45 LC Load (Ruger) - 230 Grain XTP

[WatongaJim]

I need to use up some Hornady 230 grain XTP bullets in my Ruger Blackhawk 45 Colt and I'm not finding a lot of useful loading data for this bullett from the manuals I have and some of the better internet sources. I want to develop the load to produce a minimun of 1000 FPS.

The powders that I have on hand to use are:
IMR 4227
2400
Unique

At this point I'm leaning toward using 19 grains of IMR 4227, based on some of the data for bullets in the 240/250 grain range.

Any suggestions would be appreciated.

 

[mongoose33]

You "need" to use them up? Sounds like going to the dentist.

Send them to me--I'll give them a good home.

 

[wankerjake]

You might try calling or emailing alliant and/or hodgdon. I've done this several times with good success.

 

[Walkalong]

4227 is going to be too slow for pushing a 230 Gr bullet at 1000 FPS in .45 Colt. Unique may do it. If not, 2400 will.

 

[Ol` Joe]

There is no crimp groove on the 230gr and that`s why no one used it in their data manuals. The bullet is designed for use in the acp not the LC. If you do use it a taper crimp is a must.

 

[loadedround]

Both the current Nosler(#6) and Speer(#14) Manuals show 230 gr bullets being driven over 1000 fps. I do not want to quote specific loads because they are maximum loads and should be used with discretion.

 

[rcmodel]

The reason you are not finding data is because the 230 grain XTP is a .451" bullet for the .45 ACP pistol.

The .45 Colt normally uses a .452" bullet that has a crimp cannelure so you can roll-crimp them for use in a revolver.

IMR 4277

Sure it isn't IMR-4227?
At any rate, 19.0 grains of 2400, or 20.0 grains of IMR-4227 with an undersize 230 grain bullet should be way safe in a Ruger Blackhawk, and get you in the 1,000 FPS neighborhood..

rc

 

[jmortimer]

In a Blackhawk you could use at least 10 grains of Unique and would probably be around 1,000 fps. That would be a nice round for shooting and I don't think it would disturb the other rounds in the cylinder. If you want to smoke something then I would go with 2400. As Ol'Joe said with no crimp groove you probably don't want to go "hot" as the bullets in the cylinder may unseat.

 

[WatongaJim]

Thanks for the all the feedback. I think I'll go with Unique and a good taper crimp as jmortimer suggested.

 

[Jesse Heywood]

For comparison, I recently tried using IMR 4227 in a 45 Colt. 17.7 grains, 250 gr. LRN with WLP primers in a Smith model 25 with a 6.5" barrel. Recoil was similar to a 44 mag. Accuracy was decent, considering the recoil. You might try some if you like experimenting, but be ready for a hard kicking round.