Henry .45 Colt Heavy Load

Whew! Changed computers and for the last year and a half haven't been able to log on here! Finally fiddled with it again this morning, and, somehow, I'm back!

Anyhoo, back in January of '19, I picked up a BBS 16" .45 Colt, mounted a EGW rail, Weaver Lows, and an old Leupold M8 2.5x. I filed the edge back on the lifter until it'd feed a Miha 270SAA (286 grains, feeds swimmingly, btw).

At the range, it'd put 3 of the above bullet in an inch at 50 yards with 9.0grns. H-Universal with a less-than-stellar rest. I was thrilled.

But then when I tried 25.0grns. of W-296, it scattered them in a paper plate sized pattern.

My Bisley loves both of those loads. I will say, I'm not 100% sure if the bullets in the heavy load were heat treated (I typically do with that load, using w-w alloy). I was also using 50/50 lube, it may need something a bit stiffer in a rifle.

I've got 296, 2400, Silhouette and True Blue on hand. I'm thinking I'll use a few that I know are heat treated. Use BAC lube, then try 25.0 of 296, if that doesn't work, maybe back things up to about 20 grains of 2400.

The H-Universal load would likely be enough to slay about anything (clocking 1,180fps), and it'll get used 90% of the time. But I would like something with a bit more speed (1,400-1500fps) to make it a bit more effective out to 100 yards or so.

Anybody fooled with a heavy loaded Henry?

I've been using 18 and 19 grains 4227 in my 45 colt carbine with 260 gr, silhouette is one powder there is factory data using cast bullets for 14000 psi loads as well as 30000 psi loads. I need to cast some more and give it a try. I was gobstruck after reading paco Kelly loads for 45 colt but 19 grains 4227 was getting me about 1250 fps with real good accuracy and decided to keep the real high pressure loads in the 44mag

I load 300 grain Hi-Tek coated TCFPs over 10.5 grains of Shooter's World Auto Pistol. It's "Ruger only" pressure, so to speak, but it's not especially hot. Fun to shoot. The powder isn't slow, so the bullet is only coming out of my 20" Henry at just under the speed of sound. I use this powder because it burns clean and gives me single digit standard deviations in this caliber. I've loaded the same bullets up over H110 to near 1600 fps. Worked fine. SAAMI standard .45 Colt is too wimpy, but I personally don't need to push it up that high to get happy with it.

Are ya getting any gas cutting what diameter ya running at.

You nothing wrong with heavy loads but I was working recently with some loads for my Henry original 45 Long Colt and did some testing in wet news print. One was a 255 grain with shallow hp at 1100 FOS the other a 275 grain WFN. I like to use a 30-30 soft point as the test standard as it is relatable good penetrating load. Well anyways these are not hot loads because the action of that Henry will not handle them. When shot into the news print the description of the wet news print was just slightly less than the 30-30 load for the first 6-8” the the boolit from the Mihec mould with he shallow HP opened up really nicely and penetrated about 2” less than the WFN. But both penetrated over 16” in the water Soaked paper. The wound channels were really impressive as they generally show the temporary wound channel in flesh of a deer etc. I have come to hate hard kicking guns and found for taking game they may not be required.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Ozark mike

Are ya getting any gas cutting what diameter ya running at.

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.452"

Didn't recover any bullets, so not sure on the gas cutting.

Not sure if that batch was heat treated or not. I've got a batch that I heat treated a while back. Gonna try to give them a whirl this week.