45 blackhawk 265 gr. cast lbt loads please?

[Gallahad]

 I want to work up a hunting load for a new model blackhawk in 45 colt.  I have some 265 gr. cast performance bullets already. all the data ive  found has been jacketed or soft lead loads. I also prefer a flake powder if possible. most of what i have seen has been h110, 4227, and lilgun. I really like bluedot and unique.  I know ruger blackhawks can be loaded slightly hotter than standard loads, but i'd like either published data, or pressures stated with loads please. I was hoping for around 1260 fps, but i don't know if this is reasonable or not. I need help.  one more thought, Iv'e been looking for a lot of "ruger load" info, and read a lot about cases wearing out quick. could a guy take some 454 brass and trim it to 45 colt length to us, or is that crazy talk? Thanks for any help!

[Steve P]

I have a mild load with 8.0 grs unique and 245 cast bullet.  It is really mild.  My heavier loads are with 2400 powder.  There are lots of good powder and bullet combos.  Do some searching thru the different powder and bullet internet sights and write down some recipes that sound promising.  If you find similar recipe several time, you will probably have found a winner.

Steve 

[huntswithdogs]

Get your hands on one of the older Hodgdon books. Mine's the black one with a red band down the spine. It lists some pretty interesting loads for the Blackhawk.

HWD

[Sweetwater]

Brian Pearce did a piece in "Handloader" magazine a few months ago on loads at various pressure levels for the Blackhawk 45 Colt. I have loaded up to 16gr of BlueDot behind the 265gr cast performance bullet, chronographs at 1300fps+/-, which I have arbitrarily called 'max' for my wife's Bisley Blackhawk 7 1/2" - but we really like 12gr for about 950fps with that bullet. It is enough for what we want, and 'very' pleasant. One of my co-workers likes 14gr of BlueDot with that 265gr bullet in his 5 1/2" Blackhawk. Looking forward to chrongraphing that load as it looks very promising as a decent hunting load with his revolver.
I'll see if I can hunt up that article and maybe get a scan of the data for your study.

Regards,
Sweetwater

[Gallahad]

good info sweetwater, just the kind of thing i was looking for.Any idea what the psi pressure is for the 16 gr. bluedot load? And hunts with dogs, i will look for that manual. Thanks!

[Sweetwater]

Not in concrete, I don't have any direct data with a psi value, but my notes indicate that 16gr of BlueDot with the 265gr bullet  should be in the 20,000psi area. Not at all 'hot' and the brass just falls out of the chambers. It's a little faster powder than 2400, which takes about 18gr to arrive in the 20,000psi arena with this bullet. Still looking for that piece by Brian Pearce. I know it's here as I don't throw any of them out. They go in the library. It's an accurate load with some snap to it, just a touch more than my wife prefers - and she really loves that 12gr load which falls into the 14,000psi catagory. Bear in mind, these pressure ratings are 'best guesses' based on their relationship to ballistic lab reports.

Regards,
Sweetwater

[COR]

IIRC that was an article specifically on the RCBS 270 SAA bullet, that may help you find it.  He did list some loads and the pressures from mild to hot enough.

[Racer X]

24.0 to 24.5 grains of IMR4227 (the new version, which is the same powder as the now discontinued H4227). I used WLP primers.

[Ole Man Dan]

Late Entry:

Last year I killed 3 Deer and a hog with 265GC over 10gr. Unique.  All were  'pass thru' shots.  This is an accurate load in my 7.5" New Model Blackhawk.  (Low recoil/High performance)