reloading 45 colt

[yotesmoker]

Was getting set up to reload 45 colt so got out my lyman book to check out the best load using a 250 gr bullet with titegroup.Book showed most accurate load with that bullet was6.2 gr and 1020 fps.{forgot to mention loading was for 45 colt rifle loads],,,,,,,but on the titegroup container the load showed that 6.2 gr was only 881 fps.the container did not list rifle or pistol.Does that big difference mean that 6.2 is too much for a pistol or does the difference in barrel length make that much difference.

 

[USSR]

...difference in barrel length make that much difference.

Don

 

[44 AMP]

Lyman's "accuracy loads" are a good place to start your accuracy testing, but what they found to be the most accurate of what they tested in THEIR gun might not be the most accurate in YOUR gun.

A listed 881fps is almost certainly from a pistol length barrel, probably 5.5"

How much of an increase in velocity you get from a carbine barrel over a pistol barrel varies with the cartridge, some gain considerably more than others, but all gain some speed fired from a longer barrel.

 

[USSR]

Use an even slower burn rate powder and the difference will be even greater.

Don

 

[Rifletom]

Unique is considered THE powder for the .45 Colt. Especially when discussing 250-255gr cast type bullets. In your rifle, as in my Henry with 20" barrel, 8.0-8.2gr Unique is the ticket. I've not used Tite-Group(yet), but, mighty hard to beat Unique in the .45 Colt.
Just an old handloaders perspective.

 

[Schlitz 45]

Last time I had both my Vaquero & Marlin 1894 out to shoot 45's it was a bit to windy to set up the chronograph but its on my list to document the difference of the same load from a 3.75" to a 20" barrel. My go to 45 Colt plinking round is a 250 grain Berry's plated flat point bullet over 6 grains of Tightgroup, easy shooting & accurate for the short distances I'm using it at.

 

[rclark]

Titegroup... In my 5.5" Ruger 6.0g was 818fps, 6.5g 870fps... Just an FYI. I don't have any of the loads I tested marked as accurate... But was said above ... this was in my test revolver.

 

[Unclenick]

but on the titegroup container the load showed that 6.2 gr was only 881 fps.the container did not list rifle or pistol.

Have you ever noticed that boxes of ammunition give a velocity number and no barrel length, either? That practice assumes everyone knows how SAAMI standardization works. They are assuming you know that means they used a SAAMI standard-compliant pressure and velocity test barrel. You can look that up in the SAAMI standards.

However, for handgun cartridges, there are sometimes three barrel lengths: one for using the cartridge in a rifle, one for a revolver, and one for a single-shot pistol. Since the standard barrel for revolvers requires a special receiver that allows for a vent that simulates the barrel/cylinder gap, some powder distributors, like Hodgdon, use the single-shot pistol barrel because it fits the same universal receiver they use for everything else. But, having no gap, it gives higher velocity results than a revolver with a barrel/cylinder gap will.

If you go to Hodgdon's Load Data site, they will tell you they used a 7.25" barrel to get 881 fps out of a 250-grain LRNFP bullet shape, seated to 1.500" COL. The more exact SAAMI spec is 7.23" barrel ±0.010", but that difference won't affect velocity much.