Neen a load for 45 long Colt, Hornady 200gr SWC

3dshooter

March 16, 2009 18:07

Hey there, everybody. I picked up the wrong box of bullets (I thouht they were jacketed ball). What I have is a box of 200 Hornady 45 cal. (.452) lead 200-grain semi-wadcutters. I have some Winchester 231 ball powder I would like to use with these bullets.
I have never loaded plain lead bullets before. Do I need a gas check for this bullet, or is the speed slow enough to not matter?
The revolver I'll be loading for is a J.P. Sauer & Sohn SAA Western Six-Shooter Model, chambered for 45 long Colt, imported in the 1950s or 1960s. It a lot like a big Ruger SAA, and it shoots great.
The only other handgun round that I reload is the .45acp. Most of my reloading is for rifles: .223 Remington, .30-30, .270, .30-06, and 8mm Mauser.

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  bigal125

  March 16, 2009 22:35

  Hey there, 3dshooter, I went and grabbed the Speer Reloading Manual #12 to see what they have listed.
  
  For a lead semi-wadcutter (200 grain, .452" diameter) and 231 powder, they list the following loads and muzzle velocities:
  
  Starting load: 7.3 grains 854fps
  Maximum load: 8.3 grains 998fps
  
  Standard warning: Bold print denotes maximum loads. They should be used with caution.
  
  Cartridge overall length (COL) for these loads is listed at 1.515" and CCI 300 primers were used in these loads.
  
  Taken from 45 Colt section of the Speer book:
  "The 200 and 250 grain lead semi-wadcutters make nice practice and target loads. The 200 grain bullet should be firmly roll-crimped over the shoulder. The 250 grain bullet will shoot very close to point-of-aim in fixed-sighted revolvers; however, the 200 grain bullet may shoot somewhat low."
  
  Hope this helps!
  
  As always, you should check this info against other sources that you have available, and err on the side of caution when working up your loads.
  
  Big Al (I've really got to get started with my own, doggone it!)

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  3dshooter

  March 17, 2009 09:01

  Thanks for the information, Big Al. I'll work some up and try them out, beginning at the starting load.

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  bigal125

  March 19, 2009 23:07

  Let us know how they work out, will ya? I've used Win 231 before, but not for .45 Colt ammo. At least, not yet! [:)]
  
  Big Al (got so many projects and so little time...how'd that happen, anyway? ) [:D][8D]

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  v35

  March 20, 2009 07:57

  An older load by an NRA contributor is 9 grains of Herco with a RCBS
  45-200 lead SWC which should be similar to yours.
  He did a 1000 rd test of the then available powders and found Herco to work best for accuracy and cleanliness.
  This dates from a few years back before the new powders.

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