45lc Ammo?? Original Blackpowder

[Desert Scorpion]

Hey guys!!

Does anyone know of a web site where I can order 45LC ammo with with a charge of actuall black powder not smokless?

I dont like shooting smokless powder out of mine I like the smoke effect of the old powder!!

I tried Buffalo Arms web site but they are out of stock on there 250gr loads.

 

[Oyeboten]

Get-a-Press, or an old Ideal or Lyman "310" Tong-Tool Outfit, some Dies...and...Load yer own!

Lots more fun and satisfaction ( and easier on the Pocketbook, ) than storebought.

 

[Pulp]

Try http://www.powderinc.com for Black Dawg*
cartridges, and try cabelas for TenX brand blackpowder cartridges. Be ready for some sticker shock.

*I think they still sell them.

 

[arcticap]

This outfit says that they will reload your brass with black powder and their prices seem reasonable. It could be worth it to inquire about whether they offer .45LC BP loads or reloading services.

http://gadcustomcartridges.com/

 

[scrat]

loading your own is sooooo simple. Heck you can still get a lee loader for 20.00 for that. clean the shells. deprime them. Resize the brass. reprime the brass. Pour in the powder wad then press in the bullet. so so so easy.

 

[Arkansas Paul]

Midway carries them if you don't want to roll your own. They're made by Goex. A box of 50 will run you about $35.
As others have said, it really would be to your advantage to start reloading. You save a ton of money when loading .45 Colt. My Blackhawk has never fired a commercially loaded round.
I do realize that it's not for everyone though, so if you're not interested, well that's okay too.

 

[scrat]

$35.00 thats actually not bad

I cast my own. for probably about .01 cent for every 3 i cast.
then powder it probably cost about $3-5 for 50 rounds of 45 colt using Goex. Primers what is it. about 4.00 for a pack of 100 so that would be 2.00.

So it probably cost about $6.00 for my own stuff.

Now initial set up will cost you. you can still get into reloading for less than 75.00 and then buy your own bullets until you learn to cast. Casting well if you go old school. a mold and a sizer. you can do it for probably$30-40.

With that is saw some Remington 45 Colt at Big 5 for almost $49.99. Thats over a dollar a bullet. after taxes. So ya cast and reload

 

[zimmerstutzen]

45 colt is about the easiest of all cartridges to reload, especially with black powder. (all straight wall cases are easy and the shorter the easier. )

A 310 tool or press and dies are really inexpensive. I use antique Ideal tong tools to load most everything. (Although the 45 colt is one I do not have.)

Many of the old Ideal tools also have a mold and bullet sizing feature built in. Something dies and/or the 310 tool do not have.

My daughter loads 44-40 shells with an old Ideal tool and has won prizes in BPCR target competitions with her 38 S&W BP loads fired in a 357 Martini rifle. Also loaded with an old Ideal tool.

I load 50-70 shells and 45-70 shells in those old "nutcrackers" and have won prizes with the loads.

 

[22shooters]

Scrat,in post #5 you mention a wad.What volume powder charge would require a wad? And what is the regular charge for 45LC?

 

[StrawHat]

22shooters ...And what is the regular charge for 45LC?...

It depends on what you mean by regular. At one time (1873) the 45 long Colt carried 40 grains of powder and a 255 grain round point bullet. The Army tried it and found it too much so the load was dropped to 35 or less. In 1875 the military decided to use a case with 28 grains of powder with the same bullet. This would be the standard until they adopted the 38 Colt in the 1890s (?) Civilian loads could be found with varying charges of powder depending upon the era they were loaded. In the long Colt case, the lesser charges needed wads of some type to fill the space. Venturino has researched this and written of it, I have tried to boil it down to a couple of sentences. Bullets varied less, between 250 and 255 grains.

Modern cases can be loaded with up to 40 grains of powder and still seat a 255 grain bullet, but it takes a bit of practice.

 

[andrewstorm]

40 gr bp and a 255 gr bullet

I load the pyrodex pellet and with a 255 gr cowboy bullet and they shoot fine,lots of smoke and bang,they are only 30 gr powder but compressed to a pellet ,the maker doesnt endorse use in cartridges,but i read mike venturino ?in guns and ammo chronyed the load at 950 fps mv.

 

[22shooters]

Does the 30gr pellet require a wad?

 

[ClemBert]

When I first considered getting into 45 Colt shooting I very quickly came to the conclusion that reloading was the only way to go. Before even purchasing 45 Colt firearms I started the process of purchasing the tools to reload. I decided I wouldn't even "try out" my future 45 Colt firearms with factory loaded ammo. The high cost and lack of availability of 45 Colt factory ammo told me right away that putting the money into reloading equipment was the smart move.

My cost per round is about $0.21 or $10.50 per 50 rounds. It is certainly possible to greatly reduce the cost further by casting your own bullets. For now, I chose not to. Rather, I purchase soft lead bullets already resized and lubed for black powder shooting.

Here is a breakdown of costs per round (total cost delivered to my home):

250 grain bullet $145/1500 = $0.097
Starline brass $89/500 used 50 times = $0.004
Goex 3Fg powder $12.60/lb 35 grains = $0.063
Winchester LP primer $4.27/100 = $0.043

The powder was bought in bulk (25 lbs). The cost of the brass is almost negligible as I guessed that the brass would be able to be used 50 times. Again, the biggest thing you can "easily" control is the cost of the bullet by casting your own. I didn't include the cost of the reloading equipment in my calculation. I decided that the equipment would be used for a number of other caliber firearms I own so I wouldn't pin the cost only on the 45 Colt reloads.

 

[scrat]

Scrat,in post #5 you mention a wad.What volume powder charge would require a wad? And what is the regular charge for 45LC?
__________________

That all depends on what bullet you are going to use. I try to make sure the overall cartridge length is to within specs of what a 45colt is supposed to be. Thus if you use smaller bullets or even gallery loads then you will need to use less or more powder depending on your needs. With this remember for Black powder the bullet needs to compress the load. So i take a cartridge lay a bullet next to it. then measure the overall length on what i want. Scribe a mark on the case where the bullet seats in. This is the minimum amount of powder you will want. A lube wad always helps. If you want to go on a lighter load you can. i have made rounds with 15 grains 2ff then wad. Then use cream of wheat as a filler just above the scribe then press in the bullet. So lets say you buy some lead cast bullets. Do the measurement as mentioned above. then pour in some Black powder to just above your scribe. Now pour this into a black powder measure and measure your load. Write it down this is your load you will want to use.

 

[scrat]

Gallery Loads

45 colt is an awesome bullet that lets you do about anything with. If you think about your cap and ball revolver you may use lets say 20 grains of black with a wad then press in a .454 or .452 lead ball then some lube and your good to go.

WELL. Take some 45 colt cases size them, Prime them get them all set. Now lets take some various loads. Try out 15 grains of black powder. Use a fiber wad insert. The back of a pencil to compress it to the load. Then use some cream of wheat and fill it up to almost the top of the case then put in a lube wad. Now press in a lead ball to just to where the ball is at the half. Your good to go. i have even at that point melted my bees wax/olive oil blend and dipped the tips of the round balls in the wax then let them dry. you can make up about 15-20 of those really quick then take them to the range and try them out. if you want some more ooommmfff then add some more powder make a few different types and keep them seperate then record your results with the various loads. There you have it. Gallery loads

 

[andrewstorm]

answer 22 shooter

No wad ,the bullets barely seat on top of the pellet(winchester cases) but shoot good,google;pyrodex pellets in cartridges,and the g a article should pop up

 

[Foto Joe]

1+ with all of the above!! 45 Colt is extremely versatile when reloading with Black Powder. Given that you CAN mash 40gr of powder into these, they can become very hungry when it comes to powder. The "Gallery Loads" that Scrat mentions are a great way to minimize the expense although I've made one adjustment to them.

I found (with the help of ClemBert) 150gr lubed bullets that I have replaced the round ball with. Less headache with lube as they come lubed from Dash Caliber and they're cheaper than round ball. Not to mention that they shoot great!!