.45 Colt & Winchester 94 AE Loads

[5gs]

Hello from the UK,

Have a post 64 Winchester 94AE 16 inch trapper threaded for a suppressor.

Have tested some loads with 6.5 grains Red Dot behind a 250 grain LRN using a CCI primer.

Have not chrono’d however want to get to approx 1000 FPS to maximise energy whilst keeping the load subsonic.

So far so good, less soot than the 6.0 grain loads.

So far have used fresh starling cases as well as Magtech from some factory cowboy loads I bought with the rifle.

Decided to weigh the cases to see any difference, and the Magtech ranged from 111.8 to 112.8 grains whilst the average starline was approx 106.9.

My Magtech cased loads weighed from 370.5 to 374.9 grains, whilst my starline loads weighed between 367 and 370.1 grains.

All weighing was done in a RCBSM500 balance scale, so any error could be down to my eye alignment / level with the indicator.

Ultimately I started this to get a baseline to detect double charges - mainly as a thought exercise to be honest, (I always place an inverted projectile in the case mouth to prevent this!)

Should I be concerned about the weights of a .45 Colt, charged with 6.5 grains of red dot plus a 250 grain projectile differing by 4.4 grains from lightest to heaviest?

Don’t want to overthink, but want to be safe, am using 6.5 grains of red dot in a 94 action, have seen no pressure signs thus far.

Am hoping that any dangerous increase in powder would be obvious as a fair few grains would be required.

Thoughts appreciated!

[J Miller]

5gs,

I've never used Red Dot powder. But I can tell you this, the Win 94 will eat the Ruger / T-C loads all day long. And yes you are overthinking thing a bit when you weigh the cases. As long as you stay within published loads, either standard or the Ruger level you won't have any trouble.

My little Trapper has well over 3,000 rounds through it, running from cowboy action levels to the +P levels listed in the hardback Hodgdons #26 manual. Those top out at 30,000 cup pressure. No problems at all.

My favorite load for mine is 9.0 grs Unique behind a 265gr Keith SWC.

Joe