Rossi Rifleman

Well should I increase powder or not go for 100yds. Any ideas? Or just practice more to get used to aiming a little higher. The woods are fairly thick but 100yd shots are possible.
I do have a M38 Swedish Mauser 6.5x55 that hits right on over 150yds but it is a little heavy and long to drag thru the woods. I guess that one spoiled me a little for how accurate it is. Plus that bullet will travel a long way.
I didn't want to push pressure too high even though I've read it will handle it in 45 colt.

DennisH wrote:Well should I increase powder or not go for 100yds. Any ideas?

It is hard to say. For me personally with a whitetail, mule deer, or feral hog; I want to see a minimum of 1000 FPE. I use that to determine the maximum distance I will shoot at a critter for the cartridge at hand. This is for me, with the bullets of my design using the round, flat meplat, and a tough alloy.

I shoot my 45 Colt at 35.0K PSI with my TLC454-290-RF bullet. It is producing 1775 FPS at the muzzle. The first year I had it I shot a large hog with it at 197-yards and it did a fine job putting it down. At 200-yards the bullet is doing 1207 FPS and producing 929 FPE. I wouldn't shoot at a big game animal any further out. This is what I do.

Thanks for the help. I've only been reloading for a year now so I've been on the cautious side as working up loads. I've been on the low side side of the Ruger loads. I'll try moving up a little on powder. I only use new Starline brass for stronger loads.For just shooting I use regular loads. I've seen no signs of excessive pressure in anything I've done. I could make a few just for hunting only.
1775FPS sounds pretty fast.That must sound nice out of a 45.
Where I live in NY it is heavy woods so I don't think you can see 200yds. The longest spot I have is 150yds on an old logging trail. I just love my Rossi 92 for walking the woods so I want to use it this year. I stopped hunting for over 10 years and just started again last year. Now you can use a rifle NY. Before you could only use a shotgun.

I tried 21 gn IMR4227 and that brought it up 4 inches. At 100yds it now shoots about 2 or 3 inches low which is easy to just point a little higher. I used the same bullet OAL. It should be 1350FPS.
The 4 circled are from my Swedish Mauser the 2 bigger holes are the 45 colt

That's going to work. I ran those numbers and it is 1355 FPS at 1165 FPE. That looks good to go!

NOW your getting somewhere, Dennis. Now at least the bullet will get there before the sound does. ;~)

But I'm with Dog. Should get the job done, no problem!

One thing I've found with bullets of that shape, and that's just with jacketed or soft point jacketed since that's all I've ever shot in a Silhouette style, is that they are pretty stable ballistically. They group pretty consistently with most load combinations until you reach the tipping point at either the high OR the low end of the charge. They also seem, at least for me and the guns I've shot them in, also seem to group best the faster you get them going.

But all of the ones I've loaded did have a "sweet spot" at the higher end of loads where they were just absolute tack drivers. And from my experience, no matter what caliber 357, 44, 45, it's usually in velocities that are 1700 fps range or higher as Ranch indicates.

Now, I'm not sure about the Missouri bullet you're using, cause as I said, all I've used are jacketed and semi-jacketed versions, but judging from what Ranch is saying about his rounded flat nose, which I think is pretty close in shape to the ones you are using, I'd say you might even get better groups out at 100 yards by boosting the fps even more.

HOWEVER, I might leave that for a summer experiment. Might just go with what you have now since it's so close to season and you have something that's already working well for ya. But it would be something good to play with.

Especially given what Ranch said about his at the higher velocities. Cause THAT is reaching out and touchin' um with a 45 long Colt and at 1775 fps...I bet it is ANGRY when it gets to the target! :~)

jdb wrote:Especially given what Ranch said about his at the higher velocities. Cause THAT is reaching out and touchin' um with a 45 long Colt and at 1775 fps...I bet it is ANGRY when it gets to the target! :~)

That is a great description! The visual terminal effectiveness is quite a sight. It picks a large critter up off the ground and dumps it.

Yes running out of time and new brass. I want to save up for a chronograph over the winter.
It does now have a nice kick to it.

Ranch Dog wrote:That is a great description! The visual terminal effectiveness is quite a sight. It picks a large critter up off the ground and dumps it.

LOL...I'm guessing blood trailing ain't an issue with that round. That is big ol' bullet going really fast. It's got no choice but to make a big ol' thump when it hits.

I bet it looks like someone was hiding in the brush and hit 'um with a ball bat when you squeeze one of those off. ;~)

Pretty much!