Stuff is OK plinking ammo but not much else. Not all that accurate but it all went bang. If you want hotter, you will have to load your own, most factory stuff is loaded to the lowest common denominator as there are still thousands and thousands of old .45s out there unable to handle higher pressures. Do not sell the .45 Colt short tho, it is a BIG bullet with lots of mass, and is a decent round in and of itself. If you want a good bullet design and more oomph in a factory load I can suggest the winchester Silvertip. It is a pretty good load and I believe I have some in what is called a +p load. [Not really all that hot] There are load data out for RUGERs that are hotter by far but I have no idea if your smith can handle it. If you don't see that the data can be used for it I can't recommend it. Once you see how much a .45 Colt bullet can penetrate you might change your tune. I shoot Colt SAA, Ruger Vanquero and the .454 SRH. In that I do use a pretty stiff .45 Colt load.
You should be able to find the cowboy loads a lot cheaper then that. A few shows ago I found some 250 grain Winchester Cowboy loads that were 13 bucks a box. I bought 3 cases. If you want to shoot really cheap you'll have to reload your own because it never sells at surplus prices. There is a new high volume powder out that is made specifically for large case older ammunition, it's supposed to be very good stuff and fills the case up pretty decently, reasonably comparable to black powder. Supposed to cut down on the SD caused by powder lying flat or in front of the case.