Grease cookies in 45 Colt BP cartridges?

C

ClemBert

New member
Is anyone using grease cookies in their 45 Colt blackpowder cartridges? Specifically, my question relates to revolver shooting and not rifile shooting. Thus, we are talking about a much shorter barrel.

I was using "standard" 250 grain RNFP .452 bullets that have rather shallow lube rings; basically designed for use with smokeless powder and smokeless powder lube. I melt off the crayon lube and insert my own beeswax/crisco lube. However, I question whether or not this is enough lube thus my question about adding a grease cookies below the base of the bullet.

If you do use grease cookies could you share how your grease cookie cartridge is constructed (i.e. thickness, wadding, etc). Shoot, why not tell me how your 45 Colt cartridge is constructed.

I previously put together two different configurations.

1. 30 grains Goex, lubricated wonder wad, 0.030 walter wad.
2. 35 grains Goex, 0.030 walter wad, NO wonder wad.

I'd rather skip the lubricated wonder wad. It adds to the expense of every cartridge and I'm a cheapskate. Also, I wonder if cartridges built with wonder wads will, overtime, contaminate the powder as the wonder wad is compressed in there thus squeezing out the lubricant. As a note, some lubricated wads when finger pinched can sometimes be observed to "drip out" lubricant.
 
Last edited:
robhof

I would be hesitant to put any lube where it could contact the powder. I currently have about 250 assorted 38 and 357 rounds that I loaded about 5 years ago with Lee tumble lubed cast bullets. They worked fine the 1st year but now about 3 out of 5 squib, so I have been pulling them, when I've nothing better to do and many have the powder as a waxy lump. Now I wipe the base of any lubed bullet and have never had any problems. I'm shooting some 9mm that's 2 to 3 years old with the bases wiped and have had no problem. All the rounds have been stored in the same area in large ammo cans. I use wonder wads in my ROA, but if I plan to store loaded; I skip the wad and lube above the ball.
 
AFAIK, none of the 18th century factory loads had them, and I think they knew what they were doing. I've never heard of any reloads having them either. Try shooting first, then decide. It shouldn't take much lube to get down a 6 inch barrel. I always end up with a nice star pattern of lube at my muzzle, but then again mine don't mike out anywhere near as small as your .252" .45s;)
 
I load them basically as you have (sometimes I cast the bullets also) and use as much 3fg Goex as I can get in the case (generally about 36-37 grains). With the 250 grain bullet and a 7 1/2" barrel I get about 1050 fps with this load and have no problems with accuracy or functioning. I shot a deer with this revolver/load combination a few years back and it certainly did the job.
 
I was thinking about this configuration:

Step #1: 35 grains GOEX
Step #2: Walter Wad 0.030 thickness (fiber wad or wax cardboard)
Step #3: Grease cookie
Step #4: Standard groove .452 LRNFP with smokeless lube

Another option would be to skip the grease cookie and use a LRNFP where the smokeless lube is removed and replaced by homemade beeswax/crisco lube. However, I wonder if the grease groove is large enough but then again this is only for pistol shooting with a 7.5" barrel.

BTW, I use a drop tube when I want to get 40 grains of GOEX crammed into the 45 Colt. Otherwise, as you say you can only get 36-37 grains in there.

ReloadingBench021.jpg
 
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