.45 Colt loads...observations

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Nickjc

Nickjc

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Hi All,

Went to the range today.....brought along the vaquero...

I had some Black Hills 45 colt that shot to point of aim at 25 yards....shot a little left of center...but that is the shooter not the ammo...seemed rather tame....as far as felt recoil...

Then I ran some handloads using the load data from the alliant website...
15.4 grns of 2400 for a 250 grain bullet.....seemed like a bazooka in felt recoil...

so when I got home I looked up some more info....the lee reloading guide...(albeit from a number of years ago).... and most loads for that weight bullet were is the 9 grain range....HS powders etc....

Does the data for the current 2400 seem kinda 'hot'?? Anyone load with 2400 and that weight bullet a bit lighter.... I also noticed some unburned powder....any thoughts..?
 
That seems like a hot load. My Alliant booklet doesn't list a load for 250gr bullets.

I tried an AA#9 load once, lots of unburnt powder. The trouble is, unless you have a gun that can handle a modern 45 Colt load, 2400, H110, and AA #9 are all a little too slow. And if I did have one, I'd be reluctant to load for it because of the risk of putting a hot round into a gun not designed for it.
 
was your 250 grain bullet jacketed? if so,that load is on the very light end for 2400,should not have felt like a bazooka.My lyman's only shows loads using 2400 with a jacketed bullet,no cast loads.
YOu cannot look at that load and compare them with 'other' loads in the 9 grain range,every powder is different and very few if any can be cross-referenced in that way.
 
was your 250 grain bullet jacketed? if so,that load is on the very light end for 2400,should not have felt like a bazooka.My lyman's only shows loads using 2400 with a jacketed bullet,no cast loads.
YOu cannot look at that load and compare them with 'other' loads in the 9 grain range,every powder is different and very few if any can be cross-referenced in that way.
__________________
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Nope LSWC

Still seemed kinda mighty for what it was....

Be wary of the white hot 45 Colt loads...the Vaquero IS NOT designed to handle them.

Those really heavy hitting loads are for Blackhawks and 454 Super Redhawks only.
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I wonder what the BLack Hills .45 Colt is loaded at....it seemed to shoot well and was not at all as powerful as the alliant load
 
There are two different Vaqueros:the "New Model" Vaquero, and the older Vaquero.

I had the older model Vaquero and it was a very strong (and heavy) revolver. There was very little difference between it and a Blackhawk. Just the sights.

I tested some 2400 loads, mostly based on Elmer Keith writings, and your loads should not bother the older Vaquero.

I shot these 2400 loads in two N frame Smiths. Any 250 gr load that is pushing close to1000 fps is going to hard on a Smith, but a Vaquero should handle it without a problem.


M625-9 Mountain Gun 4" Barrel

250 Nosler JHP 17.5 grs 2400 thrown, Master cases, Fed150 primers
18-Mar-07 T = 55 °F

Ave Vel = 971
Std Dev = 25
ES = 69.47
High = 1003
Low = 933.5
Number Shots 11

5" M25-7

255 LSWC 17.0 grs 2400 little dandy R21 Fed 150 primers
1-Feb-90 T ≈ 55 ° F

Ave Vel = 959
Std Dev = 55
ES = 175
Low = 864
High = 1039
N = 6


255 LSWC 17.9 grs 2400 little dandy R22 Fed 150 primers
1-Feb-90 T ≈ 55 ° F

Ave Vel = 1083
Std Dev = 61
ES = 156
Low = 999
High = 1155
N = 7



250 Hornaday JHP 17.0 grs 2400 little dandy R21 Fed 150 primers
1-Feb-90 T ≈ 55 ° F

Ave Vel = 845
Std Dev = 42
ES = 119
Low = 788
High = 907
N = 4
 
If you're shooting the "new model" there are better powder choices than 2400. Try Unique, you'll get more bang for your buck too. A pound will go nearly twice as far as the 2400. I bet a 8.5 gr load of Uni will feel a whole lot more like the blackhills stuff. 2400 is best suited for heavy loads (heavy crimps too) to get it all to burn. Good luck and keep us posted.
 
Try max loads of Red Dot (off the top of my head, that's about 7 grains, but that may be a little high) You'll like it. It's very bulky, and clean-burning as long as you don't load it down too low.
 
I agree with the 8.5 grains of Unique. Try + or - .1 grain and find what shoots best. I have two blackhawks w/a 4.5/8" barrels and they love 8.7 grains of unique. The powder will go a long way too.
 
Um, isn't a bazooka recoilless?
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Almost.
They do kick enough to smack you in the eye with the rubber eye cup on the sight though.

It's the back-blast behind it, and hot burning rocket fuel hitting you in the face you have to worry about!

rc
 
Um, isn't a bazooka recoilless?
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During the DT testing of AT4, a few rounds stuck inside the tube longer than they should have. One GI had the launcher spin off his shoulder, and hit him in the head, another reported the thing kicked twice as hard as a 12 GA.

Never stand behind one of the things, unless you want the jet blast to remove your leg.
 
The last few different calibers I have loaded off the Alliants webwite all seemed to be on the hot side. I quit using that website.
 
If you loaded 15.4gr 2400 under a 250gr lead bullet that's really not a hot load. I'm sure that load didn't even break 950 fps. The Black Hills ammo was probably a Cowboy load which is extremely light. Those loads are usually ~700 fps.

The current Lyman #49 doesn't list 2400 under lead bullets but does list it under Jacketed bullets. For a 250gr JHP bullet the load range for 2400 is 14.8gr to 16.5gr. The Max load is reported to generate 904 fps from a 7.5" barrel.
 
I had some Black Hills 45 colt that shot to point of aim at 25 yards....shot a little left of center...but that is the shooter not the ammo...seemed rather tame....as far as felt recoil...
Click to expand...

Was the Black Hills stuff advertised as "Cowboy"? If it was just about anything fired after it would seem to have some punch.
 
IMO all loads in .357 , 41Mag,.44 Mag and .44 Special that I have used 2400 in there is always unburned powder. Yes there was a heavy crimp, both cast and jacketed.
 
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