Pyrodex RS in 45 Colt?

Since you can use pretty much whatever you want here in MS during "Primitive Weapon" season (Scoped Encore in 35 Whelen is legal!), muzzleloaders are worth about as much as a tank of gas in a subcompact. My dealer was cleaning up and gave me about 14 cans of Pyrodex RS. Has anyone ever used this to load 45 Colt? I am not sure I want to shoot the powder in my revolver though. The thought of a complete tear down after a shooting session doesn't sound like too much fun. Just curious if it would work.

If I'm not mistaken,, Pyrodex RS is a rifle powder. I would think that it's use in a revolver might not be the best thing to consider.

I can't give you exactly what you want, but:

I shot Black Powder Cartridge Rifle for about fifteen years. Some of the silhouette matches had "side" pistol matches. They had requirements - fixed sights and black powder (or NMLRA BP substitute). I won a few pounds of Pyrodex Pistol powder in a match. So, I tried it in my .45 Colt Ruger Vaquero.

I loaded it just like I did Black Powder - a full case of powder that would be compressed 1/16" by seating the bullet. It worked extremely well and gave me nearly 1000 fps in long barreled (5½" and over) revolvers. It shot extremely well (under 2" at 25 yards) and I could shoot up to seventy shots or so before the cylinder started binding up from fouling. Then after a short cleaning, I could shoot another 70 shots.

It IS important to use proper bullet lubricant. I used Emmert's home mix (50% Pure Natural Beeswax, 40% Crisco, and 10% Canola Oil) but SPG works just as well (you need to use a black powder bullet lube).

My bullet was the Lyman 452644, a round flat design with a single large grease groove. It carries enough bullet lube to keep the fouling soft - this is critical both with black and PYrodex.

Using a good black powder solvent, you can clean up the revolver in five minutes or so. I only tore down my revolver about once a year. After all, the cartridge case helps to seal the fouling away from the insides of the revolver (not like the cap and ball black powder revolvers that require COMPLETE cleaning after every use).

Using cartridge revolvers with black or Pyrodex is a very practical set up, actually.

I have not tried RS but suggest it will work fine but will give a bit less performance (velocity) but also less recoil.

If I were given a bunch I would certainly load up fifty or so and try them out using the same techniques that I have outlined here.

Keep in mind that decapping your empty cases at the range and dropping them in a gallon milk jug filled with a mixture of 3/4 gallon of water and a few squirts of Dawn dishwashing liquid soap is a VERY good idea. I once ruined some .38 Special cases by failing to do this. After just a few days the powder fouling corroded them beyond recovery.

After I get home, I just simply shake up the jug, pour the dirty water off, rinse them thoroughly in VERY hot water, pour them in a colendar (do not use this for the kitchen after using for this purpose), shake the excess water off and throw them in your tumbler. I don't even wait until they dry - they polish up like new when thrown in damp. If you do not have a tumbler, then just spread out on newspaper and let them dry overnight. It IS important to decap them before you drop in the milk jug - they clean the primer pockets of corrosive materials and allow air to circulate through the cases when drying or tumbling. Tumbler grit WILL plug the flash holes but will not present a problem - the decapping pin will clear the flash holes when reloading.

FWIW
Dale53

I've shot some with a case mostly full of P and RS, with a 200 grain LRN. Works pretty good, but the cases will corrode if not cleaned up. Cleaning the gun is pretty easy too, just wipe it down with a silicone treated cloth.

I never ran them over a chronograph but they are low on recoil and fun to see all the smoke.

As far as I know, the difference between Pyrodex P and Pyrodex RS is the difference between fffG and ffG. Same stuff, just different granulation. The RS (Rifle Shotgun) burns a little slower than the P (Pistol). I'd have no hesitation in using it in a case-capacity load. Years ago they made a Pyrodex C (Cannon) grade, which I think was about fG. It worked splendidly in case-capacity .45-70 loads under a 405 grain cast bullet.