.454 casull/250 gr. xtp?

[NapaCountyShooter]

So I've got some 250 gr. xtp's I was going to try with my Alaskan with 2400. I know that you shouldn't push these too hard but I've heard people talk about being able to push them with about 25 grains with good results. Just wanted to see if anyone had experience with this combo.

[tankerman]

I blew those thing to pieces out of one of my 454's. Jacket's aren't heavy enough.

[Divernhunter]

They should be loaded to 45LC speeds only. If you overdue it you will cause wear to the gun as the bases distort. For the 454casull use the hornady bullets with the mag at the end. They have heavier jackets designed for the 454Casull. When I got my first 454Casull I did a bunch of research on the bullets and this is what I found out.

[Whiterabbit]

I've heard from reputable sources that Hornady's concern is terminal performance, not ballistic performance. Suggesting that for paper punching, you are good to go at any velocity. For hunting, maybe not so much.

From disreputable sources, I can confirm people do load and shoot full house loads of XTP's in 460 S&W. I'm not saying that is recommended by the factory. But folks do it. Again, always paper punching.

I've also loaded hot XTP's. For all I know they turned to dust when they hit the berm. But they didn't leave stuff behind in the barrel, I can certainly confirm that.

[Na-vah-duh]

I could of sworn on Natchez they show they are good to 2300 fps which is .460 hot loads.

[Whiterabbit]

might be thinking of XTP Mags. If not, maybe Natchez was thinking of XTP mags. If not, maybe they were thinking of .429's, not .451's. If not, an email to Hornaday would set everything straight. If Hornaday has to commit anything to documentation such as email, they'll suggest against loading XTP in 460.

At least, that used to be the way it was. My suggestion is to call them and talk to a person, ask live.

http://www.reloadammo.com/454casull.htm

of course, inferring from this, 25 grains of 2400 and a 250 grain bullet gets you around 1500 fps, presumably with a longer barrel than 2.5". Personally if I were loading for an alaskan, I would have no problems trying this load to see how it did.

I am not saying I would try shooting anything other than paper. I am not trying to tell you what to do. Only where my own comfort level is.

[tankerman]

I tried jacketed bullets in my 1st 454 years ago, I wasn't impressed with the performance.

Personal experience (hunting and reloading), has lead me to only use hard cast w/gas check. Preferred bullet weights; 360 - 420 grain.

[Whiterabbit]

hey tankerman,

What's the twist rate on that barrel of your first 454?