Any .45 Colt that's not on the weaker side, without having to reload?

[mr00jimbo]

Woke up this morning and put my Visa down on a Marlin 94 in .45 LC. I don't reload and I know there's Buffalo Bore, etc. but wondering if there are any intermediately powerful loads for 45 LC in factory ammo? I don't need cowboy stuff, just regular powered stuff, and it'll be in a strong Marlin 1894 action.
Or do you have to get boutique ammo, since it's all loaded to be fired in older guns?

 

[divealta]

I reload but just check around. If the box doesn't state for cowboy loads then it should be the full house loads. http://www.cabelas.ca/product/129/american-eagle-revolver-centerfire-ammunition

 

[emerson]

I haven't seen any other that equal 44Mag loads like reloading does. Yes, according to the manual. Considering what factory ammo costs, reloading is not bad if you don't have to buy Gucci everything. Electric scale, dies, hand press.

 

[BCRider]

Keep in mind that the special hot loads for .45Colt are intended for a limited number of guns. Marlin lever rifles are not one of those. So I'd suggest avoiding the "Ruger only" loads for your Marlin. Yeah, I know it's a rifle and all but without knowing if the chamber metal is the right alloy and right heat treatment do you really want to risk running at 1.5x or more the SAMMI max pressure?

If the information on the box says that it's up over 900 fps that's up in the full power area for .45Colt. Cowboy stuff is well under that.

At the cost they are asking for .45Colt you may want to consider at least a limited single stage reloading setup. The ammo I've seen works out to darn near a buck a pop. You can reload for around 25 cents per pop for the consumables. And at a 70 to 75 cent per round savings it would not take a whole lot of reloading to cover the cost of a basic setup and then shoot for cheap after that.

 

[FishHog]

I like the leverevolution stuff

 

[tjhaile]

Aside from specialty manufacturers like Buffalo Bore or Garrett, .45 Colt factory ammo is all loaded considerably lighter than the original black powder specification of a 255 grain bullet at around 1,000 fps out of a 7.5" barrel. 750-860 fps seems to be typical.

.45 Colt is very much a reloader's cartridge not just in terms of cost, but in terms of performance options. Maximum loads using standard pressure data would get you in the ballpark of the original black powder loads with the right powder. I would not hesitate to try "Ruger" loads in modern designs like your Marlin, 1892 Winchester clones, or Winchester 94s, but they definitely need to be kept out of the older designs (eg. Henry, 1866, 1873).

 

[Papaclaude]

One thing to keep in mind - if you can get some ammo with pure lead projectiles, and better than half-ounce chunk of lead at close to 1,000 fps. makes for some pretty awesome stopping power. Pure lead will expand like crazy, and stays together extremely well. I routinely get 90-95% weight retention with a variety of boolits, and 44-45 cal opens up to darned near an inch. There aren't a lot of critters that will argue with that. Especially given that you can give it a significant number of shots very, very, quickly.

Even if you don't want to get in to reloading, do you have a buddy that does? Dies are in the $50-$75 range, and the other consummables will cost you less than a box of ammo.

 

[saskcop]

Keep in mind that the special hot loads for .45Colt are intended for a limited number of guns. Marlin lever rifles are not one of those. So I'd suggest avoiding the "Ruger only" loads for your Marlin. Yeah, I know it's a rifle and all but without knowing if the chamber metal is the right alloy and right heat treatment do you really want to risk running at 1.5x or more the SAMMI max pressure?

If the information on the box says that it's up over 900 fps that's up in the full power area for .45Colt. Cowboy stuff is well under that.

At the cost they are asking for .45Colt you may want to consider at least a limited single stage reloading setup. The ammo I've seen works out to darn near a buck a pop. You can reload for around 25 cents per pop for the consumables. And at a 70 to 75 cent per round savings it would not take a whole lot of reloading to cover the cost of a basic setup and then shoot for cheap after that.

I don't think this is the case. The Marlin lever .45 LC is rated for the same PSI as the .44 magnum levers and thus should be able to handle to hot stuff.