question about the .45 colt

[lil_hunter12]

my wife recently gave me an eaa bounty hunter in .45 colt i am trying to figure out what i can safely shoot out of it... i am not currently set up to load for the .45 but i plan to soon in the meantime i dont want to buy factory ammo that is going to hurt my gun. thanks

[Ranch13]

 Stick with the remington and winchester factory loads you'll be fine.
 There's also several outfits that offer a "cowboy" load but alot of those are somewhat underpowered from what the 45 should be.

[lil_hunter12]

i bought some winchester superx 255 grain and it seemed way underpowered ill see if i can find some remington to try now

[MePlat]

The Winchester 255 gr loads will chrono around 775 or so from 4 inch to 43/4 inch guns.  Depending on the gun.
Remingtons will do the same.  Not enough difference to turn your hand over for.
Any good 250 to 260 gr bullet over a powder charge that is rated 14000 psi is more than safe.
 
 

[Graybeard]

Pur near anything from the major ammo makers will do just fine. Stay away from the smaller specialty outfits like COR-BON and Buffalo Bore among others who are primarily known for pushing the envelope with Ruger only loads.

HSM is a brand that is new to me. I have no clue who the heck they are or what HSM stands for but they make some dang nice ammo for .44 Special and .45 Colt that are safe in guns like yours. These might be the very best choice out there in factory ammo for the .45 Colt. They really shoot good in my Ruger guns where the pressure isn't an issue. Still I'm not interested in heavy recoil with them.

[lil_hunter12]

im going to get set up over the next few weeks to begin reloading for it so far it seems acccurate very little recoil.. im just hoping that i can find something that is safe and suitable for deer..

[painted horse]

The EAA Bounty Hunter is German made. I don't know if it has Ruger strength or not but is a bit larger and stronger than a Colt SAA or the Italian colt clones. The ones I've seen and shot were accurate and locked up tight. They are able to use the transfer bar safety through a deal with Ruger and if I remember correctly, still has the half cock feature like a Colt. My opinion (worth nothing except to me) is that its the "best" of the coltalikes, (with maybe the exception of the early Vaqueros) on the market. Maybe not the prettiest but for overall strength, accuracy, and durability. If I were in the market for a "cowboy" gun today thats the one I would be most interested in.

[Ranch13]

im going to get set up over the next few weeks to begin reloading for it so far it seems acccurate very little recoil.. im just hoping that i can find something that is safe and suitable for deer..

 It's very easy to reload the 45 colt and stay within saami specs and still get enough punch for deer. Afterall the original load was known to be able to take out charging cavalry horses at 300 yds.
 If you go with a 250 -260 gr cast swc bullet and using the data available from Alliant for bludot, you'll get a very accurate and powerful enough load to take care of anything that a handgun needs to do.
 I reached the decision a couple of decades ago, that if my 45 colt loaded the way it was meant to be won't handle the problem , then I should of brought a rifle in the first place.

[ole 5 hole group]

im going to get set up over the next few weeks to begin reloading for it so far it seems acccurate very little recoil.. im just hoping that i can find something that is safe and suitable for deer..

The 255 grain Winchester SuperX that you are currently using will get the job done on deer.  You surely don't need Ruger only type loads for deer.

[lil_hunter12]

i guess they just seemed weak to me they barely had as much recoil as my wifes keltec p-32 i guess i just expected more felt recoil from the .45

[StrawHat]

i guess they just seemed weak to me they barely had as much recoil as my wifes keltec p-32 i guess i just expected more felt recoil from the .45

I agree with Ranch 13 about the 45 long Colt.  A 260 grain bullet at about 950 fps is plenty capable of handling anything that needs a handgun.  I use blackpowder in my cases but Unique will get you there also.  I load Lyman 454424 (Keith SWC) and 454190 (RNFP) bullets, another cast bullet worth considering is the 45-270 by RCBS.  The nice thing about the 45 long Colt is nearly any 45 caliber bullet will work.

[Larry Gibson]

I've recently conducted an extensive test of cowboy action loads that included some factory offereings.  Quite safe in the SAA clones.  I suggest the following as they performed well in both of my Uberti SAA's;
Powder River Cartridge Company (PRCC) "Evil Roy" Cowboy Acton load. 200 gr bullets at 623 - 645 fps.
Magtech Cowboy Action Load; 200 gr bullet at 725 fps.
Hornady Cowboy Action Load.  255 gr bullet at  774 fps.
If you're interested in a self defense load the federal 225 LSWCHP runs 900+ fps with excellent accuracy.

As mentioned though regular Winchester or Remington 45 Colt 255 gr loads are safe in your revolver.  Don't be surprised if none of the loads are regulated to the sights.  The standard 250/255 gr loads or the Federal 225 gr LSWCHP will probably be closer than anything else. The lower recoiling loads most often hit low and left.  With a new Cimeron Uberti SAA with 4 3/4" barrel they hit about 12" low and 5" left at 25 yards.

Larry Gibson
 
 

[lil_hunter12]

right now with the winchester it is hitting about 12 inches high and 4 inches to the left and 25 yards

[Bitterroot Bob]

Howdy,
Ditto on the major factory loads. They load for the lowest common denominator- the Model P Colt and should work fine.

Greybeard said: "HSM is a brand that is new to me. I have no clue who the heck they are or what HSM stands for but they make some dang nice ammo for .44 Special and .45 Colt that are safe in guns like yours. These might be the very best choice out there in factory ammo for the .45 Colt. They really shoot good in my Ruger guns where the pressure isn't an issue. Still I'm not interested in heavy recoil with them."

HSM or Hunting Shack Manufacturing started out as a small gun shop in East Missoula, MT. A friend of mine worked in the back with some commercial progressive reloading presses. They have grown a LOT in the past thirty years and offer a full line up from .223 varmint loads up to the .50 Beowulf. They have a reputation for quality stuff, whether new manufacture or reloads. They are currently a US military contractor and are pretty busy keeping supplies up. Great American success story.
 
Bitterroot Bob
 

[Bitterroot Bob]

If it is hitting that high there are two things that you can do to bring it down.
1) reduce recoil to keep the muzzle low before the bullet exits with a lighter bullet.
2) increase the velocity to get the bullet clear of the bore sooner as the muzzle is rising.
Or, a little of both. Try a variety of loads to see what your revolver likes best.
Good luck,
Bitterroot

[lil_hunter12]

so say a 225-240 grain bullet at about 1000 fps should bring it down close to poa?

[Ak.Hiker]

I just tested the HSM 325 grain 45Colt Bear Load in my Ruger Blackhawk. This is a good heavy Ruger type load. If you run the HSM in your gun go with their standard loads. The ones listed as bear loads are hotter than standard. Double Tap loads both  Ruger only loads and standard loads. The standard 255 grain SWC hardcast runs at 900 fps from a 5.5 inch barrel. Remington also loads a 225 grain SWC that runs about like a 45 ACP +P. 

[crossfire]

If you measure the Bounty Hunter cylinder, you'll find it has nearly the same diameter as a S&W N-frame and is approx. 1.75" long. You can use the the RCBS 45-270-SAA (270gr SWC) over 7.5gr of Titegroup and have about 900-950 fps out of a 4.5" barrel and a bit over 1000 fps with the 7.5" barrel. That load only generates approx. 14-15 kpsi and should be perfectly safe.
There are about a dozen other powders that can be used for this same load if you prefer something else.
The Hornady 225gr LEVERevolution  generates approx. the same velocity.

[Lawful Larry]

so say a 225-240 grain bullet at about 1000 fps should bring it down close to poa?

This gun is a SAA clone and should be loaded to the standard safe specifications.  Stick with what all the reload books tell you for the SAA clones and don't try to hot load it, or you will suffer the consequences my friend.  If you want 1000 fps plus, go with a heavier made Ruger as in Super Red Hawk or Black Hawk.


Good shooting!