454 casull medium load

[45r]

Been trying a load that doesnt kick much in my 454 Casull.255 saeco GC on top of 16.8 HS-6 puts out 1425 fps with an ES of 27 fps.One inch groups at 35 yards.Im thinking this might be good enough .Tried 2400 but it seemed to want more to be a good mid load and so I wonder if some other powder might do better.It was nice not seeing the barrell coming close to hitting me in the face for a change.Got thumped once on the noggin by a 300 grain rcbsGC on top 30.0 grains lil gun doing 1780 fps.Backed her down to 1640 fps after that.Wife told me that gun is going to hit you someday.Sweatty hands and a loose hold made her right.I always hold on a little harder now with those powerfull loads.

[DanWalker]

Try 9 grains of Unique, or 18.5 grains of 2400, or 7 grains of Red Dot under that 255 grain boolit. All are proven loads in the 45LC and should work great in your 454.
6.5 grains of Red Dot under a 300 gr boolit is a nice soft thumper that carries hellacious momentum without a lot of blast and recoil. I actually use this load to shoot prairie dogs with my 45LC blackhawk. I'd love to tell you the ranges I've killed prairie dogs with it at, but then I'd be morally obliged to also describe the 4 clean misses on antelope at knife fighting range with the same gun.

[44man]

HS-6 is a great powder. I use it in my .475 also and it gives me extreme accuracy. I don't see where any other powder will beat it, equal it maybe, but not better it. Play with the load a little and I am sure you will get 1" at 50 yd's.
What you must remember is that going to a lighter boolit or slowing it too much for the twist can cause bad accuracy and no powder change will cure it. I have never had light loads with lighter boolits shoot as accurately as hotter loads in the big bores. Good for plinking and some hunting but not for super tight groups.

[felix]

The name of the game is to keep the pressure up for the best accuracy. The powder chosen must meet a certain pressure, and where that pressure is realized in terms of primer chosen, bore/twist, and boolit weight/hardness/toughness is paramount for that gun. ... felix

[bobthenailer]

hi i have 3 fa 454 to play with , surpriselingly what shoots in one also shoots in the others most of the time. im useing 8.0 gr of tightgroup with a mountian mould / lbt 260 gr gc lfn with out the gas ck , with a fed small pistol primer for 980 fps from my 6 inch and consistant 1 to 1 1/4 groups at 25 yards , im also shooting 26.0 gr of slow 820 with the same bullet , with the gas ck and fed sr primer for 1450 fps. good shooting bob

[longhorn]

I want to bump this thread, 'cause I want some help with a .454, too. I snatched up a Redhawk in .454 that has been converted to Alaskan configuration (I know, I know, but it fits nicely in my Carhartt jacket pocket for dog walking duties), then started reading and discovered that Ruger uses a 1:24 twist. I've shot about a hundred 200gr SWC at 700fps level (Clays powder, low dose--can't remember exactly what, the Dillon is set up for this as a CAS load) and was distinctly unimpressed with the accuracy. 20 or so Winchester Silvertip (old ones) were a little better. 255 SWC's over 21gr of 2400 were about like the Silvertips, but way too much fun for a steady diet. So where do I go from here? Speed up the 200's? Try a 185gr (shorter bearing surface)? A slow 300gr load? I'm really after a pleasant load for obnoxious rattlesnakes, plinking, and maybe close varmints. Any suggestions appreciated.

[DanWalker]

I want to bump this thread, 'cause I want some help with a .454, too. I snatched up a Redhawk in .454 that has been converted to Alaskan configuration (I know, I know, but it fits nicely in my Carhartt jacket pocket for dog walking duties), then started reading and discovered that Ruger uses a 1:24 twist. I've shot about a hundred 200gr SWC at 700fps level (Clays powder, low dose--can't remember exactly what, the Dillon is set up for this as a CAS load) and was distinctly unimpressed with the accuracy. 20 or so Winchester Silvertip (old ones) were a little better. 255 SWC's over 21gr of 2400 were about like the Silvertips, but way too much fun for a steady diet. So where do I go from here? Speed up the 200's? Try a 185gr (shorter bearing surface)? A slow 300gr load? I'm really after a pleasant load for obnoxious rattlesnakes, plinking, and maybe close varmints. Any suggestions appreciated.

Where do you go from here?
Try here http://www.cylindersmith.com/
My guess is either your throats are undersized or your alloy is too hard. My blackhawk 45LC exhibited the exact same symptoms you describe. The harder I pushed my boolits the better it shot. Once I got the cylinder back after having it reamed, it now shoots great with milder loads.
For real fun load up a bunch of 454rb's over 6.5 grains of red dot. Recoil is like a 22rf. Great for introducing new handgunners to big bore revolvers. They're also great for diagnosing problems in your shooting form.. Drop one or two of these into each cylinder full of ammo when you're fighting a flinch. They'll really show you how bad you are.
My standard load for loafing about in the badlands and mountains is a 300gr wfngc cast from LEE mould, and loaded over 6.5 grains of Red Dot for a velocity of 900fps from my 5.5" blackhawk. The wide flat meplat and heavy weight don't require thundering powder charges or warp two velocities to work.
9 grains of Unique under a 255 grain swc is an absolute classic in the 45. I don't know how well it will work in the longer 454 case. I've seen unique exhibit position sensitivity in rifles. That's why I like 6.5 grains of Red Dot so much. It exhibits no position sensitivity, while seemingly producing a softer recoil impulse for the same velocity. This load under the 255 swc produces a very pleasant shooting 850fps. In case you haven't noticed, I kinda like the 45 colt.
"Hello, My name is Dan Walker and I'm a 45LC addict."

[454PB]

If you are happy with 1300 to 1400 fps and the 255 gr. boolit, I'd suggest you try Bluedot. I've used it with everything from 250 gr. to 335 gr. with excellent accuracy.

[44man]

Most .45 Colts and .454's use 1 in 24, even the Freedom arms. They shoot better with heavier boolits as do most revolvers. I would not think of starting with less then 300 gr's. Most revolver accuracy problems are caused by light boolits, bullets. The only exception is the Freedom .475 with too slow a twist, made because most heavy boolits will not fit the gun. These shoot best with 350 gr boolits instead of 400 gr's.
1 in 24 is just a happy medium and all would most likely do better with a 1 in 20 for the .45's. Every gun must be twisted for the average length of most boolits shot, the weight doesn't matter as much. On the average though, most revolvers will shoot better with a heavier, longer boolit.
Most .45 shooters will buy a mold for a 250 or 255 gr boolit and if it doesn't shoot, they buy another style boolit of the same weight range. That is not the way to find out what a gun likes and any rifle shooter will say the same.
LBT says the 335 gr boolit is tops in the .45 Colt and the starting point for the .454. Lighter boolits and loads will never equal the accuracy potential built into the revolver and must be accepted for plinking. Nothing wrong with the loads and they are fun, but don't expect sub 1" groups at 50 to 100 yd's. one to two inches at 25 yd's would be the norm and can be had with lighter loads with a little work.

[longhorn]

Thanks for the info, folks. Incidentally, every listing I can find in a short search shows 1:16 to 1:18.75 twists as "standard," whatever that means, for the .45 LC. I've shot literally thousands of 255SWC's over 6.5. of Red Dot-I once had a Smith 25-5 8 3/8 that wouldl literally pile that load into one big hole at 25 yards. I'll try the load under some 300gr bullets.

[Dr. A]

I've played with HS-6 and the 270gr. RCBS. Mine comes out great with 13 gr. in the Casull case and 12 in colt. Both give about 1150fps. The same boolet with 10gr. of Trail boss is almost unreal accuracy in the Casull case. I've gotten 1 inch at 50 yards last week with both 18.5 and 19gr. of AA# 9 in the Colt case and the 270gr. boolet. Things were accurate and stable up to 21gr. (about 1380fps)

HS-6 worked very well, but I shoot in fairly high volume with a progressive reloader, and the chances of a double charge exist. I've switched to the slower powders and or Trail boss. Obviously, double charging HS-6 is not a good idea.

I played with my Blackhawk for years with smaller boolets and was very frustrated with both them and the gun. I've gone to BFR 454 and a Super Redhawk, and not looked back. Accuracy has been much more easily obtained with these guns.

[45r]

I couldnt get my 270 saa rcbs to chamber in my old F/A unless I trimmed the brass down.I got a 300 GC mold and it shot well.I had to push it 1450 fps or higher because of the custom express sight set up I have on it.I plan to thump rabbits with the 255 saeco bullets at 40 yards or closer and to plink cans.I have to have a front band length no longer than .060 to size at 452.The 255 saeco is short and fat but has a small front band,and short nose with big metplat.It still shoots well.Im getting a LBT type GC mold for my 454 at 300 grains so it shoots the same as my swc gc except it will have a bigger metplat.I have a 250 cowboy rcbs mold for my colt I havnt tried in the casull but It would look funny in the longer brass.Im thinking Ill have to push the 255 1200 fps or higher or Ill run out of sight adjustment like I did with the 300 grainers.That is why I started will HS-6.Trail boss is maybe too slow,think Ill try titegroup or unique next and maybe blue dot but dont know where to start with blue dot.I use power pistol alot in 45 colt but dont know if I can get up to 1200 fps with it.I might as well shoot my 45 colts if Im not shooting higher than 1200 fps in the 454 casull.Hope the weather lets me test some new 255 grain loads this weekend.

[454PB]

My maximum load using Bluedot is 18 grs. using the 330 gr. Lyman 452651 GC or Lee 325 gr. GC. This produces 1270 fps. in my 4 3/4" Freedom Arms, and about 75 fps more in my longer barrels. Using a 255 gr. boolit, I'd start around 15 grs. and work upwards if desired. Coincidentally, I use the Lee 255 gr. SWC PB in my Ruger Blackhawk .45 Colt with a 7 1/2" barrel and 15 grs of Bluedot for 1200 fps.

[45r]

I have thought about trying the lyman 452651 GC but didnt know if it would chamber in my F/A 454 sized .452,Mine was made in 1988.I thought it might if I crimped in the top groove. Some day I might try to get a used one on Ebay,Id have to push it hard or it would shoot too high.Looks like it is an accurate bullet.

[454PB]

I have thought about trying the lyman 452651 GC but didnt know if it would chamber in my F/A 454 sized .452,Mine was made in 1988.I thought it might if I crimped in the top groove. Some day I might try to get a used one on Ebay,Id have to push it hard or it would shoot too high.Looks like it is an accurate bullet.

Yes, it will work fine crimped at the rear groove, but it is real close to the cylinder face. Because it is so long, it needs to be pushed deeply in the sizer die to fully size the forward driving band.

I owned the 452651 before I bought the Lee 300 GC (which actually weighs 325 in WW metal and ready to load), and I now like the Lee design better.

[Dr.Doug]

I learned the same thing that Dr. A posted above. 10 gr Trail Boss under the RCBS 270 cast from 10:1 is a nice load in my Super Redhawk. Sized to .454", there's no leading in the barrel and no ache in my hand after firing 100 rounds.