340 Grain Cast GC Beartooth Load

[Mark Terry]

Anybody got any load data / experience with the Beartooth 340 grain GC bullets in a 45 Colt (Blackhawk)?

[Lee Martin]

19.0 of H110.

-Lee
www.singleactions.com

[Mark Terry]

Any idea of velocity? Reasonable accuracy?

[Lee Martin]

Very accurate and goes around 1,100 - 1,150 fps from a 5.5" barrel.

-Lee
www.singleactions.com

[Fowler]

I run 12.5gr of HS6 for about 1000fps with a 335hr LFNGC bullet that I cast. Accurate, pleasant to shoot, and powerful enough to kill anything in North America if you pick your shots. I have run this bullet up to near 1300fps but it is far less pleasant to shoot and hence I don't shoot it as well as I do at this more pedestrian speed.

[Mark Terry]

Thanks for the info. I'll ration a few primers and load some soon.

Out of curiosity, what's the biggest (heaviest) bullets you shoot in the 45 Colt?

[Fowler]

I have a 365gr WLNPB mold that shoots very well. Cast Performance offers a 390gr bullet and I know Ross Seyfried wrote about trying a 412gr WLNGC that really under performed due to his barrels not stabilizing the bullet properly.

The thing you will find with most 45 colts is that the front sight will not be tall enough for the really heavy bullets. I feel the 365gr bullet is pushing that case some for performance, if you want a heavier bullet go up to the 480/475 Linebaugh platforms....

[Mark Terry]

Can I use that?

Honey, Fowler says I need to move up to the 480/475 Linebaugh.

Seriously, I don't want to go overboard but want to experiment with some bullet weights above the standards (for 'normal' folks - doesn't apply on this forum). I am impressed that velocities aren't too much lower than the lighter bullets which means the energy is considerably greater.

I don't (at least it's my current thinking) want to shoot the 300+ grain bullets as a normal everyday load but I shoot a few deer and need to know where it shoots if I decide to use it for hunting. I just enjoy shooting the 45 and like to do it a lot.

I wasn't able to find much in the published data for the 340 grain bullet.

Thanks for the input.

[Fowler]

Really for cast bullets you can drive a light bullet no faster than you can a heavy one, typically with just slightly lighter powder charges too. Hodgens.com has a great resource area in the web sight that has thousands of loads including a lot of heavy Ruger loads for the 45 colt in heavy bullet designs.

I feel the 45 colt does its best work with 285gr to 335gr bullets, and at least for me I get better accuracy in almost all of my 45 colts with heavier bullets. You certainly don't need anything heavier than a 255gr Keith for deer but I doubt you would see me hunting with that light of a bullet for them ether....

[nobearsyet]

Being as I did manage to break a backstrap on my Blackhawk I probably must say use this at your own risk, but I've been using 20.5grns Winchester 296 for a nice big boomer of a deer load under that CPB bullet

[shorty500]

2nd the Hodgdon reccomendation, because they do have some great data. i use the classic 250g Round ogive/flatpoint for my shoot in all loads. use NEI #325 for more punch, it's a.454-270g (283g using W/W) Keith style &very similar to the RCBS .45-270SAA but will fit in shorter cylinders such as the older S&WM25's. go to Lyman #452651 gas check that drops @ 335g(W/W) with Hornady gas check installed for even more thump! then top it all off in the HIGH PRESSURE LOADS for my FreedomArms M83 using the Ross Seyfried designed NEI #321 that drops @362g (W/W). also have the gas check version of that last mold and it gives a 420g that can deliver some interesting velocities @ the 5shot level but really feel that it's best in my .460S&W

[henrybowman]

Durn, I wish I could recall the article where I read that a 300 - 340 grain bullet is really the "balance point" for 45 colts hot or otherwise. I believe that it was Linebaugh's article but please don't hold me to that.

I use that exact Beartooth bullet (I loaded some on the press today). Using a little more than Lee recomended but that's in a Clements 5 shot. I have used 18-19 grains. I believe this is about as far as you should go charge wise in a Ruger. I crimp my brass pretty good with a profile crimp die from Redding.

DONT LOAD H110 OR 296 with any less powder than any loading manual recomends. It's a recipe for disaster.

I have also enjoyed shooting Leadhead's 335 grain LBT and like it alot. It's been a good, very accurate bullet for me. I shoot them both over 110 almost exclusively.

[navydmo]

Picture has the data. Shortly after this day I sent that gun to Dustin Linebaugh and just got it back today.

[shorty500]

John Linebaugh & Ross Seyfried have both recommended either a nominal 350g or slugs in the 340g to 360g range as the optimum heavy for the big .45s,including the Casull. both have made mention of trying 400g class slugs and Hodgdon lists a 395g pill in the .454. while i have expreimented with that 400class i agree with JL&RS a 350+or- slug is probably best even in the longest 5shot cylinders. but when you step up to the 400grainers in the .460S&W thats when it really begins to act like a revolver cartridge. was never impressed by the 200g factory idea/theory, and basedon real world chrono sessions and seeing similar results from a test by Brian Pearce the .460 is much more ballistically uniform in the 400g class slugs just like the .45/.454 are at best using 300+ at Ruger Only pressures and beyond.

[c.r.]

May 29, 2009 22:56:28 GMT -5 henrybowman said:

Durn, I wish I could recall the article where I read that a 300 - 340 grain bullet is really the "balance point" for 45 colts hot or otherwise. I believe that it was Linebaugh's article but please don't hold me to that.

this might be what you're recollecting. It's from Mr. Linebaugh's article. However this quote says 350 grain. Here the quote from the article on his website (about 3/4 of the page down)

"THIS DATA CAN ALSO BE USED WITH CAST LEAD SLUGS OF EQUAL WEIGHT.
350 GRAIN SLUGS ARE THE HEAVIEST WE RECOMMEND IN THE .45 COLT.
THIS IS ABOUT THE BALANCE POINT OF THIS ROUND."