New reloading guy with .45 LC load question

[DonP]

I'm totally new to reloading and am doing my first batch of .45 Long Colt now on a Lee Turret press with their auto disk feature.

I'm using Titegroup powder, a 250 lead flat point bullet with large CCI pistol primers. The auto disk calls for using the .46 cc setting on the Lee manual.

My question, as a real newbie to all this, is that the amount of Titegroup that is going into each case with the auto disk seems miniscule and just rattles around loose in the big case.

Am I doing something wrong? Will it fire with the powder filling such a small proportion of the casing? Or is there a filler of some kind that I an supposed to use to fill the rest of that big .45 Colt case with?

I wanted to check before I seat the first bullets or make a major mistake.

Thanks guys.

Don

 

[HSMITH]

I hope you weighed the charge thrown to be sure it is within the range of safe charges for the load.........

The 45 Colt case is CAVERNOUS for a fast powder like Titegroup. Just a guess tells me that you are only filling about 20% of available capacity, quite common with fast powders. No filler is needed, and it will work fine. The powder you are using, as well as some of the other Hodgdon powders, are not very sensitive to position in the case at all. That is not the case with all powders though.

If you don't have a scale to verify that the volume to weight ratio of the particular lot of powder you are working with is close enough to "normal" please stop and don't start until you get one. I throw every single charge I use, and find it to be the best method, but I have seen volumetric suggestions such as Lee provides be off from actual thrown weights enough to be a problem. You must check weights each time you change volume, or powder lots. I have seen significant variations from can to can of the exact same powder, just different lot #'s. Trying not to sound like a sermon here, I just want you to have the information you might need. If you already knew this please excuse me.

 

[Quantrill]

I agree with HSMITH especially about having a scale. If all you are using is a volumetric device, I would think that a scale should be in your very near future. Quantrill

 

[HogRider]

Just looked through some of my personal notes from several calibers. I have weighed those with 2 different scales:

Disk .40 ~ 4.3g Titegroup
Disk .46 ~ 4.5 -4.6g Titegroup

Disk .57 ~ 6.0g Titegroup -
This is one of my favorite loads in the 45 LC. OAL ~ 1.60 Bullet: 255g Keith design, Hard cast.
I shoot from a 45 Ruger Vaquero and this load feels smooth and is very accurate and consistent. Although this is a soft target load for my Ruger,I would check if this load is OK in SAA Colt and clones.

Note: One of the nice features of Titegroup is, that it is very consistent even in lower loads and doesn't seem to be effected by powder position in the case or temperature, like so many others. No filler needed.

 

[Jim Watson]

You must have a scale to check your powder measure against.
.46 CC is not an adequate specification for a load; powder charges are specified by weight.

That said:
First, .45 Colt was originally a black powder cartridge; ANY load of smokeless is going to leave airspace, a light target load will leave a LOT.
Second, Titegroup is made for light target loads and is supposed to be less sensitive to position in the case. (In my tests in .44-40 it was less position sensitive than 231 but more than 700X, so it ain't magic.)
Third, per HogR, .46 CC of Titegroup is some where around 4.5 grains; which is BELOW the Hodgdon starting Cowboy load. I would refer to a real Hodgdon manual - the Cowboy leaflet would be best - and consider coming up a bit.

And get a scale.

 

[DonP]

Thanks guys

I do have a scale and will check the firsty five to ten loads the auto disk throws to be sure it's consistent. Then I'll check every fourth or fifth load to be sure they are still throwing consistently.

I will probably move up the the disk # .57 load, recommended by HogRider. I do have the latest Hodgdon book and will go to the cowboy loads to see what they have to say.

My big fear was that I was doing something terribly wrong with the load in that big old case. Understanding the black powder origins makes it all pretty clear and logical. As long as the powder isn't that sensitized to its position in the case, I'll be fine.

BTW I'll be shooting it in my Cimarron Model "P" (with interchangeable cylinders for .45 LC and .45 ACP) and my Rossi '92 in .45 LC.

You have helped immensely guys, so thanks again.

Don