(FN=Flat Nose, HP= Hollow Point, RN= Round Nose) JHP= Jacketed Hollow Point, FMJ=Full Metal Jacket)
Loads for .45 Schofield Pistol:
(Note: The loads from ACCURATE (Nitro 100, Solo 1000 & No. 2) are suggested to be used as listed. No more, no less.)(See note on NEW Nitro 100 powder at bottom of page)
(See note on Powders below or read all about various Powders.) The .45 Schofield is a very old cartridge and was once used by the Army in the pre-1900 era. It was used primarily in a Schofield pistol with a top-break action and could be reloaded much faster than the old SAA (Single Action Army). A mounted rider could empty and reload from a moving horse in less time than a rider could even empty and begin to reload the SAA.
It is becoming more popular with the Cowboy Action Shooting since it is a mild load and can be shot in the guns chambered for the .45 Colt. It’s like shooting a .38 special in a gun chambered for .357 magnum.
Bullet is .452″ diameter. Due to different barrel lengths, type of bullet, seating depth, primer type and other factors, you may not get near the FPS charted. It is just a guide.
200 grain Lead SWC or RNFP
| Trail Boss | 4.0 gr. | 684 | FPS minimum |
| Trail Boss | 5.0 gr. | 791 | FPS MAXIMUM |
| Nitro 100 | 5.6 gr. | 959 | fps |
| Solo 1000 | 6.3 gr. | 952 | |
| No. 2 Imp. | 5.6 gr. | 863 |
230 grain lead RNFP
| Trail Boss | 4.0 gr. | 649 | FPS minimum |
| Trail Boss | 5.0 gr. | 739 | FPS MAXIMUM |
| Nitro 100 | 5.0 gr. | 867 | fps |
| Solo 1000 | 5.8 gr. | 852 | |
| o. 2 Imp. | 5.3 gr. | 870 |
250 grain lead RNFP
| Trail Boss | 3.5 gr. | 537 | FPS minimum |
| Trail Boss | 4.8 gr. | 685 | FPS MAXIMUM |
255 grain lead SWC
| Nitro 100 | 4.6 gr. | 775 | fps |
| Solo 1000 | 5.5 gr. | 801 | |
| No. 2 Imp. | 5.1 gr. | 783 |
Discussion:
If you have an older can of Scot Nitro 100 or Accurate Nitro 100, please note, it is NOT the same as the “New Formulation” at Western Powders. I have been told as of 2011 that the NEW and current N-100 is faster burning in pistol calibers than the old. The top of the can says “NOT FOR HANDGUN LOADS”. Use 10% UNDER any values you see here for N-100. The older was slower Fast-burning in pistol calibers.This case was originally designed for black powder. Using modern smokeless powders can be a real problem. It does not fill the case very well and especially when you want to back off to a mild cowboy action load. Ignition can be inconsistent at best. You have to be careful not to go too light, or a bullet could stick in the barrel. However, for these very reasons, the .45 Schofield is a popular choice since the case is shorter than the standard .45 Colt and therefore mild loads with bullets weighing from 200 to 255 grains can be shot with less recoil. Just as it is much better to make a mild load with a 158 grain bullet in .38 special than to try to make that same mild load with a .357 case. If you have an original, old firearm chambered for this round, you should stick to black powder loads for safety. The steel was not as strong in the original guns as compared to modern reproductions.
*
#2400, Reloader 7, 11, 12, 15, 19, and 22 are products of Alliant (formerly Hercules) Powders.
H380, H450 and H4895 are products of Hodgdon Powders.
Trail Boss, IMR 3031 and IMR 4895 are products of IMR (formerly DuPont) Powder Company.
No. 2, No. 5, Nitro 100, and Solo 1000 are products of Accurate Arms Company (also Scot powders)
WMR, WSF, WSL, 760, 748, 231 and 540 are products of Winchester, Components Div.
References: Accurate Arms Co. 1996 Cowboy Action Shooting booklet – – Alliant Powder Co. Reloaders’ Guide (1995) – – Hodgdon’s Basic Reloaders Manual (1996) – – Speer Reloading Manual, #12 – – Winchester Reloading Components Manual, 14th edition – – Lyman Piston & Revolver Reloading Handbook, 2nd edition. – – VihtaVuori Oy Company, reloading booklet (1995) – – Numerous magazine articles on reloading special calibers and personal loads where noted.
