454 Casull 8.75" barrel, reloading help

[diego-ted]

I am seeking some adivce on reloading for the 454 Casull with an 8.75 tube. I have done a lot of rifle reloading but zero for the revolver. What is better for accuracy, jacketed or lead, cost, fouling ect. I guess lilgun or h110 powder? What is a gas check? any and all advice, tip appriciated!!


Thanks guys

Diego

[22popnsplat]

I would suggest a jacketed bullet designed for the velocitys and pressure for the 454 , I have had the jacket seperate from the core , When I spoke with the manufacture there statement was that bullet was designed to stay under 1500fps. lesson learned , check the bullet you intend load to make sure its up to the task. The gas check is basically a copper base that is attached to the bottom a lead bullet so it will handle greater pressure/heat from the bottom.
I have loaded the 454 using h110, 4227 and lil gun and if i recall #9 gave me the best results

[TKM]

Works for me in the SRH and the Puma 92.

Dixie cup for a powder measure and away you go.

http://www.pennbullets.com/45/454340.html

[Whiterabbit]

I suggest gas checked cast bullets cause they are cheaper, and my favorite 454 load is LOTS.

The gas check is a thin cup of copper at the bottom of the lead bullet. short answer is it makes it easier to load hot without adverse effects. CAN you load non gas check bullets with no leading and excellent accuracy to long distances? You bet! But it's way easier to achieve the same results with a gas check or jacketed bullet.

I don't like those Penn bullets. The 340's keyholed on me bad, run slow or fast. Your results will vary.

I like trailboss, #9, and H110 for 454.

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Your fouling will be based on your bullet driving bands, lead hardness, lube used, presence of gas check, and bullet speed. IMO there is no need to think about it too hard. There is nothing wrong with antimony wash in your barrel or light leading. If it is completely flaking off in there, only then would I re-evaluate what I was doing. No reason to go crazy over it otherwise.

[Divernhunter]

I use H-110 and the Hornady jacketed bullets which have the "MAg" at the end of the discription. They are designed for the 454 speeds. Using the non-mag bullets with higher speeds will cause excess forcing cone wear. I never shoot lead out of either of my 454's. The Nosler partition bullet also works well for hunting as I find them too costly for just fun shooting. If you load it down to 45LC or so speeds you can use regular jacketed bullets just fine and those loads are more enjoyable to shoot allot of in a day.

[Whiterabbit]

FYI, I suggest that unless you have lots of money, if you decide you want to shoot only jacketed, you wont be shooting your 454 much. As compared to gas checked lead.

[Cowboy T]

+1 on gas-checked cast lead. That's what Buffalo Bore and some other similar companies use for their .454 Casull ammo.

BTW, gas checks are little copper "cups" that press-fit onto the base of the cast bullet. This is to keep lead-fouling down. They get seated in your bullet sizer if you're casting your own, or whoever you buy them from will probably have done it if you tell 'em what you're loading for and ask for it.

For powder, H110 and its Winchester twin, W296, are excellent. Alliant 2400 is also good, though H110/W296 will give you greater velocity. Lil-Gun is also said to work well for this round, though I haven't personally tried it out. The .454 Casull uses small *rifle* primers to light the charge. If you go for H110/W296, I would recommend using small rifle magnum primers, because this powder takes a little oomph to get burning. The same may be true of Lil-Gun; I don't know. Alliant 2400 does not require magnum primers at all, if you choose that powder.

[Whiterabbit]

and if you dont cast:

http://www.grizzlycartridge.com/store/index.php?app=ecom&ns=catshow&ref=cp45cal

I'd try some 335's and see how you like them.

[CGT80]

Accurate 5744 is a great medium load powder that can work with lead bullets. It will go almost as fast as 110/296 but it can be reduced for some fun lighter loads. 5744 doesn't need magnum primers. 110/296 is only for full power loads. Don't go below what the books say. Trail Boss is a great powder for light loads. I use these three powders for my s&w 460.

[Cowboy T]

Yep, forgot to mention that H110/W296 is for full-house loads only, otherwise they don't burn well at all. Don't try to download it like you would with 2400 or 5744.

Good catch, CGT80.

[Whiterabbit]

I've found the best way to "download" H110 is to run a heavier bullet. A "full house" load (in my gun, after my load development, blah, blah, blah) using heavier bullets for me seem to have WAY less perceived recoil than the ultralights shot at warp 9 with a case filled to the brim with H110.

And still full house since, lets by honest, what's the point of the 454 otherwise?

(other than, IMO, REALLY REALLY heavy for caliber lead shot as slow as possible just above the point of keyholing, which is the antithesis of what all the jacketed folks here are recommending.)

[diego-ted]

Thx for all the info guys, lots to digest! I have been gone doing honey dos for a while. I am looking forward to working up some loads for this monster.

Diego

[tankerman]

Forget the jacketed bullets.

The 454 shines with heavy for caliber bullets. Use leade, 360-420 grain with a gas check.

I prefer Lil'Gun by a small margin over H110 with the heavier bullet.

[tankerman]

A "full house" load (in my gun, after my load development, blah, blah, blah) using heavier bullets for me seem to have WAY less perceived recoil than the ultralights shot at warp 9 with a case filled to the brim with H110.

IMO opinion the light bullets produce a very snappy recoil that jars the wrist joints and elbows.

Heavies, still produce a lot of recoil, but it's more steady and less harsh.

[Whiterabbit]

AKA less "perceived" recoil.

Another way to say it is it's demonstrably more controllable recoil, which will also lend itself to greater accuracy. We definitely agree the way to go with the 454 is heavy for caliber leadcast with gas check.

Personally, I also don't worry so much about lead hardness when that gas check is there, and if I were buying production bullets I'd forget it completely, too. I also would prefer large meplat bullets but that may just be a personal preference.


Tanker, I have a dumb question, since 420 DOES seem so high. Do you load 420's in 454? My .452 420 grain bullet is somewhere around 1.1 inches long. Given X cylinder length (I assume we are talking about Rugers here?) how much H110 can you cram in there? What's the bullet speed you can achieve in the 454 using high energy powders and the 420?

I ask cause I shoot that in a 460 S&W and though I can push well over 1400 fps, I usually shoot it around 1300 or 1350. If I can get there with that bullet in a 454 case, it might be time to trade in for a Freedom Arms.