45 Long Colt Bullets

The 45 Colt (often referred to as the “45 Long Colt” to prevent confusion with the 45 ACP or the now mostly defunct 45 Schofield) was introduced in 1872 to accompany the U.S. Army’s new Colt Single Action revolver. The original 45 Colt cartridges were furnished with bullets weighing 230 to 255 grains, and were loaded with 28 to 40 grains of black powder for a muzzle velocity between 900 and 1,055 fps. (Many experts would tell you that the 45 Colt’s muzzle velocity should not exceed 800 fps, although load data for four-digit muzzle velocities are readily available. These are not intended for classic Colt SA revolvers, but rather Ruger’s modern and much stronger revolvers.)

The 45 Colt actually predated the invention of the full metal jacket by ten years. That means the most common 45 Colt bullets for reloading are historically accurate lead round nose bullets, although flat nose bullets and wadcutters are also popular among handloaders. There are load data for jacketed .452 bullets available as well.

Colt revolvers predating WWII have barrels with .454 groove diameters. After the war .451 to .452 groove diameters became commonplace. It is possible to fire .454 bullets through the older, smaller barrels, but pressure will resultantly increase. Take care not to create pressure that is too powerful for a classic revolver’s chamber to manage.