Buffalo Bore 45 Colt 225gr Barnes XPB – Superb Lead Free Load

Description

The Buffalo Bore 45 Colt 225gr Barnes XPB fills a gap that matters. Buffalo Bore’s copper 45 Colt load is usually sold as a +P, which rules out a great many good revolvers. This is the same bullet at standard pressure: 225 grains at 1000 fps for roughly 500 ft-lbs, lead free, in a load your gun can almost certainly handle. Twenty rounds per box, item 3H/20.

• Buffalo Bore 45 Colt 225gr Barnes XPB Overview
• 45 Colt Lead Free Ammo Ballistics
• Why A 225 Grain Solid Copper Hollow Point Suits Older Guns
• Specifications
• Which Revolvers Take This Standard Pressure 45 Colt Copper Load

Buffalo Bore 45 Colt 225gr Barnes XPB Overview

The bullet is a Barnes XPB, machined from solid copper with a deep hollow cavity and no lead core. It expands into copper petals and retains essentially all of its weight, which is what lets a 225 grain bullet penetrate the way a much heavier lead bullet would.

At standard pressure it runs 1000 fps rather than the 1500 fps of the +P version. That is a large difference in velocity and a much smaller one in practical terms, because the XPB is designed to expand across a wide velocity window rather than at one particular speed.

The pressure choice is the whole point of this product existing. A Colt Single Action Army, a clone, a small frame New Model Vaquero or most older revolvers cannot use +P 45 Colt. The Buffalo Bore 45 Colt 225gr Barnes XPB asks nothing unusual of the gun.

45 Colt Lead Free Ammo Ballistics

500 ft-lbs at 1000 fps is a solid figure for standard pressure 45 Colt. Ordinary factory ammunition with a 250 or 255 grain bullet runs near 750 to 800 fps for about 320 to 360 ft-lbs, so this produces roughly forty to fifty percent more while staying inside the same pressure ceiling.

Against the +P version of the same bullet, which makes 1124 ft-lbs at 1500 fps, you are giving up more than half the energy. That is the honest cost of standard pressure and there is no way around it.

What you are not giving up is the bullet’s behaviour. A 225 grain solid copper hollow point still expands and still holds its weight at 1000 fps, so you get controlled expansion and good penetration rather than a compromise projectile.

Why A 225 Grain Solid Copper Hollow Point Suits Older Guns

Owners of older or lighter 45 Colt revolvers have historically had two poor options. Mild factory ammunition that does very little, or heavy +P loads their gun is not rated for. Capable 45 Colt lead free ammo at standard pressure closes that gap.

Copper is what makes it work at these velocities. A conventional lead core hollow point at 1000 fps often fails to open properly, particularly through clothing. The XPB has its petals machined into the bullet rather than relying on a jacket to peel, so it opens across a much wider speed range.

Weight retention then does the rest. With no core to separate, a 225 grain solid copper hollow point keeps essentially all of its mass after expanding, which is how a bullet that is light for the calibre still reaches useful depth.

There is a lead free angle as well. Non toxic requirements are spreading across public land and a few states, and any revolver 45 Long Colt ammunition that is copper lets you comply without dropping to something feeble.

Specifications

Which Revolvers Take This Standard Pressure 45 Colt Copper Load

No +P rating required, which is the reason to choose this one. Any sound 45 Colt revolver in normal working order is a candidate, which covers the Colt Single Action Army pattern guns, clones, small frame Vaqueros and lighter revolvers that the heavy loads exclude.

A genuinely antique or black powder era gun is still not a candidate. Standard pressure means standard modern pressure, not black powder pressure, and anything of that age deserves a gunsmith’s opinion before it is fed smokeless ammunition of any description.

Confirm your point of impact. A standard pressure 45 Colt copper load at 225 grains is lighter than the 250 and 255 grain bullets fixed sight revolvers were regulated around, so expect it to print somewhat low at twenty five yards.

Recoil is mild for the calibre. This is a load you can comfortably practise with, which is worth more than a hotter one you shoot twice a year and flinch through.

Any Revolver 45 Long Colt Ammunition Availability

This any revolver 45 Long Colt ammunition is in stock and ready to ship from MAG5 Firearms, a family owned FFL dealer in Collegeville, Pennsylvania. Ammunition orders ship to most states, and local customers are welcome to pick up in the shop. If your gun is rated for +P and you want more, call us and we will check what our distributors have on hand.

Manufacturer details are on the Buffalo Bore site. If your revolver is rated for it, the 45 Colt +P 225gr Barnes XPB runs the same bullet 500 fps faster. For a cast bullet at this pressure, see the 45 Colt 255gr soft cast, or browse our full ammunition selection.