Full Power 45 Colt Loads

[greenjoytj]

45 Colt Chronograph Results for Rifle vs Revolver with Smokeless vs GOEX 2 fg & Old Eynsford Black Powder

The Cartridge Recipe

Brass: Starline 45 Colt at 1.270?.
Note - 95% of all my Starline brass was shorter than the ?trim to length ? of 1.275? right out of the bag!

Primer: CCI 350 this is a magnum strength primer, used to get a more complete powder burn with both powder types.

Bullet: 264 grain RNFP cast with Rotometals 20:1 lead:tin alloy from a SAECO #955 mold, sized .452? and lubed with homemade Emmerts Improved.

Powder: Hodgdon?s CFE-Pistol 9.3 grains weight checked on 2 RCBS Chargemaster 1500?s + an RCBS 1010.

May 16, 2019.  Shooting Chrony set up ~10 feet in front of the muzzle.  Temperature ~17*C

The Firearms

Rifle: 2018 Shot Show Special a Miroku built Winchester 1873 Deluxe Sporting Rifle in 45 Colt, 24? barrel.

Revolver: One from a pair of Ruger SASS Edition in 45 Colt with 5.5? barrel.

Chronograph Results for Hodgdon?s CFE-Pistol smokeless powder in fps
9.3 grains of Hodgdon?s CFE-Pistol smokeless powder.  The smokeless test was fired first.

Rifle average  of 3 averages is: 1244.6 fps.
Revolver avg. of 2 averages is: 1007.5 fps.

With CFE-Pistol the rifle is 237.1 fps faster than the revolver.
This was a surprise as I was expecting the difference to be only in the 140 to 200 fps range.

Chronograph Results for Black Powder in fps

The only change made to the cartridge recipe was to substitute 34.9 grains of GOEX 2fg Black Powder weight checked on 2 RCBS Chargemaster 1500?s + an RCBS 1010.

Rifle:      low 1037,  high 1118,    Avg. 1092,   E.S. 80.8,    S.D.  22.15

Revolver:   low 740.5,  high 793.6,  Avg. 767.8,  E.S. 53.12,  S.D. 15.16
      low 739.7,  high 785.7,  Avg. 761.3,  E.S. 45.96,  S.D. 15.81

With BP the rifle is 327.45 fps faster than the revolvers avg. of the averages.
This was a surprise as I was expecting the difference to be in the 140 to 200 range.


3 fg Old Eynsford BP  35 grains Results
15 August 2019, temperature - a  hot day  ~ 27* C

Rifle M73:  3 fg Old E  low 1203,   high 1241,   Avg. 1229,   E.S. 37.29,   S.D. 12.44
                 3 fg Old E  low 1214,   high 1246,   Avg. 1232,   E.S. 32.40,   S.D.   9.79


Revolver: #39  3 fg Old E  low 887.1,  high 945.9,   Avg. 922.2,   E.S.   64.15,   S.D.  22.24
                       3 fg Old E  low 880.1,  high 1003,    Avg. 922.7,   E.S.  123.6,    S.D.  32.87
 
Revolver: #40  3 fg Old E  low 925.1,  high 951.8 ,   Avg. 939.5,   E.S.  26.77,   S.D.    9.0
                       3 fg Old E  low 890.6,  high 953.5 ,   Avg. 915.0 ,  E.S.  62.86,   S.D.  18.78


In my rifles 24? barrel 35 grs of 3 fg Old Eynsford produced 138 fps more than 34.9 grs of 2 fg GOEX.

In my revolvers 5.5? barrel 35 grs. 3 fg Old Eynsford produced 160 fps more than 34.9 grs. of 2 fg GOEX.

Higher quality powder in the finer 3 fg granulation does mak quit a difference in muzzle velocity.

[Dick Dastardly]

Accuracy?

[Bunk Stagnerg]

It makes little difference in how FAST it goes.
What is important is WHERE it goes.
I would  rather have a medium velocity round that hits where I aim  every time than one that moves at "warp nine Scotty".
Fast is fine accuracy is final.
Bunk

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[Gabriel Law]

I have a Uberti 1875 Remington revolver that I bought new about 1977.  For whate3ver reason, I found it to be wonderfully accurate - much better than any of the other revolvers that I own.  It likes 35 gr. FFFg GOEX which is compressed about 1/8" by a Lyman 452424 260 gr. bullet.  So this revolver likes the hottest black powder load it will take, and a heavy bullet.  Accuracy is superb and this pistol and load has won me many awards, locally, provincially and nationally.