Super Redhawk 45 colt hot loads

[Texasgrillchef]

Thanks for all the input.

I don’t really like the hard to ignite position sensitive powders such as H110/W296.

I am going to make some rounds using both #5 and 2400 with various loads for both the 14k and 30k colt rounds.
Like I have said I haven’t started loading the 454 Casull rounds. For my Colt rounds 14k and 30k, I use several projectiles. 250gr FMJ, 205gr Lehigh defense XD and 250gr XP from Lehigh defense plus the 300gr projectile I mentioned before.

Lehigh Defense has the load data for both 2400 and #5, both for 14k and 30k loads.

Of course I will start with minimum loads and work up from there.

Once I find the best load for each projectile, that I like the best, then and only then do I plan on starting to work my 454 loads.

 

[Texasgrillchef]

you won't like that "medium" load for shooting paper targets. that load will probably become your "heavy" load. the 14k load, while still stout, will be the one you can shoot all day and will be good for paper punching.

luck,

murf

Well lol, when I go to shoot with my Redhawk, I usually shoot about 200 rounds. About 100 rounds of the light 14k loads, about 60 of the 30k rounds, and about 40 of the 454 Casull rounds. Heavy recoil doesn’t bother me any, I actually enjoy shooting hand canons!

 

[Varminterror]

@Texasgrillchef - which 45 colt dies do you have?

 

[Texasgrillchef]

@Texasgrillchef - which 45 colt dies do you have?

Hornady custom grade

 

[Dudedog]

I don’t really like the hard to ignite position sensitive powders such as H110/W296.

Only you can say what you like and don't like, no one else can decide that for you, so if you don't like it don't use it.

However...
Don't own a .45 Colt but from a .357 mag standpoint
H110/W296 does one thing and only one thing well, make full power mag pistol loads. It does these really well IMO.
(edit, forgot about .30 carbine....that's what it was designed for...)
In .357 at least at recommend charges the case is pretty full so no position sensitivity issues for me.
Yes it needs a mag primer and is harder to ignite, but with a mag primer and a good crimp it works fine. So mag primer, pull trigger it ignites, goes bang, not hard really.
It's not spikey and seems well behaved if used at the charges it was designed for,

Hodgdon lists it for 30K PSI .45 Colt loads and for .454 loads.
Since it makes great .357 FP mag loads if I had a .454 it would be one of the first powders I would try for full power .454 loads.

As others have mentioned since you are talking about 3 very different loads a lower pressure .45 Colt load and High Pressure "Ruger only" load and the .454 loads you
really need to be looking a 2 more likely 3 powders.
Just like a Ferrari might be fun to drive on the weekend on a curvy road up in the mountains, it won't work well to haul hay, or won't work well for grocery store trips.
Probably not real good at driving up the rutted dirt road to the farm house either.

Vice grips or Channel locks have there uses but usually not the best choice to use on bolts on that Ferrari, you want a box end wrench or a socket.
In the grand scheme of things powder is cheap, pick 3 flavors designed for what you want to do and buy them.
Worst case you try a couple flavors for each load to find one that works well for you so maybe $150 in powder.

Never used Nitro 100 but it is listed as way fast and IMO the only thing the really fast powders are good for is light loads (and even for those I prefer something slower around AA#2 or HP38)


Choose wisely, have fun, and be safe.

 

[Varminterror]

It is exceptionally ironic you have a fear of H110/W296, while you were fully content to plan on firing Nitro 100 with nearly empty cases.

H110/W296 is pretty straight forward - fill the case and stick a bulletin over it. I’m not sure you can even fit enough of it into a 45colt case to damage a Redhawk, let alone a 454casull Super Redhawk. Follow the book, it’s no more dangerous than a handful of other powders, and frankly would be safer than your original plan with Nitro.

 

[Varminterror]

Hornady custom grade

What diameter of bullets are you using for both? I assume .452” jacketed.

The Hornady 45colt set will load 454 casull as well. The expander and seating die in the 45colt and 454casull sets are the same, only the sizing die has a different part number, indicative of a deeper chamber in the casull die, but Ruger chambers aren’t so tight they cannot use 454casull ammo loaded with the 45colt dies.

 

[Texasgrillchef]

What diameter of bullets are you using for both? I assume .452” jacketed.

The Hornady 45colt set will load 454 casull as well. The expander and seating die in the 45colt and 454casull sets are the same, only the sizing die has a different part number, indicative of a deeper chamber in the casull die, but Ruger chambers aren’t so tight they cannot use 454casull ammo loaded with the 45colt dies.

Well jacketed on 2 projectiles, the other two are solid copper. The solid copper are 451. The jacketed actually measure 452

 

[Obturation]

I've dabbled in 45 colt since 2005, tried any number of loads and several powders. What i do to simplify my loading (also load 454 casull) is make just 1 45 colt load so i know its safe in any of my other revolvers and a mistake doesn't become likely - wouldnt want a hot one to find its way into the wrong cylinder. Then anything hot is loaded in casull brass with h110 and a rem 7 1/2 primer. I never had any issue with h110 because i treat it properly and hand weigh each charge. I only produce 2 loads in 454, a 300 grain xtp @ 1475 +/- fps and a 360 grain hardcast @ 1550 +/- fps.
For general use a 250 grain hardcast @ 800 fps is just fine, it killed in 1873 just as well as it does today. The best thing about 45 colt is that its been around so long that its all been done. From my years with the 45 colt my best advice would be to just keep it light to moderate and have fun. When you feel you may want the casulls power then use it. I dont see the need for much in the middle if you have the option of using 454.
- if you are interested in my specific load data i will share it.

 

[Texasgrillchef]

all of my loads light or heavy +P or otherwise are clearly marked. So their is no mistaking which loads go in which gun. I do that with all the different calibers that i load.

They all go in different boxes as well.

 

[Varminterror]

@Obturation has a good point. There’s a lot of sense in loading everything higher than SAAMI pressure into 454casull brass.

While I do personally load quite a bit of 45colt Ruger Only ammo, it’s not used in my 454casulls, only in my 45colt revolvers. Having 3 loads doesn’t make too much sense, especially for plinking which it sounds like is your primary use, but having two under length loads for your cylinder and one standard length makes even less sense for me. I load over a dozen revolver cartridges, all of my “below max” loads are still in max length brass.

Most new reloaders are convinced they have a plan to avoid misidentifying ammunition. Which works until it doesn’t. For example, when a shelf collapses in their reloading room, boxes hit the floor, and ammo scatters. In some instances, that’s a mild annoyance. In others, it can be a significant safety concern - and often, ammo ends up getting torn down. It sounds like you’re not loading much right now, so it’s pretty easy to manage, but you’re getting good advice from folks who have been doing this for decades before you had the idea to try it. It’s worth more than what you paid.

 

[Walkalong]

Which works until it doesn’t.

Yep.

 

[murf]

texasgrillchef, let us know how things are going. I, for one, am interested in your results as well as your process.

luck,

murf

 

[Texasgrillchef]

@Obturation has a good point. There’s a lot of sense in loading everything higher than SAAMI pressure into 454casull brass.

While I do personally load quite a bit of 45colt Ruger Only ammo, it’s not used in my 454casulls, only in my 45colt revolvers. Having 3 loads doesn’t make too much sense, especially for plinking which it sounds like is your primary use, but having two under length loads for your cylinder and one standard length makes even less sense for me. I load over a dozen revolver cartridges, all of my “below max” loads are still in max length brass.

That makes good sense. I have three guns that can fire Colt 45 rounds. 2 of the three can only fire standard pressure 14k rounds. Only the Super Redhawk 454 can fire the 30k and 454 Casull rounds.

So for practicality and for safety i should load all the 30k and 454 rounds in the Casull cases.

Leaving those 14k 45 colt rounds in their cases for my two 45 Colts that cant handle the higher pressures.

I load the two higher loads because my girlfriend doesnt like the full recoil very well of a full normal load 454 Casull. She can however handle the 30k loads much much better. Shooting large melons with 30k rounds is much more fun then 14k rounds! Lol

@Obturation
Most new reloaders are convinced they have a plan to avoid misidentifying ammunition. Which works until it doesn’t. For example, when a shelf collapses in their reloading room, boxes hit the floor, and ammo scatters. In some instances, that’s a mild annoyance. In others, it can be a significant safety concern - and often, ammo ends up getting torn down. It sounds like you’re not loading much right now, so it’s pretty easy to manage, but you’re getting good advice from folks who have been doing this for decades before you had the idea to try it. It’s worth more than what you paid.

Lol well i have spilled all sorts of stuff let me tell ya! Lol i also keep ammo storage separate from my ammo storage as well.

But i agree all awesome advice! Which is much appreciated.

For the 30k loads and 454 loads i am going to try several powders from accurate #9 to TCM to Enforcer and see what i can achieve with good loads.-

 

[Walkalong]

So for practicality and for safety i should load all the 30k and 454 rounds in the Casull cases.

Leaving those 14k 45 colt rounds in their cases for my two 45 Colts that cant handle the higher pressures.

Two thumbs up.

 

[murf]

that is, by far, the best way to do this.

murf

 

[Varminterror]

Most new reloaders are convinced they have a plan to avoid misidentifying ammunition. Which works until it doesn’t. For example, when a shelf collapses in their reloading room, boxes hit the floor, and ammo scatters.

I wasn’t clear earlier, but this was my experience in my reloading room last week. Have had that ammo shelf in 5 different reloading rooms over the last 20yrs and it has held strong in this house the last almost 11years, but suddenly one of the shelf pins sheared through. I spent half of my morning last weekend repairing the shelf with new steel pins, and then the other half re-sorting ammo. Thankfully it was just my “using ammo” shelf, so only a few thousand rounds hit the floor, but they did crush a few boxes, and I had hundreds of rounds to sort and repackage.

Crap happens, and no matter how well organized and labeled things might be when they are organized and labeled, sometimes “life finds a way.”

 

[Dudedog]

Most new reloaders are convinced they have a plan to avoid misidentifying ammunition. Which works until it doesn’t.

Yep,
Murphy is out there lurking in the shadows or hiding under the bench.....

 

[Texasgrillchef]

I wasn’t clear earlier, but this was my experience in my reloading room last week. Have had that ammo shelf in 5 different reloading rooms over the last 20yrs and it has held strong in this house the last almost 11years, but suddenly one of the shelf pins sheared through.

Exactly why i dont store any ammo or projectiles on shelves that hang on the wall. I have one of those heavy duty shelves that are used at home depot/lowes. And even then all ammo and projectiles are stored in metal military surplus ammo cans on the bottom most shelf. Each can also has a locking padlock on it too. Been storing ammo there for years and have yet to have a mishap. (Knock on wood) each ammo can marked in military style what is inside the can -

What mishaps i have had is spilled empty cases and powder all over the place! Uggh spilled powder is such a pita!

Empty clean cases are now stores in metal military surplus ammo cans as well. I havent found a good solution yet to storing powder yet.

 

[Texasgrillchef]

I have a preference for Western Powders. Partly because i can get Western powders at half price. Thus the preference.

Thoughts on TCM or Enforcer for the high pressure colts and 454 Casull loads? Or maybe a different western powder? Western seems to be toutint both of those as good powders to use for those calibers.

For the 454 Casull the projectiles i have is a 250grain FMJ FN and a 350gr FN Solid Copper.

 

[FROGO207]

Just Mabe you got that Nitro 100 because the previous owner found it was useless for their needs as well. If memory serves me it is used mostly for 410 loading.