45 Schofield and Trail Boss

[T J B]

 I have acquired 20 LB of Trail Boss and 5,000 160 grain heads and Schofield cases Now I need a light cas load for this .The shooter was using 4 grains with the 160 and Schofield case is this a good load for SASS.

[T J B]

 No one has any load info ?

[treebeard]

People are probably in shock that you actually found some Trail Boss.

[pony express]

People are probably in shock that you actually found some Trail Boss.

Not only found it, but found 20lb of it!

[Professor Marvel]

Ah My Dear TJB -

I was actually intending to be a smartass get on my high horse about "always follow the recipes", and then
discovered to my dismay that there is VERY LITTLE out there even from the manufacturer!!!

So, I put on my thinking cap and exercised my littlke grey cells to the max, and was able to find this (actually hard-to-find)
data from the horses' mouth. It does not help that the powder company changed hands.

So, there is no MFCTR published data for a 160 gr bullet in a Schofield case - but there is data for a 165 gr in a .44 Colt of a similar trim length and data for 200 gr in a Schofield.

This means you will need to CAREFULLY estimate and work up your load , whilst understanding that  the .44 Colt case has a smaller volume than .45 Schofield.

http://www.imrpowder.com/data/handgun/trailboss.php

IMR HANDGUN DATA

TRAIL BOSS

NEVER Exceed the Loads Listed Here
44 COLT
Case: Starline
Twist: 1:20"
Barrel: 8"
Trim: 1.09"
Primer: Federal 150M

Bullet: 165 GR. LRNFP
Dia. .430"
COL: 1.310"\
STARTING LOADS    MAXIMUM LOADS
POWDER    GRS.    VEL.    PRESSURE    GRS.    VEL.    PRESSURE
Trail Boss   3.3   698   5,400 CUP   4.5   844   9,700 CUP



45 S&W (SCHOFIELD) (PISTOL)
Case: Starline
Twist: 1:16"
Barrel: 5"
Trim: 1.095"
Primer: Winchester LP

Bullet: 200 GR. LRNFP
Dia. .452"
COL: 1.430"
STARTING LOADS    MAXIMUM LOADS
POWDER    GRS.    VEL.    PRESSURE    GRS.    VEL.    PRESSURE
Trail Boss   4.0   684   9,000 CUP   5.0   791   13,200 CUP

Bullet: 230 GR. HDY LRNFP
Dia. .452"
COL: 1.430"
STARTING LOADS    MAXIMUM LOADS
POWDER    GRS.    VEL.    PRESSURE    GRS.    VEL.    PRESSURE
Trail Boss   4.0   649   9,000 CUP   5.0   739   13,000 CUP
=================================================

since data is SO HARD to find, I offer these links, and advise that you USE ANY DATA AT YOUR OWN RISK

http://www.loaddata.com/members/search_detail.cfm?MetallicID=2201
http://www.cascity.com/forumhall/index.php?topic=40143.0

Hopefully someone with direct experience will chime in

hope this helps
yhs
prof marvel

[pony express]

Perfesser M, that's probably more scientific that I would be. My thoughts would be-look for data for that bullet weight in .45 auto, and .45 Colt, take the starting loads from each, and split the difference.

[Professor Marvel]

Perfesser M, that's probably more scientific that I would be. My thoughts would be-look for data for that bullet weight in .45 auto, and .45 Colt, take the starting loads from each, and split the difference.

AHA! My Good Pony
my poor little grey cells had not considered the .45ACP since IMR did not show any loads for .45 ACP .

Thus, I get to use my new Lee book!
the Lee book shows a starting load for Trail Boss with a 180gr lead bullet at 3.5 gr, max 5.0gr .

I do have an interest in these smaller .45 cases as I am going to play with smokeless loads in .45 Cowboy or .45 Schofield.
I am getting more careful and concerned of brain farts, so smaller cases for smokeless helps to reduce the possibilities  of double charges.

Further, using different shaped bullets for smokeless vs BP/Subs will also help me rapidly identify which is which. One does not want to accidentally use a BP load indoors...

yhs
prof marvel

[T J B]

 Data is not hard to find yet a 160 grain head on a Schofield case with TB seems to be. I can come up with a load easily. I was looking for input from anyone who has used this specific load. I do thank all who gave input .

[Abilene]

It takes a little bit of searching on Hodgdon's website to find this page, but it explains how to load Trailboss into any caliber and bullet combination:

http://www.hodgdon.com/PDF/Trail-Boss-Reduced-Loads%20R_P.pdf

[Bunk Stagnerg]

Trail Boss is a great powder that has one special characteristic . It is impossible to get a double charge in a case because it is so bulky.
You might have problems in a progressive loader getting less than a full charge , but just slow down on the charging stroke and let it float into the case.
I let my Dillon go full stroke up, reach for the next case then come down to seat the primer. that gives a full load every time either in .45 Colt  case or the .45 Cowboy Special case.
And yes I do shoot nitro powder from time to time, but don't hold that against me.
Hold center
Bunk