45 Long Colt - How do you reload it?

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I recommend Trail Boss powder. It is bulky (occupies a lot of the case volume, making it easy to view the amount of powder)

+1

Not to offend your intelligence here Greeny, I just dont know what you know and what you dont...Lost mentions the powder viewing thing (Im figuring) because if the load you're making takes up most of the case, you'll be able to tell much more easily if you double or triple or quadruple charged the case..ie, you'll see it pouring out the case mouth or just under it..

I dont know 45 LC data but I'd imagine it would be hard to visually detect a double with Bullseye. Just be wary.
 
I've posted this pic on castboolits

But had to step in.

Be very carefully of double charges.

This was my uberti 1873 cattlemen. After a double charge of IMR PB appx.

No one was hurt but my pride . and the gun.

Stick with trail boss. Or load one at a time.
 

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Read. Read. Read, then read some more. If you see information that conflicts between what you read in a manual and what you read on internet forums, and you will, BELIEVE THE MANUAL.

Bullseye and Red Dot are perfect for starting. One of my go-to loads for my 45 Colt(s) is 6.0 grs. of Red Dot and a 255 gr. cast SWC which duplicates the original load.

I absolutely would NOT start with Trail Boss. The handloading world got by for the better part of a century without it and IMHO all it teaches a new handloader is that he need not worry about double charges. Very dangerous. New handloaders need to learn to be vigilant to watch for things such as double charges, not be insulated from them.

35W
 
45 LC Oregon Trail 200g RNFP Bullets (500)

probably order some 430 or 455 gr also but I was playing it safe I think by starting with a light bullet and a light load and of course trying to avoid a squib.
It's very hard to find 230gr bullets meant for a revolver.

Like said above, 250gr LRN or 255gr LSWC bullets are the classics for the 45 Colt and hard to beat. Those Oregon Trail Bullets are good but a little pricy. Try the bullets sold by Missouri Bullets.
http://www.missouribullet.com/results.php?category=5&secondary=14
I like the 250gr LRN 12 BNH for range work and the 255gr 12 BHN SWC bullets for more serious work. The sharp shoulder of the SWC bullet cuts very well...

Good powders for the 45 Colt are plentiful. I have used Unique, 2400, Red Dot, AA#5, Universal, Trail boss, W231/HP-38, HS-6 and probably a few others too. My current favorite is HS-6 and W231 as a backup.
 
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What method do you use to reload your 45 Long Colt ?

Powder, Recipe, Projectile, Brass, Primmer, Press?

Have any light loads used in Cowboy Action Shooting, Tell me about them.

Yep I'm a Green Horn !
As many others have said, "READ READ READ". Do you belong to a club or have a friend that reloads? It's amazing how readily people are to teach reloading to eager students. I remember that when I started reloading a million years ago I watched an old timer and actually learned as much watching and asking questions as I did reading. You're lucky, there are so many resources available such as You Tube videos etc...
 
I absolutely would NOT start with Trail Boss. The handloading world got by for the better part of a century without it and IMHO all it teaches a new handloader is that he need not worry about double charges. Very dangerous. New handloaders need to learn to be vigilant to watch for things such as double charges, not be insulated from them.

35W
I respectfully disagree. Using a powder that is hard to mis-use is like using a walker when rehabbing from knee reconstruction or using dulled/blunted blades when learning to swordfight.

Eventually, you discard the crutch. Until then, it is safer.

Also, please note that handloading started when you literally FILLED the cartridge with black powder. Half-charges were the danger then.

I grant you that to continue to rely on Trail Boss (or any other safety stopgap is bad practice), but I am of the opinion that while learning, such an accomodation is worth doing, and eventually discarding for propellants more suited to specific purposes. For example, I would NOT recommend Trail Boss for a hunting load and a target load only after proving its accuracy in my specific firearm.

Thanks for reading and for considering my arguments.

Lost Sheep
 
Bullseye and Red Dot are perfect for starting.

Not so sure I agree with that..(BE)


New handloaders need to learn to be vigilant to watch for things such as double charges, not be insulated from them.

True that- but learning by blowing your gun up is not the correct approach either.
 
OK. We'll have to agree to disagree. I personally think that taking steps to assure the correct powder charge is second only to selecting the proper load. An "Aw.... I'll worry about learning that later" attitude in and of itself is dangerous.

35W
 
35 whelen, that was certainly the case during the transition from black to smokeless and all types of bulk smokeless powders were introduced because shooters were blowing up their guns trying to bulk load smokeless powder, but with the abundance of manuals and data available today It really shouldn't be a problem.
 
The Lee 2nd Edition data is from Hodgdon and other powder makers. Lee tests nothing themselves.
There's really no such thing as a bullet intended for revolvers. 230 grains or otherwise. It's just that pistols prefer a different shape. For example, a .45 ACP revolver won't care if it shoots an RN or an SWC. A .45 pistol needs to be slightly modified to feed SWC's reliably, but it'll shoot it just the same.
Your 200g RNFP's will work just fine out of a .45 Colt. (Like friggin' hot dam out of an ACP.) The only thing that is important is whether or not they're cast or jacketed. Hodgdon's site has 200 grain .45 Colt data for both.
 
OK. We'll have to agree to disagree. I personally think that taking steps to assure the correct powder charge is second only to selecting the proper load. An "Aw.... I'll worry about learning that later" attitude in and of itself is dangerous.
35W
Agreed, 35Whelen. I do recommend (even using Trail Boss) to anyone just learning that they 1) weigh each and every charge as well as 2) actually looking into the cases (comparing an entire batch to see all levels are even with each other) and paying attention to the depth of powder.

That would be 3 levels of insulating the novice from danger. 1) visualizing, 2) weighing and 3) bulky powder.

I think we do agree on the most important point:

Be Safe. Always, all ways.

Best Regards, Lost Sheep
 
Sunray there are more bullets designed for revolvers than you can count! Just look for bullets with a crimp groove. Rcbs makes a good revolver bulletmold in 230 grains and I'm sure there are others. There are also bullets available for purchase from such moulds.
 
Some N32C available @ Recobs in #1


Item #: N32C 1 Favorites Your Price: $15.99 / EACH

Vihtavuori N32C 1# Tin Star. Special powder developed for Cowboy Action Shooters shooting lead bullets with revolvers and single-action rifles. It has low bulk density (less free space in the case) and it burns very clean without residues with a burning rate between N320 and N330. Reloading data is currently available for .38 Special and .44 Magnum.
 
New handloaders need to learn to be vigilant to watch for things such as double charges, not be insulated from them.
Not so sure I agree with that..(BE)



True that- but learning by blowing your gun up is not the correct approach either.
How many hadnguns have you see blown up firsthand? Probably none just like most of us.

You're fairly new, did you use Trail Boss so you wouldn't blow up your guns? Probably not. Making everything easy and making excuses for everyone these days makes me sick. That is not how we made this nation great. Everyone should take responsibility for what they do and learn how to load correctly without cop-outs. (in my not so humble opinion of course)
 
Allz I'm really meaning to say is it might be hard to see a double charge with BE smarty pants.

Didn't really mean it as a referendum on our nation. I believe I said "be wary"...not "dont use it". Also BE is pretty fast. Maybe one doesnt need to go with TB but some powders could be a little safer possibly. How may times do we hear, "use a fluffy powder to detect an overcharge"?



And no, never seen a gun blow up, nor have I double charged. And yes we throw the "blow the gun up" thing around to much. It still doesnt hurt to ingrain that in us new guys' brains, that it's possible to overcharge.
 
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