Need powder suggestions for 45 Colt

[Riomouse911]

For me, it’s The “U.”

AA#5 is great.

I will be trying out Promo at some point, I have an unopened jug that is itching to be experimented with.

I load for a 4 5/8” SA revolver and a 16” carbine and used to be a SASS shooter (Former Member # was 13,998.)

Stay safe.

 

[AgPilot]

I shoot in rifles. I use AA5744 mostly, plus No 5 and H110.

I am looking at a Colt 45 Rifle. That’s the powder (5744) I plan to run through it. What bullet and charge are You using?

 

[dcarr]

what they said ^^^^^^^^^

Look in your manual.
List the powders shown for 800-900 fps
HOPE your LGS has one of them in stock.
AA#5 can be found
One powder not mentioned, that I have found good results is CLAYS.

Totally agree about clays, i seem to see it more often in the stores, suspect our shotgun friends reload it also.

 

[dh1633pm]

That’s the powder (5744) I plan to run through it. What bullet and charge are You using?

Keep in mind that AA5744 doesn't do as well in pistols. Too many unburned kernels. Bullets types are 255 Grain SWC and 255 Grain RNFP. Starline Brass, Winchester LP Primer, and 18 grains of AA5744. I have loaded as high as 18.9 according to my log book. I settled on 18 grains. I have four rifles and wanted something I could shoot in all four. Wasn't looking for anything on the hot side.

 

[GeoDudeFlorida]

Keep in mind that AA5744 doesn't do as well in pistols. Too many unburned kernels. Bullets types are 255 Grain SWC and 255 Grain RNFP. Starline Brass, Winchester LR Primer, and 18 grains of AA5744. I have loaded as high as 18.9 according to my log book. I settled on 18 grains. I have four rifles and wanted something I could shoot in all four. Wasn't looking for anything on the hot side.

Large Rifle primers? Do you deepen the pockets or just hope the higher primers will never be a problem?
When I load .44Mag with LR primers I use a LR pocket uniform tool to recut the pockets so they seat right. I keep rifle brass and revolver brass separate.

 

[AgPilot]

Keep in mind that AA5744 doesn't do as well in pistols. Too many unburned kernels. Bullets types are 255 Grain SWC and 255 Grain RNFP. Starline Brass, Winchester LR Primer, and 18 grains of AA5744. I have loaded as high as 18.9 according to my log book. I settled on 18 grains. I have four rifles and wanted something I could shoot in all four. Wasn't looking for anything on the hot side.

I don’t use it in My Pistol. Trying to find that Perfect Rifle. That’s when I’m planning to use the 5744

 

[dh1633pm]

I knew that AgPilot. Just added for others that are not using a rifle. I like 5744 in 45 Colt and 45-70, especially with lead bullets. Typo for large rifle above. I edited it above, should be LPP. I load all rounds to be fired in all rifles. I have some that are loaded really low that I mostly use in the 1873. My Rossi doesn't shoot 200 grain bullets very well so I went with the 255's.

 

[EricBu]

5744 is a great 45-70 powder, and good for tier 2 45 Colt. I've used it in .30-30 and .30-06 too with good results. I also suspect it will make a good 35 Remington powder, but haven't tried it. Shooter's World Buffalo Rifle is the pre General Dynamics Accurate 5744. You can get Lovex and Shooters World data for it from the SW website, it's very close, if not the same, as 5744 load data.

 

[GeoDudeFlorida]

Typo for large rifle above. I edited it above, should be LPP. I load all rounds to be fired in all rifles.

I tried that a while back when I got the Ruger M77/44 to go with the RSBH and decided I'd rather have rifle loads and revolver loads since some of my favorite revolver loads won't fit the M77/44 and some of the best rifle loads don't really get good, clean, accurate results in the revolver. It's been pretty easy to keep them separated, so far. And, even if I do accidentally load a LR casing w/ LP, it will still work, it just looks kinda funny. I also have different loads for .30-30 depending on the rifle/pistol they'll be used in. .357Mag, too. It's not hard to keep them straight.

 

[RealGun]

The old standby is Unique, and you can see from the number of posters recommending it, it is a good choice. The standard load is a 250 to 255 lead with 8.5 to 9.0 grains. That shoots to point of impact in all my fixed sight 45 LC revolvers.

I will give an honorable mention to W231, and I have a keg of AA #5, so I developed loads with that. It is a ball powder, the little powder balls clog up the powder bar on my Dillion 550. Other than that, it shoots well.

While Bullseye will shoot well, I would stay away from it, and Titegroup, as it is real easy to double charge Bullseye/Titegroup in this case. I tried Universal and it did not cluster as well as Unique. I am not impressed with it.

Check the throat diameters of your pistol. If they are larger, say 0.454 and up, your pistol will never shoot well with 0.452 cast lead bullets. It will shoot acceptably well with 0.452 JHP. Since I found commercial cast 0.454 bullets, that is what have been using in all my 45 LC pistols. I have included data which shows you cut Unique down to 8.0 grains, it still shoots well. Something else, this pistol has 0.452 cylinder chambers and yet 0.454 lead bullets make little to no difference in velocity, or in point of impact. Which is good.

 M625-9 Mountain Gun 4" Barrel

250 JHP 8.5 grs Unique thrown, W-W cases, WLP primers
18-Mar-07 T = 55 °F V, accurate
Ave Vel = 830
Std Dev = 30
ES= 103.5
High= 893.4
Low= 789.8
Number Shots= 12

255 LSWC (.452") 8.0 grs Unique thrown, lot 6/21/1993Starline cases, WLP primers
25-Mar-07 T = 80 °F accurate
Ave Vel = 800
Std Dev = 30
ES 99.02
High 847.2
Low 748.1
Number Shots 11


250 LRN (.452") Valiant 8.0 grs Unique lot 6/21/1993 thrown, R-P cases, WLP primers
25-Mar 07 T = 80°F accurate
Ave Vel = 814
Std Dev = 24
ES 72.81
High 847
Low 774.2
Number Shots 11


250 LRN (.454") Valiant 8.5 grs Unique thrown lot 5471, 4/3/06, R-P cases, WLP primers


25-Mar-07 T = 80 °F accurate
Ave Vel = 891
Std Dev = 17
ES 61.31
High 921.1
Low 859.8
Number Shots 27

255 LSWC (.452") 8.0 grs Unique lot 6/21/1993 mixed cases WLP (nickel)

23-Sep-07 T = 82 °F

Ave Vel = 802.5
Std Dev = 31.03
ES = 123.5
High = 867.2
Low = 743.6
N = 12

250 LSWC (.452") 10.5 grs AA#5 lot 12599 mixed cases WLP (nickel)

23-Sep-07 T = 82 °F

Ave Vel = 875.1
Std Dev = 19.36
ES = 62.64
High = 905.7
Low = 843
N = 12

250 LSWC (.452") 10.5 grs AA#5 lot 12599 mixed cases Wolf NCLP

23-Sep-07 T = 82 °F

Ave Vel = 826.2
Std Dev = 20.14
ES = 63.38
High = 862.1
Low = 798.7
N = 12

View attachment 1080637

All those loads are hot for Cowboy Action Shooting. Most are shooting significantly below published minimums. I shoot 45 Colt in my rifle but the pistols use Cowboy 45 Special, which is well suited to use of faster powders, very much like 45 ACP. Starline makes the brass.

I have a supply of Trailboss for 45 Colt but will use my jar of True Blue if I run out. Lack of primers though is a real threat to our sport.

 

[Charlie98]

I don’t use it in My Pistol. Trying to find that Perfect Rifle. That’s when I’m planning to use the 5744

You should also consider IMR4227... it's not quite as slow burning as AA5744 or IMR4198, and I've found it very useful in pistol cartridge carbines... it is all I use now in my .41 Marlin.

I recently picked up an H&R Handi in .45 Colt... I run 20-22grn IMR4227, for roughly 1200fps out of the 16" Handi barrel. I could easily go higher, into Ruger-only territory, but I've no reason to at this point.

As soon as I move into rifle cartridges... I reach for the IMR4198 (or AA5744 as an alternate) with cast bullets, including the .45-70.

 

[375supermag]

Hi...
I have quite a few .45Colt revolvers and a Cimarron 1873 lever action octagon barreled rifle. I have not found one yet that won't shoot well with a cast LSWC and 8.0gr of Unique.
I shoot two full size Vaqueros, a Model 25, a Ruger BlackHawk, a Schofield clone, an 1875 Remington clone, a couple of Uberti and Pietta SAA clones and a Super BlackHawk Hunter. I shoot a lot of steel plates at 25yds with those revolvers with very good accuracy...any misses are totally because I messed up. I regularly break small rocks and clay birds on the 25yd berm with those revolvers.
My Super BlackHawk in .45Colt rarely gets shot with that cast bullet load. I generally only shoot it with a near maximum load of 2400 or H110 with a Hornady 250gr XTP bullet.

 

[black mamba]

Fast and bulky is what you want. Red Dot, Green Dot, 700X, American Select, V-N320 are ones I've used.

 

[Grumpy_old_Fart]

Aa5, 4227 are my powders.

I once hit a 100 yard target with one of my sherrifs model vaqueros. One out of 6 isn't bad at a 2' target with a vaquero.