Uberti front post question . Dies? Range report!
- Thread starter Brianma65
- Start date
I would be looking for a 200 gr roundnose flat point lead bullet and shooting it reasonably slow, say around 800 fps. Nice and accurate, easy on the gun and recoil is pretty negligible. Reasonably cheap cheap cheap to put together. Hate it when iI stutter like that. Try 6 gr of TrailBoss. Lead is what these guns were meant to shoot.
Should add that after you have found a load that you like and shoots reasonable groups, then that is the time to be filing down the front sight.
Should add that after you have found a load that you like and shoots reasonable groups, then that is the time to be filing down the front sight.
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- Location
- The Orion Arm
Those are my recipes for my gun. YMMV. Best advice you'll ever hear is get a few reloading manuals and read them. Then start low and work your way up until you find a recipe that works well for you in all respects (recoil, accuracy, etc....)
Ask a lot of questions. That's how we all learn.
Good luck!
Typically mild loads will shoot high; the recoil impulse is in effect before the slower moving bullet leaves the BBL. Hence it shoots high as the muzzle is already lifted with recoil when the bullet exits the bore.
Seems backwards doesn't it?
It's a real phenomena, and unless you are a magnum junkie...why run stupid hot loads? That paper target not gonna go down 1st shot?
So the high front site will likely offset the aforementioned phenomena.
Seems backwards doesn't it?
It's a real phenomena, and unless you are a magnum junkie...why run stupid hot loads? That paper target not gonna go down 1st shot?
So the high front site will likely offset the aforementioned phenomena.
Brian, I didn't comment on the CFE Pistol powder because I've never used it. And I tend to agree with what Redryder and Tokguy have said above about going with the 200gn bullets and starting at the lower end of the loading recipes.
And what Tokguy says above about light loads printing higher on the target is spot on. This is because the bullet leaves the bore later in the recoil rise. At handgun distances bullet drop is a minor effect compared to the way the bullet weight and speed affects the recoil rise of the muzzle and thus the release angle of the bullet. So it's a good thing that the front sights come so tall.
And all of that means that with a fixed sight gun you can't shoot a wide range of loads. You're going to want to zero in on a couple of closely related bullets for weight and then fudge the powder load so that they all hit on the same POI. Only then, once you've settled on your loads, is it time to finally file down the front sight blade to match the POA to the POI. If you then switch bullet weight or try to run some noticeably stouter or milder loads those will hit lower or higher than your POA by a few inches.
The 45Colt is a big round. So there's really no need to set up your loading and gun for stouter loads. My buddy that shoots .45Colt in his Rugers for Cowboy action did up a few nearly full power loads to try. I got to try one and the kick it generated didn't feel that far off a slightly toned down .44Mag! So unless you're a serious recoil junkie I think you're going to find that the starting loads listed or something just a little up from the starting loads will be just fine. And if you are a recoil junkie then a .44Mag Ruger would be a better gun for your wrist wreckers anyway. A Uberti isn't going to blow up from a full house SAMMI pressure 45Colt. They proof them for that. But these are guns built to a cost point and I'm thinking that a steady and frequent diet of full house loads will tend to shoot the gun loose over a few thousand rounds. But tone them down to pleasant but still fun to shoot power levels and you'll hand down a fully working and finely tuned gun to your grandkids. My buddy shoots starting loads in his larger framed and heavier old Ruger Vaqueros and they still feel like shooting good .38Spl rounds from a small K frame S&W. So even the starting loads for .45Colt are not light mouse fart loads by any means. TheCowboy starting loads for Tightgroup is 5.0gns which is his regular charge that delivers the strong .38Spl like kick in his heavy guns. He loaded up a few 7gn loads to try for longer distance rifle and tried a few in his handguns. I got to try a few shots of this and there's no doubt that the recoil kick was quite strong. And strong enough for anyone this side of a Magnum junkie. Yet these loads were only in the midrange for power. So I'd suggest that there's simply no need to hit the upper end of the power range for this cartridge for regular shooting.
The current online loading data center at Hodgdon has fairly stout starting loads for .45Colt. There used to be a Cowboy Action manual you could download. But I see that it's been removed. But I found this link to a Winchester/Hodgdon loading data manual that lists these reduced power cowboy action loads on pages 28 to 31. I'd download and save this book and for your Uberti you can consider the cowboy action data as a good range to work with for loading.
http://www.wwpowder.com/PDF/Hodgdon Basic Manual.pdf
Note that powders need pressure to burn clean and fast. Not all of them are going to do well and be consistent at lower pressures. You even run the risk of squib loads that don't burn fully and the resulting small pressure might result in a bullet stuck in the bore. So be aware of this and have a range rod ready to test for stuck bullets from powders other than those listed in the Cowboy action data if you feel a lighter recoil. It's also a good reason for working only with the powders noted in the cowboy data for reduced power loads. Otherwise stick with the usual starting loads and if you want to work down a little from those do so carefully and in small increments of .4gn steps to produce test batches of a dozen to twenty rounds at a time.
And what Tokguy says above about light loads printing higher on the target is spot on. This is because the bullet leaves the bore later in the recoil rise. At handgun distances bullet drop is a minor effect compared to the way the bullet weight and speed affects the recoil rise of the muzzle and thus the release angle of the bullet. So it's a good thing that the front sights come so tall.
And all of that means that with a fixed sight gun you can't shoot a wide range of loads. You're going to want to zero in on a couple of closely related bullets for weight and then fudge the powder load so that they all hit on the same POI. Only then, once you've settled on your loads, is it time to finally file down the front sight blade to match the POA to the POI. If you then switch bullet weight or try to run some noticeably stouter or milder loads those will hit lower or higher than your POA by a few inches.
The 45Colt is a big round. So there's really no need to set up your loading and gun for stouter loads. My buddy that shoots .45Colt in his Rugers for Cowboy action did up a few nearly full power loads to try. I got to try one and the kick it generated didn't feel that far off a slightly toned down .44Mag! So unless you're a serious recoil junkie I think you're going to find that the starting loads listed or something just a little up from the starting loads will be just fine. And if you are a recoil junkie then a .44Mag Ruger would be a better gun for your wrist wreckers anyway. A Uberti isn't going to blow up from a full house SAMMI pressure 45Colt. They proof them for that. But these are guns built to a cost point and I'm thinking that a steady and frequent diet of full house loads will tend to shoot the gun loose over a few thousand rounds. But tone them down to pleasant but still fun to shoot power levels and you'll hand down a fully working and finely tuned gun to your grandkids. My buddy shoots starting loads in his larger framed and heavier old Ruger Vaqueros and they still feel like shooting good .38Spl rounds from a small K frame S&W. So even the starting loads for .45Colt are not light mouse fart loads by any means. TheCowboy starting loads for Tightgroup is 5.0gns which is his regular charge that delivers the strong .38Spl like kick in his heavy guns. He loaded up a few 7gn loads to try for longer distance rifle and tried a few in his handguns. I got to try a few shots of this and there's no doubt that the recoil kick was quite strong. And strong enough for anyone this side of a Magnum junkie. Yet these loads were only in the midrange for power. So I'd suggest that there's simply no need to hit the upper end of the power range for this cartridge for regular shooting.
The current online loading data center at Hodgdon has fairly stout starting loads for .45Colt. There used to be a Cowboy Action manual you could download. But I see that it's been removed. But I found this link to a Winchester/Hodgdon loading data manual that lists these reduced power cowboy action loads on pages 28 to 31. I'd download and save this book and for your Uberti you can consider the cowboy action data as a good range to work with for loading.
http://www.wwpowder.com/PDF/Hodgdon Basic Manual.pdf
Note that powders need pressure to burn clean and fast. Not all of them are going to do well and be consistent at lower pressures. You even run the risk of squib loads that don't burn fully and the resulting small pressure might result in a bullet stuck in the bore. So be aware of this and have a range rod ready to test for stuck bullets from powders other than those listed in the Cowboy action data if you feel a lighter recoil. It's also a good reason for working only with the powders noted in the cowboy data for reduced power loads. Otherwise stick with the usual starting loads and if you want to work down a little from those do so carefully and in small increments of .4gn steps to produce test batches of a dozen to twenty rounds at a time.
CFE Pistol data is listed on the Hodgdon web site in the reloading data center. Add this link to your Favourites.
http://www.hodgdonreloading.com/
I've found CFE pistol data on the hodges data site. If the data was used with a 7 1/2 barrel , what difference will that make to me with a 5 1/2 barrel? And I'm not a recoil junkie , I just want to shoot some paper as accurately as possible . I have some 259 factory ends now but wouldn't mind trying some lighter bullets. So should I expect a massive recoil from my 250 gr tomorrow ? I've only ever fired 10 rnds of 9mm , and that was 10 yrs ago. And I don't care what anybody says, I'm not shooting a colt .45 two handed. Lol
The muzzle velocity will be down a hair but the friction of the bullet in the bore will count for as much as the variation between barrel lengths. So don't worry about that. The accuracy, or lack, will be primarily due to you.
Until you get to know that you can trust the cast bullets from a given maker be sure to check the barrel for leading up fairly frequently. In particular be highly aware of any sudden and progressive loss in accuracy that indicates a strong leading buildup. If you find that is occurring STOP SHOOTING! You need to bronze brush and lead solvent the build up out before you go any farther.
True buildup is pretty rare though. I've only had it happen a couple of times out of my shooting. And I shoot a lot of cast lead rounds from a variety of guns.
GOOD ON YA! ! !! Hey, if one handed "proper" shooting was good enough for Clint, Marion and Clayton then it's jolly well good enough for us. And besides, as one shooting buddy frequently says "...after all they didn't call it a handSgun"....
Until you get to know that you can trust the cast bullets from a given maker be sure to check the barrel for leading up fairly frequently. In particular be highly aware of any sudden and progressive loss in accuracy that indicates a strong leading buildup. If you find that is occurring STOP SHOOTING! You need to bronze brush and lead solvent the build up out before you go any farther.
True buildup is pretty rare though. I've only had it happen a couple of times out of my shooting. And I shoot a lot of cast lead rounds from a variety of guns.
GOOD ON YA! ! !! Hey, if one handed "proper" shooting was good enough for Clint, Marion and Clayton then it's jolly well good enough for us. And besides, as one shooting buddy frequently says "...after all they didn't call it a handSgun"....
After I shoot the 50 lead tipped cartridges tomorrow , is there any reason why I couldn't just use the plated projectiles from now on? I don't want to have to worry about leading just yet. And what do you think about primers,,,, Large pistol or magnum?
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No need for Magnum primers. I'm telling ya now, just forget the plated and fmj bullets!!!!! Do it now!! Forget about them, they are not meant for your Uberti!!! Go lead or go home!!! Leading the bore is such a minor problem or consequence as not to be even considered. Shoot lead bullets.........lots of them, clean bore, shoot many more lead bullets, clean bore, repeat.
- Location
- Prince George B.C.
If you keep your loads to Cowboy action or midrange 38Sp levels you will not experience significant leading. If you are concerned wrap a few strands off a copper Chore Boy around your cleaning brush or bore snake and strip any lead residue from your barrel every time you clean your pistol.
John
Well, I already mentioned about being attentive to a sudden drop in accuracy. A badly leaded up barrel will alter the bullet size as it passes through the constriction and that causes the bullets to lose contact with the rifling and tumble once out of the barrel. And you get bad accuracy as a result. Barrels that lead up like this will go from good to hopelessly bad in only a dozen or so rounds too. And that's what I mean by "sudden".
The other is simply to look down the bore with the cylinder removed and a white card used to reflect some light up into the bore. If the rifling looks dark and patchy along the ridges then it's either still got powder fouling caked on or the dark patchy stuff is lead.
Again though this is a pretty rare occurrence with good quality cast bullets. As in rare to the point of almost never seeing it. Some folks think that shooting cast bullets means you get leading automatically so they can only shoot so much then they MUST clean the bore. Nope, it isn't like that. Most of the time you can ignore the fact that you're shooting lead and the only build up is powder fouling that didn't get scraped out by the last bullet. So don't become trapped by the mistaken thought that shooting lead bullets means you will be regularly cleaning out caked up lead from the bore. If you do get anything like that something is seriously wrong with your loads or the alloy used by the caster.
The other is simply to look down the bore with the cylinder removed and a white card used to reflect some light up into the bore. If the rifling looks dark and patchy along the ridges then it's either still got powder fouling caked on or the dark patchy stuff is lead.
Again though this is a pretty rare occurrence with good quality cast bullets. As in rare to the point of almost never seeing it. Some folks think that shooting cast bullets means you get leading automatically so they can only shoot so much then they MUST clean the bore. Nope, it isn't like that. Most of the time you can ignore the fact that you're shooting lead and the only build up is powder fouling that didn't get scraped out by the last bullet. So don't become trapped by the mistaken thought that shooting lead bullets means you will be regularly cleaning out caked up lead from the bore. If you do get anything like that something is seriously wrong with your loads or the alloy used by the caster.
Awesome! Started at 10 yards.. Lol first 5 were about. 2 inches left, adjusted my grip and all were now hitting centre. Aiming with a fine blade. Moved back to 25 yards , a little more challenging. At 25 yards , with half the post in view , I could keep them in a 8 inch circle, one handed... Lol . This is gonna take a lot of practice. What's the optimal distance for this gun?
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Hey BCR could you please explain to me how to inspect a bbl for leading.
I purchased a Lewis Lead remover for my revolvers and was shocked when shards of lead came out of my model 19.
No amount of visual inspection yielded that condition to me.
What to look for?
I wish there was a Lewis Lead remover for 22s.
Thanks,
M
When I clean the bores I run a few solvent and dry patches. Then I look for any non-reflecting and uneven lines along the rifling. If there's any of that which doesn't look like a clean and consistent shadow line from the rifling I assume it is lead buildup. The bronze brush comes out for that.
I do see this sort of buildup fairly frequently. But it's the sort of build that is likely left by one bullet after it scrapes away the same lead in the same spot from the previous round. It comes away easily and it comes out as small flakes in the bristles of the brush.
Only twice have I seen anything worse in my time shooting. And both were rimfire handguns which were new on one case and I think basically NIB for the other older "used" one. Both leaded up a time or two when I first started shooting them and then smoothed out whatever roughness was causing the issue and they've been fine since then.
Both times the brush pushed out great big patches of form fitted lead buildup that were big enough that I could see what the rifling looked like.
I do see this sort of buildup fairly frequently. But it's the sort of build that is likely left by one bullet after it scrapes away the same lead in the same spot from the previous round. It comes away easily and it comes out as small flakes in the bristles of the brush.
Only twice have I seen anything worse in my time shooting. And both were rimfire handguns which were new on one case and I think basically NIB for the other older "used" one. Both leaded up a time or two when I first started shooting them and then smoothed out whatever roughness was causing the issue and they've been fine since then.
Both times the brush pushed out great big patches of form fitted lead buildup that were big enough that I could see what the rifling looked like.
