Grizzly Cartridge New .45 Colt +P Load

Recently, Grizzly Cartridge released a new thumper in the form of a 335-grain WLNGC, or for the uninitiated, Wide Long-Nose, Gas Check slug. Loaded in classic .45 Colt, it puts more steam in this time-honored thumper with handgun velocities averaging 1,175 fps.

The loads are made for large-framed Rugers, or modern 1892 lever actions, as well as Winchester and Marlin 1894s. It’s like getting a new shooter for free when using these turbocharged loads.

Some Background

As a confirmed “lead head,” I love big-bore cast bullet loads. When cast into a formable shape, the humble lead-slug delivers destructiveness disproportionate to its simplicity. The large, permanent wound channels cast bullets are known for are caused by the lead bullet’s meplat. This simple “flat” on the nose of the bullet gnaws through flesh and bone when cast from a proper alloy.

Veral Smith of LBT Technologies is responsible for developing his flat-nosed series of bullet molds. Kelly Brost took things a step further, selling bullets cast from LBT molds from the company he started, Cast Performance. In 2003, Mike Rintoul purchased Cast Performance and started Grizzly Cartridges. Grizzly picked up where Brost left off, loading cartridges featuring Cast Performance bullets for non-handloaders. Now everyone can enjoy the benefits featuring the superior qualities of LBT Technology bullets without having to cast bullets or handload.

Grizzly

Grizzly casts their slugs from virgin alloy and heat-treats them to a Brinnel hardness of 18-21, giving them a hardness perfect for hunting, yet ductile enough to avoid fragmenting on impact. The bullets won’t lead a barrel: In-house testing with their bullet lube has allowed velocities in excess of 3,100 fps without leading.