Henry Rifle Forums

I've been searching this thread for .45 Colt loads and the topic only came up a couple of times. Rather than reviving old posts, I decided to start the topic again, hoping for some fresh info and new ideas. The closest I can get for reliable info is John Linebaugh's writings specifically dealing with higher pressure loads in .45 Colt.(link https://www.johnlinebaughcustomsixguns.com/writings).
Linebaugh state that "modern" firearms can handle better than double the "standard" pressure of the .45 Colt(standard pressure being ~13,000cup). He is talking specifically about the Ruger New Model Blackhawk, but, since I believe the Henry BBS fits neatly into the modern firearm catagory, I extrapolated some loads from his data. Mind you I worked these loads up slowly, watching for ANY sign of over pressure. Also, since these are moving at greater than handgun velocity, I only use hard cast lead or high end plated bullets.

Oregon Trail Laser-Cast 250gr lead RNFP
9.0 to 9.5gr of W231 or HP-38
20gr of either W296 or H110

Berry's 230gr plated RN
7.5gr of W231 or HP-38

I intend to experiment with other bullets, and possibly other powders, but so far these loads have been very promising for hunting or just plinking.

Also, for those with handguns in .45 Colt, here is my favorite load for my S&W model 25with 6.5" barrel:

Oregon Trail Laser-Cast 250gr lead RNFP
5.0 to 5.5gr of American Select

The 5.0gr load is just a bit above a "Cowboy" load and 5.5gr is VERY accurate.

Garry

The 231 has me curious. I've so far only used Herco for my loads. But I do have 231 on hand, I may have to explore that. I've got some Sierra 240 g jacketed hollow points that I would like to use for some more stout loads.

Dont over look HS6 and Red dot. I have had great luck with both powders. Al

I run 23gr H110 under an Accurate 285 lrnfpgc. works very well in mine, maybe not yours...
If you want high power, use slow powder, esp. in a rifle.

BigAl52 wrote:Dont over look HS6 and Red dot. I have had great luck with both powders. Al

I’ve used both as well, hs6 is great for rifle rounds. Red dot works very well in 45colt, but is a fast powder and doesn’t gain you anything in a rifle. H110 is a good choice but gets pretty hot...

Maht_g wrote:

BigAl52 wrote:Dont over look HS6 and Red dot. I have had great luck with both powders. Al

I’ve used both as well, hs6 is great for rifle rounds. Red dot works very well in 45colt, but is a fast powder and doesn’t gain you anything in a rifle. H110 is a good choice but gets pretty hot...

With Red Dot, probably like many powders, it depends a lot on the bullet as to how much velocity gain you see going from a revolver to a rifle. I have done a number of chronograph tests with Red Dot and several different bullets lately primarily with a mild 7.2gr charge in .44 Mag. With hard cast and plated bullets, I was seeing an increase of 200 to 230 fps going from a 3 3/4" & 4 5/8 barreled revolvers to a 20" barreled rifle. At the other extreme, with a 200gr Gold Dot, I only saw an increase of 80 fps. As powder charges increased, the velocity gains increased as well. The velocity gains with the mild 7.2gr charge ranged from about as high as 24% with plated and cast to as low as 8% with the Gold Dot. In my opinion, 20 to 24% gains I saw with the cast and plated is significant. The Gold Dot needs to run below 1100fps to work best, so it is perfect in that it doesn't gain much velocity with an increase in barrel length.

I just started loading the 45's for a Marlin 1894.
The first loads I tried were some unknown light loads that I had been shooting the Vaquero.
But in the '94 I guess the pressure was low, and the Marlin chambers I've been finding out were cut a little big.
So I was experiencing some blow back, and was told to step up the charge some.
After a few range trips, I found that 10.0 grs. of Unique and a 230 gr cast works very good.
Picked some 255 grainers a couple days ago to try.
I'll let you know what I find.

RP

I load 250g SNS Cast bullets over 8g of Unique. My 45C Henry really likes them. RCBS dies with a Lee Crimp. Great combo and shooter.