Load for 45.cal?

[dukewellington]

I'm shootung my 45.cal at the weekend, first time in months!, and I'm wondering what would be a good load to start with? I'm shooting at 25m and using pyrodex.

Cheers

 

[ohio ramrod]

Since pyrodex is less dense than black powder I would recomend starting at 35 grain and working up from there.

 

[shmrck1]

Duke,
A good starting point with B/P(not sure
about pyrodex)1 grain B/P for each cal.Thus 45
grns B/P for a.45cal rifle. That is a starting
point.I use 65grns in one of my 45s and 70 in the
other for deer hunting.All barrels are different
and require range work to determine a proper
load.IMO
Not being a pyrodex user,I certainly would not
refute what my fellow Buckeye has posted.
snake-eyes:hmm:

 

[Billnpatti]

Most folks, myself included, recommend starting with a load equivalent to the caliber, 32 grains for a .32 caliber, 45 grains for a .45 cal, etc. That is for black powder. For Pyrodex, you just use the eqivalent volume. Well, anyway, that's the way I'd do it. Good luck and good shooting.

 

[cowpoke1955]

Bill is correct. You measure Pyrodex by volume, not by weight. I have a .45 cal. Blue Ridge flinter. My most accurate load is my hunting load. .440 ball, pillow ticking patch lubed with Ballistol and 70 grains of FFFg Goex. Hey, does that make it a .45/70? :rotf:

 

[jmforge]

Bill is correct. You measure Pyrodex by volume, not by weight. I have a .45 cal. Blue Ridge flinter. My most accurate load is my hunting load. .440 ball, pillow ticking patch lubed with Ballistol and 70 grains of FFFg Goex. Hey, does that make it a .45/70? :rotf:

Only if your round ball is made out of some kind of uber dense alloy harvested from the crust of white dwarf that allows it to weigh over 300 grains. :grin:

 

[TFoley]

Only if your round ball is made out of some kind of uber dense alloy harvested from the crust of white dwarf that allows it to weigh over 300 grains. :grin:

Yup, I just weighed a few .457 RB cast up to shoot in my ROA and they average 141gr.

tac

 

[TFoley]

Bill is correct. You measure Pyrodex by volume, not by weight. I have a .45 cal. Blue Ridge flinter. My most accurate load is my hunting load. .440 ball, pillow ticking patch lubed with Ballistol and 70 grains of FFFg Goex. Hey, does that make it a .45/70? :rotf:

Gen'rally - Pyrodex P, as an example [I don't shoot anything else so I can't comment on that] is 80% of the weight of an equivalent BP load, in other words, 50gr of FFG would be equalled by 40gr of Pyrodex P.

tac

 

[erzengel]

Can't say for Pyrodex but in comparison for Swiss Nr. 2 or Swiss FFF.

You may start as low as 30 grains with a .440 or .445 RB. 40 grains migth do well. Make different charges before going to the range and shoot groups of five or ten shoots of equal charge. May be 30, 35, 40 and 45 grains.

No rifle is like the other and your final load depends and what you want to do with that load. If only putting holes in paper targets, try to find a ligth load.

Yes, I am only putting holes in paper targets. That needs not a lot of energy but accurat loads which are normally lighter loads.

 

[dukewellington]

I'm just putting holes in paper. So a 45 grain load owuld be ok for target? Also, would a load of 40 grains of pyrodex have the same power as 50 grains of BP?

 

[R.M.]

I've never used much Pyrodex, but on the whole, they should be equal.

 

[erzengel]

Can't say for Pyrodex as I have never used it.

You may substitute Swiss Nr. 2 by Wano PPP and take the same loads.

You may even take Wano PP into condsieration with the same load Therefore you migth take Swiss Nr. 3 or FF as comparable to Wano PP.

You should not substitue by Swiss Nr 1 oder Swiss fuse powder and take the same amount as load.

The difference between Swiss and Wano is afterwards when you are cleaning. Less residue with Swiss than Wano. There is a noticable diffenrence in residue already between Wano PPP and Wano PP.

That is one reason why I switched to Swiss years ago.

 

[dukewellington]

I was told that when using pyrodex, you should always use 10 grains less as it produces higer pressures than BP.

Duke

 

[R.M.]

You're probably thinking of 777. It needs to be reduced by 10 to 15 percent. As far as I know, Pyrodex is the same as real BP.

 

[romeoh]

As far as I know, Pyrodex is the same as real BP.

Pyrodex is not the same as real blackpowder. :nono:
It should be loaded not by measureing the weight but by using the same volume measure as for blackpowder.
Here´s some info to it:
Link

 

[R.M.]

I guess I was being too lazy to type everything that was in my head. I meant that they were both the same as far as volume to volume producing the same velocities.
It just boggles my mind how or why some people think they need to measure their loads using a scale. Black powder, and it's substitutes are designed to be measured by volume, and nothing else. Why make it harder than it is????

 

[romeoh]

Didn´t have in mind to argue with you!

But as the whole thread long the talking was about grains - a weight unit - it was necassary to say it clear that it´s no blackpowder and it only should be measured by an equivalent volume than blackpowder would have. :hatsoff:

 

[R.M.]

Right you are.

 

[dukewellington]

I do measure it by volume. When did I say I measured it by weight? I've been told that when using pyrodex, use 10 grains less than what you would when using BP. A powder measurer normally goes up in five grain increcements.

 

[luieb45]

Are you just target shooting or trying to work up a good hunting load? If you're working up a hunting load start at 40 grains and keep working your way up in 5 grain increments until your accuracy gets bad. Don't go beyond 80 grains though.