Rossi R92 loads 45Colt

[Steven57]

Rossi R92 45Colt Question:

What load would be suitable for critters up to deer, hogs?
I have 255gr SWC, 325gr LFNPB LBT, and 357gr LFN. Non are gas checked as I don't think necessary. I have a S&W 460 XVR that I shoot 45Colt as well, but have 454Casull and 460 loads for it, so really just the rifle loads are what I'm interested in.

Second question, probably lame. I see in the reload manuals OAL and COL. Aren't they the same thing? Sometimes I see COL and sometimes I see minimum COL. I assume OAL/COL are max lengths unless stated otherwise?

Thanks for helping a nube.

[Chuck 100 yd]

The .45 don`t need to be pushed to the extreme to be a suitable hunting cartridge in any rifle.
either of the bullets you mentioned at 1,000 fps or more will do a dandy job.
Lots of deer are dropped every year with the .45 Colt and 250 gr. bullets running under 1,000 fps.
OAL=over all length COL= Cartridge overall length .... Same thing

OH, Welcome to the forum!!

[JerryB]

Welcome to the best gun site around. Like Chuck said any good load will take deer and hogs. My grandson killed a hog with a Hartford 92 carbine with a load that I gave him. A 255 grain cast swc and 7.8 grains of Unique, went through both shoulders of a 250 pound hog in north east Texas. Shoot it a lot and get good with it, you'll find the load it likes.

[Pisgah]

Chuck's got it. I have a 255 gr. swc load that runs just under 900 fps in my handgun, nearly 1100 in my 24"
Rossi. Clobbers deer. For a flatter trajectory at longer ranges the 1892 will handily digest "Ruger only" loads, too, and mine is a 250 gr. XTP at close to 1600 fps, which is still pleasant to shoot in the long-barreled rifle, even with its curved steel buttplate.

[piller]

Another member on here likes H4198 for his rifle in .45 Colt, and he suggested I try it in a caliber that I have. I did, and got very good results. The .45 Colt caliber Ruger Blackhawk that I have is accurate with any weight bullet from 300 grains down to about 225 and will hit what I aim at. I have used some Ruger only loads, but those are not necessary for most things less than 400 pounds, or at least in my limited experience. You might try the LBT style bullets and see how they feed in your rifle. The LBT style come in a Wide Flat Nose, and just a Flat Nose that is a little narrower at the tip. The WFN variety is not as reliable in my rifle due to the difficulty in feeding. That is in a different caliber, but it may be the same for the .45 Colt, and may not. The regular LBT style feed great and are as accurate as I can shoot. You should also try the Keith style bullets. They may or may not feed well in your rifle, but you never know until you try. The Keith style are exceptionally accurate and penetrate better than most other bullets, but your rifle may or may not like them. The trying different loads part is a lot of fun. If all rifles were exact duplicates, then we would not get the fun of building a load for the individual rifle.

[earlmck]

From what you are already loading I'd guess you have H110 or Lil'Gun powder already on hand. Those are just about ideal for heavy bullets in 45 Colt strong action loads. Hodgdon's Ruger-only loads show what you need and will still be well below straining your Rossi action. I'd think your heavy LFN bullets cruising out there at 1300 to 1500 fps (wherever you find decent accuracy) would lay down anything you need to shoot, including elk, out to something past 100 yards. And those LFN's feed real nice when you put them at the length your rifle likes (most of these Rossi's are kinda' picky about length of cartridge for feeding and that length is the one you are most interested in, not what the book says is COAL.

[Griff]

From what you are already loading I'd guess you have H110 or Lil'Gun powder already on hand. Those are just about ideal for heavy bullets in 45 Colt strong action loads. Hodgdon's Ruger-only loads show what you need and will still be well below straining your Rossi action. I'd think your heavy LFN bullets cruising out there at 1300 to 1500 fps (wherever you find decent accuracy) would lay down anything you need to shoot, including elk, out to something past 100 yards. And those LFN's feed real nice when you put them at the length your rifle likes (most of these Rossi's are kinda' picky about length of cartridge for feeding and that length is the one you are most interested in, not what the book says is COAL.

+1!

[Steven57]

I do have Lil' Gun and Hodgdon told me that H110 and W296 are the same. I have W296. Someone stated not to use Lil' Gun. Anyone know why?

[Griff]

Someone stated not to use Lil' Gun. Anyone know why?

Maybe it's the higher pressure for less velocity? Not a huge margin between it & H110, but...

[earlmck]

Someone stated not to use Lil' Gun. Anyone know why?

Yeah, when you can get that level of power out of that ancient cartridge some folks would consider it to be cheating.

[Pete44ru]

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Since I never loaded for the .45 Colt, I just used Cor-Bon 1100fps commercial loads in my Rossi M92.



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[AJMD429]

I know it's not 45 Colt, but 2400 is a decent powder I use a lot of in the very similar 44 Magnum cartridge. Something around 20 grains of it makes 240 grain JSP's go 1600+ fps from a 20" Marlin, if I recall correctly, and that THUMPS whitetail hard; I'd be quite comfortable with 1200 fps or so, judging by what a properly placed 44 Mag handgun shot will do to a deer (i.e. kills them just as dead, and just as fast). The only reason I'm using the load I do is that it seems to be most accurate from my particular gun, and I've never had the time to bother with working up a milder load. Seriously though - a 44 Mag handgun (or 45 Colt) with proper bullet and placement drops a deer DRT, with the hard part being 'proper bullet placement' - switch to a rifle, and bullet placement is likely WAY better, so even at 'handgun velocities' you should have great results. Anything 1200 fps or better will do out to 100 yards in my opinion.

The only other factor is once you slow down too much, unless you know exact yardage, it can be like shooting a bow, with 'drop' a huge factor in 'proper bullet placement'. What I don't know, is how many inches difference 1200 fps vs. 1600 fps makes with a big fat 'pistol-bullet' out at the 100 yard range as far as inches-of-drop per yard-of-range. Probably the difference is less than my shooting skills could render significant.

P.S. - I ran the ballistics to answer my own question; looks like for a 250 grain 45 Colt bullet, out around 120 yards (where I'd not normally shoot beyond anyway), there starts to be enough of a trajectory difference between 1600 and 1200 fps that I'd be able to 'notice'...

45 Colt 1200 fps vs 1600 fps.jpg

...even then, it is only about 6" at 150 yards, and 10" at 175 yards, so if one really wanted to shoot way out there (for that type bullet and cartridge), it would be within reasonable 'holdover' correction for many shooters.

[Steven57]

Earlmck,

So, if the COAL isn't what the book says, but what the rifle says, then I need to be cautious with all loads if the COAL turns out to be less than the book due to pressure build up?
I was loading the 357gr start load IMR4227 and it seemed like the bullets were awful close to the powder at 1.68" COL/OAL/COAL as per manual. They do cycle well through the Rossi. I plan to fire all first rounds through my S&W 460 XVR figuring if the pressure is spiking it would handle it better than the Rossi.

I was under the impression was COL was the minimum length allowed at the pressures the manual were stating.

[earlmck]

Earlmck,

So, if the COAL isn't what the book says, but what the rifle says, then I need to be cautious with all loads if the COAL turns out to be less than the book due to pressure build up?

I was under the impression was COL was the minimum length allowed at the pressures the manual were stating.

Yes, you've got it right. You have to be real cautious about going shorter because these pistol cartridges go up in pressure very dramatically with a little shortening. I should have mentioned that!

And you may have no feeding trouble at all: some lucky folks have Rossi's that feed any length that works through the action. I just have normal luck and my 3 Rossi's are real picky about length, but a standard COAL seems to work with them when they don't like ammo just a little short (my 357 Rossi won't even try to feed a normal 38 cartridge) or a little long (my 357 Rossi also won't feed the 357 load using 180 grain LFN bullet crimped in the crimp groove that I shoot in my revolver).

As far as handling pressure, I'd guess the Rossi will equal the Smith: they do chamber the Rossi in 454 Casull. Where the Rossi falls down is that it might want to detach the loading tube from the action with the recoil from real stout loads (the Rossi in the Casull chambering has a beefed-up load tube attachment).

[Pete44ru]

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The Rossi M92 is much stronger & will handle heavier loads than any N-Frame S&W.

The M92 is fully capable of handling "Ruger-only" loads.



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