Most Accurate 45 Colt +P Load?

[CowboyTutt]

Hey guys,

I thought I would seek out your collective wisdom on what has worked well for you all in 45 Colt +P loads. I prefer using bullet weights of 300 grains +. If you could let me know what bullet/powder/primer combination you used and any special prep you may have done on the cases and which brand you used. I tend to use H110 with the heavy bullets and Lil'Gun for the lighter 300 grain bullets. Also what you used to crimp the bullets with.

Please include any chronograph data if you have any!

Hoping someone out there has some good loads and data.

Thanks!

-Tutt

[2ndovc]

My favorite for a Marlin 1894S that I had was
22grains of W 296, Win Large Pistol and
300 Gr Cast Performance WFNLGC bullet.

Five shots would be touching at 50 yds.

jb

[Terry Murbach]

NO ONE, AND I DO MEAN NO ONE, CAN TELL YOU WHAT THE BEST LOADS WILL BE IN YOUR GUN. THAT IS FOR YOU TO TEST AND FIGURE OUT.
I DO KNOW I CAN RUN 300gr BULLETS AT 1100FPS FROM ALL MY 45COLT SIXGUNS INCLUDING THE COLT AND S&W M25-5 GUNS OF VARIOUS BARREL LENGTHS WITH LOADS THAT ARE STRAIGHT OUT OF THE LAST FEW SPEER MANUALS.
A 45 CALIBER 300gr LFN BULLET AT 1100 WILL COMPLETELY PENETRATE ANY ANIMAL IN NORTH AMERICA AND YOU NEED NOTHING ELSE. MORE SPEED MAY FLATTEN THE TRAJECTORY A BIT-- darned LITTLE TOO AS A MATTER OF FACT-- BUT ALL YOU ARE DOING AT 1100 OR 1300 IS POKING A 45 CALIBER HOLE IN AND A 45 CALIBER HOLE OUT.
THE MOST INTERESTING PART OF THIS TO ME IS THE FACT THAT A 454424 KEITH BULLET AT THE SAME SPEEDS--1050 TO 1100-- DOES THE SAME WORK AND DOES IT AT EVEN LOWER PRESSURES. THIRTY SIX YEARS AGO I PUT FIVE TONS OF MEAT ON THE GROUND WITH THE KEITH LOAD FROM A RUGER 45COLT 4 5/8" SIXGUN [ 1075FPS FROM THIS GUN ] AND NEVER RECOVERED A SINGLE BULLET. THEY WENT COMPLETELY THROUGH FROM EVERY CONCEIVABLE ANGLE INCLUDING FROM STRAIGHT ABOVE.
THERE IS NO NEED FOR ANY HEAVIER BULLETS OF ANY KIND IN THE 45COLT CARTRIDGE.

[Don McDowell]

I won't give specifics, on +p 45 colt loads in open forum, but will tell you that aa5744,lilgun,h110,296 and 4198 powders have all prooven accurate in both handgun and rifle loads with bullets up to 340 grs.

[J Miller]

I've done very little work with the 300gr bullets in the .45 Colt. I've used the 300gr LTCFP, the one with two crimp groves. That one I loaded over a large dose of 2400 and crimped it in the lower grove. The data came from the Hodgdons #26 manual.
That load has a very sharp recoil and after about 18 rounds my wrist is crying uncle. But from my OM BH with it's 7.5" barrel it has shown to be accurate at 25 yds. I have not been able to test it out farther, or from either of my rifles. I did test it from the Rossi I had for a while, and it looked to be accurate from that rifle.

The load that I've done the most with is a 265gr Keith SWC, either my own mid 70's vintage Lyman 454424 or a similar bullet cast from Beartooth or Black River bullets. I load them over 18.5grs of 2400. Everything I've read says that load does around 1100fps or so. I've not yet chronographed it from my guns.
At 25 yds from my OM BH this group shoots VERY good.

Loading tips:

>I full size my cases with a carbide die. Expand them with an expander at least .002" to .004" smaller than the bullet.
>Mostly I use Winchester WLP primers. If I'm putting together loads in new cases with selected bullets I always use Win WLP primers. They are simply the most consistent primers I've used.
>The bullets are cast softer than most commercial casters do. I like air cooled wheel weights, but when I order them from Black River I've specified 16-1 lead tin. I may try some of Mount Baldy's next since they cast them softer as well.
>When I crimp I them seat the bullets so I can crimp all the way to the bottom of the crimp grove.
If all my cases are the same length I simply adjust the seater die and crimp in one step. Saves me a lot of time.
If they are not the same, I'll crimp in a second step leaving the lock ring on my crimper loose so I can compensate for the variations.

These are my two most accurate +P type .45 Colt loads. I'm sure there are many more, these are what I have been working with.


JOe

[Old Savage]

I have found these to be very accurate.

[CowboyTutt]

Has anyone else tried the CCI 350 primer? I'm pretty sure I'm going to go back to a WLP or CCI LP. Terry, any thoughts? I will be doing more experimenting on my own, but I do find it useful to see what is working for other folks!

-Tutt

[J Miller]

Tutt,

I've used the CCI #350 primers in certain .45 Colt loads. They were the only way to clean up the filthy horrid mess created by AA 5744 powder. Mag primers were not recommended by any loading data I remember, nor by anybody who's used the stuff. But with regular primers there was so much unburned powder my guns jammed because of it.

Otherwise I rarely use mag primers of any brand.

Joe

[CowboyTutt]

Joe, I suspect that is partially why someone recommended using the CCI 350 with H110: because it is difficult to get a good clean burn and requires a full case under partial compression for best results. But 18 grains is not a lot of powder and so I will try a milder primer from Win or CCI I think, as well as trying Lil'Gun, to see what works best.

I choose the heavyweight 360 grain bullet for long range shooting with a pistol, not just for harvesting game. But Frank at Mt. Baldy uses a 300 grain Keith bullet for his long range shooting so that bullet weight is looking like a real option.

Thanks for participating, Joe and everyone.

-Andy

[Old Savage]

Well now there is an option we can test.

[Don McDowell]

I've used the 350 quite a bit with heavy 2400 and h110/296 loads. Have also used cci large rifle primers in some +p loads intended for the winchester.

[Terry Murbach]

Has anyone else tried the CCI 350 primer? I'm pretty sure I'm going to go back to a WLP or CCI LP. Terry, any thoughts? I will be doing more experimenting on my own, but I do find it useful to see what is working for other folks!

-Tutt

TUTT,
THERE IS NO NEED WHATSOEVER FOR LP MAG PRIMERS WHILE USING 2400 PROPELLENT. ON THE OTHER HAND I'VE USED CCI 350'S WITH EVERY SUCCESS WHILE BURNING 296 OR H110. SINCE I HAD PROBLEMS BUYING CCI 350'S YEARS BACK I SWITCHED TO W-W WLP PRIMERS AND NEVER LOOKED BACK. IT IS INTERESTING TO NOTE THAT THE WLP ARE THE OLD W-W 7M-111F MAG PISTOL PRIMERS OF YEARS GONE BY. W-W FOUND THEIR MIXTURE WORKED JUST FINE IN HEAVY LOADS AND IN STANDARD LOADS WITH FAST POWDER SO THEY RENAMED 'EM WLP AND AWAY WE GO !!!
LET ME NOTE ALSO THAT ONCE I INADVERTENTLY PRIMED A BUNCH OF W-W 45COLT BRASS WITH CCI300 PRIMERS AND LOADED 'EM WITH H110 UNDER 300gr LFN BULLETS TO USE IN MY 6" M25-5. THEY WORKED FINE !! NO PROBLEMS WHATSOEVER. FPS WAS 1100 AND THE ES AND SD's WERE ON THE LOW SIDE. THESE WERE USED IN WARM WEATHER THOUGH SO HOW THEY'D HAVE WORKED IN THE WINTER I KNOW NOT.

PLEASE NOTE : YOU CANNOT BLITHLY SWAP W-W SMALL PISTOL PRIMERS AROUND LIKE WE'VE BEEN DOING HERE. THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN W-W WSP AND THE WSP-MAG ARE PROFOUND. THAT WSP-MAG PRIMER IS THE MOST POWERFUL ONE I KNOW OF AND IT CAN CAUSE BIGTIME PROBLEMS IN LOADS THAT ARE NOT WORKED UP CAREFULLY.

[piller]

I have some 325 grain bullets with 19.5 grains W296 using a WLP primer. I have shot them at targets, but have not had opportunity to test them on animals. The recoil is a little unpleasant after about 20 to 30 rounds on paper, and I think the next batch will be loaded down about 100fps. I don't think anything that I plan on using that Blackhawk revolver on will mind the difference.

[CowboyTutt]

Terry, I really appreciate your experiences and expertise with the 45 Colt! I'm out of 360 bullets and will be ordering more tomorrow and will test them with CCI300 and Win LP primers. I've had good luck with the CCI primers too, but with a different powder. While I think the CCI350's make for a clean burning load with H110, I think I can do as good or better for consistency with one of the other primers, but we shall see. I do feel much better knowing that both you and Mic McPherson have used the 350's with good results. I will load up all three and report back once I get the new bullets and cases.

Thanks a lot, Terry and the rest of you. Very useful information!

-Tutt

[J Miller]

Hey Tutt, you foot the gas and I'll bring you a nice shiny red brick of Federal LP mag primers .

Joe

[CowboyTutt]

Joe, I may have to drive out there and pick those up from you instead.

Actually, I'm hoping for a big Friends of Billy Dixon event next summer. Maybe we could meet there instead.

-Tutt

[J Miller]

I should know, but where is the Friend of Billy Dixon deal held?

Of course with the lack of availability I may have them all shot up by then.

I don't know what I'm doing any more.

Joe

[CowboyTutt]

Hotchkiss, CO. Western CO. If you have any type of rifle for long range work, this is the place to go. Its simple to get there really: you get a jar, and put $10 in it every month. By next summer, you will have enough for the trip!

-Tutt

[J Miller]

Hotchkiss, CO. Western CO. If you have any type of rifle for long range work, this is the place to go. Its simple to get there really: you get a jar, and put $10 in it every month. By next summer, you will have enough for the trip!

-Tutt

You know, the trouble with comments like that is they cause hurt feelings. They cause hurt feelings because some folks just do not have any extra money to stick in a jar. There are many people who are living literally paycheck to paycheck with nothing left over.
If we had $10 per week to put in a jar my wife's truck wouldn't be running on bald tires. It wouldn't need engine repairs that may eventually ruin it. We wouldn't be in IL. I'd have the new glasses I need, and I could get my teeth fixed.
No, there is no extra here for such a luxury trip.

Joe

[CowboyTutt]

No, there is no extra here for such a luxury trip.

Wasn't trying to hurt your feelings Joe. It sounds like you have more important priorities and a trip to Hotchkiss is certainly not one of them right now. Hopefully some day!

-Tutt