Smokeless Powder Loading Info For Cowboy Loads For .45acp

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sirdutch

New member
I'm wondering if anyone has a handle on loading .45acp with smokeless powder. I'm looking at Trail Boss as it is bulky and should make some good low pressure cowboy loads with coated lead bullets.

I have a Pietta 1858 steel framed Remington Sheriff's model and have a Howell's conversion cylinder. In California, it's prohibitively expensive to purchase ammo unless one can find it locally. We have to send it to an FFL and pay hazardous material shipping fees.

I would rather have a .45lc as loading data is plentiful but it is what it is. I'm having a hard time finding reliable info on line.
Apparently. the .45acp conversion cylinders are not widely used and/or popular.

If anyone could direct me to a good source on smokeless powder loading data specifically for the .45acp or your experience with a low pressure cowboy load, it would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks.
 
Buy any brand up to date reloading manual. I recommend the Lyman. It will have a complete listing of safe loads for the 45 acp.
 
I shoot Wild Bunch which requires a .45 ACP 1911 and lead bullets. I used a lot of 200 grain bullets but have changed to 230s which some folks believe has less recoil than a 200 pushed to meet the Wild Bunch power factor. Cowboy PF is much lower so you can load lighter.

Trail Boss is pretty much out of production but there are tons of suitable powders including Red Dot which has worked well for me. Titegroup is popular but I find it snappy.
 
welcome to TFL

Data for the .45ACP is everywhere. But I doubt you'll find Trailboss listed for the .45ACP, its not really a suitable powder.

Trailboss was created to be a very bulky powder, intentionally to be used to fill the space in pistol cases designed during the black powder era that is normally empty using smokeless loads in those cases.

Rounds like the .38-40, .44-40 and .45 Colt were designed to use a case full of black powder, which leaves lots of empty room when loaded with smokeless duplicating their original velocity and pressure.

The .45ACP was not. Starting loads for the .45ACP in my old manuals are in the 6-700fps range with the usual "fast" modern pistol powders and should do well enough for cowboy action shooting.
 
Interesting: You've been a member here for 12 years, yet only 4 posts. :cool:

I'm looking at Trail Boss . . .
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I've dabbled a bit with Trail Boss just out of curiosity, so I looked up my load records. And indeed yes, I have loaded some 45 ACP with it. Looks like in April 2019, I loaded a hundred 200gn LSWC's, with 3.6 grains. I did not chronograph them as I was just testing them for cycling and barrel leading - according to my records. They ran flawlessly. The gun was a Colt 1911, using a light 13Lb recoil spring. I have no actual recollection; but it's safe to say it was a soft shooting round.

I don't know if that's any help. But there it is.


In California, it's prohibitively expensive to purchase ammo unless one can find it locally. We have to send it to an FFL and pay hazardous material shipping fees.
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Yeah. Harassment laws like this is why I moved to Idaho this past March.
 
I load .45 Colt (and .44 Colt Original) with Trail Boss. I don't load or shoot those calibers a lot and I have a couple of pounds of Trail Boss, so I'm not in danger of running out tomorrow. I didn't know that Trail Boss is an endangered species.

Unfortunately, I do not have chrono data to share.

For .45 ACP I load with Winchester 231/HP-38. The whole point of Trail Boss is that it's bulky, and .45 Colt with Win 231 is an example of why. A low- to mid-range charge in .45 ACP doesn't fill half the case. In .45 Colt you need to really look to see if there's any powder down at the bottom of the case. That's why I switched to Trail Boss -- so I could see whether or not the powder had found its way into the case.
 
Is a Lazer-Cast bullet 230gr 45 at .452diameter with Triple-Seven or H-38 a possible combo for a cowboy load or am I dreaming. I could always pick up some Ramshot Competition.
 
sirdutch said:
Is a Lazer-Cast bullet 230gr 45 at .452diameter with Triple-Seven or H-38 a possible combo for a cowboy load or am I dreaming. I could always pick up some Ramshot Competition.
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You are asking about a load for .45 Colt, correct?

The Hodgdon on-line loading data site lists a load for a cast 230-grain LRNFP bullet with a diameter of .452" at a COAL of 1.580" using HP-38.

Starting load ==> 5.8 gr . . . 738 fps . . . 7,300 CUP
Max load . . .==> 7.3 gr . . . 941 fps . . . 13,700 CUP


If you're asking for a load for .45 ACP, Hodgdon offers the following:

230-grain LRN bullet with a diameter of .452" at a COAL of 1.200" using HP-38.

Starting load ==> 4.3 gr . . . 699 fps . . . 12,200 CUP
Max load . . .==> 5.3 gr . . . 834 fps . . . 16,900 CUP
 
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