300-325gr.45 Colt bullets for 1.625 length cylinders ?????

[craiginok]

I've got a fa 97 45 colt and am trying to find lead bullets or moulds that will allow me to load them for the shorter cylinder. thanks,craiginok.

[Lloyd Smale]

last year at the linebaugh seminar i was shooting Mark Cassils fa .45 with my loads with an rcbs 300swcgc they fit but barely.

[ktw]

Beartooth lists a 300 gr that they claim will fit into a FA97.  I haven't  tried it.

http://www.beartoothbullets.com/bulletselect/index.htm

I've been using a 275gr keith from Dry Creek, which just barely fits when crimped normally.

[Camp Cook]

I have tried both Cast Performance 300gr and 335gr WFNGC's and Jae-Bok Young's 330gr WFNGC's @ www.competitor-pistol.com/jbyoung.html in hot loaded 45 Colt's and have been very happy with all of them.
Cam

[Graybeard]

If you are a bullet caster the Lyman 452651 will work if you use the crimp groove closest to the nose. It is supposed to drop at 325 grains, is gas checked and is one super fine bullet. It drops at 318 grains from my extra hard alloy and I've used it to 400 yards from the .454 Casull on metal plates.

GB

[Mike C]

Any of the LFN designs can be used, just seat the bullet so your o.a.l. is about 1.590- 1.600.  you will be crimping past the groove, rolling the case mouth down on the taper of the nose which holds better than in the groove.  Do make sure that you fire four of a cylinder full and then check shell # 5 to be sure your bullets aren't slipping forward under recoil.

The problem is the bullet takes up a lot of powder room in the case, start at about 20 gr. of h-110.

A real good load in the FA 97 .45 is to use the speer 300 gr softpoint and crimp in the top groove.  22 gr of h-110 will give right at 1200fps out of a 5-1/2" barrel.  Buffalo Bore sells this very load especially for the 97 FA


Mike C