Reloading .45 schofield - dumb question

[Roland Reed]

Ok, I'm expecting this to a rather silly question.
I'm about to buy a Uberti Schofield in .45. I plan to shoot .45 schofield in the thing and will reload my own.
Using trailboss powder. And just picked up some Starline brass.
And now for the dumb question:  Do I use the same bullets as I would for .45 Colt? I've looked around and don't see any cast bullets specifically listed for the .45 schofield.

[Shotgun Franklin]

Look here:

http://data.hodgdon.com/cartridge_load.asp

And usually you'll get the best accuracy and the closest POI to match your sights with the bullet weight the gun was designed for.

[Dalton Masterson]

I use the same bullets with no ill effect. 

DM

[Shotgun Franklin]

That sounds right as the Uberti S&W was built around the .45 Colt round.

[litl rooster]

 I have been using a 165 gr SWC over clays and or titegroup for my wifes.  She really likes them, She shoots them from her vaqueros though.  I tried them over 777 and some ffg goex and didn't care for them.  Their okay in a pinch

[Roland Reed]

Thanks folks.
Picked up my Uberti Schofield today. The reloading components are on the way.

[1961MJS]

Hi

I posted a Schofield load question on the GAF forum.

http://www.cascity.com/forumhall/index.php/topic,61517.0.html

I have most of the reloading stuff squared away, but with an Uberti .45 LC Schofield, should I bother trying both .45 S&W brass AND .45 LC brass?

I have titegroup and 250 grain lead round nose bullets.  I'd like to get the trigger broken in, should I just guess on the middle of the road, or go all of the way to the light side?  The details are in the link above...

Thanks

[Jack Straw]

This may be sort of a late reply but I've been loading .45 Schofield for about 20 years for use in a passle of Uberti Schofs and several Uberti '66 and '73 rifles.

I've used lead slugs from 180 gr. to 230 gr. and powders such as Red Dot, Tite Group, Clays, Trail Boss, and lately Tin Star.

Tite Group under a 200 RNFP at around 775-800 fps has been my most used load for general practice, plinking, and CAS matches.  My only gripe with this powder is that it seems to burn dirty and leaves a lot of black soot on my cases even with a very heavy roll crimp.   

In the last year I've experimented with Clays, Trail Boss, and Tin Star mostly because I'm curious about how well they work.

Clays has been fine and burns a little cleaner.  I get similar velocity with similar charge weights to Tite Group.   Trail Boss dissapointed me as I cannot seem to load enough of it to get the velocity I like.  Tin Star from V V is promising as it's quite clean
and fills the case nicely if not quite as high as Trail Boss.  My current 200 gr. loads are giving me 775 fps and I'm about to try some 225 gr. projectiles from SNS with this powder.  The drawback to Tin Star is that it's expensive and hard to find. I had to drive 100 miles one way down to Phoenix to get some.   Hey, nobody ever said cowboy shooters are sensible.....

Since the original Schofield ammo used a 230 gr. slug over BP at around 730 fps I think I'll load to those specs with the ....225 RNFP hoping to get a more authentic feel with respect to recoil.   The light bullets (180 and under) just don't feel right to me.  If I wanted minimal recoil I'd shoot a .38.

I've found the Starline Schofield brass to be very long lasting.  I'm still using some of my first batch from 1998 or so.

[Coffinmaker]

Well .... There are two schools of thought.  One is to load to the same specs as the original loading.  Two is load to the most comfortable load to actually shoot on a regular bases.  I'm a certified recoil wimp.  However, I do think loading to original specs is a good idea.  Just ONCE at least.  Then it becomes time to consider loads that are actually comfortable to soot on a regular basis. 

FIRST CAVEAT:  Your Uberti Schofield will not shoot well with Black Powder.  When Uberti extended the cylinder length to accommodate the 45 Colt, they eliminated a very important Gas Ring.  The gun will foul out rather rapidly.  Some guns will not even run for a full cylinder.  So your choices will be that Heathen Fad Smokeless stuff.

SECOND CAVEAT:  Your gun powder isn't running or burning dirty.  Your gun is.  Uberti famously provides generous chambers.  VERY GENEROUS chambers.  Big hurky straight wall cartridges cases such as 45 Colt or 45 Schofield, etc., simply will NOT EXPAND to fill and seal the chamber.  Some powders DO create more soot and carbon fouling than others.  However, it's the chambers that allow it to create Blow-By.  Your going to get Blow-By.  Some will just be worse.

Your best performance will probably be with Bullets around the 200Gr point.  Going up in bullet weight will probably accomplish nothing more than increasing recoil.  Going "light" will mostly result is bullets that tend not to stabilize well and wander around.  Shooting CAS, at 7 yards, you won't notice much difference in accuracy.  Out at and past 20 yards, accuracy will suffer with light bullets.

Were it I, I'd be lightly annealing my cases to get a good seal of the chambers.  I already anneal all my Schofield cases for my 45 rifles.  It works a treat.  Most other solutions, especially those that suggest max loads of powder and 250Gr bullets are just not all that effective and in a hand gun won't be much fun to shoot.  A little careful loading and bullet selection and you'll have a lot of fun with a Schofield.

[Jack Straw]

 Hi  Coffinmaker,

You make some interesting points indeed.

The Uberti Schofields difficulty with BP is well documented, so well, I've no intention of using the stuff mainly because I'm too lazy.

The loose Uberti chambers are something I've noticed for years.  A 1st gen Vaquero of mine with a bbl. only 1/2" longer than the Schof consistently produces about 100fps greater muzzle velocity.  I've not miked the Ruger chambers but I can feel the difference with identical ammo.

20+ years of using Tite Group in dozens of handguns tells me it tends to soot up cases like nothing else I've used.  9mm, .38 Super, .38 Spl., 40 S&W, .44 Spl., and .45 Colt do this to one degree or another in my loading.  The problem is somewhat mitigated by heavy bullets, tighter crimps, and heaver charge weight   Others "mileage may vary."

I agree that 200 grainers are probably the best projectile and the one I've always returned to.

Most of my shooting is done at 15 to 25 yards on 8" dingers.  I'm one of those harmless eccentrics who think SASS really messed up by sanctifying the huge and close targets.  I know I'm in the minority here but at typical SASS distance I don't think bullet weight means diddly.

[Coffinmaker]

Well .... HI JACK!!  I promise never to yell that in an Airport!!

Yes.  TightGroup does tend to soot in the Blow-By.  But, you may or may not notice, your talking about straight wall cases.  None of them seal the chamber well.  It's just that some chambers are cut to closer tolerances. 

Before I fell down the Deep ... Dark ... Hole ... of the Dark Side, and still shot that Heathen Fad Smokeless stuff (never catch on ya know) I shot TightGroup for everything.  Too lazy to piddle with multiple powders.  TightGroup worked in "everything" I load (Didn't do Shotgun).  The soot just meant I tumbled the cases a little longer.  That didn't matter, I didn't have to turn the crank.  Sometimes convenience is a wonderful thing.

Since turning to the Dark Side I have taken to annealing cases to stop Blow-By.  Sometimes I get em a little too soft and they stick a bit inna chamber but I can live with that.

You are quite correct.  With 16 X 20 inch targets at 6 yards, bullet weight doesn't do squat.  Does waste lead with big heavy bullets though.

[Jack Straw]

Yes Coffinmaker, PLEASE don't yell at me in the airport 'cause I don't need another confrontation with TSA in this lifetime.

I have to laugh at myself over this quest to find a different/better powder for my Schof loads.   I suppose this is a great example of Shooter Logic;  Like you said, I too, used Tite Group for virtually all my handgun loading since the stuff hit the market.  It worked great, still does as a matter of fact.   But......some of us just can't leave anything alone.  It's the darned hot-rodder gene I suppose.  I go the same route with everything, cars, guitars, power tools.  I tend to fix stuff that not only ain't broke but works pretty darn well.

In any event, after much fussing, endless sessions at the loading bench, and an equal number of runs out to the boonies to check my loads I settled on a combination that really does leave my guns and my cases cleaner,  costs a lot more, is kinda hard to get.  I'm happy now and if that isn''t a great example of Shooter Logic I've never seen one.

I will now humbly accept congratulations.

[Coffinmaker]

YEA    HORRAY    EXEMPLARY PERFORMANCE     TAKE A BOW   

[Dave T]

I'm one of those harmless eccentrics who think SASS really messed up by sanctifying the huge and close targets.  I know I'm in the minority here but at typical SASS distance I don't think bullet weight means diddly.

Jack, I'll give you an "atta boy" for the above bit of clear thinking and logic. That makes up for the "Shooter Logic", which I've been bitten by more times that I'm ready to admit. (smile)

Dave

[DeaconKC]

Obviously late to this conversation, but Starline now has brass specifically for .45 Schofield
https://www.starlinebrass.com/brass-cases/45-SandW-Schofield-Brass/

[Coffinmaker]

DeaconKC .... ??

Starline Schofield brass is not new??  Been out there for years.  Lots of Years.  In fact if your of a mind, you can go to Midway USA and get it in quantity Nickel'd.  Been doing that for years.

[DeaconKC]

Oh I know about Starline, I have several hundred rounds of it out in the garage. I had never seen the Schofield brass before.

[Abilene]

Most of my Schofield brass is *-* .  I've only seen one other headstamp on mine, but can't recall what it is right now (I'm not at home).  Amerc maybe?

[1961MJS]

HI

I annealed my "virgin" .45 S&W Schofield brass, and am using Tite Group.  I didn't notice much in the way of blow by, but I was working on where to point at a black silhouette target as opposed to my regular bullseye targets.  I'm not getting GREAT groups, but I can hit a steel at 25 yards with it.

Later

[1961MJS]

Hi

I'm back from the 2019 Muster.  I shot under 40 shots of .45 Schofield.  I got most of my brass back as well as two .45 Schofield that aren't mine, they weren't annealed.  They are also dirtier than my brass, and my brass didn't show signs of blow-by, so I guess THAT works.  I used a load of WLP Primer and 4.5 grains of Tite Group under a 250 grain Missouri Bullet Round nose.  I shot a 90-2x at 25 yards (First place) with that load one handed.  the next day an 88-0x got me third place.  So far, my Schofield is my favorite and most accurate Cowboy revolver.

Later