In respect to load data, the .45 Colt is really three cartridges in one, and if you intend to reload it, you must be aware of the differences. In this segment of “Cameras Don't Lie,” competitive shooters Patrick Sweeney and Jim Tarr head to the range to put the vaunted loads on record, and then consider the footage. On paper, the 357 Magnum was the first cartridge to exceed the 45 Colt’s muzzle energy, but many knowledgeable sixgunners, Elmer Keith included, believed the 45 Colt actually offered more practical power than the “First Magnum.” Today, it remains one of our most popular sixgun cartridges. It requires some special treatment from a reloader’s point of view, because the tapered ogive of the FTX bullet demands that the brass case of the .45 Colt be trimmed from 1.285 inch to 1.215 inch so the case mouth aligns with the shank of the projectile rather than sitting upon the ogive. With the 45 Colt, IMR 4227 is almost magical in being able to provide excellent accuracy when other powders will not. When the new “454 Magnum” revolvers (as they were first called) arrived, however, the brass was lengthened so it could not be used in standard 45 Colt sixguns. However, there are two problems associated with it: case capacity and cylinder throat diameters. All Rights Reserved. The Colt Single Action Army, Colt New Frontier, Ruger New Model Flat-Top, Ruger New Vaquero, and Smith & Wesson Model 25/625 are all very close strength-wise. It's pretty hard to find any other handgun cartridge that is as versatile as the good old 45... Give a Gift   A database of .45 acp handloads.

11 FS Accurate No. All the loads are developed by the staff of Handloader magazine and the archives of Handloader and Rifle magazines. The Blackhawk has a 7½-inch barrel, generating a bit more velocity, but more important to me, giving me a longer sighting radius. Most ammunition manufacturers still offer the original load of a round-nose or flat-point lead bullet of 250 to 255 grains, with a muzzle velocity of about 800 fps, and that formula works as well as it did in 1873. I limit my distances to 35 to 40 yards, and although Mr. Bruin and I haven’t met when I’ve carried the Blackhawk, I’m confident the venerable cartridge will get the job done. View Profile View Forum Posts Private Message Boolit Grand Master Join Date Sep 2007 Location Valley of the SUNs, AZ Posts 9,245. 20 Nosler. The Vaquero is set up with the same transfer bar as my Blackhawk, so you can carry it confidently with a full cylinder. The key for best shooting is to size cast bullets accordingly and open the throats if necessary. Any light touch on the trigger would result in a click rather than a fired cartridge.

However, a tight-chambered 45 Colt cylinder may require tolerances offered by a 454 Casull full-length sizing die.

It is my most used powder both in cap-and-ball and cartridge-firing sixguns when black powder loads are desired.

As I have gotten older and my hands have become more tender, I find myself moderating my everyday shooting loads. My old Lymans manual doesn't show anything smaller than 250gr. An accurate cartridge, the .45 Colt loaded with good 250-grain bullets is no slouch on big game. Wasn't it prior to WWII that they were .454 and after WWII they were .452? Set your sights on pistol reloading data | Hodgdon Reloading, Second Media Corp., 111 Peter Street, Suite 901, Toronto, Ontario, M5V 2H1, Canada. data … Re: “The .45 Colt is sometimes called the .45 Long Colt, indicating the difference between it and the shorter Smith & Wesson Schofield case. I try not to excessively flare the case mouth, giving just enough to allow the bullet to seat properly yet not overworking the brass. Left is the Falcon 230-grain FalCoated hardcast bullet next to a 255-grain cast-lead load. There are many reasons for reloading for your handguns.

(NOTE: Sections marked “Ruger Only” are not for the New Model Blackhawk Flat-Tops or the New Vaquero!)