.45 Colt Hunting Loads

[kmittleman]

Hi Fellas,


I wanted to see if anyone has a favorite Hunting / General Purpose load for the .45 Colt. I've got a Ruger BH w/ a 5.5" barrel and want something that has moderate to light recoil. I have 2400, Unique, Universal, and HP38.

Thanks in adavance!


-Kevin

[J Miller]

My favorite is Keiths load. 18.5grs 2400 under his 260 ± gr SWC. I've found that to be an excellent and very accurate load from my Blackhawk.

Joe

[.45colt]

"My favorite is Keiths load. 18.5grs 2400 under his 260 ± gr SWC. I've found that to be an excellent and very accurate load from my Blackhawk."Joe.
I will 2nd Joe's reccomdation. I have shot Keiths load for around 30 years both in a revolver and in a rifle. it is powerfull without being too much. Elmer knew what He was talking about.

[Pisgah]

My general purpose load, safe for my Uberti Flat Top Target, is 9 gr. of Unique and a 260 gr. Keith SWC. My "Ruger only" load is 21.6 gr. of 2400 and a Nosler 250 gr. JHP, only for my Bisley and my Hartford (Rossi) 1892. The Unique load is comfortable in the Uberti, feels like a powderpuff in the heavier guns, and is extremely accurate. The 2400 is something of a rip-snorter, but still comfortable to shoot in the proper guns.

[JerryB]

My old 1958 Colt 5 1/2 inch.45 really likes 7.8 grains of Unique with a 255 hard cast swc. 100 yards it is plenty accurate.

[Don McDowell]

Over the last 8 or 9 lustrums I've shot alot of the 9 gr unique and 18 grs of 2400,with the 255-260 gr swc and Keith bullets, but the last few years I've become really afflicted with 12 grs of bludot as my go to load.

[BrianSH]

Just for something different, and since you're shooting a BlackHawk; John Linebaugh put me on to 13 gr of HS 6 under a 250 cast. I have not sat down and did any accuracy tests on it, but it did a great job harassing a boulder the size of a refrigerator at a laser measured 186 yards. Shot offhand from my 5" RedHawk.
- Brian

[J Miller]

Over the last 8 or 9 lustrums I've shot alot of the 9 gr unique and 18 grs of 2400,with the 255-260 gr swc and Keith bullets, but the last few years I've become really afflicted with 12 grs of bludot as my go to load.

lustrums, that's a word you don't hear anymore.

I've used both those loads but more of the 9.0grs Unique load than any other. I could live with just the Unique load if I needed to.

Joe

[Larkbill]

I think the last person I heard use the word "lustrums" was Rooster Cogburn. I think at the time he was carrying a Colt in .45, but his load was probably BP.

I have only loaded comfortable target loads for my .45, but I'm going to try a couple of those 2400 loads in my Rossi and Blackhawk.

[J Miller]

I have a video somewhere of me shooting my OM BH with the 7.5" barrel with 18.5grs 2400 and the 265gr Keith SWC. Very little flash and very little muzzle rise. But you can tell they are not factory level loads. I find them very pleasant to shoot.

Joe

[rogn]

The best load Ive found is Ruger Redhawk, 5 1/2", VV N110 and a Lee SWC 270gr. 18 gr is clean burning and can keep shots on paper @ 100 yds( for me a miracle). Its a reasonably potent load and will shoot through an elks ribcage. Its also much cleaner burning than 2400 or H110.

[J Miller]

I'm not sure if it's the way I load them, or the way I squeeze the trigger, but my 2400 loads are quite clean. Virtually no unburned powder at all.

Besides, when I'm done shooting I just clean my guns.

Joe