.45 Colt
The standard black powder .45 Colt load pushed a 250-gr. radiused flat-nose bullet 900 fps. I duplicate this load by using a hand-cast LEE 255 RF designed bullet that’s been powder coated and loaded over 8.0-gr. of Winchester 231 powder. This bullet is one of the most accurate I cast from any brand mold and usually shoots around 1 to 1.5″ groups at 25 yards with most guns. With the CarryHawk’s sights, groups of 1.5″ were the norm.
I shoot a 320-gr. LBT long flat-nosed gas check (LFNGC) bullet I cast and load over 22-gr. of H110 and sparked by a CCI 350 magnum pistol primer. This load goes over 1,200 fps, even in the 4-5/8″ snubby barrel of the CarryHawk. This load also consistently groups 1 to 1.5″ at 25 yards in other guns, and I’ve shot several groups under 2″ at 50 yards. Again, due to the CarryHawks’s sights and shorter sight radius, groups of 1.5″ at 50 feet were the norm.
Buffalo Bore ammo was a very good performer in the CarryHawk. Advertised velocities were very close to actual velocities, which when coming from a 4-5/8″ short-barreled gun says something. The Heavy 45 Colt +P 260-gr. JHP advertised at 1,450 fps shot into just over an inch at 50 feet. The Heavy 45 Colt +P Outdoorsman packs a 325-gr. cast bullet at 1,325 fps and is an eye-opener. Recoil is manageable with the round-butt birds-head grip, more so than with a traditional plow handle in my opinion. Groups of around 1.5″ were standard at 50 feet.