I have been reloading for about 2 years and have tried several loads. I plan to head to the woods with my Ruger Blackhawk 45 with 5 1/2 barrel, open sights. I have tired Hornady and Nosler 250 gr XTP/JHP over 20 grains, 2400, cci 300. Hornady 300 XTP over 18 grains 2400/cci 300.
Nosler 250 JHP over 22 grains LiL'Gun/cci 300 and the lightest load: Nosler 250 JHP over 9.5 grains of Titegroup/cci 300 primer. Results: freehand at 25 yds, I am getting anywhere from 2 - 4" groups. However, benchrest at 50 yds, I am all over the place. No defined consistency. I guess it is the shooter! ?? Any suggestions would be appreciated. I would really like to go into the woods with consistent placement at both 25 and 50 yds. I have consistency with the loads that I have prepared with my Ruger SuperRedHawk 44 Mag 7 1/2 barrel and my other Blackhawk in 357 Mag with 6 1/2 barrel. Could the barrel length through off my 50 yds shots that much? Thank you for your comments!

The Ruger Blackhawk with 5 1/2 inch barrel and heavy 45 LC loads is a handfull to shoot. Off the bench I would quess you are flinching or jerking the trigger. I have trouble off the bench with the shorter barrel. I quess I am having the same trouble. With a 6 inch or longer barrel you will find that most of the inconsistancy seems to go away. With Short barrels I shoot much better off hand. If you are consistant offhand then I would go ahead and use the blackhawk. Our state in its wisdom allows the 357 Magnum But not the 45 LC. This because there are no factory loads they have found for the 45 LC that meet the minimum ME level. GO FIGURE![:@]

Thats funny because the 45 long colt has more power then a 45 acp, I have successfully taken deer to 50 yards and under with my 1911 loaded with 185 gr Barnes XPB's on top of 8.2 gr of longshot which cronographed 1,053 fps. And my load data for the 45 long colt shows a 250 gr Hornady XTP with 13.4 gr of longshot pushing 1252 fps from a 5 inch barrel which should easily match the power of a 44 mag 240 gr factory load which im sure your state allows for hunting deer. But then again you said they dont allow it because theres no factory loaded 45 long colts that meets there quote minimum ME level LOL you know the guys that write the the rules are the quote experts that have no experience so go figure.

I was just on winchesters web site they have a 45 long colt load which is a 225 gr. Super-X Silvertip Hollow Point pushing 920 fps from a 5.5 inch barrel I think that would be more then adequate for deer. A friend of mine back home in missouri uses winchesters 44 special loading with a 200 gr silvertip hollow point for handgun hunting deer according to the webpage this load pushes 900 fps from a 6.5 inch barrel. My friends gun is rugers vaquero 44 mag chamber with a 4 5/8" barrel. He uses 44 specials because he cant shoot magnums consistantly due to the heavy recoil, but he has killed quite a few deer with it rarely needing more then one shot.

I agree 100 percent. Its the state that sets the laws. I had a warden tell me that he would not run in a person that was using a 45 LC but he also said that he would not quarentee that other wardens would do the same. It does not take a rocket scientist to know that you can get more HP from a hot loaded 45 LC than from any 357 Load. However so far,as of last year the 45 LC was still not one of the legal pistol cartridges. In SD

In Colorado we have a 500ft lbs regulation that knocks alot of cartridges out of the game. Cor bon is making some loads for the 45lc that are really hot. 300gr bullets at 1350 fps. But they are horrible on recoil. And I would suggest only shooting them in a S&W or a ruger. I believe they would turn a lesser gun inside out eventually.

I also have problems shooting my revolvers off a bench especially when the butt of the revolver is touching the bench. Or should say my hands are resting on the bench. Just a theory but I believe it has something to do with distance from eye to sights when shooting from a bench then going to an off hand stance. On a bench you may not be at the same sight picture everytime.

Hello,

For the last few years i've been using a lot of Hodgdon Longshot in my 45 LC for hunting loads.. 250 gr Nosler JHP and 13.5 gr of Longshot gives an average of 1260 out of my 5 1/2 inch barrel blackhawk bisley through the chrono. Accuracy is pretty good if i can do my part on that end of the gun. I've recently been working on going to heavier solid cast bullets at moderate velocities and i am having some pretty good success with the 310 gr Kieth style bullets and Longshot... I've used lil gun, H110, 296, unique, 231, etc.. and the longshot seems to give me matched velocites but at lower pressures and definitely lower felt recoil than using the H110...

Some blackhawks are notorious for some restriction in the barrel, small throats and large gaps and end shake to the cylinder... mine has a few of these issues ive slowly been working on... and it has gotten markedly better. They are good guns for the money though.

lightening the trigger pull will help, polishing and lubricating the trigger components where they mate will help also... the rest requires machine work to some degree to correct. the single best thing i have probably done to date is a belt mountain basepin and converting to a Bisley grip frame... i can hold onto the gun now with heavy loads without having it roll in my hand and then having to regrip before the next shot. i have shot 300 gr bullets out of this thing at 1300+ fps with H110... not fun with a standard blackhawk grip and honestly you don't need that much ooomph for deer...

there are a few good sites on the net for tweaking your blackhawk to get the most out of it... check out www.sixguns and www.sixgunner.com for some good reading on the blackhawks and 45LC... also look up the likes of John Linebaugh for his thoughts on hunting with the 45 LC.

Jamie

The problem with the factory loaded .45 Colt is that the manufacturers have to go by the SAAMI published MAP standards for all .45 Colt ammo for fear of some idiot, not able to read the "Ruger/Thompson-Center Only label," would fill an antique pre-WWI Colt SAA with a cylender full of high pressure loads and blow himself up. Handloading is the only way to bring the .45 Colt up to its full potential. I have pushed 240gr XTP Mags out of my Ruger SRH .454 at velocities of 1350fps, which is comparable to the .44Mag and more than enough to make a deer have a really bad (and short) day.

As far as states prohibiting the .45 Colt as a hunting load, they are probably basing their decision on the reason stated above. Factory .45 Colt loads tend to be lame anyway, and sure as daybreak some moron would go the extra mile to prove the state DNR right by loading up six Cowboy Action RNFP's putting along at Sunday driver-like 750fps, which is a recipe for wounded deer to be sure. Unfortunately for the rest of us, legislators tend to write laws with respect to the least common denominators of the populous.

Mike