Range report on my m92

[Pb2au]

Rossi m92, 24 octo barrel, 45 colt.
Just back from the range with the results from the latest loads. All testing done at 50 yards, off of bench, lots of wind.
Best of the Best was the 9.0 grains of unique under lee's 230 RN. average group was 1.5"
Same boolit over 7.5 grains of unique, 2.0"-ish average group.
Lees 255grn semi wadcutter over 7.5 grains of unique. 2.0"- ish as well.
Lee 255grn semi wadcutter over 6.0 grains of trail boss. Meh. This I think does have some promise though. Does anyone here have some experience with trail boss loadings over 6 grains in 45 colt? My guts are telling me I need to push the boolit a bit harder.
Many thanks!

[Missionary]

Greetings
Sounds like it will shot. I am very happy with results using Unique in the 2 Rossi 45 Colts I have up in ILLinois. 2400 would be right next to Unique.
Would not hesitate to use a 9 grain load with the Lee 265 grainer on any corn cruncher. Maybe one day ILLinois will awaken to reality and permit pistol caliber rifles top pop deer with.
Mike in Peru

[Pb2au]

Thanks Missionary. I have the same hope for the state of Ohio.....
Up date to my update.
So my only gripe from the day was that the rifle was shooting a tad to the right. I figured no problem, I'll just drift over the front sight a smudge when I get home.
Well, when I cleaned the gun tonight, I discovered why it was shooting to the right... The front sight is loose is the dovetail of the barrel.........
Not a big deal, I'll get out the precision pin punches and stake the bevels a little on sights dovetail and gain some interference.
I love this rifle! I am getting more enjoyment out of this crazy thing than many of my other firearms.

[Pb2au]

It is interesting that the rifle seems to respond well to a bit more punch in the cartridge. Even at 9 grains of unique, there were no pressure signs on the primer, and the case walls look good. I'm going to proceed on two paths. I will continue shooting the 9 grain load under the 230 grn RN, and the 255 grain swc. I think here will lie my greatest chance of success.
I will also continue to develop the trail boss loads. There must be some potential there.
A third path as soon as I can replenish my stock is some black powder loads..........I'm currently out of 3f. Friendship is in a couple of weeks, so I should be able to restock there. Everywhere around here doesn't carry the real stuff anymore.

[akuser47]

Love it guys keep it up we all learn from others ventures I am also a fan of unique powders.

[mr surveyor]

the first thing I learned in my thus far short experience with reloading is that Unique is "a Jack of all trades, but Master of none". I have a couple of runnin' buddies with 30-40 years of reloading experience that inspired me to keep Unique available, no matter what the "best powder for the job" was. I've used Unique in .38, .357, 9mm, .44 mag and .45acp (haven't tried the .30-30 load yet), and all have been very "acceptable". I use a lot of 2400, AA7 and AA9, each of which works extremely well in at least 2-3 of my chamberings/bullet profiles .... and clearly better in overall performance than Unique, but none of them are as versatile as Unique. Who woulda thunk that Unique would be hard to find on the shelf though? Now, I'm carefully rationing out my last can of Unique just for the .38 spl, and refuse to even consider tapping into my last half can of Trail Boss (which isn't just versatile, it's almost universal).

Sorry ... I get carried away when folks mention Unique powder .... and Bacon ....

surv

[Pb2au]

That's kinda the boat I'm in right now. I'm good on primers, and have around 700# of lead on hand. But, I'm down to my last full jug of Unique and one full jug of trail boss. Unique is my go to powder for 45acp, which I shoot a lot. So I would love to find a trail boss load that works well for 45 colt.

[akuser47]

When I have trouble finding my main powders. I fall back onto universal as a last ditch reloads to shot it works just not as good as the other options but it seems to be easy to find in stock around here.

[Pb2au]

When I have trouble finding my main powders. I fall back onto universal as a last ditch reloads to shot it works just not as good as the other options but it seems to be easy to find in stock around here.

I'm heading out today to check out a new gun store. I'll see if they have universal. I've never used it before, so should be a good learning experience.
I am curious though. I know there is a myriad of powders out there that are compatible with 45 colt. What is is the preference of some of the members here? Let's say for both target shooting and or hunting. I think there is a lot to be learned from the answers.

[Missionary]

Good morning
Hunting with cast bullets my first choice is 2400. If I want to get into higher velocity with cast I get out the 1680 in mag cartriges. With lead you have to think about bullet base pressure. Unique can get you fast but the inicial bullet base pressure gets too high for lead to support. A slower burning powder like 2400 or slower 1680 (296 or 110 fits here also) gets the same velocity burn over a longer pressure time with less overall base pressure.
Lead has it's parameters we must work with. But lead will do everything a factory Jacketed bullet can do especially in pistol type brass if we are willing to learn how to get there. Slow even push...
Mike in Peru