Recommendations... 45 colt, Projectiles

[Texasgrillchef]

Anyone have any recommendations for bullets for a 45 Colt using with Black Powder?
250 - 300 grain range, something maybe I can order from Midway, Natchez, Grafs, or from Bass Pro/Cabellas?

No, not really interested in casting my own bullets.

Also... cleaning of the gun afterwards, same method (chemicals) that I use to clean the gun when I shoot normal smokeless powder FMJ or Jhp’s? If not recommendations?

Is it ok when at the target range to mix shooting BP with Smokeless FMJ’s?

 

[expat_alaska]

Cleaning of the gun afterwards, same method (chemicals) that I use to clean the gun when I shoot normal smokeless powder FMJ or Jhp’s? If not recommendations?

For BP, hot soapy water, dry all cleaned parts, liberal application of Ballistol. Smokeless powder solvents like Hoppe's #9 don't work with BP.

Is it ok when at the target range to mix shooting BP with Smokeless FMJ’s?

Why would you do that? Keep it separate.

Regards,

Jim

 

[BullRunBear]

I use the Missouri Bullets Cowboy #1 250 gr. RNFP for smokeless and BP cartridges. There is another version just for cowboy action shooting velocities that I don't use. I put a lubed wad between the powder and the bullet.

Black powder should be cleaned with water, usually hot with a drop of dish soap. That's what I use for all the muzzleloaders. Make sure it's dry then oil as usual.

Remember to clean the cases also. I pop the spent primer and put them in hot soapy water and use a nylon bore brush to clean them inside and out. Just takes a few seconds per case. I let them air dry. The brass will be stained but they can be cleaned up, if you care, by wet tumbling with steel pins.

No reason not to use smokeless and BP rounds in the same session. You might have to wipe the face of the cylinder if fouling builds up.

Jeff

 

[TheOutlawKid]

If you mix loads i would choose a lube that works with both smokeless and black powder. SPG for store brand...or make your own Gatofeo #1 lube. These lubes will keep fouling soft and can be used with smokeless. As far as keeping fouling low you can look into Big Lube bullets. Tons of shooters swear by them...personally i cast my own custom large lube grooved bullets but i enjoy casting. Water is best for black powder but it doesnt have to be hot...and i use "LA Totally Awesome" mixed with distilled water in a spray bottle
..it cuts through fouling and waxy grease lubes leaving your guns very clean, and afterwards i use Barricade for a rust preventer. I make my own corrosive primer mix and percussion caps so i have to work harder than most to keep my guns clean and rust free and this combo works best for me and ive tried just about everything. To give you an example of how well it cleans...i have some white bristled brushes used to clean baby bottles and use them to clean little nooks and crannies of my guns and they got stained from black powder fouling and the waxy lubes used to keep fouling soft. I tried everything to get them clean...even carb and break cleaner. Nothing worked. I sprayed them with L.A. Totally Awesome and it cleaned them so well they looked new again...yet its safe on bluing and gentle on skin. Its a household cleaner and found only at Dollar stores. Invest the dollar to try it out...i mix half and half with distilled water in a spray bottle and have yet to use anything better.

 

[Texasgrillchef]

I use the Missouri Bullets Cowboy #1 250 gr. RNFP for smokeless and BP cartridges. There is another version just for cowboy action shooting velocities that I don't use. I put a lubed wad between the powder and the bullet.

Black powder should be cleaned with water, usually hot with a drop of dish soap. That's what I use for all the muzzleloaders. Make sure it's dry then oil as usual.

Remember to clean the cases also. I pop the spent primer and put them in hot soapy water and use a nylon bore brush to clean them inside and out. Just takes a few seconds per case. I let them air dry. The brass will be stained but they can be cleaned up, if you care, by wet tumbling with steel pins.

No reason not to use smokeless and BP rounds in the same session. You might have to wipe the face of the cylinder if fouling builds up.

Jeff

Thanks the two guns I might be using, is a barrel derringer in 45 colt, and a lever action mares leg.
So no cylinder to worry about. The derringer is easy. I have an ultrasound machine to clean the stainless steel barrel. Does a great job. As far as lead and smokeless powders goes. Don’t know how well it will do with BP though. The mares leg is all hand cleaning.

I use both ultrasound and dry tumbling for brass. At least with smokeless. I de prime my brass, run the ultra sound. Dry the brass. Then run through the dry tumbler for an hour for a final shine. I do this as soon as I get back from the range. 2 hours and they are done and shiny! Hopping that will still work with BP

 

[Qweevox]

I cast my own bullets and make my own black powder. It's just too cheap, easy, and convenient to do. ...I do buy caps. So.

I also use warm water and Ballistol to clean my guns, because I'm an odd animal that actually likes the smell.

 

[.38 Special]

I use Big Lube bullets in the .45 Colt with BP. I cast the "PRS 45 Cal 250 grain Big Lube" bullets of pure lead or 1/40, lube them with SPG or Gatofeo #1, and load them ahead of whatever charge of FFFg gives me 1/8" or so of compression. (The actual charge depends upon the case being used.) I do not use a wad. I have come across a few sources for pre-cast versions of this bullet but never have bought any. They are available from http://www.whyteleatherworks.com/BigLube.html.

I personally no longer mix cast bullets with jacketed. It usually works but I find that sometimes a normally well-behaved gun will lead badly if there is copper in the bore.

I clean with hot water to get most of the gunk off and then detail with Ballistol. Any leading of the bore is scraped out with Chore Boy copper wool. I have a bright stainless Vaquero that is my "BP" gun, as it is very easy to clean and close to rust-proof.

 

[.38 Special]

With regard to brass cleaning, the ultrasound and tumbling routine will get them clean enough to reload without harming your dies, but the brass will be ugly and stained.

The black powder cartridge rifle shooters have devoted a lot of time to figuring out how to clean brass used with BP. To the best of my knowledge, the "standard" method is to bring a jug of soapy water with them to the range. Some of them add a bit of vinegar to the water as well, but some claim that such a solution will etch the brass if left too long. When the brass is removed from the gun it is dumped into the jug and left there until the shooter gets home. Then the brass is wet-tumbled with ceramic media (add enough water to cover the media, then a squirt of dish soap and a pinch of trisodium phosphate.) This apparently results in bright, shiny brass.

That all sounds like way too much work to me, so I just use nickeled brass from Starline and dry-tumble them after each use. They stay looking like new, and I always know that if I'm looking at cartridges with nickeled cases they are loaded with BP.

 

[Texasgrillchef]

With regard to brass cleaning, the ultrasound and tumbling routine will get them clean enough to reload without harming your dies, but the brass will be ugly and stained.

The black powder cartridge rifle shooters have devoted a lot of time to figuring out how to clean brass used with BP. To the best of my knowledge, the "standard" method is to bring a jug of soapy water with them to the range. Some of them add a bit of vinegar to the water as well, but some claim that such a solution will etch the brass if left too long. When the brass is removed from the gun it is dumped into the jug and left there until the shooter gets home. Then the brass is wet-tumbled with ceramic media (add enough water to cover the media, then a squirt of dish soap and a pinch of trisodium phosphate.) This apparently results in bright, shiny brass.

That all sounds like way too much work to me, so I just use nickeled brass from Starline and dry-tumble them after each use. They stay looking like new, and I always know that if I'm looking at cartridges with nickeled cases they are loaded with BP.

it’s a shame 45 colt doesn’t have a +p moniker for those 30k heavy loads stamped on some. As I currently use my starline nickel brass to distinguish my heavy loads.

if I knew of another company that made 45 colt nickel brass that would be awesome.

In 45acp I have 3 versions of nickel brass, Hornady and starline and starline +p lol

 

[Navy Six 2]

Make sure your bullets contain a black powder friendly lube. Don't even consider using the commercial stuff(looks like a kid's crayon) intended for smokeless. The lube groove itself should be large in order to contain plenty of the lube. There is a good reason some have mentioned the "Big Lube" brand of bullets. They have generous lube grooves as the name implies. An outfit called Whytes Leatherworks have been offering them for several years. Desperado Bullets also offers something intended for black powder loading.

 

[DocRock]

Big Lube J/P 200 grs. The 250 grs PRS mentioned above as well. I get them from Whyte Leatherworks pre-lubed with SPG black powder lube. Best bullets by far for 45LC BP loads. Keep fouling nice and soft. I run Schofields for CAS and can do a 6 stage match without having to clean.

 

[rodwha]

The lube groove itself should be large in order to contain plenty of the lube. There is a good reason some have mentioned the "Big Lube" brand of bullets.

I have a 7.5” ROA and a 5.5” NMA and created bullet designs with Accurate Molds, and a part of my design is a single shallow and narrow groove that I use Gatofeo’s #1 lube in. It’s been plenty for all day (up to 8 hrs) shooting and I use both 3F Triple 7 and Olde Eynsford powders. I’ve never seen the need for a lot of lube, but maybe that’s because even Olde E leaves less fouling than most common powders. And my weighed charges of Olde E are 33 grns in the NMA and 38 in the ROA so these aren’t light loads (measure set at 30 and 35).

This is my 195 grn bullet:

http://accuratemolds.com/bullet_detail.php?bullet=45-195C-D.png

 

[treedoc1]

If you use American Pioneer Powder (APP) a black powder sub, you can use smokeless lube bullets and not have to worry about keeping track of black powder specific lubed bullets. You still get the smoke, but lose the flame. 45 colt load I use is 2.2 cc dipper of your powder 2F or 3F, then either a 200 gr or 250 gr RNFP. That size will compress the powder nicely. Check Missouri Bullet Company.

 

[.38 Special]

it’s a shame 45 colt doesn’t have a +p moniker for those 30k heavy loads stamped on some. As I currently use my starline nickel brass to distinguish my heavy loads.

if I knew of another company that made 45 colt nickel brass that would be awesome.

In 45acp I have 3 versions of nickel brass, Hornady and starline and starline +p lol

I use LBT designs exclusively for my "hot" .45 Colt loads. The cartridges are immediately distinguishable by the big flat-pointed bullets. It has gotten to the point that when I see a cartridge loaded with them my wrist gives a little twinge. Pavlov would have been delighted!

 

[Cowhide Cliff]

I use the 200 grain JP big lubes for Cowboy action shooting. Very accurate and can shoot all day with them. The PRS 250 grain work well also.

 

[perldog007]

Back before these sidewinders turned me into a coalburner I had great success with a 255 gr Keith from Buffalo bore and Lee Loader. Cant remember the charge, but one of their suggested charges was sweet in my 25-5 N Frame 6" .45 Colt.
Never chronographed them, should have been 800fps(ish) by the data on the laoding chart. My goal was 700fps for goofing off in the woods but the 'hotter' charge grouped better for me. I only used stock grips and a cheap rest though so maybe a fluke.
But anyway, those should smack anything you need smacked.

 

[woodnbow]

Anything you smack with that will stay smacked.

 

[Driftwood Johnson]

Howdy

You might want to read this post I posted a few years ago, specifically about loading cartridges with Black Powder.

Unfortunately a lot of the photos are not coming through any more because of my headaches with photobucket.

https://www.thehighroad.org/index.php?threads/shooting-black-powder-in-cartridge-guns.821193/

Here is another thread where I have some comments on loading cartridges with Black Powder.

https://www.thehighroad.org/index.php?threads/powder-for-cartridge-blk-powder-guns.862489/


If you don't want to read the whole thing, go with the Big Lube bullets. Lube them with SPG. I have a particular fondness for the JP 200 Big Lube bullet because I designed it. No, I do not get any money for that.

Read what I have to say about cleaning up after BP.

About cleaning the brass, I just dump the empties into a jug of water at the end of the day. A jug of water with a splash of dish soap. No vinegar, that's it, just a splash of dish soap. I air dry them for a day or two, then tumble them in a standard tumbler with standard crushed walnut shells. Yes, the brass does come out looking stained. Who cares? I have said for years the shiny brass does not shoot any better than stained brass, it is just easier to find in the grass when you eject it from your rifle. Although my brass is stained, it is clean. There is a difference between stained and dirty.