Not a reloader, and I probably won't get into it, so lets get that out of the way.
I ran across a very nice Ruger Bisley Blackhawk 5.5" in 45LC, at a price I couldn't refuse.  Price also includes 100 rounds of Precision Ammunition.
Due to ammo cost, I've pretty much been a .38/.357 guy for decades.  I have shot a few 45LC, and have to admit I thoroughly enjoyed them, even with the heavy loads.

Tell me why you love the 45LC, and where I might find some good ammo at a decent price.

I love 45 Colt, with the right gun you can safely load from mouse fart to some really heavy thumpers.
I know you said that you won't, but reloading on an inexpensive single stage or turret press will pay for itself pretty quickly with this round.

What would you estimate a mid range reload at cost wise? I'm not totally opposed to reloading, other than my addictive personality will want to go big with it, lol.

Assuming you have brass to load....

Maybe .10ea for a hard cast bullet.
Maybe .10ea for a primer.
Perhaps .05-.08 for powder.
~25-30 cents a round.

Commercially produced loads are probably north of $1/round, maybe around $1.50ea.

It really pays to load 45 Colt.

9mm.. meh maybe not so much.

Bullets cost me 48 per 500 or roughly 10 cents primers 3 cents and a similar amount for powder. Or 16 cents a round 8 dollars a box. Even with a simple lee hand press or Lyman tong tool you can reload a couple boxes inabout 45 minutes. Despite reloading around 1000 rounds a month I still do it on d hand me down single stage gear. Safe dependable cheap. No I can't reload 800 rounds in an evening but with proper time and resource management it is not bad at all

Well, gentlemen, I believe you have convinced me to invest in reloading. Any particular powder you prefer? Is there one that would be good for 45LC, 38spl and 357?

For heavy loads in the .45 Colt Win 296/H110, 2400 and IMR 4227 are the standard powders.

For light to midrange loads Win 231, HS-6, Unique, Red Dot, Blue Dot and Bullseye all work great in the .45 Colt.

Most of those powders have similar utility in the .38 Special and .357 Magnum.

 I've been a single action nut for quite some time now and have literally had dozens pass through my hands. A couple of .357's a veritable slew of .44 Specials (still own a small slew of them), and several 45 Colts. For some reason, with every 45 Colt revolver I've owned/own, meaningful, consistent accuracy has been difficult to come by. I've tried Uberti, Ruger, USFA, S&W....you name it. I want to own a 45 Colt that shoots and haven't given up.

  As you're going to figure out you either have to reload or have lots of money if you're going to shoot something like a 45 Colt very much.

  Cast bullets are the only way to go, whether commercial or of your own making, as they will save you big $$$ and shoot as well as jacketed at any reasonable range. I've been casting for my revolvers for years. My equipment is long since paid for, I've been scrounging lead for 10 years now, so basically shoot free bullets.

 If your 45 Colt is to be a "fun gun" or if you never intend to hunt anything larger than hogs, you'll need nothing more powerful than the original load (250-255 gr. bullet @900+/- fps). This load can be assembled with popular, cheap and inexpensive shotgun powders such as Red Dot or 700-X using quantities that will yield a little over 1000 bullets from a $25 jug of powder. Factor in a 3.5 or 4 cent primer and the low cost of a cast bullet, and you're shooting CHEAP.

Universal Clays or Unique is a great powder for a mid-range/'do everything' load for .45 Colt. A good 250-255gr semi wadcutter over 8 to 9 gr of Universal can serve as a target, hunting, and defense load, and a 1-lb can of powder will last a LONG time.

The 45 Colt is an excellent cartridge to reload. Besides the cost savings in reloading for it, it is also an extremely easy cartridge to reload for. It's a very good cartridge to start on if you are just getting into it.

My recent recipe for 45 colt was winchester 231, a sellier and bellot large pistol primer, and a hand cast 250 grain lead round nose flat point. I also load with 230 grain .45 acp lead round nose for general plinking rounds.

You could always load a 200-230 gr cast bullet with 40 grains of 3f  black powder for some serious smoke and all the recoil you can handle  

I've always been partial to 6 - 6 1/2 grains of Unique under a 200 -250 grain lead bullet.
Makes for a nice plinking load.

For me , for many years, Unique is the go to powder. I load .38, .357, .44 spec, .44 mag, .45acp, .45 colt, .45-70 with unique. Try RimRock cast bullets for a overwhelming selection of reasonably priced bullets.

Since you've decided to reload ammo.  

Before jumping to buying powders.  Become familiar with the reloading process.  There are different ways to get things done.  Some ways are cheaper to produce quality ammo.  Perhaps, with less "production efficiency."  Though "it will still get the job done."

Perhaps, you need/should read up on reloading?  Or, take a look at various YouTube Vids?  Or, just talk with other reloaders?  IMHO....educate yourself about reloading before you spend money.

Just the other day I saw two women at Sportsmans Warehouse who were with a "friend" and they wanted to get into reloading.  OMG.....IMHO, they just had no clue.  And, it appeared (to me) that the sales guy had no real clue either, on how to purchase equipment for the process.  

Then, powder pickings are still slim in some places.  So, use your time wisely and perhaps have "alternatives" planned for.

Anyway....good luck.

Aloha, Mark

Thanks!  I'm familiar with reloading, done it for quite a while, but sold my stuff about 10 years ago.  
I used to load .223, 9mm, and .45, and pretty much used Accurate powders.  I will read some reloading manuals and brush up on things though.  Thanks for the suggestions, I'll try some loads out for sure.

I have a .45LC custom made from Reeder custom guns.   I don't have the time to reload, so I've tried a lot of off the shelf ammo, and even had some custom done for me a cpl of years ago (ended up very low pressure and I was not happy - Trail Boss powder).   As the first post mentioned, you can load it from zero to hero.  One of the things I find annoying when buying off the shelf, is that a lot of the loads are reduced power for cowboy action shooting.   I like big boomers, and the following have worked best for me:

Underwood Ammo .45 LC choices

(I personally like the +P 250 grain)

HSM hunting/bear load

Buffalo Bore extreme thumpers

I've had a Ruger .45 convertible for a few years, mainly shoot .45acp cause it's cheap but occasionally shoot some hot .45 colt long for kicks.

$30/box is about the cheapest cowboy loaded .45lc I've come across, online or over the counter. I like the HSM bear loads for some hot range fun that won't break the bank. For serious use, Buffalo Bore.

Normally I don't recommend reloading just to save money, but in this case it's a smart move. Cast slugs are cheap, light loads give you long brass life and revolver cartridges are the easiest ammo to press yourself. And no chasing brass with a revolver.

I love Ruger Bisleys, excellent choice.  We have twin stainless Ruger Bisley New Vaquero's in .45 Colt and I recently bought a stainless Ruger Blackhawk Bisley Convertible .45Colt/.45acp 5.5".  The rest of ours are plow handle style.  I sold my blued 5.5" Blackhawk Convertible .45Colt/.45acp to buy the Bisley for two reasons.  First I wanted that particular gun in stainless since it's most likely to be used in the field and second because I wanted the Bisley grips to help with recoil using heavier loads.

My first single action was the stainless New Vaquero Bisley and it hooked me on the .45 Colt.  It's a fantastic caliber with the potential to go from mild to wild and capable of handling the biggest critters walking North America.  Even in the smaller New Vaquero frame you can load to the top side of SAAMI and have a very powerful revolver.  With the Blackhawk (assuming it's the large frame version) you can load the .45 Colt to exceed performance of the .44 magnum with a bigger, heavier bullet and with significantly less pressure.  As far as single actions go you can't do any better without stepping up to much more expensive guns.

We recently started reloading the .45 Colt (as well as others) and I can tell you it quickly pays for itself both in $$ and from shooting more for less.  If you hunt or frequent areas with the kinds of critters that occasionally sharpen their teeth on humans, a .45 Colt Blackhawk Bisley is big medicine and may save your life.  

Trying to move my pics from Photobucket to Flickr and I can't figure out how to get pics for Flickr to show here

I use my 45LC Blackhawk as a deer hunting companion gun and use a 250gr XTP and H110. HS-6 and a lead SWC would make a nice target load

I have the new Ruger Redhawk 4.2" in 45 LC / 45ACP. Love it! Can handle any 45 LC round from pumper to thumper. 45 ACP with moon clips is fun for plinking.

I don't shoot paper targets, just steel and general plinking, and i have intentionally prevented myself from nerding out on reloading, cause i can get real obsessive and burn out and I don't want that to happen in reloading. So not saying it's best, but i use Hodgdon Universal powder, and i like 5.4gr with a 125gr jacketed flat point for 38spcl (+p), and 6.2gr with a 200gr lead round nose for 45lc.

Agreed with you 100%... The 45LC, one of the most venerable and versatile handgun cartridges in existence! If I wasn't going to reload for it then THESE would be my be all end all "Woods Carry" loads... A 325grain "Keith Style" bullet over 1300fps... The Buffalo Bore linked above is pretty much the same load. Get whatever is cheaper with cheaper shipping. That will put down just about anything in North America from brown bears to Sasquatch's...

Just wanted to mention that AIM Surplus has Aguila .45lc for $25/box of 50 rounds lead nose cowboy loads. Haven't tried them yet but another cheap option.

If you're not gonna reload .44mag is typically cheaper & easier to find.

Your reloading bench.

Seriously, if you have no plans to reload then skip the .45 colt.   Ammo for the old warhorse is expensive.  I actually paid less for my reloading dies for .45 colt than a box of ammo.

I have a stainless, bird's head Vaquero with about a 3.75" barrel.  I have a bunch of 250 grain lead round nose flat points.  I make light loads with Universal Clays, very little recoil.  I also make mid level loads with Lil' Gun, but once I hit 18 grains my base pin started jumping loose every shot, so I backed off to 17.5 grains.  That's probably better for flat base bullets with no gas checks anyway.  It's not that stout of a load at all, should be close to 1100 fps if I had a 7.25" barrel, accoring to the reloading manual.  I find this .45 to be very entertaining, and am looking forward to some heavier loads once I get a locking base pin!  I think your Bisley will be excellent, and of course that grip frame will be nice if you decide to explore the heavier loads.

P.S. If you decide to go with Universal Clays just make sure your reloading method is impeccable.  The smaller charges used with that powder make a double charge a very real possibility.  But it's convenient for me because it also works for other calibers I reload.