I'm looking for a whitetail hunting load for 45 Colt 255 LSWC. I have a 4 5/8" Vaquero and expect the shot will be within 35 yards. Want about 1000 fps.

I have Unique, Bullseye, Blue Dot, W231, and Trail Boss.

I've tried 11.5 gr Blue Dot and got acceptable accuracy (barely), but after 50 rounds of practice there was enough Blue Dot on my clothes I could have gathered it up to reload several rounds. I was using CCI # 300 primers with a heavy crimp (1 full turn of Lee FCD). Should I try # 350?

Try 10.0gr of Unique with a standard CCI 300 primer. I'm assuming this is an OLD STYLE Vaquero and not a new style... If it's the new style Vaquero, I would either limit it's use of this load greatly, or not use it at all.

It's an old model Vaquero made in 2001.

You're safe then Also, you may want to check the throat dimensions on your cyinder as Ruger tends to make the 45LC undersized. This can cause alot of leading, leading to poor accuracy. You'll want the cylinder throats about 0.001"-0.002" larger than the forcing cone/bore diameter. I used lead round balls to slug the barrel and throats. Brownells sells a throat reaming kit for the Rugers. Definitely a step in the right direction for proper function and accuracy. 10.0gr of Unique works well in my gun. You may have to tweak the load for proper accuracy. Good luck, and feel free to ask further questions if you have any.

I'll second the 10.0gr Unique, that's my standard load in my Blackhawk.

I also had to ream both cylinders for my pistol (.45 Colt and .45 ACP) as they were both very undersized and it shot so bad you couldn't even sight it in at 25 yds. After reaming it is very accurate. If your gun needs it buy the reamer that Dave Manson makes that Brownell's sells or send the cylinder off to cylindersmith.com if you don't want to do it yourself.

My Ruger 45 also needed to be opened up. I had a local guy do it, but cylindersmith.com did my 629. Great job, fast turnaround and inexpensive.


Okie John

Yesterday I ordered the following from Brownell's

513-000-001
45 CALIBER THROAT REAMER W/.4480 PILOT $75.00

513-000-002
CHAMBER THROAT REAMER PILOT PAK FOR 45 $48.00

Now I just have to go to Home Depot to get a T-handle tap wrench and cutting oil.

Might want to try a bit more Blue Dot. My 270 grain keith load uses 13.0 grains in a S&W Mountain gun. I have not noticed any unburned with that load. My Ruger Bisley prefers a 310 grain WFN and will take up to 14.0 grains before my hand says enough. The Ruger needed to be reamed too. The cylinder throats measured .447 and when opened up to .451, leading stopped.

CTI1USNRET,

John Taffin had a article on reaming the Rugers a couple of years ago. The big thing I remember from it was to make sure never to turn the reamer backwards as it will ruin the cutting edges.

Found the article online if you're interested>

http://www.findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m0BTT/is_158_26/ai_86704803

This is the article I found:

http://www.gunblast.com/Brownells_Reamer.htm

a go to load for me in the .45s has allways been 11 grains of herco and a 250-255

quote:

a go to load for me in the .45s has allways been 11 grains of herco and a 250-255

According to my Alliant load data, that is a 22% overcharge. What in the world are you shooting it in???

quote:

Originally posted by Doubless:

quote:

a go to load for me in the .45s has allways been 11 grains of herco and a 250-255

According to my Alliant load data, that is a 22% overcharge. What in the world are you shooting it in???

Published .45 Colt loads are kept light in deference to Colt SAAs and clones. The Rugers can be loaded considerably hotter. I would guess he is referring to shooting that load in a Blackhawk. My own go to load is 10.0gr Unique over a 255gr SWC which according to Alliant's data is a 25% overload but in reality is perfectly safe in the Rugers.

Okay, now that two of you have essentially said it is okay to overload a Ruger, what would you tell me to stoke my 45 Colt Mountain gun with, if I were going to shoot both 250s and 300s? I am not comfortable overloading it, but I do think it is stronger than a Colt SAA. (But I may be very wrong...)

According to the Lyman "cast Bullet Handbook"; the max load of Unique for the #452424 in Unique is 10.2 grains. This is in the Ruger and T/C section only. I do not have a listing for Herco, but do not use that powder any way.

Now we only have one possible overload listed as 10 grains is below the published max.

Stoke your Mountain Gun with what you are comfortable shooting.

From John Taffin's article "The Custom Loading .45 Colt"

http://www.findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m0BQY/is_7_47/ai_75287317

"Smith & Wesson's Model 25-5 and various 625 Models chambered for the .45 Colt are regarded as being quite a bit stronger that the Colt Single Action Army by some who even see it nipping at the heels of the Ruger Blackhawk. We tend to be a bit more cautious and place it somewhere in between the Colt Single Action Army and New Frontier, a very narrow range. Perhaps we are overly careful, but we will never get into trouble nor lose a grand and valuable sixgun by having this attitude.

For these sixguns we start at 1,050 fps and approach 1,200 fps. A load using 18.5 grs. of #2400 with a 250 gr. to 260 gr. Keith bullet is used a lot, also 23.0 grs. of WW296 with the same bullet for right at 1,200 fps.

We even use JHP bullets with these .45 Colt sixguns. Sierra's 240 gr. JHC, Hornady's 250 gr. XTP and Speer's 260 gr. JHP all yield 1,075 to 1,100 fps with 23.0 grs. of H110. For hunting, these loads will easily handle deer and black bears. "

S&W 25 revolver should do just fine with 13 grains of Blue Dot and 260 grain or below bullet weights. Reference Speer Reloading Manual #12 or later editions. The S&W N frame revolvers are used for the .45 ACP +P loading at 21,000 psi, quite a bit higher than the basic "for SAA only" loads in the .45 Colt but still perfectly appropriate in the .45 Colt S&W 25 and 625 revolvers. I'd try about 17 or so grains of 2400 for an equivalent load to the Blue Dot one already mentioned. W231 with 8.5 grains does some 850 fps according to John Linebaugh's Gunnotes. His wife used it for an antelope with no problems. I've used 10.0 grains of Unique for my S&W 25 for some 15 years or so without a problem. If I used only a S&W .45 Colt Mountain Gun, I'd use 5.5 grains of Bullseye for practice, just for my hand's sake. I get around 750 fps, depending on powder lot and temperature.

I have shot thousands of the same load through my model 25 smith and its as tight as the day i bought it.

quote:

Originally posted by Doubless:
Okay, now that two of you have essentially said it is okay to overload a Ruger, what would you tell me to stoke my 45 Colt Mountain gun with, if I were going to shoot both 250s and 300s? I am not comfortable overloading it, but I do think it is stronger than a Colt SAA. (But I may be very wrong...)

I load my 625 Mtn. Gun with 9.5grs of Unique behind a 255gr cast SWC. Anybody got some good data on Beartooth Bullets 280 grainer?!

I stand corrected (again...) No less an authority than John Linebaugh lists 13 grains of HS-6 (Winchester 540) as being safe in the Smith N-frame revolver, loaded behind a 260-grain Keith style bullet. The information is available at www.handloads.com/articles

I found it to be a very enlightening article. My new 45 Mountain gun is going to be tested quite soon!