RELOADING
High-Performance .45 Colt Loads
How to push a cowboy classic into a heavyweight fire-breather.
|
|
The .45 Colt cartridge is a real oldie. It was introduced in 1873, and if it isn't the oldest centerfire cartridge currently being produced, it's sure on the short list. It was originally loaded with a 255-grain bullet pushed by 40 grains of black powder to about 810 fps.
It is nearly impossible to develop chamber pressures higher than 20,000 psi when using black powder, so you can be sure that the guns that were originally designed to use the .45 Colt ammo weren't designed for modern smokeless-powder pressures. SAAMI limits the maximum average pressure for the .45 Colt ammo to 14,000 psi. That results in some very modest performance numbers. The advent of Cowboy Action shooting nicely meshed with these low pressures and gave the standard loads a new life.
Handloaders using modern guns weren't slow to recognize that there were guns (and modern cartridge cases) that could handle much higher pressures and therefore produce much better performance numbers. You might find some factory ammo on your dealer's shelves that is marked .45 Colt + P or +P+.
There isn't any SAAMI +P standard, and some of this ammo is actually scary. While we were pressure testing for these loads we fired some of the factory high-pressure loadings in our pressure barrel. Wow! A remotely fired pressure barrel is one thing, but there is no way I would shoot some of this stuff in a handheld revolver. Be very careful with factory loads identified as +P or +P+.
Most of the reloading handbooks have settled on an average pressure level of about 25,000 psi for high-performance .45 Colt ammunition. All of these load recommendations are accompanied by warnings that they are to be used only in certain specific guns and certainly not in original Colt Single Action Army guns or replicas. The loads we have selected here are also in the 25,000-psi class. Be sure to read the warning accompanying the loads table.
This brings up a serious problem. If you load ammo in .45 Colt cases that have nearly double the pressure of standard ammo, you have an obligation to mark your box of ammo prominently to make sure nobody will use it in an old gun. I used to be pretty casual about marking reloads--I was sure I would remember what I had. I found out this wasn't true at all and now am much more careful with my identification markings. I've broken down too much old unmarked ammo because I couldn't be sure what I had. A few minutes making up a label will be more than repaid by not wasting components and could save someone from getting hurt.
Since it has been around forever, the .45 Colt is well supported with dies and other components. The dies I used were from Hornady, and I've had them a long time. There are plenty of suitable powders and the .45 Colt uses large pistol primers. The table shows that some of these loads used the magnum-strength primers.
The bullets need a few words of explanation. If you are making up hunting loads, it is worthwhile to check with the bullet manufacturer to be sure your bullets will perform properly at the velocities you are getting. I think all of the premium hunting bullets will stand these velocities very well, but it doesn't hurt to check.
Loading the .45 Colt requires the same techniques as any other straight-bodied pistol cartridge. It is a three-die job. Set your resizing plug carefully so that you get just a little bit of flare at the case mouth. If the case mouths don't have just a little flare, the bullet may not enter cleanly, and you will likely crush some cases. Too much flare is also bad because it works the case mouth too much, and before many reloadings you'll get case-mouth splits.
A .45 Colt revolver with high-performance loads is a potent weapon. It isn't quite as potent as the .44 Magnum, and you shouldn't try to equal that cartridge, which uses a working pressure of about 36,000 psi. The .45 Colt cases aren't strong enough to safely go there. If you want more performance than these loads provide, you should think about something like the .454 Casull.
On that subject, I checked with the folks at Freedom Arms. While they see .454 Casull guns from time to time that have been fired with .45 Colt ammo, they strongly recommend against the practice. If you have a Freedom Arms .454 Casull and want to use .45 Colt ammo (either standard or high-performance) for a "mild plinking" load, the company will sell you a conversion cylinder for your gun.
It's interesting that this 134-year-old cartridge is still a very useful item in the ammo inventory. The .45 Colt is a great example of an oldie but goodie.
WARNING: The loads shown here are safe only in the guns for which they were developed. Neither the author nor InterMedia Outdoors assumes any liability for accidents or injury resulting from the use or misuse of this data.
| Bullet | Bullet Weight (gr.) | Powder | Primer | Case | Starting Load (grs.) | Maximum Load (grs.) | Max. Muzzle Velocity (fps) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Speer Gold Dot | 200 | Alliant 2400 | Remington 2.5 | Midway | 18.0 | 23.0 | 1,400 |
| Sierra JHC | 240 | Hodgdon H110 | Winchester LR | Buffalo Bore | 22.0 | 26.0 | 1,370 |
| Hornady XTP HF | 250 | Ramshot Enforcer | Federal 150 | PMC | 18.0 | 22.0 | 1,330 |
| Nosler Partition | 260 | Accurate No.9 | CCI-300 | Winchester | 18.0 | 22.0 | 1,290 |
| Lead Gas Check | 265 | Vihta-Vuori N-110 | Winchester LR | Midway | 17.0 | 21.5 | 1,300 |
| Hornady XTP HF | 300 | Hodgdon H110 | CCI-350 | Buffalo Bore | 17.0 | 20.0 | 1,170 |
| Nosler Partition | 300 | Ramshot Enforcer | Remington 2.5 | Winchester | 16.0 | 19.0 | 1,160 |
| Sierra JSP | 300 | Alliant 2400 | Federal 150 | PMC | 15.0 | 19.0 | 1,140 |
| Speer Plated SP | 300 | Winchester 296 | Winchester LR | Remington | 19.0 | 23.0 | 1,210 |
| Golden Bear HP | 325 | IMR 4227 | Federal 150 | PMC | 15.0 | 19.5 | 1,020 |
| Golden Bear SP | 350 | Vihta-Vouri N-120 | CCI-300 | Remington | 15.0 | 21.0 | 1,000 |
| Abbeviations: SP, soft point; HP, hollowpoint; JHP jacketed hollow point; JHC, jacketed hollow cavity. Warning: The loads listed here all produce higher pressures than standard ammunition and are not to be used in S&W Model 25-5, Colt Single Action Army or any replica-type revolvers. Use only in Colt Anaconda, Ruger or Freedom Arms revolvers, T/C Contender or Winchester Model 94 lever-action rifles. | |||||||
High Performance .45 Colt (load data)
