Last of the Short Vaquero droning...

by Sarge ⌂ @, Central Misery, Wednesday, November 05, 2014, 14:56 (3660 days ago)
edited by Sarge, Wednesday, November 05, 2014, 15:01

Final Vaquero Working Loads

My goal here was the same as it always is, when developing loads for a fixed-sight revolver. One general shooting load, one 'working' load suitable for hunting game up to deer, and a heavy deep penetrating load for Big Angry Critters. Easy, right? I forgot to mention that they all need to shoot to the sights. I ironed out the first two today.

7.2 grains of W231/HP38 with a cast 250 grain RNFP has been my standard 45 Colt load for years. From the 4 5/8" Vaquero it produced an Average Velocity of 883 fps, and Extreme Spread of 41.13 fps and a Standard Deviation of 15.71 fps. Its POI was close enough to keep most shots on a paper bowl at 65 yards from a rest. Nothing left to do here but load lots of those.

The 13.0 grain HS6 load shot a little high with MO Bullet 255 SWC from this gun, so I backed it down to 12.5 grains. Average velocity was 984 fps but the Extreme Spread shot up to 128.6 fps and the Standard Deviation was 43.18. I was having a What The Hell moment until I ejected the brass and found four Starlines, an ancient R-P case and a WW case. DUMMY, make sure you're loading the same casings next tme!

So I loaded six of the 12.5 HS6 SWC's, all in Starline cases, took a good rest over the range bag and let them fly. At 65 yards it herded five them into 4", exactly at point of aim. This load is ready to hunt.

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Can't beat that for a compact, fixed-sight sixgun.

Last of the Short Vaquero droning...

by Cherokee @, Medina, Ohio, Wednesday, November 05, 2014, 15:43 (3660 days ago) @ Sarge

There ya go...got'er done. Load lots and shoot them.

I don't consider it 'droning' Sarge.

by Hoot @, Diversityville, Liberal-sota, Friday, November 07, 2014, 05:59 (3658 days ago) @ Sarge

Your work is very purposeful and direct with stated goals. It is very useful to people like me who fiddle around without knowing where they want to be and no way of knowing when they get there.

In other words, keep it up.

Thanks.

Thank you Hoot...

by Sarge ⌂ @, Central Misery, Friday, November 07, 2014, 06:27 (3658 days ago) @ Hoot

I appreciate that. I tend to be intensely focused on something until I wring it
completely out. I just want to avoid SOS/DD writing.

I think your are doing what you intend. Good stuff...

by Hobie ⌂ @, Shenandoah Valley of Virginia, Friday, November 07, 2014, 21:11 (3658 days ago) @ Sarge

.

--
Sincerely,

Hobie

Heavy Loads

by Sarge ⌂ @, Central Misery, Friday, November 07, 2014, 21:59 (3657 days ago) @ Sarge

An old friend blessed me with a near full box of 3oo grain, .452" Hornady Mag XTPs. It is old production and has a single cannelure. Linebaugh's writings indicate you can go as high as 23.0 grains if H110 under this bullet. I loaded a short batch with 22.0 grains of WW 296 powder in new Starline brass, with CCI Large Pistol Primers and finished with a firm crimp.

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I tried to run six of them across the old Betamaster; but the sun was sinking, it was windy as hell and I got an Error reading on the first shot. The five that did register averaged 1093 tps with an Extreme Spread of 41.44 fps and a Standard Deviation of 18.11 fps. These are not bad numbers from a short 45 Colt. Recoil was not painful but you can tell when they go off. There were no flat primers or other pressure signs. Three of the empties dropped from the cylinder under their own weight and the other three jumped right out with a light bump of the ejector rod.

Would the 300 XTP expand at this velocity? Only ine way to find out... four gallons of water backed by a Brownells catalog, backed by a saw block.

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The impact ripped all four jugs & launched the caps; I found the bullet buried in the catalog about to its base.

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The bullet had expanded better than I hoped and it didn't appear to have lost much weight. Granted, some of that expansion probably occured after it hit the catalog; but it shows the advantages of retained momentum & bullet weight apply to heavy JHP's as well.

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The only thing that remained was to see if the load shot to the sights. I knew it would print high; the question was how much. I stapled up a paper picnic bowl & held six o'clock on it from 25 yards and fired a couple of rounds standing, unsupported. I repeated the process from 65 yards seated in my hunting chair, with the gun rested over one knee. The results were, once again, were better than I expected.

[image]

I'll probably bump this up to about 1150 fps and see how she rolls.

Heavy Loads II

by Sarge ⌂ @, Central Misery, Sunday, November 09, 2014, 19:16 (3656 days ago) @ Sarge

My of goal 1150 fps, with the 300 grain Hornady 45 'Mag' XTP, was not selected because I believe it takes that much velocity to kill grass-eaters. Per the manufacturer, that bullet shows an expansion range of 1100-2200 fps and I simply wanted my little Ruger to get it's toe in the door.

I had a limited number of bullets and there is ample data on 300 grain bullet Ruger Loads in 45 Colt. So I went straight to 22.6 grains. I screwed up and only dropped 5 rounds in my pocket, so the numbers are for five shots instead of six. Average velocity was 1186 fps, extreme spread was 12.20 and the standard deviation was 6 fps. That's a kick-ass load for a gun with a barrel under 5” and one of the reasons I love the 45 Colt.

I repeated the four jugs/catalog test... the first two jugs were split nearly in two and the big slug bounced off the catalog and was found, semi-expanded, in the fourth jug. I don't think these are bad results for a bullet that was designed for 454 Casull velocities. I'm pretty sure it will expand crashing through a deer's shoulders but at minimum, it still becomes a full wadcutter. Maybe coming weeks will provide a field test.

[image]

I'm going to find some standard 300 grain XTP's (Hornady product# 45230) and rebuild this load around them.

Very nice write-ups, thank you

by Brian A, Saturday, November 08, 2014, 08:54 (3657 days ago) @ Sarge

I do not play with 45 Colt, but the reports like yours, with people sharing whatever project they are working on, is a big part of what makes this board worth checking every day.

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