Black powder 45 colt loads

[fordf1004x4]

Does any one else load these? I have a uberti saa clone and I want to load some black powder rounds for it. I have a few pounds of 3f goex and the rest of the fixings, but no solid load data.

Any advice would be helpful.

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[Rocklock]

I load 'em for CAS. 250gr lead slug over 35 grains FFFg Goex. Can't get the old 40gr loads in modern cases due to the solid case heads. The old cases had more room. It helps if your slugs have a BP friendly lube. Same goes for your base pin or things will gum up pretty quick. You can load things down by using a filler wad to take up the extra space in the case. Corn meal will also work as a filler.

 

[Steve M]

Looks like you might want to be using 2F to use this data - http://www.goexpowder.com/images/LoadCharts/Cartridge-Pistol-Revolvers.pdf

 

[Mark W.]

Expect maybe 3-4 cylinders worth of shooting until you will need to break the pistol down and clean things up. I used to shoot a lot of Cap and Ball pistol and its always a messy thing.

 

[Cameron72]

Several years ago I used Pyrodex Pistol pellets. They are a 30 grain cylinder of powder. After prepping my brass I dropped a pellet in followed by a lube wad and pressed in the bullet. Worked great.

 

[Bon Sauvage]

If you will be using GOEX I suggest that you have good compression on the powder and use a compression die, not the bullet, to compress it.

You may wish to use an 18" drop tube or longer. This will help to compact the powder and also, allow you to put more powder into the case.

I also suggest that you at least consider annealing the cases.

Use a good lube. I make my own out of bees wax and lambs tallow and it is the best that I have personally used.

Ensure that there is no airspace between the bullet and the powder.

 

[saxon]

anyone in the Eugene springfield area need about 45 rounds of BP 45 colt ammo? nos by an ammo dealer I will make you a good deal on it

 

[crstrode]

Ensure that there is no airspace between the bullet and the powder.

This is one of the most often misunderstood bits of lore in the history of guns. Eliminating the airspace may improve accuracy in some instances, but in no way is it dangerous when loading black powder cartridges or cap and ball revolvers.

 

[Colts4me]

Never reloaded or even shot BP loads but was reading on another forum that you really need to clean the gun inside if you shoot BP. A well known gunsmith said he was asked to go over a Colt SAA that was used by a popular movie star. He said the BP ate up the inside of the Colt yet the outside looked great.

 

[Throckmorton]

Leving an air space is not a problem with bp ? since when.?? with real black powder, not subs, it is most definitely not something you want to do. big difference between the 2, real bp and the various subs.

 

[tac]

Leaving an air space in a BP load 'twixt powder and bullet/ball makes your gun into a pipe bomb.

From practical experience of being at the wrong end, that is exactly how a pipe bomb works efficiently.

To do anything else is to court disaster in two forms -

1. A MILD disaster in the form of a ringed barrel, or

2. A SERIOUS disaster in the form of a totally blown barrel.

On the other tentacle, if you are happy to carry out the experiment to prove me wrong, and make a YouTube video of it, I'll eat a pie made of finest crow, even tho' it is my spirit animal.

Looking forward to seeing it.

tac, BP shooter since the early 1960's.

 

[tac]

Please read this before you start to load up those cases.......

Quote - 'Having an airspace between the powder and bullet is not a thing to get slack with even if some well known shooter in the past recommended it. There are plenty of variables involved with this. Crimps of bullets in cases, weight of bullets,length of airspace,type of powder ect.ect. Air space between the powder and the bullet "can" bulge a barrel and "burst" a barrel. A little space may not hurt but....let the bullet slip forward(as in breech seating) while hunting ect. and the length of space grows and so does the danger. There have been more published records of burst barrels than records of "using an airspace" to achieve accuracy. The biggest culprit is the heavy bullet in a fouled barrel that has an airspace that is just long enough to let the gases expand enough to get a running start before they slam into the firmly seated heavy bullet(when off the powder it is considered a bore obstruction) and send the peak pressure sky high. It all has to do with peak pressure and that all has to do with too many variables for me to figure out so......I'll be safe and seat the projectile on the powder instead of being sorry. It is interesting to know that old time shooters thought that it was alright to have a small air space between the bullet and the powder. I can see there would be instances when the peak pressure wouldn't be spiked too high with a small space. Blackpowder likes a "firm crimp" so it can get a good consistent burn going and if there is no crimp as in breech seating a bullet then the small space would probably be something to let the powder get a little running start before it hit the bullet so the bullet may obturate and act like it was firmly crimped.'

Off ye go, then.

tac

 

[Andy54Hawken]

I'll second or third the notion 'bout not leaving airspace between the bullet / ball and powder.
A greased felt wad works really well for this issue.
Even the cardboard back of those yellow legal pads , well greased works good too...
Andy

 

[Certaindeaf]

Does any one else load these? I have a uberti saa clone and I want to load some black powder rounds for it. I have a few pounds of 3f goex and the rest of the fixings, but no solid load data.

Any advice would be helpful.

No load data, huh? That's odd.
The cave cartouches indicate probably 3/4-4/5 case full followed by a properly seated bullet.

 

[Andy54Hawken]

Original load was 40 grains of black...Most cases nowadays are bit thicker and will only take about 32-35 grains or so....depending on case manufacturer.
Andy

Clean up of Black powder guns is easy...don't let internet myth scare ya...
Clean the bore with warm soapy water as well as the chambers of the cylinder...wipe the rest of the metal with a damp rag....dry the gun...clean with CLP , Hoopes #9 etc...dry....check in a day or two ...very easy.

 

[crstrode]

Please read my post more carefully. I'm speaking only of reloading centerfire revolver cartridges and cap and ball revolvers. The disasters that you are referring to are the result of poor practice in muzzle loading rifles. And even in those cases, damage is usually caused by barrel blockage, double charges, etc.

In a revolver, there cannot be more than a fraction of an inch of air space if a bullet is seated over even a powder puff BP load.

A revolver in good condition cannot be damaged by any size load of BP with a ball loaded to correct center fire cartridge length, nor with a ball loaded far enough into the cylinder of a percussion revolver so it will still rotate. There is not enough space nor enough powder in a revolver cylinder to do any damage whatsoever when shooting with BP. Shoot a squib and then try to shoot again through a blocked or partially blocked barrel and that is another story all together.