Alternate powder for 45 colt.

[hanleyfan]

anyone try the ETR7 pistol powder in 45 colt?

[ole 5 hole group]

If you can find it - VV N340, N350, N110 & N120 work just fine in 45 Colt and a lot of other calibers as well.

[Tackleberry41]

I have seen some if the VV powder, I usually don't want to pay the premium, probably why its on shelves. I just have not seen much in way of pistol powders to buy. And I have to have the cash. I go to a place, its a choice of several lbs of powder, or buying an lbs of powder, and some primers or bullets to. I would really like to find some more power pistol for my 357 sig and 45 super. Have more than enough unique, more solo 1000 I know what to do with. I picked up the 800x the other day, had the cash, friend raves about it. I primed some brass today for it, the bullets are cast. Then I have to find the time to load it. Im a single father of a 7 yo, tends to restrict my time for such things.

[AtomHeartMother]

I'm getting ready to try some 800x for mine....mainly because I have it laying around. May try 700x as well..Casting 230 grain boolit. Powder is still hit and miss around here....plenty of rifle powder...the rest..not so much.

[Blackwater]

I haven't had a LC in a long time, but a buddy dotes on them, and a while ago, he ran out of Unique, but had some Red Dot on hand. He perused his manuals, and decided to give it a try. He wanted a mild load, and figured to let the big bullet do the killing instead of velocity. He settled on 6.5 gr. of Red Dot under, IIRC, a 250 gr. boolit. Boy! Was he every more surprised when it shot BETTER than his "old reliable" Unique load! He was shooting 25 yds. groups of under 1" for all 6 shots. This is with a 4 5/8" Ruger Bhk. He didn't believe the first group, and went back inside the house and loaded up 6 more, with slightly better results for the 2nd group. Of course, this made him happy, but you know how it is when we reloaders are happy - we've just GOT to try to make ourselves even happier. So he at one point decided it wouldn't be a bad thing if he had a little more velocity. Deer season was nearing and like any good hunter, he wanted to be SURE. So he went to 6.7 gr., and lo and behold if it didn't shoot very slightly BETTER than the 6.5 gr. load. He tried a little more, but that opened groups very slightly, and like any wise shooter, decided the 6.7 gr. load was aplenty. The next time I heard from him, he'd already taken 3 deer with the load - all head shots, as he's prone to do. He gets a little better velocity from Unique, but he just DOTES on those Red Dot loads. Your gun may well be different, of course, but it's always worth a try to audition loads like this, and whatever powder you try, always test in increments to be sure you're not missing out on loads like this - the real stand-outs. Each handgun, if properly regulated, probably has one or more loads like this that just seem to mesh with whatever controls these things, and gives absolutely stellar results. All we have to do is keep trying stuff until we identify what our guns like particularly, and what they don't. Friends usually don't mind loaning you a small amount of a powder you don't have, and especially when we reciprocate. Even a little pill bottle full is enough for a good initial trial loading. The more loads we try, the "luckier" we get. Funny how that works, ain't it?

[Whiterabbit]

Anyone ever try 4198? it would be rather unorthodox...

[Tackleberry41]

Never seen any load data for 4198 in a 45 colt. Not sure how it would do at standard pressure, might work in ruger only loads. I have seen data for fast rifle powders in a rifle barrel vs pistol.

[Silver Jack Hammer]

Brian Pearce primarily uses Red Dot for standard velocity loads. Mr records indicate 6.0 gr of Red Dot fills the case to just less than 8.5 gr of Unique. 5.6 gr of Red Dot moves a 250 boolit at 858 fps out of the .45 Colt 4 3/4".

[Whiterabbit]

you'll never see load data for 4198 in 45 colt. I just wonder if anyone has tried it.

[Lloyd Smale]

I like herco in the 45 colt for 1000 fps loads. Its old school just like the 45 colt. 9.3 grains of it has allways been kind of a magicaly accurate load for me in various 45s.

[Tackleberry41]

Got that gun back together, guess they don't have files in Italy? The end of the hand looked like a hammer had been used, hanging things up as the hammer fell, slowing it down. Tons of sharp edges, frame and internal parts. Way smoother now, lots of fun to get that little spring for the latch to slip into its notch, guess they have sort of special tool for that. But one would think as much as they charge for the guns, a basic function test wouldn't be to much to ask. Won't get to shoot it to test out any loads until next week.

[BigAl52]

Try some HS-6 about 10.2 grs shoots good. Al

[stubshaft]

I use AA #5 almost exclusively in the Colt. It burns very similar to Unique IN MY GUNS, and meters much better than Unique.

[AtomHeartMother]

Had a chance to try some of my 800x loads yesterday. 6.2-6.4 grains ....the powder actually metered better than I thought it would. Using a 230 flat point ww boolit with powder coat. Keeping pressures down as I am shooting the load in an Uberti revolving carbine and a Pietta new model army, both with R&D cylinders. Great for plinking and point of aim seemed right on the money. Of course with such light loads of 800x there is some unburnt powder but that's to be expected. What a thrill bringing home a couple of black powder guns only to do minimal cleaning...a win in my book.

[Tackleberry41]

Will run my 800x loads over a chrony this weekend, see how they do. Finally scored some power pistol for my 357 sig and 45 super loads, had to be in another state to get it, last lbs the place had.

[AtomHeartMother]

Will run my 800x loads over a chrony this weekend, see how they do. Finally scored some power pistol for my 357 sig and 45 super loads, had to be in another state to get it, last lbs the place had.

Please do ! I'd be curious to see how it's performing. I grabbed the powder on a whim...because it was there...hard times for availability and all. Seems great for my application so far....not working it hard though. Consensus seems to be to keep pressures under 10k in these conversions but that puts me right in 45 acp area and I'm content with that.

[JeffG]

I loaded up some 45 LC rounds, 258 gr Lee RF ahead of Alliant BE-86. Hopefully I can chronograph them this coming weekend and will post that.

[retread]

anyone try the ETR7 pistol powder in 45 colt?

I have not yet but will be soon. Look on the previous page, looks like bangerjim has tried some.

[brad925]

Gonna try some IMR4227. HS-6 covers alot of different weight bullets.

[lbaize3]

Reloader #7 works very well in 45 Colt.

Scratch that thought. I went back and checked my data and RL-7 was used in a carbine...not a pistol.