Clean Burning Light Load for 45lc

[Fish_N_Russ]

is there such a thing?
im trying to get a nice target load worked up for my wife, who loves to shoot lots but just doesnt like much recoil (hey cant blame her). Ive tried loads with Trail Boss, 231, Blue Dot and new Unique....231 seems the cleanest so far but wanted to see if u guys had any other suggestions. btw im running 250gr at about 8-900 thanks

[EDK]

Try TITEGROUP. It burns clean in assorted 44 VAQUEROS and MARLIN Cowboy rifles....generic because I'm casting/loading for more than 20 different guns. I've also used a lot of 231(HP38,) HERCO and UNIQUE. RED DOT (PROMO) is good stuff also...just started experimenting with it.

A good crimp, boolit slightly oversize, and some experimenting with lube and alloy are other things to explore. A 200 to 230 grain boolit might also be something to consider.

45 COLT revolvers are notorious about chamber throat dimensions as opposed to groove diameter. Size for the throats.

Do some searches and be prepared to do some reading.

[stubshaft]

One of my all time favorite target loads for the 45LC is 7.5gr 231 and a Lee 255SWC. I can usually make 1 big hole with 12 shots out of my 4 5/8 Bhawk.

[Lloyd Smale]

9 grains of power pistol.

[Fish_N_Russ]

thanks guys, ill have to try that 231 load....btw this is in a marlin 94

[zxcvbob]

American Select is the cleanest burning powder I've ever used. But I haven't tried it in .45 Colt. I use Promo for most of my .45's, it works well and burns clean enough -- and it's really cheap to shoot. You can also use Rooster Jacket for the lube to cut down on smoke and crud. I've been using it a lot in .38 Special lately and the bore pretty much looks polished after just running one dry patch thru.

[Don McDowell]

My favorite load is 9grs of unique with a 250-260 gr bullet.
I guess I shoot enough blackpowder that the complaints about any smokeless powder being "dirty" gives me a case of the giggles.

[runfiverun]

try 4.5-5.0 grs of clays,no more then that.
6.0 titegroup equals 5.0 of clays,but can be bumped up for more range.

[Rocky Raab]

There are a number of powders that I've found to be very clean even in light 45 Colt loads. Among the cleanest are Nitro 100 and Solo 1000, both flake powders from Accurate (now Western/Ramshot). Nearly as good is AA#2, a spherical.

Others include American Select and Clays, both recommended by others above. I have had particularly good luck loading them under a 230 LRN meant for the 45 ACP. I crimp lightly over the very start of the ogive. Six grains of ANY of the powders above will give a light-recoiling but accurate load at 700 to 800 fps.

[JesterGrin_1]

As you can tell there are many powders you can pick from. I also like TightGroup BUT with all of the fast burning powders mentioned you need to watch what you are doing since with the fast burn powders you use so little powder it would be easy to double or triple charge your cases or more.

So for some people I would inform them to look for bulky powders that will still let you get download performance but the powder will fill more of the case and be easy to notice a double charge as it may fill the case or run over the case. Powders such as Trail Boss are like this.

Or if you like you can turn that .45 Colt into a smoke pole and use Black Powder or 777.

But hey that is just my thinking.

[Groo]

Groo here
How did you load your Trailboss???? your Unique????
Unique cleans up as you increase the charge so you need near max.
Trailboss needs a good heavy crimp and a hot primmer to light well.
I use a near max or max load of TB and it is verry clean but the kick is low..

[marlinman93]

I use a load of 8.5 grs. of Green Dot, with a 250 gr. bullet. Under 1,000 fps, and it's clean and mild.

[EDK]

Go lasc.us for Glenn Fryxell's article on 1894 MARLIN rifles and loading for them....a lot of excellent data. (His other articles are also worth looking over!) After reading it, I am rethinking my previous ideas about 45 COLT....it's hard to argue with the facts and data he presents.

[Boomer Mikey]

You didn't mention what kind of gun... Titegroup and Unique won't seal case mouths well leaving them with a black soot discoloration. I've had good results with Titegroup and Unique but I find myself using more Red Dot nowadays because it burns much cleaner and fills the cases better.

The Lyman Cast Bullet Handbook lists standard loads for 250-260 grain cast bullets between 535 and 835 fps with 4.5 to 6.5 grains of Red Dot.

Ruger and T/C Contender/Encore loads can go as high as 9.4 grains for 1097 fps.

I've had good accuracy and clean cases with 5-6 grains of Red Dot in several 45 Long Colt revolvers and an 1892 rifle.

This is also a great powder for 30-30, and Military cartridges 30 caliber and larger as Harris reported long ago.

The only disadvantage is that this powder doesn't meter well in my RCBS Uniflow powder measure and I find it necessary to weigh each charge for match loads.



Boomer

[Fish_N_Russ]

red dot eh? hmm thats about the 'dot' I dont have thanks for the info guys

[MtGun44]

Clays is one of the cleanest burning powders out there. Unfortunately it builds pressure
REALLY fast, so is good for only low power loads in the bigger calibers. Look up some
Clays loads (NOT Universal Clays or International Clays) on Hodgdon's web site.

Bill

[Four Fingers of Death]

Clays is one of the cleanest burning powders out there. Unfortunately it builds pressure
REALLY fast, so is good for only low power loads in the bigger calibers. Look up some
Clays loads (NOT Universal Clays or International Clays) on Hodgdon's web site.

Bill

Clays is the fastest one of the three isn't it? If so, it is sold here under the original name, AS30, real quick powder.

I've used a lot of AS50 which is the middle burn rate of the three.

The Trail Boss I have found is accurate enough, but dirty. I am using a taper crimp as I am trying to get rid of squillions of 45 ACP boolits which don't have a crimp groove. I'll have to try it a bit harder. Maybe I should just use those boolits in my Convertible cylinders for practice (rimless cases not kosher for Cowboy shooting).

I have 231, absolutely brilliant in my 9mmilly. I'll have to load up a batch of each powder and see how they go.

[cajun shooter]

While working up loads for my 45 Colt to shoot CAS with I found out the same as MTGUN44 states. Clays was not only very clean but very accurate. The same when loaded in 38 spl cases for a friend.

[smkummer]

You really need to start loading a 200 grain bullet. A 200 grain bullet going out at about 700 FPS is a big change in recoil compaired to a 250 at 8-900 FPS.

[MtGun44]

When I am making up kid loads for my .44 mags (11 yr olds LOVE shooting the .44 with
light loads) I use 180 commercial cast TCs over Clays (I forget how much, maybe 4-5 gr -
please LOOK IT UP) which is super clean, accurate and with the light boolit, very low
recoil. 80 lb kids like it, your wife will, too. See what the lightest boolit you can find in
45 Colt diam is and put a tad of Clays over it and you'll be surprised. If you start with
completely clean brass you will still see shine INSIDE the cases after firing.

Four fingers - yes Clays is the fastest of the trio, no idea what the original maker calls it,
only what Hodgdon markets it here as. Plain old Clays. A VERY fast powder and just
goes away when it burns, almost zero residue.

I won 8 lbs of Clays in a raffle, boy is that going to last a long time at 3 gr for .38 spl
and 4 or 5 for the larger pistol calibers. Let's see, at 3 gr a pop, that is 2,333 per pound
times 8 pounds is almost 19,000 .38 spl loads. Less for the .44 but still a BUNCH.

Bill