For years, I've loaded the 250 RNFP as my standard 45 Colt load. It shot well and I reserved the 255 SWC for hotter loads. I'm getting lazy in my old age and I wanted to change up my standard load to the more efficient SWC and use it exclusively for just that; but I hadn't settled on a charge, just yet.

W231 is my go-to pistol powder and several sources indicated that 7.5 grains of the stuff was good for about 850 fps with the 255 SWC... One of those sources was John Taffin and he's used it in SAA's as well. A 'variation on a near-perfect theme' to quote him loosely. I figure John has probably shot more Colt SAA's than I'll ever get to coon-finger, so his word is good enough for me and I determined to try the load in my old Vaquero first. HP38 was available so I substituted it as interchangeable; my only concern was if it would shoot to the sights, which I've hammered & tonged to zero with RNFP's.

I needn't have worried... six shots at 25 yards, fired resting one elbow on an open car door. I think it will hunker them down when I shoot it from a proper rest.

good start.

--
Of the Troops & For the Troops

It's a good load in my guns, using the RCBS Keith @ 268 gr.

(general use, maybe a 50 yard deer) I could live with that group. It was one of three and the others had 3-4 overlapping holes, so I'm pretty sure it's accurate enough, even if I wasn't on that particular day.

Yep- the old Vaquero.

I ran six of these loads across the BetaMaster this morning, intentionally selecting a hodge-podge of casings from the batch of reloads. After all, that’s exactly how they’re going to be used- by the handful, six at a time. Average velocity was 857 fps with an extreme spread of 51. I can live with those numbers just fine.