.45 Pistol Bullets
- Thread starter rodwha
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ColtPythonElite
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I use a Lyman 250 gr Cowboy bullet for .45 Colt in my inline .50.
Busyhands94
Member
The reason that you should use jacketed bullets in loads going 1600 FPS is because if a lead bullet travels down a barrel at higher velocities it tends to deposit lead in the bore. With blackpowder leading isn't much of a problem, especially if the ball or bullet is in a patch or sabot.
Cabelas sells sabots .452 diameter pistol bullets, those should work just fine with a .45 Colt bullet.
Levi
Cabelas sells sabots .452 diameter pistol bullets, those should work just fine with a .45 Colt bullet.
Levi
Odd, I regulary shoot lubed cast boolits over 2,000 fps in several rifles and do not have a leading problem.
I figured the whole reason why there were 45 Colt bullets and "magnum" bullets was that either the jacket was thicker or the lead harder to keep an optimum expansion. I assumed that a 45 Colt bullet fired out of a 460 S&W would rip the bullet into pieces instead of keeping it together.
I've also wondered how a 45 ACP FMJ would handle traveling at such speeds and striking a big hog.
I've also wondered how a 45 ACP FMJ would handle traveling at such speeds and striking a big hog.
TomADC
Member
Hang fire, I'd guess really hard lead and gas checked bullets, good lube also.
I shoot .30 M1 carbine bullets cast from Linotype at over 2000 FPS but I do get some leading.my bullets aren't gas checked.
I shoot .30 M1 carbine bullets cast from Linotype at over 2000 FPS but I do get some leading.my bullets aren't gas checked.
Busyhands94
Member
Hangfire, I'm not sure the velocity it takes to lead a barrel with a lead bullet, but I've fired .22 caliber bullets from my .22 Super Companion under 2 grains of Bullseye at around 1200 FPS, after a few cylinders I might as well have just reamed the gun into a smoothbore. The leading was severe. Of course the bullets were lead round nosed ones bought from North American Arms, if anyone has a lead hardness tester and some NAA bullets I'd love to know how hard they are.
Of course it all comes down to what alloy you are using and what velocity your bullets are being pushed at. Lube plays into this as well. Of course you can plate your bullets, I'm just not sure how well they'd stand up to the higher velocities.
Of course it all comes down to what alloy you are using and what velocity your bullets are being pushed at. Lube plays into this as well. Of course you can plate your bullets, I'm just not sure how well they'd stand up to the higher velocities.
I don't know why some mention bore leading. Since you are using sabots and the bullet will never touch the bore, leading is not possible.
I was gonna answer your question last night, but your question was not specific enough. You did not mention hunting, or what animal you would be hunting.
A jacketed bullet is designed to penetrate and expand within a specific range of velocities. A bullet shot outside of that range will not work as designed. You will have to use .454/.460 bullets to have sufficient penetration on medium to large game. If you want to shoot varmints, use .45LC or ACP expanding bullets; the effect on the animal will be SPECTACULAR!
You do not want to hunt with any FMJ bullet.
If you have any doubt about a particular bullet, contact the company that manufactured it. They can give you specific answers, or make recommendations. It's what they do!
CraigC
Sixgun Nut
You definitely want to use .454 jacketed bullets for that velocity range. Jacketed bullets designed for the .45ACP or .45Colt will be explosive and penetrate very little. Sort of like what happens when I load 135gr Sierras in my .38-40 and push them to over 1600fps. Splat!
Not very well.
Patocazador
Member
I use .452 250 gr. Hornadys in sabots in my .50 cal Savage MLII. The results are excellent and the bullet/sabot combo works even with smokeless powder in it. I use 32 gr. of 2400 or 90 gr. of Blackhorn 209.
The bullet/sabot combo is the one specified by Savage for the best results in this rifle.
The bullet/sabot combo is the one specified by Savage for the best results in this rifle.
Lead bullets or light jackets...
The .454 and the .460 Are hot rods. I glanced at .460 data and saw 250 grain bullets at 2,000 fps. Your black powder rifle might start them at 1600 but they will slow down fast. I would only consider a .454 bullet if I did not want expansion at all. For black powder in a sabot, any lead bullet should do o.k. and if you want to go with the light jacketed bullets for .45 ACP or the like... there you should get some expansion and all the knock down available. Luck.
The .454 and the .460 Are hot rods. I glanced at .460 data and saw 250 grain bullets at 2,000 fps. Your black powder rifle might start them at 1600 but they will slow down fast. I would only consider a .454 bullet if I did not want expansion at all. For black powder in a sabot, any lead bullet should do o.k. and if you want to go with the light jacketed bullets for .45 ACP or the like... there you should get some expansion and all the knock down available. Luck.
CraigC
Sixgun Nut
If it's launched at 1600fps, it does NOT need to be a jacketed bullet designed for the .45Colt. That's .454 territory.
arcticap
Member
If you're asking about .50 caliber sabots, then a .456 bullet would need the MMP orange .50 sabot that fits .457 - .458 bullets.
The MMP black .50 sabots fit .451 - .452 bullets.
The MMP green .50 sabots fit .429 - .430 bullets.
The MMP blue .50 sabots fit .399 - .400 bullets.
http://mmpsabots.com/
The MMP black .50 sabots fit .451 - .452 bullets.
The MMP green .50 sabots fit .429 - .430 bullets.
The MMP blue .50 sabots fit .399 - .400 bullets.
http://mmpsabots.com/
CraigC
Sixgun Nut
Way too soft!
That is what I had initially thought, but then I considered how RB is that or a little softer, though it loses it's velocity gain faster.
CPE: What hardness is your .45 Lyman bullet and what have you seen with using it? Ever recovered a bullet? Found fragments or evidence of them?
To simplify matters it seems 44 mag bullets would do. But I've wondered about 444 Marlin bullets. Seems they'd potentially be going a little slow (Hornady).
CPE: What hardness is your .45 Lyman bullet and what have you seen with using it? Ever recovered a bullet? Found fragments or evidence of them?
To simplify matters it seems 44 mag bullets would do. But I've wondered about 444 Marlin bullets. Seems they'd potentially be going a little slow (Hornady).
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