Reloading .45 Colt with black powder.

[Skinny 1950]

I am going to up date to an 1873 .45 Colt reproduction (Uberti El Patron) and want to reload my own black powder cartridges. I already cast for cap and ball but don't have any reloading equipment,can anyone suggest the proper equipment and loads and what type of mold I am going to need?? Thanks for any and all input.

 

[Macgille]

Lee Mold for .45 LC. 230 Gr. RNFB. Lube with your favorite lube. I use Paraffin,bees wax, and Crisco melted together and hardened in the fridge. fill the case to the top and compress with the bullet. Shoots great, doesn't overstress the gun. You will have to clean the bore after 2 cylinders full or the accuracy drops off to nothing.

 

[Skinny 1950]

I forgot that I also want to reload .45ACP for a 1911 that I have is there equipment that can do both???

 

[Macgille]

Go to Lee precision online and get their catalog.

 

[robhof]

I reload for both and you can use the same press, but will need different dies as the acp is shorter and has a smaller rim, the only interchangeable parts are the primers and the bullets, but only the lighter bullets in the acp. You can find powders that will work for both too.

 

[Malamute]

If loading black, you may want a bullet that has fairly large grease grooves. and the "lube of your choice" may be good for smokeless, but not all lubes are created equal regarding use with black powder. The gun should shoot more than 12 rds before accuracy goes south or the gun gums up. There are good recipes for black powder lube, or several good commercial lubes intended for use with black, like SPG.

You may be able to us some of your ACP die set to load 45 Colt, but the shell holder wil be different, as will all the die settings other than sizing because of the length difference, and the crimp may not be good for the Colt round unless it's able to o a heavy roll crimp. Sizing and expanding dies would probably work OK.

Most guys that shoot black much seem to like abut 1/8" of compression of the powder. Many use a compression die (some use the expanding die for this) before seating the bullet so they arent mashing the bullet when seating. Using a drop tube helps get more powder in and settled well.

 

[Skinny 1950]

Thanks for the help with this,I will go on-line and see if I can find more information about the different loading presses available etc. It is going to take me a month to get the gun so I have time to research this. Thanks everyone.

 

[Malamute]

There's a specific black powder cartridge section here,

http://castboolits.gunloads.com/

 

[Skinny 1950]

Malamute.......Thanks for that,I am registering there and will read with interest the posts and comments.

 

[BCRider]

I've got both Lee and Dillon presses. They both have their quirks but both work well once you dial in both yourself and the press.

Your big question is do you go for progressive operation or single stage? Progressive presses are where the shell plate has multiple stations and as you index it around you perform 3 or 4 simultanious operations. So every pull results on a loaded round coming out vs having to do 3 or 4 separate operations as with a single stage press.

For the .45acp I'm guessing that you'll want a progressive press. Now you can still load BP rounds for the .45Colt in such a press but if you want to avoid using the bullet to compress the powder all the way then you may need to make up a drop tube setup to replace the powder dispenser. Or you may want to make up a long extension for the dispenser so it acts like a drop tube. In any event I believe that you may need to get an all metal powder dispenser for safety reasons for use with the black powder. You'll also want to clean up more often to remove the inevitable spillage dust that collects around the shell plate.

Anyhow the choice of if to go with a single stage or a progressive press comes down to how many you'll load and shoot. If it's a once in a while deal then a single stage lets you load about 150 to 180 an hour once you get things smoothed out. A well tuned progressive setup will let you load about 450 to 500'ish an hour. And some folks manage to get this up to around 600 an hour when working well and perhaps using the accessory case and/or bullet feeders.

 

[1KPerDay]

I recommend the Lee Classic Turret... love mine

 

[BullRunBear]

When I load 45 Colt with BP, I put a lubed felt wad under the bullet. This is the same wad I use with C&B revolvers. I gives me at least 4 cylinders worth of shooting before I need to clean the cylinder face. It lets me use the same cast bullets I use for smokeless 45 Colt loads.

I happen to use a Lee single stage press for the BP loads because I manually press in the wad with a dowel and this isn't volume reloading. Most of the time I use a Lee Classic turret press, one of the best values out there unless you need a full progressive press. I don't.

These BP cartridges are a lot of fun, so have a good time.

Jeff

 

[NineMilePete]

45 Colt Black-Powder Loads

Just a Tip:
Check out the "Big-Lube" bullets from Dick Dastardly. Works very well with the 45 Cowboy Special Brass. Shot 50 rounds at the range the other day. No apprecialbe fouling issues, no loss of accuracy.

 

[Jaymo]

+1 Big Lube Bullets.

I have Lee and RCBS presses. I like them both. Lee gives you more for the money. My Lee cast iron O frame press cost less than my aluminum RCBS press and is a lot bigger press, with higher capacity.
I plan on using my self cast Lee 230 grain .452 truncated cone bullets in my EAA BBBH, with lubed felt wads or lube cookies behind the bullets.

 

[Mr Woody]

Don't over complicate your life.
Start with a quality 'C' press. As a beginner this will load anything you want and give you experience in reloading.
Buy the correct dies for the cartridge you are loading.
230 to 250 gr bullet with the large grooves to hold lots of grease over 28 to 32 gr of 2f black. Load it together and shoot it for awhile.

After you gain some experience you may adjust to you liking but this will get you going.