Full power .45 Colt in certain guns

Big Sky Redneck

I used to have a Vaquero and was advised that depending on the DOM full power loads may not be used. I no longer have that gun so it is not relevant except as to why I ask about my other .45s.

I have a EAA Bounty Hunter 7.5" and a pair of Armi San Marco Hartfords 4" guns. Is it safe to use full power ammo in these guns?

I have been shooting cowboy action ammo in these with no problems but want to step up to some more powerful ammo when hiking in bear country.

Hawk Carse

What do you mean "full power ammo?"

The long time standard smokeless load is been cataloged as a 250 gr lead bullet at 850 fps.

Buffalo Bore will sell you a 1000 fps load they say is safe in any post war .45 Colt.

rufe-snow

I don't believe that the Italian made SA's are designed for hot red line type loads.

Years ago I sold a number Italian made 44 mag revolvers under the Mitchel name. They couldn't take the pounding of full house 44 mag loads. The guy that bought them, brug them back within a month. And wasn't happy.

Get a Ruger Blackhawk if you want to shoot hot loads.

CS8161

The Italian replicas will safely handle any factory loaded 45 Colt ammo as long as it is not +P! Do not shoot any hot 45 Colt ammo out of the Italian replicas.

andrewsw16

Anything you can fire in a real Colt cowboy gun you can fire in an Italian replica. After all, Uberti is the one that makes Colt's parts for them.
That doesn't mean you should try to use the .454 Casull loading tables for your .45 Colt though. [:D][:D]

ruger41

You can safely use Buffalo Bore Standard Pressure loads in your guns. Here are 4 loads from Buffalo Bore that are Standard SAAMI pressure and safe in ANY post war .45 Colt. https://www.buffalobore.com/index.php?l=product_list&c=7

I'd go with the 255 grain cast load.

tsr1965

Most 45 Colt ammo, is produced to the lower pressures, that all of the older SAA's, and their modern clones, can tolerate. They make a 45 Colt+P, which is explicitly for the Ruger BlackHawks, Red Hawks, Anaconda's, S&W 25's, TC ENCORE/CONTENDER's, etc., and the OLDER Vaquero,s that were built on the heavier than SAA frame. The New Vaquero's, are built on a smalleer frame, like the Colt SAA, and cannot tolerate the +P's for very long, if at all. YMMV

So, just for your bear country, that 250-255 grain bullet at 800-900 FPS should be ample enough to keep the tooth and toe nail marks off your hide. Appreciate that big, heavy, slow bullet, for what it is...a stopper!

As far as I know, Uberti made the Colt Cowboy for them, but the SAA's are all made here in the US...every part of them. Whoever says the Italians make parts for the SAA, has been smoking horse poop laced pot.

Best

CS8161

quote:Originally posted by andrewsw16
Anything you can fire in a real Colt cowboy gun you can fire in an Italian replica. After all, Uberti is the one that makes Colt's parts for them.
That doesn't mean you should try to use the .454 Casull loading tables for your .45 Colt though. [:D][:D]


Uberti makes the parts for Colt SAA revolvers???? Are you sure about that?

TRAP55

Uberti made the Colt Signature series and the BP guns.
There's conflicting reports that Uberti supplied some parts in the form of raw castings, for the SAA, and that Colt did the finishing and fitting.

Big Sky Redneck

Thanks for the info,

These Magtech Cowboy Action loads feel kind of wimpy, no recoil and I would hate to tick off a hungry bear with them. [:D]

beantownshootah

Depends what you mean by "full power".

The standard "full power" load for 45LC, as mentioned, is a 250 grain bullet at about 850fps; give or take a little bit. So that's roughly equivalent to a .45ACP, or even a small amount more powerful. Don't really think you need more than that for defense against PEOPLE.

Some of the higher end manufacturers (double-tap, Buffalo Bore, etc) will push this up to 1000 fps in what they consider a SAAMI-safe pressure high power load. So now you've got up to 40% more energy than the standard load, though you're still falling considerably short of even a weaker .44 magnum load.

IMO, that's more than enough for any defense against two legged things. Against a brown bear? Eh. . .I'm not one of those people who thinks you need to lug around one of those uber-magnum hand cannons, but in this case, I'd still like more.

In this caliber, the so-called +P loads are really what you'd want for defense against bear. Those will give you true .44 magnum like power (or even a bit more), but they'll all destroy just about all of the conventional SAA "cowboy" style guns, which were simply not designed to handle .44 magnum like operating pressures.

v35

In the early'60s I fired a lot of Keith's loads in a then new 5 1/2", 2nd gen SAA. He reassured me by mail they were safe. They were 255 gr Keith lead, 1 in 10 lead-tin alloy, swc in front of 18.5 grains of 2400.
Both folded head and solid head cases were used.
They generated plenty of noise and recoil.
Chronographs weren't available so I didn't know velocities.
Screws didn't stay tight.
The only damage was to cylinder bushings which developed increasing
end play from forward thrust. They had to be replaced a few times.
Note the metal in the bushing's groove area is very thin. A non grooved cylinder bushing should hold up better.
I wouldn't trust cheap repros.
Full power for 45LC is 40 grains of black powder in folded head cases. They have greater volume than today's solid head cases. Factory std loads are reduced to SAAMI standards.