45 Colt: Shooting and Reloading

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This is a first on Ultimate Reloader! Shooting and reloading 45 Colt.
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[@anangryranger]

Started loading 45 Colt in 1958 as a lad under the watchful eyes of my great uncle. He loaded with black powder and cast lead with an Ideal/Lyman 310 tool. Two years later, in 1960, I bought a Lyman Spartan press and in 1962, a Lyman Spar-T turret press. Been using the same gear ever since. Loads are primarily with Unique powder with bullet weights from 200gr RNFP to 255gr cast SWC and 255gr RNFP. I shoot mainly from a few Copies of the 1873 Single Action Army, and a Henry Big Boy in 45 Colt. The last 64 years have been a great ride using the 45 Colt. I've never loaded a max load, as it's never been needed. A 255gr cast SWC and a warm load of Unique will give me close to 900plus fps from a 4 3/4" Single Action Army. And 350 pound hogs drop like hit by a howitzer. From the Henry Big Boy, it's even more brutal. And all loads are under listed safe chamber pressure, with no strain upon the weapons or cases. I have 4 weapons chambered in the 45 Colt, and enjoy them more than any other cartridge I've ever loaded.

[@guyminer3168]

Excellent! Yes, I've used Unique and cast 250/255 grain bullets many times with my 45 Colt loads.

[@kenrosstad5525]

Guy is such an awesome addition to these vids, his soft spoken wisdom is refreshing in the world of guntubers. Travis is great too! Thanks for all the incredibly detailed content you all put out.

[@Tuxster3]

Actually, most of these so-called gun tubers are just a bunch of obnoxious, overbearing LOUD MOUTH know-it-alls!! 🤔🤔🤔🤔

[@GBGuns]

I love 45 Colt in 1873 SAA, especially the loads made to be a bit on the extra smokey side. It's just a fun round to shoot.

[@Ultimatereloader]

I agree on the smoke (hard cast bullets with lube) - smells good and makes things interesting, more drama :)

[@txoilfield]

I just finished reloading 100 .45 Colt rounds from last Thursday range day. I LOVE reloading the big ol' Colt cases, as they are easy to deal with and offer so much versatility. For general range use I load 250 grain RNFP from Missouri Bullets on top of 5.0 gr. HP-38 or W-231

[@DingaReloading]

I load pretty much the exact bullet! haha..I like that 45 colt can manage so many powders! I also have a recipe for 6 grains of Titegroup with the same 250gn rnfp from Missouri Bullets...snappier than HP-38 but gets a nice even 800 fps.

[@alfsolbu1927]

Hi there from Norway, Cool video, I have some 45 Colt in my collection, Uberti (Remington) 1858, 44 cal Revolver with 45 Colt Conversion cylinder , Ruger New Vaquero single action revolvers, Uberti (Wichester) lever Action Carabine, all in 45 Colt. For the most part I'm using Vithavouri powder, Magtech Primers and a lot of different brass. In the 1858 I use Black powder 🙂

[@MichaelKitchen-ol1ss]

Good to hear the venerable 45 colt getting some attention. I have just recently gotten into this caliber and have really grown to like it a lot. I have two Schofield 45''s for cowboy shooting and a first generation Ruger Vaquero that allows me to play with some hotter loads. I also have a Marlin 1984 in 45 colt.

[@chipsterb4946]

DO NOT add powder before expanding the case mouth! 🤯 Doing exactly that caused my only brown pants moment in 20 years of hand loading. Yes, it’s fine with most revolver cartridges. In fact, I had worked out a process using a turret press for load development and all was good with 45 ACP and 38 Special. Enter 357 SIG and a slightly compressed load. The 6th shot out of an intended 10, first step of ladder, was so hot I was shaking and out the gun down. 1,600 fps from a load that was supposed to be around 1,400 fps. I couldn’t figure out what went wrong. A month or so later I was loading a different cartridge and noticed a few kernels of powder at the base of the press. Where did that come from? I stopped and looked at everything. There were 2 or 3 kernels of powder on the expander in that did. I check all of the rounds I’d loaded so far and sure enough, there were much bigger powder charge variances than what I’d put in. The expander was picking up a little powder from some cases and dropping it in others! DON’T DO THAT

[@brandonparrett2436]

I started reloading because of the 45LC Back then there was nothing but lead cowboy and a few soft points semi jacketed. I wanted more and that never went away

[@E.L.RipleyAtNostromo]

The brass (dragoon style) grip frame on your Ruger Old Model 3-screw Blackhawk convertible was aftermarket, and they were readily available in the late ‘70’s and I kick myself for not getting one. You could get them from both Ruger and 3rd party vendors as I recall. The standard grip frame is blackened aluminum with a rounded not squared off trigger guard, and blued steel dragoon style on the Super Blackhawk .44. Also, that’s the Super Blackhawk wide grooved trigger on that revolver. The standard trigger is narrower and smooth. In addition to the Super trigger, I saw a lot of guys install the blued steel Super Blackhawk dragoon grip frame on the smaller Blackhawk. I thought it looked a bit mismatched on the 4 5/8” barreled Blackhawk, but it was a bit more comfortable to handle and shoot if you had larger hands. You really need the squared off guard on the .44 mag to keep your middle finger from getting slammed, but the rounded guard works fine for the .45LC. I picked up both an Old Model Super Blackhawk 7 1/2” revolver (super blue, super polish) and a .45 Colt / .45 ACP Blackhawk convertible used in 1978. Great guns. By the way, that 300 grain hard cast semi-wadcutter is feral hog magic. My favorite load along those lines is a 260 grain hard cast SWC in front of 9.5 grains of Unique and CCI 300 primers. Those are definitely marked “For Ruger revolvers only!” Very accurate, and penetrates and expands nicely.

[@guyminer2384]

Good info, thanks!

[@timbaskett6299]

I have an 1858 Remington reproduction Sheriff with the cartridge conversion cylinder, and a Rossi M92 in .45 Colt with the 16in barrel, so I know the two different power levels. Love the round though.

[@williamnorris3070]

The 45 Colt is my favorite handgun caliber I use it for hiking and camping as well as on my CCW permit . While camping and hiking I use hand loaded lehigh Defense 250 gr extreme penetrator and for social work I use Hornady 250 gr xtp , my carry gun is a ruger new vaquero 5.5" blued.

[@kevinwood7358]

45 colt what a great cartridge. I've love it for a long long time. When I started loading 300 gr. hard cast for bears and my friends thought I should buy a 44 mag for bears. I told them a 300 gr in my Ruger Super Blackhawk at 1100 fps would kill any bear in Montana. They are weary.

[@theduelist04]

I've got my grandpa's new service 45 colt. The barrel is not tapered just past the frame. Made in 37. Love that old revolver.

[@nilescoyote4829]

Great episode! I have used this cartridge with great success on several Michigan whitetais using a Ruger Bisley 45 colt. It's pet load is a 250 grain Hornady XTP powered by Hodgdon's Longshot powder. These were loaded to the 1200 fps range. In fact that load worked so well in my 454 casull singleshot TC encore handgun that it never saw the 454 cartridge it was chambered for 🤣

[@MrNcturkey]

Have that same gun. I got some of that Longshot powder. I might load me up some of them to try out.

[@Handyman1911]

I love my Redhawk in 45 Colt/45ACP and my brand new 4” 460 XVR! The coolest thing is putting everything from 250gr cowboy loads to Garrett 420gr hammerheads in the Ruger, AND a full range of 45 Colt, and 454 Casulls, up to 460s! Such incredible versatility, from plinking to defeating class III body armor! Garrett Cartridges of Texas makes some amazing rounds that cover everything you’d ever need! Another great video, thanks Gavin!

[@robertwalker1849]

The 45 Colt is a great cartridge I have an S&W .455 Webley conversion and an S&W Model 25, I cast bullets as a Hobby/Business; the bullets I cast for the Colt are 200 gr SWC 230 grain SAECO Cowboy bullet and I have an Ideal mould for the 454190, I don't load them up just nice shooting loads with 9.0 grains of Unique or Herco which is ever is available used to shoot 6.3 grains of Red dot with the 200 SWC out of a SAECO mold, The pistol I shoot most is an S&W 586 I have had since new in 1981, the two .45's i bought 83 Only ever shot lead bullets I cast myself.

[@paulbeard410]

I am a new loader and I really appreciate this channel. I REALLY appreciate this particular video because I have determined straight wall revolver calibers is how I want to cut my teeth into this hobby and the first on my list is the .45 Colt! I appreciate getting two loadings out of this video because I have three Ruger .45 revolvers, one Freedom Arms 83 in .454/.45 Colt cylinders, one Smith .460V and one Smith 25. All of these are either designed for the .45 Colt or are capable of shooting it. My reloading gear consists of a RCBS Partner press and RCBS carbide dies. I have to figure out a good load with 200 grain RNFP’s because that is what I have quite a bit of right now. Thank you again guys- awesome work as always.

[@robertfree1908]

Paul, you have started out right imo choosing 45 Colt. I’ve handloaded 32 H&R mag, 38 SPL, 357 mag, 10mm, 44 SPL, 44 mag, 45 ACP, 45 Colt, and a little 480 Ruger and 500 S&W. They’ve all had their challenges and rewards. But 45 Colt has been the fave. So much you can do with that big case with so many different bullets styles and weights. If you haven’t already I advise getting the latest edition of the Lee, Lyman, Hornady, & Speer manuals. And get the Hodgdon Annual Manual as well. Manuals are a “must have” with a lot of necessary info. With those 200gr RNFPs try TrailBoss and TiteGroup. TrailBoss is a low energy/low density powder that completely fills the case to avoid double charges. TiteGroup is truly position insensitive. I’ve had good luck with both. In my experience TiteGroup burns a little cleaner if that’s important to you. You can hot rod that FA83 to the point that a slip with one of those rounds in the S&W 25 might be a disaster. ALWAYS use separate boxes marked accordingly to differentiate your 45 Colt loads. I use MTM green boxes for my Ruger 45 Colt RedHawk loads with the included red stickers with REDHAWK ONLY!!written on them. And they haven’t come off in the over 12 years I put them there. You could also go a step further and write in permanent marker FA83 ONLY LOADS!! on your box(es). Have fun with those great revolvers!

[@bannedbycommieyoutube5time920]

Never realized you could load 45 colt THAT stout. Pretty cool.

[@joeg8269]

Guy is the guy you want teaching / mentoring you. Clear, confident, calming, and knowledgeable.

[@jonthornton-dibb2915]

Such a great channel and always a pleasure listening to Guy share his knowledge with us 👍

[@sixtofive]

Glad to see you guys finally loading some 45 Colt! I have 2 rifles that I really enjoy shooting and loading for. One with an 18" barrel, and the other with a 26" barrel. The cartridge really does have a wide range of possibilities when you load your own. For those longer barrels I've had some really good results dipping down into the faster rifle powders like Vihtavuori N110 to make full use of the barrel length. The only downside is there isn't a lot of published data for those kind of loads, so you have to get comfortable with working up your own.

[@timedwards9964]

Ruger Blackhawk new model flat top. RCBS 45-270-SAA, cast at 285gr 6 grains of 700x and a Federal magnum pistol primer. 10 shot average of 849 fps with an ES of 18. Loaded on a Lee hand press with a Lee safety scale.

[@robertfree1908]

The Lee Handpress is what I started with. I still use it. And it still loads accurate ammo

[@donaldmcleod7494]

I load the 250 grain Lyman Cowboy cast bullet over 9 grains of CFE Pistol for my Marlin Cowboy and Ruger Blackhawk both in 45 Colt. The rifle shoots great but I may go with a lighter load in the handgun.

[@exothermal.sprocket]

The .45 Colt is stupidly versatile. Trouble is, most loads on the market are meant to prevent turning weak actions into shrapnel. It's loaded way below it's potential in most cases. You have to buy +p specified to get anywhere near it's potential. Only in Grizzly, Buffalo Bore, Underwood, Corbon, HSM, Double Tap, and one or two other boutique brands will you achieve actual horsepower. Load these into a lever action, and you have large game killing power at 100 yards. The reference to "not doing too well with the .38's" in the Philippines, just to clarify, that wasn't .38 Special, it was .38 Long Colt, a weaker loaded shorter casing cartridge compared to the .38 Special. The .38 Long Colt is about a 772 fps with a 125gr.

[@erikjensen6503]

Ruger blackhawk 7.5 mild to almost wild! Love it and also love revolvers period!!!

[@solomongrundy9735]

Love .45 Colt.

[@aklaunch]

24 inch Marlin 1894 in 45 Colt. WW Cases, Fed 155, Horn 300gr XTP Mag and 21.7 grains of H110. Very accurate and shoots around 1360-1400 fps depending on the time of year you shoot it.

[@brandonhupp464]

I just have to locate a 45colt blackhawk convertible. The turret press from lyman is very hard to beat. Great video 📹 👍🏻

[@MrThomass281]

My .45 Colt handguns Navy Arms Schofield, Colt SAA 3rd Gen, 2 Ruger Blackhawks, Ruger Redhawk, and Smith and Wesson Model 25.

[@bc30cal99]

Greetings from just north of you both, thanks for another fine video. One of the many "shoulda's" in my gun buying lifetime was a beat up New Service in .45 Colt with RNWMP rather badly stamped on the back strap. Although it was complete with the lanyard, I thought it was a fake and passed. Years later I was shown another New Service in .455 which again was badly stamped RNWMP - Royal North West Mounted Police - but had been the duty arm of the owners grandfather so not faked. Years after that, talking to the author of a book on RCMP/RNWMP arms and gear, he told me many of them were stamped "as if the person stamping them was drunk!".... Thanks again and all the best to you both down south.

[@RobertSmith-xh4lx]

Yep 45 colt is what got me into reloading....I shoot it through my old model vaquero, and my rossi 92....I'm right there with Guy....45 colt can really breath some fire.

[@conservativesniperhunter7439]

These old pistol cartridges and the firearms they are chambered in are Interesting and a lot of fun to to reload and shoot. I hope that you fellas can make more videos on old pistol and rifle cartridges and the firearms they are chambered in.

[@MrThomass281]

1st cartridge I learned to reload in the 90s as a poor college student. Still my favorite caliber. Don't load the high heat .45 colt any more but still love it with Unique powder.

[@guyminer2384]

Great & classic powder choice for the 45 Colt.

[@denisdegamon8224]

I second that powder. It is just so damn versatile from handgun to reduced rifle and field loads in shotguns.

[@jimmywilliams7876]

Guy, the one 'upgrade' I have for my turrets is a 3D printed handle I found on both ebay and etsy. It sits all the way around the turret and can be placed where the handle is between any die station. It lets you put the handle exactly where you want it. I prep my brass on a single stage (also a Brass Smith), then put three dies per caliber on the turrets. I can put the powder drop in one spot then the caliber specific dies away from it. The handle can be rotated to where most efficient and stays in place very well.

[@sixtofive]

A 250 gr plated bullet over 8.6 gr of True Blue has been my go to general purpose load for a long time in 45 Colt.

[@singleshot2218]

Hmmm..45 Colt. I load for Ruger and T/C Contender. I’m loading a 245 grain Truncated Cone from Lee. Mild to wild bud! Take care and stay safe bud! God bless!✝️🙏🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸

[@ThePigslayer]

One thing I do when loading these is only size them down small enough to fit the cylinder. Less movement for the brass means longer life. Easier to swell the mouths and easier on the brass all the way through in my opinion. I have a set of carbide rcbs dies that work great. I single stage load mine. I use h110 over the 250 grain xtp or 260 grain Speers.

[@larryb3332]

Those heavy "RUGER ONLY" loads are meant for the Large Frame Blackhawks and Redhawks. The medium framed revolvers are also called Blackhawks and could be inadvertently loaded with the wrong powder charges. To my knowledge, and take that for what it's worth, the Large Frame Blackhawks have a two number prefixed serial number while the Medium Frame Blackhawks have a three number prefixed serial number. Love your videos and reviews!! Thank you!

[@brianmoore1164]

Nice video! I love the 45 Colt. Don't forget to include some jacketed bullets when you are searching out 45 Colt loads. The Barnes all copper in particular is a stellar performer.

[@jimbasler303]

I was so impressed with the Lyman turret press I just ordered the kit. I can hardly wait for it to get here.

[@guyminer3168]

Cool! I hope it's working well for you.

[@jeffreywilson690]

My only experience with the 45 Colt was in a cowboy gun and loads were spear shotshell capsule they are awesome on snakes

[@blueduck9409]

In 45 colt, berrys 250 grain plated bullet with either accurate #5, or Unique. Sometimes a cast lead 230 grain bullet with trail boss, or pyrodex P for plinking.

[@cw2a]

One of my all time Favorite calibers!! Was loading some yesterday!!

[@Ultimatereloader]

Nice!

[@MrTacklebury]

Shot my new big boy-x today!

[@viejo2a]

Yo, C-Dub! 🤛🏻🔫🇺🇸

[@troyarneson3280]

I run 45 long colt in 1873 pietta and a Henry rifle

[@dogbone1358]

2 Model 1873 Winchester (Uberti & Miroku) and Colt Lightning (Pedersoli). CFE Pistol, Unique, Titegroup, 700X.

[@chardon59803]

Great video, good information, helpful !

[@danieldesimonedanny1827]

One note,,the .45 Colt cartridge was originally a black powder cartridge and today it gives versatility as if smokeless is not available BP will make it functional.. With higher fps++ lower pressure.

[@utdesertghost199]

The 45 colt is my favorite revolver and lever action rifle cartridge. I run a RCBS 270 SAA hard cast bullet using 11 GR of longshot. This keeps it just below subsonic and within the pressure range for my 5.5" Blackhawk flattop convertible which has a lower pressure capacity than the full size Blackhawk. This round runs very well through my Winchester legacy model 94. 24" barrel rifle configuration with a 14 round capacity. Awesome combo. I zero the pistol for 25yd and the rifle at 100. Great video as always. Thanks.

[@robertfree1908]

Ghost, you have a great combo with those 2. I don’t have a long gun in this round. But I do have the same Ruger with the Bisley grip in 44 SPL. So I don’t completely envy you😉

[@leefeatherston7014]

Thank you for the video one of my favorite ones 👍🎃 happy hollow ween to all

[@grzebyk05able]

Minimum H-110 load from hodgdon for the hornady XTP produced 1325 fps from a 4 inch Ruger Blackhawk and 1719 fps from a Henry big boy x-model 17.5 barrel. Quite the handful and more accurate than I can shoot. Great video, love the .45 Colt content.

[@NatureMan50]

Bought a Cowboy II edition Henry when my grandson was born. It will be his gun when he turns 10 and he will be the first to shoot it

[@carycary5824]

Love that press!!! I have an old Pacific press I reload rifle shells with. Great video! Just found you!!

[@r.awilliams9815]

Things to watch for when hand loading the .45 Colt for a revolver...first, the .45 has been around for a long time, and critical dimensions can be all over the place. I have seen chamber mouths ranging from 0.448" (Ruger Blackhawk) to 0.456" (First Gen Colt). If your accuracy isn't good, this is the first thing to check. Undersized chamber mouths can be fixed easily enough, grossly oversized chamber mouths not so much. You might need a custom bullet mold, or size down 0.458" cast bullets. Don't even bother trying jacketed bullets through oversized chamber mouths, you'll just be wasting money. Secondly, if you use high pressure loads, the cases don't tend to live very long, again due to sloppy dimensions. The .45 Colt case is 0.480" cylindrical, originally meant for a 0.454" projectile, whereas the .454 Casull is 0.478" cylindrical for the now standard 0.451" projectile. That extra 0.002" means that the brass gets worked hard when full-length resizing and mid-body case splits are common after 4 or 5 loads. You can partially size the case and anneal after every firing and the cases live a little longer, but you'll see case mouth splits soon enough.

[@wingnutt50gh]

I'm loading for a Henry model X in 45lc using Starline brass. 250gr RNFP on top of 14gr of HS6, so upper mid level pressure. I have brass with 12 loadings, no annealing, no splits, yet. Not arguing against what you've said, more of a comment on Henry chamber dimensions.

[@hardball107]

I have a 4" 625 Smith in 45acp and I load 8gr of CFE Pistol for around 1100fps with a 200gr Lee 542-200-RF cast and powder coated bullet. I have an old Lyman Spartan Turret press that gets all my pistol loading duties and besides the normal taper crimp die I also have a Redding 45 Profile Crimp die for 255's in the 5th station. So much fun busting beer cans full of water. I also have a 20" Rossi M92 in 454 Casull that gets fed a steady diet of those 255 SWC's in 45 Colt cases pushed by 23gr of Ramshot Enforcer at just over 1400fps or a Hornady 225 FTX with 26.5gr of 296 at 1700fps, both dandy deer loads. I'm glad my 625 is in 45acp, I would hate to get one of those Rossi loads mixed up in that Smith.

[@daviddale3624]

Thank you both for the "geezer pleaser"...as we called it, the long Colt.🙂

[@hardingdies7811]

Enthusiasm (Travis) coupled with lots of experience (Guy) and solid information make for a great video. I'm a CAS shooter who has been reloading/shooting .32s (daughter), .38s and .44s and recently got two Pietta BP .44s and conversion cylinders, so .45s are now on my plate as well. This video is quite helpful with my new caliber.

[@cornbreadburgess1950]

Great video Men ! Enjoyed it love the old guns and reload 😁

[@allensooter8429]

Hi guys, I am using 45lc in my cowboy action shooting, Starline brass, federal primers,(they are softer metal for the lighter springs) tite group powder 4.5 gr. 200 gr. round nose bullet. These feed a pair of Ruger Sass new model vaqueros with 5 1/2 barrels and an American Western Arms colt lightening clone pump rifle. They are a blast to shoot and easy on the hands after a full day of stages.

[@davidwade4825]

That appears to be a Ruger made brass grip frame. There would be a number under the grips, but I don't recall what it is. Great guns Guy!

[@davidnancarrow6158]

I load for my Ruger Bisley 7 1/2 inch in 45 Colt. For Tier 1 I use Unique under a 255 grain coated LSWC. For Tier III loads I'm partial to H110 and Winchester 296-lots of power and flash, especially with the H110 under 250 to 300 grain jacketed hollow points by either Hornady or Nosler. They group well. I went for the Bisley model mostly for the grip which handles the recoil of the high tier loads a bit better than the standard grip, at least in my hands.

[@guyminer3168]

Yes, that Bisley grip frame is real nice.

[@robertfree1908]

You and other commenters are really trying to talk me into buying a 45 Colt big brother to my Bisley Blackhawk 44 Special.

[@davidnancarrow6158]

@@robertfree1908 If you reload, you might also consider a Bisley 44 Magnum-uses the same bullets.

[@robertfree1908]

@@davidnancarrow6158 the only 44mags I’ve had were 2 29s, 2 629s and a Winchester 94AE Trapper. I wound up selling em all at different times because they’re easy to sell at a great price. I sold the 94AE long ago before they were a hot item. Before the Winchester plant closed it’s doors in ‘05. But there are 2 Rugers I want: the Bisley Hunter and a 5.5” blued RedHawk

[@davidnancarrow6158]

@@robertfree1908 both good choices!

[@johnkissam8312]

This takes me back to about 1958. My dad bought a Colt New Service that was surplus from New York Bureau of Prisons. Bought it through the mail, delivered to the door. Hand loaded it on a Lyman 310 hand tool. I vaguely remember sizing cases on a sizing die by hammering the case into the die and driving it out with a dowel. Slow yes but never a dud.

[@mikedurhan9941]

Colt Single Action Army (1957) 255 gr Keith style SWC, 13 Br. hardness, sized .454" 7.0 gr Unique Federal #150 (standard) primer Comment: Very comfortable and very accurate. Doesn't beat the gun to death. Plenty of power for my needs - I'm not Grizzley hunting...........

[@jas4everchanged]

I just bought a 460 S&W magnum BFR W/ 5.75” barrel. Shooting standard power .45 colt is very mild recoil. Also have some underwood +p rounds coming. They are close to .44 mag. Power give or take a bit. Can’t wait to try those. Thanks for your videos. It would be great to see your advice on the .454 casull cartridge and also the 460 magnum. I’m just starting with reloading and I greatly appreciate good quality accurate content. Thanks again.

[@jeske100]

One of my favorite calibers to reload. 230gr bullet, 7.0-7.7gr of HP-38. Very light recoiling plinking ammo.

[@ronbyers9912]

As a cowboy shooter I loaded thousands of 45 Colt, nearly all loaded down to cowboy loads for use in Ruger Vaccaros. .

[@elgato7134]

Both my wife and I have Ruger Convertibiles. Mine has the 5 1/2" barrel, and my wife prefers the 7 1/2 instead (She's a fan of Have Gun Will Travel). Most of my 'plinking loads' are 230 gr. RN pushed by HS6 10.1 gr. for a nice load. My 'hot loads' are usually the 300 gr. XTP pushed by 12.0 gr. of HS9 or 11.1 gr. of Power pistol. I do load some 255 gr. hollow-points, as well. My 'hot loads' are only for the Ruger or my Henry, for sure. Shooting .45 ACP out of the Convertible's is just plain fun. I load 230 gr. RN pushed by 7.8 gr. of HS6 because I can also use those in my pistols, and not just the revolvers.

[@dorisjohnson8857]

By the way Ruger did produce a few Blackhawks/Super Blackhawks with factory installed brass grip frames.(around 1972) But brass frames as replacements have been/are also available on the market. Either way yours is is a great and very desireable old model Blackhawk.💗 DJ

[@user-ef5hx1nu9t]

Hello, this is my first time I subscribe to anything. I enjoyed the info on the 45s. I have a 1911 and Ruger convertible acp/ long colt. I was wondering if you could educate me on the 45 super acp. I have not been able to find any really useful info. Thx y’all, look forward to watching more of your videos.

[@brucefrohn9834]

I reload both pistol (Uberti 1872 open top 7") & rifle (Rossi 1892 24") 45 Colt loads. I use X-treme 255gr JFP in both. Pistol loads with 7.5gr W231 & CCI 300 LPP. Rifle loads with 20gr H110 & CCI 350 Mag LPP. PS ... I enjoy your reloading videos.

[@tonydevich7937]

This is nice to see...haven't shot any of mine since the mid 90's

[@Blong243]

I load for my governor and big boy Henry. My next step is the 45 cowboy special. 45 colt case & 45 ACP length with fast burning powder. It should double the big boy capacity, but time will tell. Haven't taken a deer yet with the 45 colt but it's on my list as well.

[@troy9477]

First was a Win Trapper in 2002. Then a couple yrs later a 5.5" SS Bisley and a Mountain Gun (blued, which was a surprise). When i can finally start to reload i will probably be using mostly 255 gr SWC with Unique, Titegroup and 231/HP-38. I will try some 200 gr for light loads, maybe with Trail Boss. I may try the heavy loads on a limited basis. I may get the combo Redhawk 4.2" for the versatility. Seems like it would be a good trail gun, if a tad heavy. Might be fun to try pig hunting, as someone pointed out.

[@daleweller5193]

I have a US Arms Abilene, I was having a terrible time until I figured out that the barrel was 454 not 451. Know it is probably the most accurate gun I have.

[@bixby9797]

My favorite cartridge to cast and to reload. It can go from rabbits to buffalo with the right gun and reloading.

[@silvercreekslim6008]

I have an old model Ruger Vaquero I shoot .45 Colt black powder cartridge for CAS and GAF. I have a 1909 Colt I shoot smokeless loads for GAF. I have a Taurus 450 in .45 Colt I occasionally carry for self defense.

[@mikehoshall6150]

If I’m not mistaken, you will find the 45LC has the broadest reloading parameters of any pistol cartridge on earth. My loads do run towards the hotter end since I shoot them out of my Ruger SuperRedhawk. I run the 225 grain XPB bullet with 23.5 grains of Enforcer powder. It pushes the bullet to over 1500 FPS, so yes, it’s a handful!!you can if you want load it down, and for range time I load Hornady XTP bullets to a lower speed. The 45 is a wonderfull cartridge that I love. Those loads are what I carry in the summer when I may have to run off a moose, the heavy loads.

[@steveferris663]

Rifles: R92 & Uberti 1873 Open Tops: Uberti 1872s, Pietta 1860 Krist Gated Converters SAAs: Pietta 1873s 30-grains, FFg, 200-grain LRNFPs.

[@scottscheuerman6170]

The 45 colt is my favorite revolver cartridge I like to load the cartridges with universal clays around 8 grains with a 250 cast bullet

[@Dayattherange]

Awesome video and great versatile caliber. There a 3 power factors for the the old man 45 Colt, standard pressure for the Colt Single Action Army, Ruger BlackHawk Loads, heavy duty hunting loads for the redhawk and you also have the black powder pyrodex loads. I watched a standard load hit a 230 pound hog in the chest and come out his rear. Standard loads with the right bullet will serve just about everyone well. Again great content thank you.

[@cw2a]

Yup, Three levels!! I remember the Jon Taffin tests in Guns Magazine! I have a Short video on my Channel of a hog taking a 300g 45 Colt to the noodle!!

[@nicksouthwell9393]

Also the old model vaquero by ruger can be loaded stout like the Blackhawk. NOT the new vaquero though.

[@brickhammerSS]

Great video!!!!

[@christiansmith9414]

been thinking about another henry in 45 next!!!

[@guyminer3168]

Me too.... :)

[@duffy1298]

45 lc is probly my favorite caliber I just love it

[@dougtarbet6193]

That was interesting, I just loaded 100 45 Colt on my Lee Single Stage, with 8.3 gr of CFE Pistol topped with a .452 diameter polymer coated lead round nose weighing 230 gr for a friends Pietta 1873 SAA. Interestingly I bought these polymer coated bullets for my 45ACP but it does not like them. Did some reading of specs in my load manual and 45 ACP specifies a .451 diameter bullet and the 45 Colt specifies .452 diameter bullet. I’ve fired plenty of Berry’s copper plated 230 gr. RNs that are .452 diameter no problem. I ordered some CamPro copper plated 230 gr RN and they measure .451 diameter. I fired 100 rounds today and they worked very well for my 1911 45. Back to the 45 Colt with the .452 diameter polymer coated lead, I did not have his Pietta to drop check the ammo I loaded into the cylinder chambers but they drop in and out of my Lyman ammo checker. So we’ll see how they shoot soon.

[@dougtarbet6193]

Follow up, my buddy reported that his Pietta SAA 45 Colt shot great with those loads. One thing I didn’t mention is that my Lee load manual specifies a bullet diameter of .452 unlike the 45 Auto/ACP which is .451.

[@adamtalpash6469]

A little disappointed that there was no mention of H110. That’s the powder that really wakes the .45c. You mentioned lever guns as well, proper handloading can make the .45c to near the same power as a .factory .45-70.

[@andrewkelso3532]

Remington 1858. 5.5 inch barrel with 6 shot convertion cylinder from Howells. In 45 colt. Max load 800 fps with 255 grain lead cast loaded with triple 7 3f 27 grains

[@daveanderson5142]

Great video and info as always! For CASS, I use 5 grains of Trailboss under a 250 grain Bayou Hard Cast coated bullet in both my Uberti replica 1873 revolvers and rifle. Also shoot a new style Henry 45 colt with side gate for hunting, use 26 grains of H110 under a 250 grain XTP. Very accurate and hits hard at 100 yards!

[@casejasnoch2533]

Whats the minimum fps 45 colt ammo to shoot a deer with a carbine at 100 yrds?

[@denisdegamon8224]

​​@@casejasnoch2533I would try getting a minimum muzzle velocity of at least 850 to 900 fps out of a pistol. That same load might get you 1050 to 1100 fps from a typical rifle or carbine like a model 1873 toggle link action. ( a fairly weak action). With a lead 250 grain bullet you will get a complete pass through on deer sized game. Back in the days of black piwder 45 Colt loads, were designed to drop a horse at fifty yard out of a 7 1/2" barreled Colt single action army revolver. Those loads went around 900 to 1000 fps at the muzzle.

[@denisdegamon8224]

Dang 5 grains of trail boss is very anemic to say the least.....pop gun gallery loads. I've used 5.6 grains for 250 grains of Trail Boss and 5.8 grains for 200 grain FNRN lead bullets. They get around 727 fps and 750 fps respectively and are pretty mild loads.

[@casejasnoch2533]

@@denisdegamon8224 Thanks

[@RKidd-ex3rh]

I got a Colt M1909 New Service from 1911, the year it was replaced by the M1911! Kicks like a mule and can double as a club. But she's a blast to shoot! Gotta love .45 Colt, real bone rattler of a cartridge.

[@lawrencehudson9939]

YES! I am so glad you did a segment on the 45 Colt. I have had several Colt S&W and Ruger revolvers in this caliber over the years and regretted selling every one but I always buy more guns than I can afford. Presently I have two fixed sight Ruger Old Army revolvers with Krist cartridge conversion cylinders that I use for Cowboy Action Shooting. My first press was a Lyman four station turret press which I still have. Most of my 45 Colt rounds are loaded on either a Star universal press for smokeless loads and a Hornady AP for BP. I wish you would have included Unique powder instead of the CFE pistol, old cartridge deserves old powder. Love that Hercules FFG can, want to sell it?

[@E.L.RipleyAtNostromo]

Yep, another exclusive Unique fan here in the .45 Colt, and .45 ACP for that matter. I’ve been using it since Hercules made it.

[@lawrencehudson9939]

@@E.L.RipleyAtNostromo You've got to be older than me. Also good for any of the big olds 357, 38-40, 41 Mag & Spl, and any of the 44s.

[@hercules1073]

@@E.L.RipleyAtNostromo Me too in fact I still have a Hercules unique can in my cabinet. I wish I still had all the old blackpowder cans...smokeless too for that matter, but that single Hercules can and maybe an old IMR or two is all that I have left from my early loading days and my nephew got hold of the Hercules can and lost the lid to it a few years ago...to this day I raise H about that! as it's not just any old powder can...it's the first powder I ever bought when I started hand/reloading.

[@E.L.RipleyAtNostromo]

@@hercules1073 I have just one old Hercules can of Reloader 7. Old metal can with paper label. Not sure of the exact age, but I don’t smell anything bad and think that the half can left is still safe to use. I don’t know what kind of cap you had on yours, but this one has a red plastic center screw top that fits on a collapsible flexible tube that goes down into the can. It’s definitely the oldest can I have. That sucks yours got lost.

[@hercules1073]

@@E.L.RipleyAtNostromo Yep that's the one. You pull the red lid up and it pulls the little sectioned funnel out of the can for pouring the powder. My nephew was in his 30's when he lost it btw...a kid I can understand, but then again I wouldn't let a kid have access to it. Regardless it was the very first can of powder I ever bought when I started handloading and the guy suggested unique at the now long gone store...best reloading advice I ever got IMO!

[@robpatterson3652]

I have an old single action ruger vaquero in 45 colt. I usually only shoot target loads though, 230 gn cast powdercoated with a charge of green dot

[@wagon9082]

Good Video

[@richardboggs260]

I really enjoyed this video!! I have two ruger vaqueros with consecutive numbers stainless steel in 45 colt 5.5 inch barrled and I have a Cimarron 45 colt with 7.5 inch barrel. I load with tite group powder and I cast my own bullets. Lee mould 255 grain Round nose flar point.

[@robertbarker5802]

Anything I load spicy for a specific gun gets the red powder coated bullets. No way to miss them.

[@guyminer3168]

Great idea. Ya, that's important. Keep the loads easily identifiable.

[@robertfree1908]

Guy, did I see your J-Frame Model 60 357 on your hip? Loved this video especially. 45 Colt is my fave handgun round. I own and handload for a 4” RedHawk(not Super RH) in this cartridge that I purchased in 2010. One of my best buys to date. LilGun really makes Cast Performance 335gr LFNs and 240gr XTP Mags scream out of that 4”. 800x gives me a wonderful defense load at 1180fps with the 250gr XTP. And TiteGroup gives me a mild, fun shooting load at 880fps with the Oregon Trail 200gr RNFP. Some new powders have been introduced since I made these loads. AccurateArms TCM, A11FS, PowerPro300MP, W572, & W244. And I’ve yet to try Enforcer/A4100, IMR4227, TrueBlue, Silhouette, Universal & Unique. Any experience/advice with these?

[@dorisjohnson8857]

Great video If I am not mistaken , it looked like your Ruger Blackhawk was a 3 screw old model. If that is the case, it is even cooler then I first thought ❤DJ

[@cw2a]

Rewatching as it popped in my feed. You missed the boat on your opening pic NOT having Unique powder!!! But you admit not having history so somewhat understood. But I am sure Guy knew. Back in the day. Early days the ONLY POWDER listed by manuals was Unique!!

[@guyminer3168]

Unique is excellent for the 45 Colt!

[@cw2a]

@@guyminer3168 I should hope you knew that!! There was quite a while it was the ONLY powder suggested!!

[@wadelandeche8632]

I don't shoot mine as it is an American Handgunner 45th Anniversary Cimarron 45 LC that I won in the magazine giveaway. I did load a few DUMMY cartridges for display!

[@tedschneider2305]

I'm loading 6 grains of Red Dot under 255 led round nose flat point using the lee classic loader averaging around 1 minute per reload !... Mallet on work bench baby .. Shooting out of the Henry Big boy classic and the 1858 new army with 45 colt conversion cylinder.. Pew Pew !

[@guardianminifarm8005]

Excellent gents.

[@isaiahfronning5157]

I've been using 40 grains of Black Powder in my .45 Colt loads lately. She packs whallop!

[@guyminer3168]

Old School!