Taurus Judge in .45 Colt reloading question

[mastiffhound]

My dad has a Taurus Judge and Rossi Circuit Judge in .45 Colt. Being that this is the great knowledge forum I need a answer. Being that .45 acp bullets are coming up cheaper around my neck of the woods has anyone used them in either of these two Judges? If so how was the accuracy? He has been getting minute of 2-liter Coke bottle accuracy at 50 yards with the Rossi, which I think is pretty good considering all of the "A Circuit Judge couldn't hit the broad side of a barn" speak. I would really like to hear some experience with these if any. I'm not talking about 1 inch groups at 100 yards, just reasonable accuracy at 50 to 75 yards.

I have to start reloading for him because of his severe arthritis. His birthday is coming up and would like to give him some new brass that is freshly loaded. I can't ask him but when I was a kid I would swear that he used 230 gr .45 acp bullets in his old colt? Anyways, thank you guys for all the help!

 

[56hawk]

I have loaded 230 grain 45 ACP bullets in 45 Colt and they shoot as good as anything else. However I have yet to see any bullet that shoots accurately out of a judge.

 

[ArchAngelCD]

You can use a 230gr bullet in the .45 Colt BUT it's better to use a bullet with a crimp groove which .45 ACP bullets don't have.

You're right, it is better to use a lighter bullet to reduce felt recoil but the powder can help too. Give Trail Boss a try, it will deliver a low recoil round for your dad. A 250gr LRN bullet loaded with Trail Boss will cut down on the recoil and probably cut down on the pain delivered to his hands...

Good luck finding what you need to help your dad.

 

[Lost Sheep]

Proper bullet diameter-to-bore fit is essential for good accuracy and minimizing leading. It helps with maximizing power and minimizing barrel erosion, too.

If I understand correctly, the size of your slugs should exactly match the diameter of your chamber throats or be a tiny bit larger, like .001". The throats should be the exact same size as your barrel diameter (grooves) or a tiny bit larger.

The following is theoretical speculation based on my understanding. Better ballisticians or gunsmiths than I can vett this advice:

If a bullet will just ALMOST drop through your cylinder throats, you are probably OK. If then, you put your bullets in the freezer overnight and then it DOES drop through, you bullet and chamber throats are good. It does not matter what is says on the outside of the box. It is the bullet itself that matters.

Recover a fired bullet that has not been deformed by the terminal impact (or force a soft lead slug through the bore). If it does drop through your chamber throat you are good.

So ends my speculation.

Anyone care to correct anything I said that is wrong? I have to learn about this, as I have acquired a Blackhawk convertible.

The proper way to do the same thing:

Got calipers? Open your cylinder and measure your chamber throats.

If you have a soft lead slug, force it through the bore of your barrel and measure it. (This is called "Slugging the bore".)

Those figures will tell you what size bullets will work best in your revolver.

As I understand it, the bullet gets swaged down by the chamber throat to the size proper to fit the forcing cone/bore. The forcing cone swages the bullet precisely to fit the barrel. Rarely does the bullet get larger as it passes through each of these "gates" (when it does, it is called "upset" or "obturation")

Over the years, the 45 Colt was standardized at .454", but with the popularity of the 45 ACP and convertible revolvers, .451" has become a standard. So there is a lot of variation in chamber throats and barrel diameters that shooters have to deal with.

Lost Sheep