.45 Long Colt Ammo

[parsimonious_instead]

Just got an awesome Rossi Puma chambered in .45 Long Colt. Ammo is pricey and hard to find.
Anyone have a lead on some decently priced fodder for my new levergun?

 

[Arkansas Paul]

I just bought a .45 Colt and let me just tell you. If you're wanting a decent price on ammo, you need to start handloading. I know that gets said around here a lot, but with the .45 Colt, it's just the truth. Mine has never fired a factory round because of it.
Most factory ammo will run you over $30 per 50. I've seen them as much as $30 per 25 rounds.
I loaded up 100 with Missouri Bullets 255 grain LSW bullets today for just over $25.00. It doesn't take long to make your money back on you gear like that.

 

[Publius1688]

+1 for Arkansas Paul.
Handloading is simply the only way to go for .45 Colt.

 

[Gryffydd]

I loaded up 100 with Missouri Bullets 255 grain LSW bullets today for just over $25.00.

Not counting the cost of brass (and it'll last nigh on forever with light loads), my .45 Colt handloads are about $8 per 50. It doesn't take long to make back your investment at those kinds of prices. Even places like Georgia Arms are around $25 per 50.

 

[Greybeard]

+1 on the reloading. even with factory ammo, ya may not want to buy a lot of any brand until you see if it's going to cycle well.

 

[Publius1688]

And........we haven't even made the point about how superior your handloads will be to anything a factory can put out--especially once your brass gets fire formed to that new Puma..

 

[Carne Frio]

This site lists a variety of 45 Colt/45 long Colt:

http://www.ammoengine.com/find/ammo/.45_Colt

 

[Runningman]

Anyone have a lead on some decently priced fodder for my new levergun?

For 45 Colt nothing is cheap.

 

[Arkansas Paul]

Wow. CorBon is proud of their stuff.
When you read that list keep in mind that the two at the top that are in the $30 per 50 range are down loaded Cowboy Action stuff.

 

[goon]

Yeah, when I owned a .45 LC about nine years ago it was too expensive to shoot even then without reloading. I also never fired a round of factory ammo from mine.

 

[Lorenzo Rojo]

+1 for reloading. Factory ammo is pretty expensive. Magtech makes about the cheapest and most reliable .45 Colt. Still, these loads are typically "cowboy shooting loads" which are much milder than what a .45 Colt carbine can handle. To get the very best out of your carbine, you gotta reload .45 Colt. Lots of other calibers have relatively cheap ammo for a long day of shooting, but .45 Colt does not.

 

[MCMXI]

When you read that list keep in mind that the two at the top that are in the $30 per 50 range are down loaded Cowboy Action stuff.

A .45 Colt CAS type load consisting of a 250gr bullet, Starline case, WLP primer and 6.0gr of Trail Boss can be assembled for less than $0.25 per round (assuming 5 reloads of the cases). That cost will drop to around $0.20 per round if the cases last for 10 loadings ... which they will. This is about 1/3 the cost of the cheapest factory ammunition.

A HOT .45 Colt load consisting of a 250gr bullet, Starline case, CCI Magnum LP primer and 25.0gr of H110 can be assembled for less than $0.35 per round (based on 5 reloads of the cases). A "premier" .45 Colt load using a TrueShot 360g WNFP gas checked bullet with H110 and a magnum primer will run about $0.60 per load ... a HUGE savings over exotic factory offerings from Corbon or similar.

As far as I'm concerned, .45 Colt isn't that expensive to shoot compared to most rifle cartridges or even .45 ACP, .44 Mag, .357 Mag etc.

 

[CraigC]

I never figure in the cost of brass. I expect cases to last a good 20 or more loadings so spread that thin the number is insignificant. Since I saved all my brass before I started handloading, I've bought very little brass anyway. Starting with 500rds of new Starline brass, load them 20 times and you've spent less than one cent per loading on cases. That said, a factory duplication load with a 250gr commercial cast bullet at $90/1000, 9.0gr Unique at $18/lb and primers at $35/1000 I come up with 14½ cents per round, or $7.25 per box of 50rds. Figure in the brass and you're at $7.75.

 

[parsimonious_instead]

Thank you for the info guys...

 

[robctwo]

I loaded up some very nice light loads this weekend. 200 gr swc from a local guy, .08, primers at new prices, .035, powder, approx, .025, brass lives forever .00. $13.00 per 100. Light revolver rounds, feels like a .22 mag in the Puma.

I started reloading in 04. Bought the Hornady LnL. I've got 123,000 through it. Back to the factory at 85,000 for some warranty work.

There is a common theme here.

I can load anything from light cowboy loads to buffalo killers.

My Puma likes a 250 gr lrnfp with 21.5 H4227. The '92 will take about anything you want to load. Mine handles a lot more than my shoulder wants to shoot.

 

[Arkansas Paul]

After reading all of the posts, I realized that the price I listed for my handloads has the full cost of the brass figured in. I got a great deal on some once fired stuff. So yeah, the cost will be even less from now on, probably in the $15 per 100 range.

 

[AH-1]

here is some data from yesterday from my H&R classic in 45 colt.nothing hot just good accurate target loads.casting your own bullets makes shooting the 45 colt alot cheaper.

with the 452423 keith bullet sized .454
7.7 grs sr 7625
win lp primers win brass

1029,1020,1016,1003 fps?.

same bullet with 8.5 grs unique
1193,1173,1122,1153 fps

9.0 grs unique
1153,1189,1205,1181,1194 fps
this load cut a ragged hole in the target

7.7 gr W231
1061,1061,1104,1197
also very accurate

250 gr LFN as cast .453
7.7 grs W231
1117,1111,1109 1095 fps accurate.

no leading in my bore when I checked when I got home .alloy used to cast the bullets was 9 lb's ww to 1 lb of lino.bhn would be right at 15.lube was magma red and a lite cote of lee tumble lube.
loads measured with a master chrony @ 10 feet.
pete

 

[mothermopar]

I'm a general 45 caliber fan myself (own a Colt 1911)... next gun is a Colt SAA in 45 Colt and then hopefully a DA in 45 Colt. I've purchased ammo for a gun I don't own yet...

I'm just not 'mechanically inclined'... not very handy... so I'm nervous about reloading. How difficult is it?

 

[UpTheIrons]

I'm just not 'mechanically inclined'... not very handy... so I'm nervous about reloading. How difficult is it?

If I could get my clumsy monkey hands to properly assemble 200 rounds of .45 ACP and have every one go "BANG!" just like they were supposed to, you may also have a future in reloading.

It is more about mental comprehension than mechanical inclination. Read the books, read the manuals, comprehend how the components (primer, case, powder & bullet) go together and function, and check, re-check, and re-re-check your work.

Reloading presses are very forgiving in the sense that they are surprisingly easy to set up and maintain. I know some folks have fits with them, but if you take your time and do it carefully, you should be fine. Especially with a single stage. The turret is a little more complicated, but not as much as a progressive.

Interested in knowing more? I'd recommend "The ABCs of Reloading" by Bill Chevalier, "Modern Reloading, Second Edition" by Richard Lee, and a couple of other reloading manuals.

 

[MCMXI]

After reading all of the posts, I realized that the price I listed for my handloads has the full cost of the brass figured in.

My numbers are very conservative for the simple reason that the cost of bullets, powder, primers and cases and "typical" case life are all up for grabs. I try to give the worst case scenario so as not to unintentionally mislead a prospective reloader.

I'm just not 'mechanically inclined'... not very handy... so I'm nervous about reloading. How difficult is it?

Reloading in general is straightforward enough and just about anyone should be able to put together SAFE loads if nothing else. However, the .45 Colt does require special consideration and attention to detail for three reasons.

First, the case is large such that double or triple loads of fast pistol powders are possible. 8.0gr of W231 doesn't take up much space in the case at all and this is one of the reasons that I like Trail Boss for CAS type loads. Trail Boss is a low density powder that occupies most of the free space in the case, even at 6.0gr and with a 200gr bullet. This is a good thing since it greatly reduces the chance of a double charge ... you'd have to make a real effort to do it.

Second, the other important benefit of a low density powder that occupies most if not all of the free space in the case is that the powder is evenly distributed throughout the case. VihtaVuori has a warning in their reloading guide about small volumes of fast pistol powders in the .45 Colt case. The relevant page from the VV reloading guide is shown below.

Third, there are numerous rifles and revolvers chambered for the .45 Colt that fall into different categories in terms of what the chamber(s) and receiver (frame) can handle. It's imperative that the reloader keep track of which loads can be shot in which rifle and/or revolver. When I shoot my USFA Rodeos at the range I don't have any HOT .45 Colt ammunition on the table. If I'm taking new shooters to the range, I won't bring a SAA and a Ruger Blackhawk/Redhawk/Super Redhawk on the same day UNLESS I only take CAS type loads that day.

 

[mothermopar]

Thanks folks. Sorry for the sidetrack... I may have to look into this more.

 

[Brian Brazier]

Hey guys, I too just got Rossi M92 in 45lc also have a pair of Beretta Stampedes with the Old West antiqued finish both 45lc one has 5.5in barrel other the 4.75in barrel, so I am in desperate need of reloading equipment. What would be the best progressive style press for a beginner? Cant say money isn't an option, but I would like to buy the best quality I can, especially with something like a press, I would rather spend the money and get a quality item.

 

[MCMXI]

I'd recommend a single stage press for a beginner. Get familiar with the whole process and concentrate on putting together quality ammunition before you start thinking about turning out hundreds of rounds on a progressive. My progressive press (a PiggyBack II on an RCBS RockChucker) performs numerous steps with each stroke of the ram up and down ... it's just a lot to deal with for a beginner. If you do buy a progressive press, you can't go wrong with an RCBS. You can start out with a single stage RC and then add a PiggyBack IV at a later date or buy a Pro2000 and use the single stage for rifle cartridges.

 

[Onmilo]

+1000 on handloading for the .45 Colt cartridge.
My handloads are way better than anything I can buy as factory in my area and because I cast my own bullets, they are way cheaper to shoot also.

 

[Red Cent]

Hey, you guys forgot Parsimonious.