.45 Long Colt

[tooldummy]

I was in a Gander Mountain over in Terre Haute today and a gentleman mistook me for a knowledgeable reloader. He asked me about loading a .45 Long Colt, and of course I didn't have a clue. The reloading manuals were right there handy, so I tried looking up some data for him. I looked (quickly, may have overlooked it) in the Lyman and Nosler books and didn't find anything except some on the .45 Colt. We looked at some of the lead he was trying to pick from and noticed some was .451 or 3 and I think the other size was .458. Wish I had an inkpen to write the diameters down now. He said he had internet access and I suggested he go home and come here and ask you all for some help. But my question is I never noticed that much difference in the diameter of lead before. Is this common?

[Jack]

The pistol rounds, 45 Colt and 45 ACP, use bullets in the .451/.452 area.
The rifle cartridges like 458 Win Mag or 45-70 use the .458 bullets.

[Lone Star]

The .45 Colt and the .45 Long Colt are the same cartrridge; only Hornady has used the latter name in the past 5 years.

There are more differences between the handgun bullets and the rifle bullets than just diameter. The handgun bullets have thinner jackets and are usually lighter in weight. The rifle bullets have thicker jackets, usually harder lead, and most are designed for higher velocities.

[Rocky Raab]

Whether you call it the 45 Colt or 45 Long Colt (there is some debate, but MOST agree that 45 Colt is preferred), there is even more disparity in the cartridge dimensions than almost any other round loaded today.

Most 45 Colt cartridges are designed to shoot a lead bullet of about 250 grains and .454" diameter. But there are guns out there with bore diameters ranging from .451 to .458" Cylinder mouth dimensions are also all across the board. The only thing a reloader can do is slug his bore AND cylinder.

If he's lucky, his cylinder mouths will be .001" larger than his bore diameter. In this circumstance, the bullet will slug up to the cylinder diameter upon firing, and then be swaged back down to bore diameter after crossing the cylinder/barrel gap.

If he UNlucky, the cylinder will be smaller than the bore, and then the bullet will simply rattle down the bore, ricocheting from side to side.

There are parallel problems related to the diameter of the size die, the expander button and more. Suffice it to say there are NO simple or straightforward rules about this 130+ year-old round.

I absolutely love both of my 45 Colt revolvers - but it's like loving a red-headed stepchild. Trying, very trying.

[tooldummy]

I'll be. Like I said, I didn't have a clue. I told him you guys would know. I appreciate the replies and hope he sees this.

[Cossack]

One more thing. There is considerable difference in the strength of 45 Colt hanguns so you have to match the load data to the gun. Freedom Arms and Ruger guns for example can withstand much higher pressures that a Colt, S&W etc.

[Lone Star]

Freedom Arms and Ruger guns for example can withstand much higher pressures that a Colt, S&W etc. Be careful here! While the FA Model 83 can take major league chamber pressuer, the mid-frame FA Model 97 cannot. The factory doesn't recommend using heavy "Ruger" loads in it.

[Rocky Raab]

Good point, LS. Bottom line: always follow the manufacturer's recommendations.

[Classicvette63]

I load for the .45 Colt. A couple years ago I came across a stout load from a well maker of stout loads. I loaded some up for my Ruger. Before I could shoot them I posted about it on here. Rocky and some others had misgivings about the "starting" load. So I loaded up some rounds working up to this "starting" load. Go thing I did. I quit before I made it all the way up. I'm not averse to to recoil in a handgun, but they were plenty uncomfortable to shoot. Not that I think the gun would have gone kaboom, I'm not sure if I could have kept the hammer from seeking a resting place in my forehead.:D

Seems the rage today is to push the .45 waaay past the .44 mag. It can best the .44 but always use caution and prudence.

[Cossack]

Good point, Lone Star. The way it was worded what I meant as an example sounded like an absolute.

[BILLY D.]

mike venturino and jim wilson beat this subject to death in the mid 90's. mikes tome on the long colt nomenclature is a classic. if i can shake my memory bank well enough he said a lot of the soldiers at the time did not like the recoil of the peacemaker and instead of using the 45 colt ie: long colt used the 45 s&w or short colt loads. can you imagine the logistics problems this caused in the army? the peacemaker could use either but the s&w model 3 users were out to lunch.

it was the opinion of the day that the s&w model 3 or schofield was a far superior cavalry firearm because of of it's breakopen action which facilitated easier reloading for a horseman. simply lift the latch, place the barrel against your leg, force open the action, all the used casings popped out grab the barrel with your left hand and load the fresh ammo with your right all the while maintaining control of your horse with the reins.

in my opinion the schofield was one of and still is one of the most beautiful revolvers ever made. i just love the lines of that piece. strength was not it's major factor. but with ballistics very similar to a 45 acp, who gives a rats rump.

stepping back, mikes loads are more for the peacemaker crowd, while jim wilsons loads were for the handgun hunting crowd, like me. mr wilson was a ruger b/h man from the word go. any of the loads he built were ready willing and able to harvest whitetails and texas hogs. i still use his hodgdon u/c load with oregon trail 255swc bullets for whitetails every year.

if you like the 45 colt, long or short versions you will like mike and jims articles from shooting times also. they were priceless. as far as i'm concerned the 45 colt beats the 44 mag hands down.

let the flames begin.:rolleyes:

[8X56MS]

Over the years, I have gone from factory level loads, to "Ruger only" loads, and back again. I still don't know if I like the heavier loads or the lighter.
Most of what I shoot these days, is a load about in the middle. I really like the Speer LSWC 250 grain over 9 grains of Unique, for about 900fps. I get good accuracy, and decent power. I do carry a Ruger Blackhawk when hunting in heavy cover, and I depend on it to take a hog or deer if needed. This load will do that.
I have several hundred cartridges packed away, that have a Hornady 250 grain HP/XTP bullets over a pretty fair amount of 2400 powder. These move along about 1300 fps out of my 6 inch Blackhawk, and really have good effect on hogs.
I load for my S&W Model 25-5, and these loads for the most part, are much milder. I also shoot .45 ACP in that S&W, and the .45 Colt loads are not a lot hotter than a Federal HydraShock 230 grain .45 acp load.