dtrayers
Bearcat
Picked this one up last week to complement my GP100MC. Last fall when it looked like the other one was going to win the white house, I learned how to reload because I thought ammo was going to get scarce. So when I got the itch for a single action, I figured the .45 Colt was a nice versatile cartridge, especially when shooting from a BH with heavier loads, and I would be able to tailor it to my needs.
I handled a 7.5" SBH but didn't like the longer barrel. I also was able to handle a smaller Ruger Vaquero Bisley and liked the grip, but I wanted the large frame for the bigger loads. So when I came across this one with a 5.5" barrel I grabbed it. The fit and finish are above average for Ruger... no obvious tool marks, gaps, or open seams. Cylinder gap measures at 0.005". I got some soft lead sinkers from Cabela's (the 1/2" size work perfect) and the cylinder throats are .4520" - .4525". With all the talk about Ruger .45 cylinders being undersized, I was obsessing a little. More on this later.
The trigger pull weight is a consistent 3lbs 10oz measured with my digital gauge. There is the tiniest amount of creep in the trigger, but watching the hammer as I pull, it seems the sear is neutral. The hammer doesn't move at all. And the creep is smooth... no grittiness. My GP100 has no creep, so I may take it to a gunsmith to get the Bisley to be closer to the GP100, but I'll more than likely live with it.
I was in a hurry, and all I could find at Cabelas for bullets were 250gr Hornady XTP (0.452" dia). So I made two loads: 7gr of Unique and 8gr of Titegroup. The Unique loads were a little slow at 725fps, and the Titegroup were a little hotter at 925, but both were where the manuals said they would be. The Titegroup loads were more consistent, so I think I'll continue to develop those.
The only issue I have is that according to the reloading manual I used, the OAL of the cartridge with the 250gr XTP was 1.600". So that's what I seated them at. But when I tried to load them, they were a little too long... they wouldn't seat all the way in the chamber and I could tell the bullets were binding in the cylinder throat. Of course, I discovered this at the range.
As a result, the cylinder would drag as I rotated it (like a high primer) because the round wasn't fully seated. If I pressed each round fully into the cylinder with my thumb, it would rotate with just the smallest amount of drag. I fired a few rounds for the chrono, and everything ejected smoothly, but I quit early. Back from the range, I reseated the bullets to 1.595 and all the rounds dropped right in (and out) without any binding.
So I should probably ask this in the reloading section, but is 1.600" too long for the XTP bullets? Even though I slugged the cylinders with the lead sinkers, could the throats be too tight? Many manuals have some loads at 1.600" min length, and I'm wondering if this is specific to the XTP bullets or if I have an issue.
Here are a few pics:
I handled a 7.5" SBH but didn't like the longer barrel. I also was able to handle a smaller Ruger Vaquero Bisley and liked the grip, but I wanted the large frame for the bigger loads. So when I came across this one with a 5.5" barrel I grabbed it. The fit and finish are above average for Ruger... no obvious tool marks, gaps, or open seams. Cylinder gap measures at 0.005". I got some soft lead sinkers from Cabela's (the 1/2" size work perfect) and the cylinder throats are .4520" - .4525". With all the talk about Ruger .45 cylinders being undersized, I was obsessing a little. More on this later.
The trigger pull weight is a consistent 3lbs 10oz measured with my digital gauge. There is the tiniest amount of creep in the trigger, but watching the hammer as I pull, it seems the sear is neutral. The hammer doesn't move at all. And the creep is smooth... no grittiness. My GP100 has no creep, so I may take it to a gunsmith to get the Bisley to be closer to the GP100, but I'll more than likely live with it.
I was in a hurry, and all I could find at Cabelas for bullets were 250gr Hornady XTP (0.452" dia). So I made two loads: 7gr of Unique and 8gr of Titegroup. The Unique loads were a little slow at 725fps, and the Titegroup were a little hotter at 925, but both were where the manuals said they would be. The Titegroup loads were more consistent, so I think I'll continue to develop those.
The only issue I have is that according to the reloading manual I used, the OAL of the cartridge with the 250gr XTP was 1.600". So that's what I seated them at. But when I tried to load them, they were a little too long... they wouldn't seat all the way in the chamber and I could tell the bullets were binding in the cylinder throat. Of course, I discovered this at the range.
As a result, the cylinder would drag as I rotated it (like a high primer) because the round wasn't fully seated. If I pressed each round fully into the cylinder with my thumb, it would rotate with just the smallest amount of drag. I fired a few rounds for the chrono, and everything ejected smoothly, but I quit early. Back from the range, I reseated the bullets to 1.595 and all the rounds dropped right in (and out) without any binding. So I should probably ask this in the reloading section, but is 1.600" too long for the XTP bullets? Even though I slugged the cylinders with the lead sinkers, could the throats be too tight? Many manuals have some loads at 1.600" min length, and I'm wondering if this is specific to the XTP bullets or if I have an issue.
Here are a few pics:
