Duplicating Remington Factory 45 Colt Ammo

[RoyceP]

Does anyone know what powder Remington uses in their factory loaded 45 Colt 250 Gr LRN ammo? It's always been very accurate in my handguns and I would like to replicate it, if possible, in a handload.

I have a new box and could pull one and weigh the charge. Maybe compare the powder visually to some I have on hand?

Thanks in advance for any suggestions.

 

[44 AMP]

I have a new box and could pull one and weigh the charge. Maybe compare the powder visually to some I have on hand?

You can do that but it won't tell you anything other than the visual appearance of the powders. If you think otherwise and act on that, you could put yourself in a dangerous situation.

Ammo companies buy powder by the ton, in boxcar load lots. It is NOT the same powder loaded as "cannister grade" for reloaders. IT may LOOK identical, but have drastically different burn rate and pressure characteristicsd, You CANNOT tell this by looking at it.

The powder type and charge weight is a factor in how well a specific gun will shoot a specific load. However, it is usually not as important a factor as the bullet being fired.

TO do what can be done to duplicate the Rem factory load, use Rem components (other than the powder) find the velocity Rem ammo has and use your powder(s) to reach that speed, and see how those loads perform in your gun.

DO NOT ASSUME the powder in any factory ammo is what you have. Even if it looks exactly the same and is a charge weight you have listed in manuals, it could be something different.

 

[Ike Clanton]

I’ve shot a few Remington 250’s and they always felt much more stout than most standard pressure factory loads. I’d guess they were in the 900 fps arena. I get 1000fps with 9.5 grains (.3 over max) of cfe pistol and a 255 cast bullet. I’d guess 8.7-9.0 grains would get you in the ball park of the Remington load.

 

[RoyceP]

I opened the Remington box and it turns out I put reloads in there years ago so I in fact don't have any to take apart.

I have Hercules (not Alliant) Bullseye, 2400 and Unique. Also have Dupont (not the later entities) IMR4227, and Winchester W231. I have open containers and sealed ones because I stocked up long ago.

One of these ought to make some good 45 Colt ammo. Bullets on hand are .454" sized / powder coated Lyman mold 452664 at 250 grain, along with CCI, Winchester and CCI Magnum large pistol primers.

 

[Scorch]

I have Hercules (not Alliant) Bullseye, 2400 and Unique.

IME, Unique is THE powder for 45 Colt factory duplication loads. Yes, there are other powders, but Unique will do well for cast or jacketed loads.

 

[RoyceP]

I just loaded up some with Unique in two different powder amounts. Going to find out which is more accurate. I have a little more than 5 pounds of Hercules Unique left as of tonight.

 

[RoyceP]

Went to the range today. The one with more Unique turned out to be the one my Smith & Wesson Model 23-3 liked best.

 

[Unclenick]

How did it compare to factory loads?

 

[Jim Watson]

Neat, not many -3s out there.

 

[Savvy_Jack]

Bullseye and Unique smokeless powders, since 1898 and 1900!

Bullseye History- https://sites.google.com/view/44win...s/smokeless-powders-transition-years/bullseye

Unique History- https://sites.google.com/view/44win...ons/smokeless-powders-transition-years/unique

 

[rodfac]

I've used Unique in .45 Colt loads for, literally, decades. The charge is the same for both Lyman's 454424 & 454190...sized 0.453"...I use 7.5 to 8.0 grains of Unique with good accuracy.

An elderly Lyman loading manual lists 7.5 grains for 790 fps as their factory duplication load with a 5-1/2" Colt SAA (the covers long gone so I don't know the publishing year, but I've had it since the early 70's). Their "Accuracy load" was listed as 8.0 gr of Unique for 830 fps....same gun.

The notes under the cartridge explain that pre-war Colts used 0.454" bullets and post-war 0.451". I've always sized my home-cast bullets to 0.453" and had good luck with them...no leading in two Colt SAA's and a pair of Ruger Blackhawks.

Best regards, Rod

 

[GeauxTide]

Have also used Unique for decades. My fav is an RCBS SAA in 285gr. 8gr for a Colt, 10gr for a Ruger. A beast that shoots and recoils mild and performs wild.

 

[RoyceP]

Sorry meant to type M25-3 - it's a 125th anniversary commemorative. It likes a load of Unique near max better than a reduced load. What a great revolver.

 

[RoyceP]

Uncle Nick sorry I have only shot my own reloads through this one. Based on what I saw at the local Bass Pro Shops if I don't own a 9MM or a 5.56 rifle I am out of luck.

 

[Unclenick]

Understood. I should more specifically asked how it's performance compares to factory specifications, but then you run into the problem that unless you've chronographed some factory loads in your particular gun, it is difficult to tell if your load really matches them or not.

Vihtavuori N32C Tin Star is another powder worth considering.