I want full power but I'm using Ruger New Vaqueros, so NO +P.

Here's my two bullet choices, can you recommend a clean burning powder?

200gr RNFP (Brinnell 12)
255gr SWC (Brinnell 18)

Thanks in advance!

I've tried 200 gr. bullets in my .45 Colt's, but the POI is too different from 250/255 gr. bullets so I gave up.

For loads that duplicate the original I use Red Dot and/or 700-X exclusively. 6.0 - 6.5 grs. of either generally gives 800-850 fps with this weight bullet. I've gotten fine accuracy with both powders.

Vaquero50yds700-Xedit_zps0df89563.jpg

Frisco%2025%20yds._zpswpbjdqcv.jpg

Frisco%2050%20yds.%20MBC_zpsxyczyz2g.jpg

Frisco%2075%20yds%20454424%202%20edit_zpsot849fme.jpg

For pretty much everything else, Unique has few peers. As others already said, 8.5 grs. is a decent middle of the road load, 9.0 or 9.5 if you need more oomph.


FWIW the New Vaquero and Flat Top Blackhawk 45 Colts can be loaded up to 23,000 psi by virtue of the fact that size Ruger frame is chambered in 45 ACP whose +P factory loads are 23,000 psi.

35W
 
Lots of great ideas here, thank you! I think I'll pick up some Titegroup and Unique, and see what I come up with.

I've tried 200 gr. bullets in my .45 Colt's, but the POI is too different from 250/255 gr. bullets so I gave up.
This is a very valid point. I've been using 200gr for the sake of economy, but that's no longer an issue. I'm using two brand new Vaqueros, and I need to work up a good load before I start filing front sights. POI is 6"+ low right now, and hopefully 250gr bullets will correct at least part of this.
 
Lots of great ideas here, thank you! I think I'll pick up some Titegroup and Unique, and see what I come up with.


This is a very valid point. I've been using 200gr for the sake of economy, but that's no longer an issue. I'm using two brand new Vaqueros, and I need to work up a good load before I start filing front sights. POI is 6"+ low right now, and hopefully 250gr bullets will correct at least part of this.

Make SURE you've settled on a load, or at least a velocity range with your favorite bullet, before you start filing the sights. Then go slow. You don't want to take off too much, I can tell you from experience!

35W
 
I've mostly used Unique in my .45 Colt loads. During the Dark Days, I picked up 2# of TiteGroup just to have something (I was getting low on Unique, and none to be found...) I have loaded it in the .45 Colt, didn't care much for it... the pistol was so hot by the time I worked through 50 rounds I could hardly hold it. Unique doesn't do that. There is some criticism that Unique is dirty, not so much at the higher end of the pressure envelope, at least in my experience. If you are shooting light target loads, Unique is probably not the powder for you.
 
Great suggestions all!

I just picked up some Unique, HS-6, and Titegroup, and I've got bullets coming from Missouri. Looking forward to cooking up some variations to see what works best for me!
 
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