BC carbine heavy factory load

[ISLANDTIME]

Greetings, Just wondering if anyone has had any luck with a factory 45LC +P load in their BC Carbine. i don't reload so Im pretty much stuck with factory stuff. So far I've tried Double Tap 300gr. JHPs and Buffalo Bore 260gr. JHPs. both produce more of an 9 to 10  inch pattern at 100yds than a group. I have some Core Bon 300gr. JSPs on the way now but this is getting a little expensive. I've floated the barrel and action locks up nice & tight. I have a 44mag. HX barrel that fits this frame perfectly and gives 1.5" groups with WWB 240 JSPs, same frame & furniture. Scope is a Bushnell Trophy XLT 1.75 - 4.
Maybe I should go with a .44 mag. BC ??

THANKS

[petemi]

Not meaning to sound smart a$$ed, it's time for you to reload.  I'm almost 70 and just started this year.  I should have done it 50 years ago.  Yes, I'd guess it cost me the better part of 1000 bucks to get into the calibers I wanted to load for, but at 25 to 50 bucks for 20 rounds, it amortizes rapidly.  Brass is about half the cost of ammo.  I'd say Bullets are less than a quarter the cost, and the powder is the smallest part.  The major thing is that the brass can be used over and over.

You're buying top shelf ammo and getting nowhere with it.  Save your brass and get yourself the Classic Lee Loader for under 30 bucks and start getting savings and accuracy.  Just my 2 cents.

Pete

[quickdtoo]

+1 what Pete said!!   Prices are dated in the article, but you'll still be able to shoot more for less, give it a shot!!   The CR45 Carbine will work fine with +P loads, mine works fine as a 460S&W after rechambering, others have gone 454 Casull with theirs too.

Tim

http://www.beartoothbullets.com/tech_notes/archive_tech_notes.htm/51

[S.E.Ak]

Yep the one at a time Lee Loader is perfect

[Doublebass73]

The 325 grain Buffalo Bore +P hard cast shot OK out of mine, around 1 3/4" at 50 yards with open sights.

I reload just like everyone else mentioned. I started out low budget reloading a couple years ago and got a Lee Loader in .45 Colt for $20, a pound of Unique powder for $20, a box of 100 Hornady 250 grain XTP bullets for $26, 100 CCI LP primers for $3.50 along with some factory ammo brass I had saved and I was good to go. Within a few loadings I had some accurate loads worked up for hunting. For the price of a couple boxes of premium ammo you can have enough to get started in reloading and you will never look back.

That link that Tim posted is what I used for a reference when I got into reloading. I've since bought a press and gave the Lee Loader to a friend who shoots .45 Colt so he can get into reloading, too. It's a great, cheap way to get started and learn the process.

[tacklebury]

Yep, and if the whack-it-with-a-hammer technique turns you off, for about 70 dollars you can get the Lee hand press and deluxe rifle die set.    I upgraded my set-up to this and have never looked back.  I keep the whack-it versions for camping or travel also. 

[ISLANDTIME]

Thanks for the replys. Guess I'll have one more thing to keep me busy this winter when I'm not building fishing rods. plus, Boss will be happy that I'm saving all that money. 

[gcrank1]

FWIW, you wont really 'save' any money, you will just shoot a whole lot more for the money you spend, ie, more value for your dollar.
Ive been doing it for so long I cant remember, and never regretted it.

[tobster]

I agree with gcrank1. You probably won't save any money, but you will shoot a lot more for the money you spend. Another advantage is you can work up a load that is best for one specific rifle (or handgun). I think I enjoy handloading almost as much as shooting. I still use the press and scales that I bought 35+ years ago. Once you get the basics, you can buy an additional set of dies for the cost of a box of ammo.

[ISLANDTIME]

I'm back. Lee loader on the way along with some extras. Nylon hammer is standing by.  That link to the reloading article that Quick posted is a big help. I'm basically looking for a deer load so I could use a recommendation for a powder and some bullets. Also, can I get away with mixing this once fired brass?
   Anyway those Core Bons came so I decided to give them a try. didn't have anything to loose. I'm sure getting some brass collected. Same thing with them and now I'm thinking I'm chasing the wrong demon. The scope I have been using is one of those new Bushnell Trophy XLTs 1.75-4. Seems that the vertical adjustment is way off or doesn't work correctly. I have to really crank the adjustment to get any change vertically , then the shots string downward about 6" each shot. Like I said earlier, barrel is floated, latch is dry, sand bag rest is consistent. Scope is going back tomorrow for exchange. I'm getting a Nikon  Pro Staff 2-7.

Thoughts?

[quickdtoo]

Sometimes the power ring will jam the adjustments when the power is adjusted to the end of travel, so it's best to back off just a tad once it hits the end of travel, then when adjustments are made at the turret, the reticle can move as it's adjusted instead of moving a little at a time with the recoil. I always tap on the ring cap after making adjustments just to make sure the reticle moves before the shot and not afterwards, I do this on all scopes, not just bargain scopes, doesn't hurt and saves a lot of frustration. Scopes that aren't mounted in lapped rings are likely more prone to issues since the scope tube may not be mounted stress free, this can cause issues too.

Tim

[tacklebury]

Once fired brass is fine, you simply want to be sure that if it is a mixture of manufacturers you keep load development to one type at a time if possible.  There are variances on case capacity even from one maker to the next.  I use Winchester brass for my .45 colt loads and thus far my favorite for the carbine is 23 gr. RL7 and the XTP 300 magnum.  The 250's worked pretty well also, but some broke apart from the velocity.  The magnums are rated for up to 2400fps, so I'm using them now.  My go to load with this bullet for my Blackhawk is 12 gr. Unique and is quite accurate also.  I've also done up tons of plinking to medium hunting loads using Unique and lead bullets, although only the low velocity loads seem to get good accuracy in both.  My most accurate plinker is a Dardas 200 gr. cast RNFP with 6.7gr. Unique.  I have gone as low as 6 gr. Unique without failure to fire, but you get a little low pressure blow by and case staining.  It's moving about 700fps out of my pistol with 5.5" barrel and a little more out of my carbine.  I have loaded up several ladders of H-110, but just don't like the heavy punch needed to keep above the minimums in the colt case.  Here's a pick of my Carbine loads.  I keep them in a separate orange box and use an orange sharpie to color the tip and primer, so I don't accidentally load them in the blackhawk.  It won't hurt it, but does make a monstrous fireball in that short of a barrel.  lol