Thread: .45 Colt reloading

I started reloading in June of 2006. Reloaded 150 rounds of .45 Colt yesterday. I'm hoping to get to the range several times this week. (As a HS teacher, I have spring break) I'm really happy I got into reloading. I have enough brass, and I load it light enough, that it seems to last forever, so I don't have to include that cost. For my range rounds in .45 Colt and .454 Casull, I'm using 250g RNFP that I get from Georgia Arms (I'm heading over there tomorrow) for $28/300. For my .38 Special loads I use 148 g HBWC.

My finished costs for boxes of 50: (not counting my labor, which is actually therapy...)
.38 Special $4.99
.45 Colt $7.31
.454 Casull $7.59

Compare that to the store prices, and it's not in stock anyway...

I have two revolvers for .45 Colt ammo, my Ruger Blackhawk pictured in another thread somewhere, and a "Model of 1989" limited edition Smith & Wesson model 25-7. The Ruger can take some really heavy loads, while the Smith cannot. And then I've got my 7 1/2" bbl Super Redhawk .454 -

The .45 Colt being my favorite, I thought I'd share the loads I use.
250g RNFP 7.0g HP-38
250g RNFP 8.0g Unique (my favorite load)
255g SWC 7.8g Unique (Keith style bullet)
300g LBT style hard cast GC 22g WW296 (my Alaska load) Ruger Only
300g XTP trying this week, w/18g/19g/20g WW296 Ruger Only

.454 RNFP for my Super Redhawk 7.0g Trail Boss makes a nice .45 Colt type load for the range without getting the crud in the cylinder that comes from shooting .45 Colt brass. If I want it to make a big bang, I shoot a couple of my Buffalo Bore 360 grainers at 1425 fps...

Tom

A couple of things I learned recently from loading .45 Colt.

Hornady makes 2 different 300 Grain XTP .45 bullets. I bought a box of the wrong ones (300 Grain XTP Mag). They don't expand right at any reasonable .45 Colt velocity. They're made for the .454.

I couldn't get my usual Winchester LP Std/Mag LP primers last time I bought primers so I bought Remington LP Standards. Loaded some with HS-6. Ball powder definitely benefits from a hotter primer.

Ya know Tom, you can bring those costs down even more - get you some molds. :D

DC

DC,
Just came back from the range. My XTPs were not the mags. I ended up liking the 20g load. One thing that surprised me when loading (Hornady spec) was that to get the OAL length they quoted, I had to crimp in the forward (nearest the tip) cannalure. Yes I was using the Winchester LP Std/Mag primers. I'm glad I pulled the bullets on the 40 rounds I had loaded with 23g of 296 - I did shoot a couple of those in my SRH .454, but the 20g seems more like it in my BH, I fear the .23 would have been a tad hot for me.

I still have some CCI LP Std primers I'll use up with Unique loads. Most of what I have (thankful I stocked up at Cabelas last July...) is the Winchester. Only thing I'm short on is small rifle for my .454