Levergun Loads: .45 Colt Part II — Cast Bullets

[Elderberry]

Guns Magazine By John Taffin

More lever loads for a Johnny-come-lately

In part one of this series we saw the history of .45 Colt leverguns, which turned out to be quite recent, beginning in the early 1980s. We switch now from the use of PC (Powder Coated) bullets to cast bullets. The original Winchesters, whether chambered in .44 Rimfire or .44-40, all used cast bullets as jacketed bullets did not start appearing until the early part of the 20th century.

Background

Beginning in the early 1980s both Winchester and Marlin began offering .45 Colt leverguns. Those first Winchesters were 16″ Trapper Models, with mine being purchased in 1985. By this time Winchester had changed its name to USRAC (United States Repeating Arms Co.) and the Trappers were offered in two versions, a blued receiver or a case-colored receiver. I was fortunate to find one of each. With their 16″ barrels the Winchesters weigh right at 6 lbs. and while they do not have the slick action of the slightly smaller Model 1892, they are fast handling and come up to the shoulder quickly. Even with their short barrels, they still carry nine rounds in the tubular magazine.

About the same time the Winchester Trappers arrived, Marlin had a very limited run of 500 each of .44 Magnum and .45 Colt Trappers. I found both of these on the shelf of a little gun store, actually a small gun department, in a local grocery store. Alas, the days of gun departments in grocery stores, department stores and drugstores are long gone.

However, in those long-gone days I was able to find two Winchester Trappers both in .45 Colt and the Marlin versions in both calibers mentioned. Over the past 35 years all four of these leverguns have shot extensively with both jacketed and cast bullets. Marlin and Winchester 1894s will both handle heavier-than-standard .45 Colt loads but 1860, 1866 and 1873 replicas are for standard loads only! That is — black powder loads or Black powder level only.


Cast bullet loads in the Marlin .45 Colt — all the power and accuracy
you’d need for most critters in the lower 48.

More: https://gunsmagazine.com/our-experts/handloading/levergun-loads-45-colt-part-ii-cast-bullets/