45 lc powder issue again

[brentf]

I had an earlier post about reloading for the 45 colt. I have since switched powders to Red Dot which was all that was available. I put 5.5 gr in and was shooting 250 gr lead flat nose bullets. I took three out and test fired. Went off just fine but when I was done I saw there were a few flakes of unburnt powder that came out of the cylinder and the barrel was petty fouled. Not nearly as much as when I used the other powder, but I was just wondering if it was common to still have some unburnt powder left.

I have read a few comments about putting a tighter crimp on bullets, if this might be the answer how does one do it, I thought the crimp was part of the die and the bullet seater was the adjustable part.

Thanks for any info. Handgun reloading is new to me as you can tell

 

[zxcvbob]

That's common with low-pressure cartridges. It goes away as you increase the powder, but you can't increase it unless you want to go above SAAMI specifications. What gun are you shooting? If it's a Ruger, try 6 or 6.5 grains. (obligatory warning: 6.5 will give you a pressure of about 18000 psi, SAAMI maximum is 14000, so use at your own risk)

What brand of brass are you using? Starline is not a great choice for low-pressure loads because it's so strong it doesn't expand to seal the chamber. (I use R-P or Winchester for my blackpowder loads for this reason)

The crimp is adjustable, but with Red Dot I don't think it'll make much difference because it burns so fast. To increase the crimp, screw the die into the press a little farther.

 

[rcmodel]

Yes, Red Dot is known to leave powder skeleton's in a gun. They are burned, but not completely consumed.
It's not really a problem.

According to Lyman #49, your 5.5 load is below the starting load with one 250 grain bullet design, (5.8 - 6.5) and about middle of the road with a different 250 grain bullet design(4.5 - 6.5).

Might bump it up to 6.0 and see if it cleans up a little.

As for crimping?
Place a sized case in the press and run the ram up.
Screw the seating die down until you feel the crimper in the die contact the case mouth.
Now seat a bullet to the desired depth.
Next back out the seating stem a couple of turns.

Screwing the die in further will apply the crimp. The further you screw it in, the more crimp you will get.

Once the crimp is too your liking, screw the seating stem back down until it contacts the bullet.

The next one you load will be seated & crimped at the same time.

rc

 

[Mal H]

As I recall you are shooting your rounds in a Taurus Judge. That revolver should be able to handle all standard loads for the .45 Colt. I wouldn't venture into the "For Ruger Only" loads you'll find in several manuals.

Having said that, I think your load of 5.5 gr of Red Dot is only the light side. That can cause the smokey firings and unburnt powder you're experiencing. Raise the load to a minimum of 5.8 gr and work up from there to 6.5 gr max of Red Dot.

You don't say what die you're using, but in general to adjust your crimp, you simply lower the crimping die in small increments until you get a satisfactory crimp. It should be a good firm roll crimp into the cannelure of the bullet. I have found it is best to seat the bullets in one operation with the die adjusted up several turns, raise the bullet seater stem out of the way, and then adjust the die for the proper crimp. That way you're not trying to push the bullet down at the same time you're trying to firmly capture it with the crimp.

[Edit]
Good grief! (Note to self - learn to type faster than my current 60 wpm.)
rcmodel and I were simulposting. But, at least we totally agree on the main points of the problem.

 

[brentf]

Thanks for the info guys, you answered the questions I had. I'll raise it up a hair. I think I have a pretty good crimp going so probably won't mess with that.

Appreciate the help

 

[hillbillydelux]

Can you get hodgdon tite-group. The best load I have found for my 45 colt is 6.0 grains over 250 gn LRNFP.
Very clean and very accurate. Shoots right at 800 fps out of a 7 1/2" vaquero.

 

[loadedround]

Red Dot is a very dirty powder used in 12 ga shotshells and some big bore revolver loads The old standby for the 45 Colt is Unique. This powder can be dirty in light loads also but it is ideal in medium to heavy loads. BTW Red Dot is not shown as a usable powder in the current #14 Speer Manual for the 250 gr LSWC bullet.

 

[brentf]

When I head out of town next time I am going to do some serious looking for powder, just not much of a selection here. But the red dot will have to get me by until then.

Played around with the crimp adjustment a little. Seemed to be pretty good where it was.