Long colt loading data needed

[Sharps-Nut]

I have a ruger blackhawk in 45 lc and was needing a little help.  I have fought leading problems with this gun every since I bought it.  I had the cylinder throats cut out for lead bullets by a competent smith and still suffered leading with my boughten 255 grain phonix lead bullets.   My dad and I cast up some 200 grain lyman semiwad cutters from wheel weights and was thinking of changing powders.  I have been using unique and bullseye loaded at about 800 feet per second.  I was told that I shoud try some hodgon universal.  I have that powder but no loading data except a freeby hodgon manual which only shows max loads and says reduce 10% for starting load.  They recomended 8.8 for a max reduuced 10% makes for 7.9 starting.  I was looking for the lightest load they recommended for universal.  Any light shed on the subject would be appreciated.

[Cheyenne Ranger]

my  :money: :
I am using 200 gr RNFP bullets I molded from the Lee molds.  Straight wheel weights for them.
I am loading them over 4.8--5.0 gr of Bullseye.  This works all to be about 650--700 fps;  I'm too old to want the "fastest bullet in the posse."
No leading at all.  One pass with the brush and two with patches and the bore is super clean.

[Sharps-Nut]

I have never understood the peoples logic behind loading there guns really hot for casual shooting.  I dont rev my car up red line every time I take off, so why run my reloads that hot.  I have used the same loads you are listing but with the 255 grain commercially cast bullets it leaded like a dog.  I am hoping to find a bullet powder set up that won't lead a much give good accuracy and keep the fps at 800 fps or less.  I personally love to go shoot with these nimrods that insist on loading the hot loads, then take my little plinker load and kick there ass on the range.  Casual shooter or not I like to hit my make and promote gun longivity.  I cast these 200 grain swc with my dads old mould and out of straight wheel weights, I hope this is going to make a mild mannered fun load that does not require a half of day cleaning to get the lead out after 50 rounds of ammo.  Shoot straight.  Sharps nut.

[T. Two Dogs]

Hi ya'all:  This is what I have.  Load at your own risk etc,  I have not had any problems, however, your mileage may vary.

Cowboy Revolver   200 gr LRNFP   CLAYS   STARLINE   WIN/REM   5.9****            MAX Velocity 931 MAXIMUM LOAD******            
Cowboy Revolver   200 gr LRNFP   HERCO   STARLINE   WLP/REM   8.0            855 FPS Velocity            
Cowboy Revolver   200 gr LRNFP   HERCO   STARLINE   WLP/REM   9.5            1021 fps Velocity            
Cowboy Revolver   200 gr LRNFP   HP-38   STARLINE   WIN/REM   8.0****            MAX LOAD velocity 1002 ****MAXIMUM LOAD*****            
Cowboy Revolver   200 gr LRNFP   RED DOT   STARLINE   WLP/REM   6.0             7.0 MAX   MAXIMUM LOAD******* (Aliant manual)            
Cowboy Revolver   200 gr LRNFP   UNIQUE   STARLINE   WLP/REM   7.5             9.0 gr MAXIMUM (Aliant Manual)            
Cowboy Revolver   200 gr LRNFP   UNIV CLAYS   STARLINE   WLP/REM   8.8****            8.8 MAX Velocity 1067  MAXIMUM LOAD*******            
Cowboy Revolver   250 gr LRNFP   2400   STARLINE   WLP/REM   15.0                        
Cowboy Revolver   250 gr LRNFP   RED DOT   STARLINE   WLP/REM   6.0***            MAXIMUM (Aliant Manual)            
Cowboy Revolver   250 gr LRNFP   UNIV CLAYS   STARLINE   WLP/REM   6.5            7.8 MAX  Velocity 941 - MAXIMUM LOAD - go no higher than 7.5            
Cowboy Revolver   255 gr LRNFP   CLAYS   STARLINE   WLP/REM   4.2             5.1 gr MAXIMUM            
Cowboy Revolver   255 gr LRNFP   IMR 4227   STARLINE   WLP/REM   18.5            Crimp tightly            
Cowboy Revolver   255 gr LRNFP   TITEGROUP   STARLINE   WLP/REM   5.3            6.2 gr MAXIMUM LOAD  Velocity 881            
Cowboy Revolver   255 gr LRNFP   UNIQUE   STARLINE   WLP/REM   7.5            8.0 gr  MAXIMUM - 7.5 gr MAX (Aliant Manual)            
Cowboy Revolver   260 gr LRNFP   HERCO   STARLINE   WLP/REM   10            850 FPS Velocity

[44 Man]

Anyone using a 230gr round nose lead?  This lead bullet is a replacement for .45 acp hard ball.  Always thought this would be a neat bullet for cowboy.  Probably not the best in a lever action but should be great for revolvers.  44 Man

[Cheyenne Ranger]

Thought about it but wanted the crimping groove that the cowboy bullets have.  Would TOTALLY agree that they would be a poor choice for lever actions with their nose configuration.

[ButlerFord45]

Rugers+lead bullets=Leading,  at least in my limited experience.  It is very easily cureable.  Fill the case with FF, seat the bullet and have at it.  No leading.

[Pigeonroost Slim]

Several things to do about leading in .45 Colt smokieless loads in Rugers; including going to the one and only real gun powder -- Holy Black.

If your revolters have been used with copper condom bullets, do a thorough cleaning with copper solvent and 0000 grade steel wool and avoid further copper cladding of the barrels -- lead tin alloy is greatly attracted to copper.

Use bullets of soft or medium soft alloy so they will obutrate and seal against jetting which litteraly solders lead to your barrels.  The bullet alloy will also be somewhat less prone to soldering to any copper residue or lead tin residue already in the barrel if the alloy has some antimony and/or arsenic (wheelweights are your friend).

Use plain base bullets in preference to bevel based bullets.

Use heavier bullets which will allow better ignition and thus beter obutration.

Avoid overly slow powders ( Unique is fine and Universal is nearly identical).  WW 231 and Unique are the venerable old standbys in 45 Colt.

Strive to get your best bullet to case fit n reloading to increase pull reistance and thus get better ignition.  Clean cases properly resized and then internally sized with an insert just thousnad under or even equal to bullet diameter.  RCBS Cowboy dies are excellent, Lyman M dies are excellent.

Use bullets that fit your chamber throats -- if your smith cut the throats to .452 or .4525 than go with .452 bullets, if cut to .453 or 4535, then use .454 no matter what the groove diameter is (.4515 to .452). Make sure your chamber throats are equal to or slightly greater than your forcing cone and groove diameters (an infamous problem with Rugers and cast bullets).

Use a good lube such as NRA 50:50 or liquid allox tumble lube.  Even home made  or commercial BP type lubes may be superior at cowboy velocities because they are softer and tend to be used up in the barrel rather than just sent down range on the bullet like the harder blue and green crayola stuff does  -- lube does no good unless its used in the barrel.

Avoid excessive velocity, 700 fps is plenty for our work.

Maybe your smith can re cut your forcing cones to 11 degrees or some other magic number, but I have not done that and have no leading if I do the other things.

There are likely lots of other things I forgot.

prs

[Capt_C]

For CAS, a medium hard bullet alloy w/about any commercial lube is ideal.  ALWAYS size your bullets to at least 0.001-inch OVER barrel groove diameter.  If you're shooting super-hot magnum loads, you may need a special alloy and a great lube.

Leading is generally caused by one or more of several factors:
-- Bullet diameter too small (leading near the cylinder end of barrel)
-- Bullet alloy way too hard. (leading near the cylinder end of barrel)
-- Bullet alloy too soft, with velocity over 1,000 fps (too fast for CAS)
-- Lube failure (rare, nowadays IMO, shows leading near the muzzle)
-- Leading in chamber throats:  Cylinder throats too small.

Is your Ruger leading at the muzzle, or back closer to the cylinder-end of the barrel?  If it's the muzzle, you probably have 'lube failure'.

And Pigeonroost Slim is correct:  If your chamber throats are too small, get 'em reamed ASAP.  Chances are good that your Ruger groove diameter is .4515 +/- 0.0005-inches.  So a medium hard bullet of .452 diameter should not cause leading up to 1,000 fps.  If your groove diameter is larger than .452, you need a soft bullet alloy and a .454 bullet diameter.

If your chamber throats are smaller in diameter than the groove diameter of your bullet, you're gonna lead the barrel.  I've heard-tell that Ruger will fix your throats at no charge (except you pay freight, I think).   --CC

[Shootin' Carts Jimmy]

This is all way too complicated for me.  I just load 4.7gr Clays under a 200gr LRNFP and I've never had any leading problems in my RV or Uberti '66.  Light load, but warm enough to get a good seal to prevent blowback.  

I also just started loading 185gr & 165gr SWC for my son.  Experimenting with different loads of Clays.  I will let you know what I find is the best for me.

BTW - I have used a bunch - over 10 - of different smokeless powders and I have found nothing that even comes close to burning as clean as clays.  Best CAS & shotshell powder around in my book.

[Capt_C]

Clays is a SUPER powder -- very nice for feather-lite 45-ACP also.

As for leading, some firearms just don't seem to accumulate lead deposits, or if they do, it is a light 'smear' in the rifling of the barrel that wipes out with one or two passes w/a patch dipped in good ol Hoppe's #9.  Glocks (whith their smooth polygonal rifling that aren't supposed to work well w/lead bullets work GREAT w/lead bullets, and the rifling is super-easy to clean).

However, other firearms are lead-nasty... for these, more calculated measures become necessary.  Getting a gas-tight seal between the bullet and barrel is the major factor in preventing leading.  If the gas leaks past the bullet, it will cut / melt the lead and plate the inside of the barrel.  --CC

[Lone Yankee]

I use 195 gr wadcutters in the .45 Colt.  the same bullet I used to use in my 1911 target pistols.  I shoot 6 gr bullseye and it is VERY accurate.  I use 1 in 20 allooy and have no problem with leading.  The lube I use is Lyman Ideal Black lube.  Smell funky but gets the job done.  If the leading continues,  get the barrels throated to 11 degrees.

Lone

[HWooldridge]

I have an Old Model Ruger Blackhawk with 7-1/2 bbl in 45 LC.  I shoot the old Hensley and Gibbs #68 200 gr SWC, which was designed for the 45 ACP.  Bullet is cast in linotype, sized to .4515 and lubed with 50/50 Alox/beeswax.  Load is 7.8 gr of WW231 with Winchester standard LP primer in Remington cases.  This load will shoot 1 inch groups or less at 25 yds.  Little recoil and exceedingly accurate makes it a good choice for most anything you care to shoot except maybe grizzlies...

Try scrubbing your barrel to get any deposits out and then shoot some hard cast bullets with light charges.  If that still leaves lead deposits, it might be worthwhile to lap your barrel - either by the normal rod method or by firelapping (putting fine grinding compound on the bullet and firing 30-40 rounds).  That will provide some polish and perhaps reduce your leading problem.  Good luck, Hollis