Safe loads for the Cowboy 45 Special

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While there is no guns chambered in 45 Special there is such a thing as far as cases go. These cases where wildcatted for the sole purpose of being used in CAS and SASS events, so the participants could have a WEAKER LOADING all the while optimally burning the lower powder charges, as it is not safe to use the 45 Colt cases with such extremely reduced charges.

Cowboy 45 Special - https://gunsmagazine.com/ammo/the-cowboy-45-special/
Wow!! I have had guns since 1965 (.357 Mag Blackhawk) and have never heard of a .45 Colt Special. I did look it up online, and it is what you described/ But it also implies it was created for .45 Colt Cowboy action, starting in the 1980s. But this leaves me puzzled, because there is tons of .45 Colt Cowboy ammo available online, all with very weak loads. So, why go thru all this effort?
 
The smaller case helps burn smaller chargers more efficiently. In a regular 45 Colt case the cowboy loads have way to much over bore capacity in the case for such a light load and can cause ignition as well as pressure issues, so a fellow named Adirondack Jack designed a wildcat (of sorts) with a far shorter length to reduce the volume for optimal powder burn. This way they can shoot very light loads at steel plates with very low recoil, so that they can get on target faster with subsequent shots.

The 45 Scofield brass should had sufficed as many have concluded, but other than that I do not understand any more than you as far as grown men playing cowboy. I guess as we all want to remain young at heart these men decided to live out their dreams like boys pretending to be men(?)! As funny as that may seem it is no laughing matter to these guys and their gals. And I guess one of them (a.k.a. - Adirondack Jack) dreamed a bit further and in his mind re-invented the 45 Colt/Scofield into his so-called Cowboy 45 Special. The original 45 Colt/Schofield blend was designated as the .45 COlT Government. But it still was a bit long for optimal powder burn with such a small charge of smokeless powder, so hence Adirondack Jack perfected it and named it Cowboy 45 Special, which basically stands for a special 45 cartridge for cowboys of this modern day that like to play out fantasies. It really had nothing to do with any real world need pertinent with reality.

Which leads right back to your questions - "So, why go thru all this effort?"
Well to try and give an answer that would sum it up succinctly as possible I would have to say try to see it in their light of day, down a rabbit's hole unto a wonderland, where if you can dream it up it can become a reality unto you. Yes, it is amazing what grown men can do when they put their hearts and souls into it. But then again who am I to judge them when my dream is to make silver bullets in .45 calibre, just a like a Long Ranger want a be!
 
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Side note: .45 CS accuracy out of a .45 Colt cylinder is likely to be pretty unimpressive. Bullet will be fully released from the case with ~30 thou freebore prior to hitting the cylinder throats. A number of posts here about the convertible .45 Redhawk performance here support that conclusion.

I always thought .45 CS was more for load discrimination in .45 ACP SA revolver cylinders.

ETA: trimming usable .45 Colt brass to .45 CS length seems a bit silly as well. Dedicated cases are a similar price, and .45 ACP is dirt cheap by comparison.
I use this case in my Ruger and it is a TACKDRIVER
 
Wow!! I have had guns since 1965 (.357 Mag Blackhawk) and have never heard of a .45 Colt Special. I did look it up online, and it is what you described/ But it also implies it was created for .45 Colt Cowboy action, starting in the 1980s. But this leaves me puzzled, because there is tons of .45 Colt Cowboy ammo available online, all with very weak loads. So, why go thru all this effort?
Save on powder
 
The 45 Special was made to help out us black powder Guys. When using the short case you can load around 20-25 grs. of BP and no air space or filler required. A full case of 38+- Grs. of 3F and a 250Gr. lead bullet makes for a pretty stout impressive load. Plenty of powders that work in the 45 Colt case. Use the Special for what it was made for IMHO. Some people like to make this stuff way to complicated. 😊😊 And NO accuracy doesn't enter into Cowboy Shooting. Speed is the name of the game ;) ;) ;)
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Why? Just for the heck of it if nothing else. When this first came out I could see the advantage of making "plinking" loads for use in a .45 Colt chambered gun if you didn't have a .45ACP "conversion" cylinder. If you just took .45 Colt brass and cut them to .45ACP length you could then load "normal" .45ACP-level loads in the Colt chamber. They were acceptably accurate at backyard distances. You did have to deal with the short case/deep chamber situation upon cleaning.

I had no real use for these after a while, but the project was kinda fun. I'm not a cowboy. :ROFLMAO:
 
If you just took .45 Colt brass and cut them to .45ACP length you could then load "normal" .45ACP-level loads in the Colt chamber.
Yes many starting loads and maybe up to midrange, but as mentioned in the OP there are some 45 Auto starting loads that have pressures well above the 45 Colt's 14,000 psi. Therefore one must be very careful when using 45 Auto data. This was the whole reason I posted the OP in the first place, so that people interested in loading this could find safe loading data (which can be found in the "Cartridges of the World 17th Edition") as opposed to the iffy 45 Auto stuff. And if one is going to use 45 Auto data they should get a copy of "Midway LoadMAP 45 ACP" being it gives pressure readings for each charge weight. This will help people steer away from the dangerous powders charges.
 
The smaller case helps burn smaller chargers more efficiently. In a regular 45 Colt case the cowboy loads have way to much over bore capacity in the case for such a light load and can cause ignition as well as pressure issues, so a fellow named Adirondack Jack designed a wildcat (of sorts) with a far shorter length to reduce the volume for optimal powder burn. This way they can shoot very light loads at steel plates with very low recoil, so that they can get on target faster with subsequent shots.

The 45 Scofield brass should had sufficed as many have concluded, but other than that I do not understand any more than you as far as grown men playing cowboy. I guess as we all want to remain young at heart these men decided to live out their dreams like boys pretending to be men(?)! As funny as that may seem it is no laughing matter to these guys and their gals. And I guess one of them (a.k.a. - Adirondack Jack) dreamed a bit further and in his mind re-invented the 45 Colt/Scofield into his so-called Cowboy 45 Special. The original 45 Colt/Schofield blend was designated as the .45 COlT Government. But it still was a bit long for optimal powder burn with such a small charge of smokeless powder, so hence Adirondack Jack perfected it and named it Cowboy 45 Special, which basically stands for a special 45 cartridge for cowboys of this modern day that like to play out fantasies. It really had nothing to do with any real world need pertinent with reality.

Which leads right back to your questions - "So, why go thru all this effort?"
Well to try and give an answer that would sum it up succinctly as possible I would have to say try to see it in their light of day, down a rabbit's hole unto a wonderland, where if you can dream it up it can become a reality unto you. Yes, it is amazing what grown men can do when they put their hearts and souls into it. But then again who am I to judge them when my dream is to make silver bullets in .45 calibre, just a like a Long Ranger want a be!
Thanks again for all your info and history on the .45 Spec, I also have a Ruger .45 Cot Convertible Blackhawk, so I can shoot both .45 Cot and .45 ACP ammo with a cylinder swap. I may have tried some .45 Colt Cowboy ammo once, but it was almost like shooting the normal .45 ACP, with essentially no kick. However, I do shoot the max .45 ACP I can find, the Atmoic 1225 fps 185/gr ammo that delivers 616 ft. lbs. of ME. I think the cowboy loads are down under 30o ft. lbs..
Yes many starting loads and maybe up to midrange, but as mentioned in the OP there are some 45 Auto starting loads that have pressures well above the 45 Colt's 14,000 psi. Therefore one must be very careful when using 45 Auto data. This was the whole reason I posted the OP in the first place, so that people interested in loading this could find safe loading data (which can be found in the "Cartridges of the World 17th Edition") as opposed to the iffy 45 Auto stuff. And if one is going to use 45 Auto data they should get a copy of "Midway LoadMAP 45 ACP" being it gives pressure readings for each charge weight. This will help people steer away from the dangerous powders charges.
There seems is a total misconception about the .45 Colt and its SAMI approved 14,000 PSI. Why SAMI has not updated its specs, I cannot say. Perhaps it is simply CYA. The SAMI figures were established long ago, and for many decades;, there has been .45 Colt ammo with pressures up to almost that of the .4.4 Mag, and well over 36,000 PSI. Just about ANY .45 Colt handgun (that can physically handle the .45 ACP round) would be able to shoot ANY ,45 ACP load, since the max .45 ACP manufactured power rating is just 616 ft. lbs. (Atomic 1225 fps 185 gr. round) Of course, there is the Super .45 ACP, which can go up to about 700 ft. lbs. of ME, and further when the bullet weight goes way down (68 gr). There is Colt .45 ammo out there that gets as high as 1,400 ft. lbs., and these round can legitimately only be fired in very heavy duty .45 Colt handguns, which just about all the manufacturers list.
 
Use light 45 acp data and you will be good 👍

The following is a starting load for 45 Auto!
Do Not Use This Load In Any Of The SAA Or Italian Replicas.
Midway LoadMAP 45 ACP, page 70:
Hornady XTP 230 grain,
Alliant Bullseye - starting load of 4.7 grains - 15,600 psi - 755 fps.

So just using light 45 Auto loads is like playing Russian Roulette in the revolvers that this case was meant to be used in. Will the light load blow the cylinder apart, will it shoot like a full 45 Colt load, or will it actually be light? Keep in mind that the revolvers that this case was designed to be used in are the original SAA and the Italian replicas thereof. The shooting discipline will not allow them to use Ruger Redhawks or Blackhawks.

The whole idea of these cases is to not only stay well within the 45 Colt max pressure of 14,000 psi, but to produce a very soft shooting round from 700 fps on down to 475 fps which can not be done at 14,000 psi, to which many more 45 Auto starting loads are rated at, which defeats the whole purpose of the case being redesigned for soft shooting rounds to start with.

Why play with fire when there is published safe load data? There is no longer any need to have to take a risk by trying iffy 45 Auto data being there is now tested and proven totally safe Cowboy 45 Special load data in the Cartridges of the World - 17th edition.




There seems is a total misconception about the .45 Colt and its SAMI approved 14,000 PSI. Why SAMI has not updated its specs, I cannot say. Perhaps it is simply CYA. The SAMI figures were established long ago, and for many decades;, there has been .45 Colt ammo with pressures up to almost that of the .4.4 Mag, and well over 36,000 PSI. Just about ANY .45 Colt handgun (that can physically handle the .45 ACP round) would be able to shoot ANY ,45 ACP load, since the max .45 ACP manufactured power rating is just 616 ft. lbs. (Atomic 1225 fps 185 gr. round) Of course, there is the Super .45 ACP, which can go up to about 700 ft. lbs. of ME, and further when the bullet weight goes way down (68 gr). There is Colt .45 ammo out there that gets as high as 1,400 ft. lbs., and these round can legitimately only be fired in very heavy duty .45 Colt handguns, which just about all the manufacturers list.
This OP is not about modern higher pressure handgun, but rather the original SAA revolvers and modern day Italian replicas thereof, which are limited to 14,000 psi. And because these lower pressure 45 Colt handguns still exist to this day SAAMI keeps the pressure for the 45 Colt at 14,000 psi. It is the safe thing to do. Now if one has a Ruger Redhawk they are reportedly being loaded upwards of 50,000psi by the Wild Bunch. Yet this would not only blow the older handguns apart but get people hurt too. Not to mention some of the modern 45 Colt revolvers could not hold together at such pressures either. And while these Cowboy 45 Special cases can handle hot loadings they should never be loaded hot in anything other than a Ruger Redhawk or Blackhawk. And the Blackhawks should not be loaded as hot as the Redhawks. Know the gun you are loading for is the key take away here.
 
I have several Ruger NMBH's in .45 Colt for which I have .45 ACP cylinders that I have had modified to allow the use of .45 Auto Rim. I can load my moderate .45 loads in the .45 AR case, using .45 ACP and .45 AR data, and use the same loads in my S&W 625.
 
Yes many starting loads and maybe up to midrange, but as mentioned in the OP there are some 45 Auto starting loads that have pressures well above the 45 Colt's 14,000 psi. Therefore one must be very careful when using 45 Auto data. This was the whole reason I posted the OP in the first place, so that people interested in loading this could find safe loading data (which can be found in the "Cartridges of the World 17th Edition") as opposed to the iffy 45 Auto stuff. And if one is going to use 45 Auto data they should get a copy of "Midway LoadMAP 45 ACP" being it gives pressure readings for each charge weight. This will help people steer away from the dangerous powders charges.

You're absolutely right. My thoughts would only apply to Rugers (and other similarly-strong guns) not having a .45ACP "conversion" cylinder. I was only thinking about the low-powered stuff such as what the Cowboys can use in older guns. And I only did it enough to prove the effort in doing it.

Edited to add . . . I just recalled that seating .452" lead bullets may result in a finished round requiring "resizing" after loading/crimping. Stuffing those large bullets into cut-off Colt cases results in the bullets being down deeper into the cases where the case walls are thicker, so the outside diameter is "puffed out" a little. ;) I never tried .451" bullets.
 
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Edited to add . . . I just recalled that seating .452" lead bullets may result in a finished round requiring "resizing" after loading/crimping. Stuffing those large bullets into cut-off Colt cases results in the bullets being down deeper into the cases where the case walls are thicker, so the outside diameter is "puffed out" a little. ;) I never tried .451" bullets.
Do you think that turning the inside of the cases would help?
 
It might. But it wasn't worth the effort for no more than I used these cases. I only made six just to try the concept.

If I wanted to shoot a lot of Cowboy level loads I'd just use my Ruger .45ACP conversion cylinder and .45ACP brass. The shorter cases do work well with the reduced level powder charges without all the empty volume of full-length Colt cases. OK for backyard plinking. 😁
 
The following is a starting load for 45 Auto!
Do Not Use This Load In Any Of The SAA Or Italian Replicas.
Midway LoadMAP 45 ACP, page 70:
Hornady XTP 230 grain,
Alliant Bullseye - starting load of 4.7 grains - 15,600 psi - 755 fps.

So just using light 45 Auto loads is like playing Russian Roulette in the revolvers that this case was meant to be used in. Will the light load blow the cylinder apart, will it shoot like a full 45 Colt load, or will it actually be light? Keep in mind that the revolvers that this case was designed to be used in are the original SAA and the Italian replicas thereof. The shooting discipline will not allow them to use Ruger Redhawks or Blackhawks.

The whole idea of these cases is to not only stay well within the 45 Colt max pressure of 14,000 psi, but to produce a very soft shooting round from 700 fps on down to 475 fps which can not be done at 14,000 psi, to which many more 45 Auto starting loads are rated at, which defeats the whole purpose of the case being redesigned for soft shooting rounds to start with.

Why play with fire when there is published safe load data? There is no longer any need to have to take a risk by trying iffy 45 Auto data being there is now tested and proven totally safe Cowboy 45 Special load data in the Cartridges of the World - 17th edition.






This OP is not about modern higher pressure handgun, but rather the original SAA revolvers and modern day Italian replicas thereof, which are limited to 14,000 psi. And because these lower pressure 45 Colt handguns still exist to this day SAAMI keeps the pressure for the 45 Colt at 14,000 psi. It is the safe thing to do. Now if one has a Ruger Redhawk they are reportedly being loaded upwards of 50,000psi by the Wild Bunch. Yet this would not only blow the older handguns apart but get people hurt too. Not to mention some of the modern 45 Colt revolvers could not hold together at such pressures either. And while these Cowboy 45 Special cases can handle hot loadings they should never be loaded hot in anything other than a Ruger Redhawk or Blackhawk. And the Blackhawks should not be loaded as hot as the Redhawks. Know the gun you are loading for is the key take away here.
The higher pressure of 'modern' .45 Colt is designed just for the hardy .45 Colt handgun, and all the .45 Colt '+P+ manufacturers state this and even give specific gun names that they can be used with their +P .45 Colt ammo. But I do fault SAMI for not recognizing these hot .45 loads, and acknowledging them. It is not up to SAMI to decide what is made, but it is their role to identify, which they are clearly not doing here with the +P .45 Colt ammo.

Also, I think you can see the utter BS on this forum about stating in numerous places that the .45 Colt pressure is only 14,000 PSI, which is completely false, and is only the SAMI spec. Iit misleads the public in thinking that the .45 Colt is weal, and even weaker than the .45 ACP, which is utterly ridiculous.
 
The higher pressure of 'modern' .45 Colt is designed just for the hardy .45 Colt handgun, and all the .45 Colt '+P+ manufacturers state this and even give specific gun names that they can be used with their +P .45 Colt ammo. But I do fault SAMI for not recognizing these hot .45 loads, and acknowledging them. It is not up to SAMI to decide what is made, but it is their role to identify, which they are clearly not doing here with the +P .45 Colt ammo.

Also, I think you can see the utter BS on this forum about stating in numerous places that the .45 Colt pressure is only 14,000 PSI, which is completely false, and is only the SAMI spec. Iit misleads the public in thinking that the .45 Colt is weal, and even weaker than the .45 ACP, which is utterly ridiculous.
You are still missing the point of as to the soul existence of Cowboy 45 Special cases. They where not made for handguns that can handle hot loads. They were designed to work with the original Single Action Army revolvers that are limited to 14,000 psi. This whole thread is about the Cowboy 45 Special that is to be loaded very lightly, not Hot Ruger only loads that can be loaded upwards of 50,000 psi.

Hence my point about much of the 45 Auto load data being too hot in many instances for this case scenario, which needs to be below 14,000 psi. It does not matter if SAAMI approves it or not as these handguns are not able to be safely loaded above 14,000 psi period. Again this thread is not about loading cases for modern handguns chambered in 45 Colt, it is about loading down Cowboy 45 Special cases to shoot out of older 45 Colt handguns with extremely light loads.

But yes you are right about what you are saying about some modern handguns chambered in 45 Colt, yet your point is not applicable (at all) with SASS and Cowboy Action Shooter's disciplines. Once more your point is mute as far as the point I am making in this thread.

I happen to have a Ruger Redhawk and while I will never load it's ammunition up to 50,000 psi I would not be afraid to load it up to 38,000 psi. But then again I personally like the 45 Colt for what it was - a descent thumper without the obnoxious noise that comes with higher pressures. So as for me and my 45 Colt handguns I will be loading them all below ear ringing pressures. If I wanted a magnum round to blow my ears out I would have gotten a 454 Casull. And the beauty of it all is that the 45 Colt at 14,000 psi gets the job done with out having to try and magnumize it.
 
A point that many folks miss is that there is no accepted industry standard for +P .45 Colt or +P+ .45 Colt. The present SAAMI spec for .45 Colt is the 14,000 psi rating for all the older Colt and similar guns, an accepted industry standard. Until the industry gets together with SAAMI and establish limits for +P and +P+ .45 Colt ammo, any ads you see for ammo labeled as such are pure advertising copy. The expression "Ruger only" is an effort to prevent the use of ammo producing pressures exceeding the 14,000 psi standard in those older guns, but does not establish any pressure limits for those hotrods either.

From the Ruger owner's manual . . .

AMMUNITION (CARTRIDGES) NOTICE WE SPECIFICALLY DISCLAIM RESPONSIBILITY FOR ANY DAMAGE OR INJURY WHATSOEVER OCCURRING IN CONNECTION WITH, OR AS THE RESULT OF, THE USE IN RUGER REVOLVERS OF FAULTY OR NONSTANDARD OR "REMANUFACTURED" OR HANDLOADED (RELOADED) AMMUNITION, OR OF CARTRIDGES OTHER THAN THOSE FOR WHICH THE FIREARM WAS ORIGINALLY CHAMBERED

Note the term NONSTANDARD; Couldn't be any plainer: no +P or +P+ in Rugers. They are officially chambered for .45 Colt.

That said, it's your gun and your responsibility.

And it's worth reviewing Post #27.
 
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And SAAMI specifically points out that there is no accepted standard for +P .45ACP ammo, either.

I don't think this is correct. The SAAMI document that I have with chamber dimensions and pressure test data lists 4 recognized +P cartridges: 9mm, .38 Special, .38 Super, and .45 ACP. There are transducer pressure specs for all 4.

Any other cartridges claiming to be +P or anything claiming to be +P+ is not a recognized SAAMI standard pressure spec.
 
A point that many folks miss is that there is no accepted industry standard for +P .45 Colt or +P+ .45 Colt. The present SAAMI spec for .45 Colt is the 14,000 psi rating for all the older Colt and similar guns, an accepted industry standard. Until the industry gets together with SAAMI and establish limits for +P and +P+ .45 Colt ammo, any ads you see for ammo labeled as such are pure advertising copy. The expression "Ruger only" is an effort to prevent the use of ammo producing pressures exceeding the 14,000 psi standard in those older guns, but does not establish any pressure limits for those hotrods either.

From the Ruger owner's manual . . .

AMMUNITION (CARTRIDGES) NOTICE WE SPECIFICALLY DISCLAIM RESPONSIBILITY FOR ANY DAMAGE OR INJURY WHATSOEVER OCCURRING IN CONNECTION WITH, OR AS THE RESULT OF, THE USE IN RUGER REVOLVERS OF FAULTY OR NONSTANDARD OR "REMANUFACTURED" OR HANDLOADED (RELOADED) AMMUNITION, OR OF CARTRIDGES OTHER THAN THOSE FOR WHICH THE FIREARM WAS ORIGINALLY CHAMBERED

Note the term NONSTANDARD; Couldn't be any plainer: no +P or +P+ in Rugers. They are officially chambered for .45 Colt.

That said, it's your gun and your responsibility.

And it's worth reviewing Post #27.
Well, it seems like this discussion could go on forever! I have NOT missed the point that SAAMI has not produced figures for the hot .45 COLT ammo this is made today, and has been for quite some time. I own a Ruger .45 Colt Flattop Blackhawk, and I am very aware of the restrictions on the hot .45 Colt ammo, and SAAMI's reluctance to include it in their list of calibers with the specs. In fact, since my .45 Colt Ruger is a Flattop, I cannot shoot the top 2-3 hot loads made by Buffalo Bore and Garrett.

Thus, I do fault SAAMI for not recognizing what I called the +P .45 Colt ammo, although they, or anyone else may not use the +P terminology yet with ,45 Colt ammo, but may someday, since it makes perfect sense. I have never seen any ads referring to the hot ,45 Colt ammo. You have to go looking for it. SAAMI has no business telling the gun community what ammo is authorized in general or not. They should just stick to the facts, and report on them ONLY! Furthermore, I highly doubt the 'the industry' gets together with SAAMI to decide what gets listed. They probably only get together to give them the info SAAMI asks for.

Also, the term here you point out of 'nonstandard' is referring to the gun and not to the ammo. This is a CYA for being careful to exclude using .45 Colt handguns not listed, and covers any self made or unknown brand. And with your last statement "it's your gun and your responsibility" begs the whole discussion about SAAMI and the warnings given by all the hot load .45 Colt ammo. The warnings given by the manufacturers are there because it is NOT just your responsibility!
 
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