45 Schofield ammo

i wasnt aware there were any factory 45 schofield loads.....unless maybe fiocchi makes them. thats an obsolete round. The new uberti schofields are mostly in 44-40 or 45 colt i think, and the original schofield owners usually handload theirs.
Having said that, fiocchi 455 webley will chamber and fire just fine in my original schofield, as its the same diameter, just shorter casing. those can be bought from canada ammo for the best price I've seen anywhere.
 
Midway sells 45 Schofield for CAS from Ultramax, Black Hills and Ten-X and I am hoping that someone on CGN would know who sells them here. Been googling without success so far.
 
I'm not aware of any factory 45 S&W being available in Canada. If you did find some I would expect it to be expensive, like in the $40-$50 range per box of 50. I load Schofield for under $10 per box of 50.

If you're starting to get interested in semi-obscure cartidges like the 45 S&W Schofield then it's time to start thinking about getting into reloading. You can't go there without it.
 
Thanks for the comments . I have a couple of open top Ubertis which I would like to use them with center fire. Thanks to the feedback and friendly guidance by a gentleman, who goes here by the name of "Turf" , I have acquired a Kirst Konvertor for my Walker. The Dragoon and 1860 will have to wait for now. So now the search the for ammo, until I start reloading.

sail32 said:
The Bullet Barn and Rusty Wood carry brass or cut down .45 Colt.

http://www.thebulletbarn.com/brass.html

http://www.rustywood.ca/starline.html
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infidel29 said:
i wasnt aware there were any factory 45 schofield loads.....unless maybe fiocchi makes them. thats an obsolete round. The new uberti schofields are mostly in 44-40 or 45 colt i think, and the original schofield owners usually handload theirs.
Having said that, fiocchi 455 webley will chamber and fire just fine in my original schofield, as its the same diameter, just shorter casing. those can be bought from canada ammo for the best price I've seen anywhere.
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Thanks for the Webley tip -so happens have a box of 455 reloads for my Mark Vl !!
 
I suspect that you're going to be forced into reloading by the lack of availability even if the high price doesn't scare you away first.

I'd suggest that you not spend tons of time in looking for the ammo considering how rare it would be. Instead begin reading and moving towards reloading. Even on a small scale modest basis you'll quickly be able to make all the ammo you could ask for and have it available when you want instead of scouring the land like this.
 
BCRider said:
I suspect that you're going to be forced into reloading by the lack of availability even if the high price doesn't scare you away first.

I'd suggest that you not spend tons of time in looking for the ammo considering how rare it would be. Instead begin reading and moving towards reloading. Even on a small scale modest basis you'll quickly be able to make all the ammo you could ask for and have it available when you want instead of scouring the land like this.
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Thanks - I had this uneasy feeling from the start. Following the reality check - any comment if the 45 Schofield does need the crimping die? - all I have seen so far on eBay are the 3 die sets ?

Thanks
 
You are right - the prices I have seen down south are all in the 50 range. And so are the Webleys here.
What bullets are you using to re-load? - they supposed to be .454 - the closest one is Webley at .455 and then there are those available from Bullet Barn at .452 - do you do your own casting?

thanks


jethunter said:
I'm not aware of any factory 45 S&W being available in Canada. If you did find some I would expect it to be expensive, like in the $40-$50 range per box of 50. I load Schofield for under $10 per box of 50.

If you're starting to get interested in semi-obscure cartidges like the 45 S&W Schofield then it's time to start thinking about getting into reloading. You can't go there without it.
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Not a lot of demand for it in Canada. .454" bullets shouldn't be terribly hard to find, but Hodgdon uses .452" bullets. Modern revolvers will use it too.
Bullet Barn lists the brass. $35 per 100. Data on Hodgdon's site.
Quit giving money to the people who what to take our firearms away by buying on E-Bay.
 
sjb2000k said:
Thanks - I had this uneasy feeling from the start. Following the reality check - any comment if the 45 Schofield does need the crimping die? - all I have seen so far on eBay are the 3 die sets ?

Thanks
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For cast bullets the shape almost always has a generous cannelure groove. That groove allows you to seat and roll crimp using the one combo seating and crimping die all in one go. You're new so you may not know how to set such a die. It's pretty easy if you stop and consider. First you start with a blank casing in the seating position and the ram fully up. Screw down the die until you feel a slight resistance. Check that it's not actually crimping the lip at this point. Back it off a turn from there and lock the nut lightly. Now put a bullet into place and use the middle seating depth adjuster to sneak down on seating the bullet so it pushes the bullet in just to where the casing rim is near the top edge of the cannelure groove. You'll do this by making a tweak and seating, lower and look, tweak a little more and seat again, lower and look.... repeat as needed until it's at the right depth. Now back out the seating screw by a good half dozen turns so it's well out of the way. Next is to set the crimp. You need to turn in the barrel and then raise the ram with a little force. Lower and look. You're looking for an easily seen rounding in but not so heavy that it produces a bulge in the side wall below the crimp. And you only want enough that you can see it easily without it being more. More can be fine but it does shorten the life of the brass. Once the crimp is set snug up the locking nut on the outer barrel with a wrench or pliers so it doesn't move. Now put your seated and crimped bullet back into the ram and raise it. You can now lower the seating adjustment back down until it contacts the bullet. You're done.

If for some reason you're ever forced to load rimless casings with lead bullets that have no or very little cannelure groove then you can still do this. But instead of a combo seat and crimp all in one operation you'll want to separate the two. If there's no sizable groove you can experience "lead plowing" if you try to do both jobs in one pull. I've done that and got the ruined bullets to show for it. Instead you'll need to seat them all, then set the crimp with the seating adjuster pulled back and crimp only on a second pull.

Most revolver bullets have a pretty good cannelure groove though.
 
sjb2000k said:
You are right - the prices I have seen down south are all in the 50 range. And so are the Webleys here.
What bullets are you using to re-load? - they supposed to be .454 - the closest one is Webley at .455 and then there are those available from Bullet Barn at .452 - do you do your own casting?

thanks
Click to expand...

I cast my own bullets, sell them too. .454" soft cast bullets work well. Generally speaking, any 45LC bullet works in 45 schofield. The older original 45LC guns had .454" barrels, too.

You can get 45 Schofield brass from several of the forum sponsors, or trim 45 Colt brass. The Starline 45 Schofield brass is very good stuff and not too expensive. That's what I use.

I load 45 Schofield, 455 webley, 45 autorim, and 45acp using the same LEE 455 Webley die set. Works good for me.
 
BCRider said:
For cast bullets the shape almost always has a generous cannelure groove. That groove allows you to seat and roll crimp using the one combo seating and crimping die all in one go. You're new so you may not know how to set such a die. It's pretty easy if you stop and consider. First you start with a blank casing in the seating position and the ram fully up. Screw down the die until you feel a slight resistance. Check that it's not actually crimping the lip at this point. Back it off a turn from there and lock the nut lightly. Now put a bullet into place and use the middle seating depth adjuster to sneak down on seating the bullet so it pushes the bullet in just to where the casing rim is near the top edge of the cannelure groove. You'll do this by making a tweak and seating, lower and look, tweak a little more and seat again, lower and look.... repeat as needed until it's at the right depth. Now back out the seating screw by a good half dozen turns so it's well out of the way. Next is to set the crimp. You need to turn in the barrel and then raise the ram with a little force. Lower and look. You're looking for an easily seen rounding in but not so heavy that it produces a bulge in the side wall below the crimp. And you only want enough that you can see it easily without it being more. More can be fine but it does shorten the life of the brass. Once the crimp is set snug up the locking nut on the outer barrel with a wrench or pliers so it doesn't move. Now put your seated and crimped bullet back into the ram and raise it. You can now lower the seating adjustment back down until it contacts the bullet. You're done.

If for some reason you're ever forced to load rimless casings with lead bullets that have no or very little cannelure groove then you can still do this. But instead of a combo seat and crimp all in one operation you'll want to separate the two. If there's no sizable groove you can experience "lead plowing" if you try to do both jobs in one pull. I've done that and got the ruined bullets to show for it. Instead you'll need to seat them all, then set the crimp with the seating adjuster pulled back and crimp only on a second pull.

Most revolver bullets have a pretty good cannelure groove though.
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Wow, expected a short answer and got a dissertation. Appreciate your time and sharing the insight into the mysteries of reloading.

Thanks!!
 
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Ok - so I am almost there -

- got the brass
- got the bullets
- got the powder

now - for the primers - it is Large Pistol Primer > LEE reloading manual recommends Winchester for 45 Schofield - not for me to question Lee but I read a comment that some primers do not work with some presses . Like in " no Federal primers in Lee 1000 Progresive".

I just put my money on the Hornady Lock and Load Classic - do not have it yet and not able to verify what does the manual says, so in case anyone can share their practical experience ?

Thanks all and Merry Christmas/Happy New Year
 
Lee had a very public pissing match with the parent company of Federal some years back - the negative comments from Lee regarding federal primers are based on that feud as much as they are based on reality. That said - federal primers are considered to be quite soft and more prone to piercing than the others.

I use mostly winchester and CCI primers in my old guns because they are a bit harder and less prone to puncturing if the firing pin is not in perfect condition. But I wouldn't hesitate to use a different primer if Win/CCI primers were not available when i needed to buy primers.
 
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sjb2000k said:
Ok - so I am almost there -

- got the brass
- got the bullets
- got the powder

now - for the primers - it is Large Pistol Primer > LEE reloading manual recommends Winchester for 45 Schofield - not for me to question Lee but I read a comment that some primers do not work with some presses . Like in " no Federal primers in Lee 1000 Progresive".

I just put my money on the Hornady Lock and Load Classic - do not have it yet and not able to verify what does the manual says, so in case anyone can share their practical experience ?

Thanks all and Merry Christmas/Happy New Year
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I use Winchester Primers in my hornady lock n load AP for .45 Auto, .44 Mag, .223 Rem, and .45 Colt. If you have any issues it'll be press / priming mechanism related; check that your shell plate is tight and indexes proerly and keep the priming shuttle free from debris such as stray powder or brass flakes / tumbling media and you'll be g2g. Winchester Primers are overall a great brand and do use a harder cup than some other brands (YMMV but I even load for M1 Garand with Winnie LR Primers with safe results.)
 
sjb2000k said:
Thanks - I had this uneasy feeling from the start. Following the reality check - any comment if the 45 Schofield does need the crimping die? - all I have seen so far on eBay are the 3 die sets ?

Thanks
Click to expand...

Most revolver cartridges require a crimp to avoid cylinder lockup up from bullets creeping forward. The RCBS Cowboy Dies I have are marked 45 Colt / 45 Schofield. I recently aquired both Colt and Schofield brass in a purchase and have loaded both with these dies. Slight adjustments are required when changing from one cartridge to another . You will also require a seperate shell holder as the Scofield rim is thicker.

357
 
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