.45 blackhawk.

C

Chris keen

Inactive
I have a box of hornady frontier lead 45 cal. 255 grain flat point cowboy bullets. .454 diameter. I'm having difficulty finding load data and seeing a lot of opinions and arguments on other forums. I simply need a recipe or two that will work in a Ruger .45 blackhawk and a model 94 levergun. 900 fps would be good.
 
BUY A MANUAL!!!!

more than one is a good idea.

They aren't just "books" they are important parts of your reloading tools!
 
No one should buy anything before buying a manual or three .
Never use any load data off the internet unless also found in YOUR MANUAL
 
I have a manual, or 4. I love to read them and do. They just don't offer recipes for THAT bullet in that gun. Its not a play toy, and I'm not going to guess and make it up. My other loads are hunting wild boar hot, and screwing off in Alaskan backwoods hot. I don't need those at the range with my eager to burn ammo kids.
Thank you sghart3579.
 
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OK, I see your issue, and I don't know if this bullet is your bullet, but the Hornady 7th edition lists this...

255gr #12458 FP Cowboy
B.C.: 0.117 C.O.L. : 1.575"

Their test gun was a Ruger Bisley 7.5" and out of a dozen powders listed only two got to 900fps at listed max. The rest of them listed 850fps at max, except , of course, Trail Boss, which went only 750fps at max.

Personally, I consider these loads overly conservative, but that's just me.

Max for Unique they listed was 7.0gr @ 850fps.

Now, the picture in the Hornady book shows what looks to me like a swaged bullet, which is probably rather soft, which might be the reason for the conservative load maximums.

An old Lyman manual lists 7.5gr Unique as the factory duplication load with a 250gr bullet. 8.5gr is a load that has been used for generations in Colts and is quite safe in any modern .45 Colt firearm.
 
You need a load for cast 255 grain bullets. You do not need bullet manufacturer specific data or "...recipes for THAT bullet in that gun...". You load for the bullet weight and cast or jacketed. Not the maker or the firearm.
You don't need exactly 255 grain data either. Hodgdon's cast 250 grain will do. 5 grains won't matter.

One will assume your firearms are chambered in .45 Colt. The cartridge is important. However, the chances of finding a load that shoots well out of both are slim. Possible, but unlikely.
"...850 fps..." Mid range load(So is 8.5 grains of Unique) for a lot of powders.
 
Lyman Cast Bullet Handbook, 4th Edition


255 gr LSWC

Unique 6.0 gr to 8.5 gr


I have shot literally thousands of this style bullet at 8.5 gr of Unique in my Vaquero and my Rossi 92.

It is accurate and 830 fps out of my Ruger. Moderate recoil. It is considered the classic 45 Colt load.
 
Chris, what powders do you have right now? By the way, SGHart's advice is good, if you already have Unique. There are several other very good powders for the 45 Colt, but Unique so is especially suited to this caliber that I consider it a must-have powder.
 
I realize that the O.P. is talking about .45 Colt loads. But his first post isn't that clear which .45 he's wanting to load for his Blackhawk. I had a Ruger Blackhawk Convertible that had both .45ACP and .45Colt cylinders.

It might be worthwhile to note that 8.5 grains of Unique behind a 255 bullet is not a good idea with .45ACP. Novices might misunderstand.
 
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