Handloads in S&W mdl 25 .45 Colt

mazo kid

I have heard that these particular guns are not real strong and wonder what the upper pressure limit should be when handloading. I don't have a chronograph. Thanks for any help you can give as to loads. Emery

RancheroPaul

Off the shelf ammo in .45 LC is all pretty much the same, that is unless you buy some of the exotic or personal protection stuff. The ammo manufacturers know there are a lot of the old single action .45's and early double actions which cannot withstand the pressures of the new and modern guns, such as the Ruger Vaquero, Colt Anaconda, etc. They have voluntarily set a limit on their standard .45 LC at 14,500 pressure. You can shoot most any of this with confidence.

I shoot an old Colt 1909 Army New Service revolver that I have developed a nice highly accurate handload for. It is a long ways from what you would call a "HOT" load and makes shooting this old gun some of the best fun a guy could have! I load 7.0 grains of Unique Powder behind a 230 grain .45 Cast bullet, RNL, which I also use for some plinker loads for my semi-auto. The lighter bullet works wonderful with this powder in this 5.5 inch barreled gun. I think you would enjoy some of this same loading in the Model 25. It is a very gentle target load. Hope this helps!

If You Can't Buy a Pair, Get a Spare!

Edited by - rancheropaul on 06/28/2002 17:09:25

SNIPER1048

mazo kid: BE VERY CAREFUL WITH THESE OLD 45 LONG COLT'S!! A 44 MAGNUM CART. WILL FIT RIGHT INTO THE CYLINDER WITH RATHER MESSY RESULTS. BUT A 45 COLT WILL NOT FIT INTO A 44 MAGNUM CYLINDER. I RELOAD BOTH ON MY DILLON AND HAVE TO BE VERY CAREFUL ABOUT HEAD STAMPS.

"START THE BALL ROLLING THERE, TECTOR"

Dom De Lorenzo

Mazo Kid,

I've done a lot of loading in 45 Colt. The guns chambered for this fine cartridge vary greatly in stength. I elect not to give out my loading info, however, Brian Pearce wrote a wonderful article on the 45 Colt in the June 2002 issue of "Handloader". Pick one up and enjoy!

flatdog

Sniper1048.

You hit the nail on the head! It is almost impossible to tell the difference between a .45 Colt and a.44 mag. just by sight. A friend and I were using the same bench at the range. Well to make it short his .44 mags. got mixed in with my mild .45 Colts. Everthing was fine until I pulled the trigger! Don't know where the round went except that it was somewhere down range. I was too busy being shocked and wondering what the heck had gone wrong. The report as extremely loud and the recoil double what I was prepared for.
The case split length wise right in the middle about an 1/4 from the top to an 1/4 from the bottom. At the bottom of the split the case belled out so perfectly that it looks like it belongs there. No damage was done to the gun/cylinder or the shooter thank GOD.
Please take the time to carefully segregate your ammo. I will never criticise Ruger for over building again.
flatdog.

" Love is what goes on between a man and a .45 pistol that won't jam."

Edited by - flatdog on 06/30/2002 15:04:54

mazo kid

Thanks, guys, for the warnings. I am VERY careful about what I am shooting in what gun, only have one cartridge box open for that gun, etc. I am aware that factory loads are ok for my S&W mdl. 25, however, I do load for all my guns and needed a few more recipes. Thanks again for the tips; I have never been disappointed in the members and answers of this forum. Flatdog, you must have had an angel sitting on your shoulder! Emery

sgt.207

I have a Smith 25-5 and it has handled Cor-Bon's 300 grain plus p loads with no problem.