The .45 Colt was originally intended to take down a horse at close range.CDFingers wrote: Thu May 05, 2022 4:56 pm My Vaquero has both cylinders and I've shot 'em both, factory and reloads. Factory acp is snappier than factory LC. The plow handle grip is what is great about single actions. I've loaded LC up to 10 gr Unique under a 250 grainer. I still have some of those cannon rounds left. I could shoot them fine, but not often. You can't load acp hot or else you have to change your recoil spring. I could load acp hot for the Vaquero, but why bother? For me the LC is the most accurate round out of my Vaquero. My velocity with a 250gr RNFP @ 950 fps gives me the tightest groups. I have a Springfield 1911 also which is not picky with factory ammo. Thing's a tank. Collect 'em all, I say.
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CDFingers
The original .45 Colt load was a 250 grain swaged conical flat point under 40 grains of black powder(2F IIRC). Very shortly after adoption that was reduced to 30 grains of black powder. The 40 grain loads would swell under heat and push the bullet past the crimp, and then under recoil, a bullet would jump forward and tie the whole works up. Rather inconvenient in the middle of a fight. The bullet weight was then increased to 255 and the powder weight reduced to 30 grains, which gave them performance that was still quite acceptable, and had much more expansion room in the case for hot weather. The original .45 Colt load, whether 30 grains or 40 grains was a very powerful revolver round, and was in fact king until the arrival of the .357 magnum.
Most ammo you encounter in the stores are the cowboy loads which are pretty mild, and quite frankly an absolute joy to shoot. But back in the day when the SAA was THE serious fighting gun, their ammo was a little more sporty than what we tend to shoot today...again, standard pressure stuff. I'm not aware of any SAAMI member ammo manufacturer that currently loads standard pressure ammo as stout as the old black powder loads.
I tend to load my stuff as light as I can get away with yet still have my sights shoot to point of aim. My Colt isn't what I'd call a "working gun", so it doesn't really go to deer camp too often (but sometimes). For those times I have some 250 Hornady's under a stout charge of 4227 at around 950 fps. Can't imagine any critter in Northern Nevada that wouldn't be hugely discouraged by that. Even the light cowboy loads, can't imagine any critter around here that would ask for seconds. Even loaded light, its still delivers a good bit of thump. Now if its two legged critters...well, I'd really rather have a semi-auto. So that's why my 1911 is usually what goes into the woods anymore. I'm more worried about some moron I come across in the woods, than any critter.