Powder suggestions for 45 Long Colt

[wiiawiwb]

Brand new to reloading and am starting to buy equipment and supplies. I have a Ruger SRH Toklat with a 5" barrel that shoots 454 Casull and 45LC. What powder would you recommend for loading the 45LC for shooting at the range?

I've poured through various threads and heard TrailBoss, Unique and Universal mentioned often but have no experience to judge any of them. My preference is not to load anything too warm, like H110, until I get experience under my belt.

Also, can I use the brass from factory rounds I've shot and kept thus far? They are Federal, Herters, and HSM Cowboy Action Cartridges.

 

[Cheesemaker]

Unique is a good powder to start with. Start low (8.0ish grains) and work up to something that works well.

A lot depends on the bullets - lead stuff - keep velocity down (typically, hardness of lead and bore size vs bullet diameter come into play), if increasing the velocity with lead think about gas checks. Or go copper jacketed.

Not sure I would advocate H110 in a 45 Colt case (it is a great powder for 454 Casull, just watch the published minimum charge and do not go below it). Undercharging H110 can cause issues. H110 requires a full'ish charge which means higher pressure/velocity.....typically.

 

[cfullgraf]

I have used Unique the most in 45 Colt but have used Accurate #5 and am planning to try 700-X.

 

[Rule3]

Unique and HP38 for "normal" rounds

Ruger only loads can use higher pressure rounds.

Yes the brass is all good. Cowboy loads are just lesser charge but the brass is the same.

Check your load manuals or online powder sites for the difference between non Ruger and Ruger loads.

 

[Buck13]

Not quite the same, but also a hig-volume case originally for black powder: in light .32-20 rounds I had good results with AA #5. It seemed less position-sensitive than Unique.

 

[Walkalong]

H 110 is not suitable for .45 Colt except at "Ruger Only" levels.

For standard loads you'll want fast to medium speed powders for .45 Colt.

Red Dot, AA #2, W-231/HP-38, Unique, Universal, True Blue, AA #5, N340, etc etc.

 

[exbrit49]

for me its Unique

Been loading the 45 Colt for a long time and tried various powders, Always came back to Unique, Originally started at 8.0 gr and worked up from there, Not recommending a load, but for me with range testing and the trusty Chrono, I found my best load to be 8.9 Gr behind a 250 gr Flat round nose.
In my Blackahwk its a very accurate load with enough oomph to let you know you just let loose a 45 Colt.

 

[wiiawiwb]

How is TrailBoss? I've heard some say it is good for greenhorns like me as it is difficult to double load because of the volume.

 

[J-Bar]

I have never used Trail Boss. Quite a few of my Cowboy Action Shooting pards have tried it. Some have problems with it metering properly.

For smokeless powder loads, I like Titegroup because it was designed for use in large volume cases.

For the most fun, use black powder or a substitute. A 200 + grain bullet getting pushed by a case full of black powder is an impressive load. Don't be fooled by Hollywood movies. When you touch off a historically correct .45 Colt load, you will know that something has happened.

 

[Jesse Heywood]

Brand new to reloading and am starting to buy equipment and supplies.

Have you invested in a reloading manual? I recommend one before purchasing any equipment or supplies. Far better source than the net. Lyman's 49th is a very good buy at $20. One of the most used tools in the box.

 

[ljnowell]

In that gun I imagine that lower end Ruger only loads with 2400 would be quite pleasant to shoot.

If you were looking for real standard 45 colt I would look at AA#2, 700x, AA#5, etc.

 

[Henry45]

TrailBoss is easy to load, and a blast to shoot. I load on a 650 and have no problems with metering at all.. Unique is what I use for more power.....

 

[USSR]

The beauty of the .45 Colt is, you can almost grind up charcoal and use that. For light loads, any powder suitable for 12 gauge target loads (red dot, 700X, etc.) work well. For medium power loads, Unique, W231, AA#5, and HS-6 are all good. For heavier loads (1000 - 1100fps), I use 2400 and 4227.

Don

 

[BSA1]

I burn a lot of 700-X in mid-range cowboy loads.

 

[rcmodel]

The classic .45 Colt load is the Keith 250 LSWC over 8.5 grains Unique.

Try it, you'll like it!!

rc

 

[Don McDowell]

Unigue was my favored powder for about 40 years, with occasional wondering off to 231,2400 and 4227. Then I got into a bunch of bludot and haven't looked back.
Trailboss makes for full case loads that you can't double charge, but I've never found the accuracy with it I can get from the other powders.
For pure D fun and to see why that old cartridge lasted so long load it up with 37 grs of Goex 3f and the Remington bulk 250 gr lead bullet..

 

[Ifishsum]

Unique gets my vote as top smokeless choice, but there many other powders suitable for standard .45 Colt loads. Goex FFFg is loads of fun as well if you don't mind the cleanup.

 

[Trek]

I think that Trailboss would be a great powder for you to start with. I use it all the time for light cowboy action type loads. Like you said, it is such a bulky powder that it is difficult to accidentally double charge the cartridge with it. These old cartridges like the 45 colt and the 38 special started out as black powder cartridges, so they have lots of volume, and it is easy to double charge them, and if you are not paying close attention, you may never notice it until you shoot it. Even a Super Redhawk can be blown up by too much of a very fast powder. Remember the safety rules of reloading. Get a good reloading manual and use the published loads in it. Start with the starting load, never go above the published maximum load, and inspect the powder charge inside every case before you seat the bullet to make sure they are all at the same level. When you are starting out, I recommend using exactly the same components that were used in the published manual. Like Jesse, I recommend the latest Lyman manual. If you will be shooting a lot of cast bullets, you will also want to get Lyman's Cast Bullet Reloading Manual also. Also, you can find lots of good loads, including "Cowboy Action" loads on the official Hodgdon Web site, to augment (not replace) the hard copy published loading manual. Another good how-to book is The ABC's of Reloading.

http://www.hodgdon.com/

 

[VINTAGE-SLOTCARS]

Unique with 250 gr bullet, been my favorite combo since 1973. For "Ruger only" H110 puts out an awesome magnum load.

 

[Doc Rizzi]

I use 5.0 g of trail boss under a 250 grain lead bullet for cowboy action shooting. Very nice load. It meters fine out of the Dillon.....not so well out of the RCBS powder measure.

 

[ROAshooter]

unique

 

[TimSr]

Unique is #1, there are half a dozen others that make a great 2nd choice for stsndard 45LC loads.

Brass from factory loads are my first choice. I've never purchased new brass, and don't much se ethe point, when it often costs more than factor ammo.

"Double charging" is talked about so much that new reloaders are scared to death that if they turn their back for half a second, their powder measure will start dropping extra charges in a plot to blow them up. You didn't mention what system you are reloading with, but double charging is hard to do if you are halfway paying attention to what you are doing, especially if you are using a single stage system. If you have to, you can weight every charge until you are confident with your equipment. If you think Trail Boss is a powder that gives you great results, then by all means use it, but I'd never select a powder because it claims to be idiot proof. A double charge of any powder will be obvious if you look at it and compare it to good charge.

 

[wiiawiwb]

I am brand new to reloading so I will be measuring every load on the scale and hand dumping it into the brass. Yesterday, I went to a buddy of mine and he showed me his equipment. Impressive. Three SSPs and a Dillon 650.

He has several powder metering dispensers and showed me how they worked and we measured and made a dozen 9mm bullets by hand. I will migrate in that direction once I have done a number of rounds and know my manual technique is sound.

I also went to a local gun dealer who is the "go to" place to get reloading supplies in my area. It's interesting to read which powders everyone prefers using and which ones work well and which ones don't. The simple truth is that around here you have to get what is available not what you want. I haven't loaded yet but have gotten three powders so far to start using once I get my equipment. I've gotten Unique, HS-6 and 700-X. I want to get AA-5, Universal, and TrailBoss but nobody has it so I am on a list for those.

 

[1911Tuner]

8.5-9.0 grains Unique with 250-260 grain cast bullets.

2400 for "Ruger Only" loads...in moderation...and only middle of the road data. Never top end. If 250 grains at 1200 fps won't git'r'done, another 150 fps won't likely do it, either.

Beyond about 1200, more speed serves mainly to flatten trajectory. I've always felt that if you need more killing power, you need more bullet rather than more velocity.

 

[stoky]

Trail Boss is great for .45 LC, IMO. Besides preventing double charging, it minimizes the variable of where the powder and where the space is when the cartridge is fired. It's so fluffy that static can be a problem in measures. Wiping the inside of the plastic reservoirs with an old dryer sheet can help with this.
Clays is another good choice for .45 LC.
Blackhawks notwithstanding, if you want to load hot, you should get yourself a .44 Mag.