.454 question...

[tnv]

Just a quick question, if I may. I enjoy shooting both my Freedom Arms and Taurus Raging Bull in .454, and so does my friend. He decided to go with long guns and get out of casting, so he gave me about 4000 bullets cast with straight linotype, water quenched and sized (not lubed.) They were cast in an LBT mold and sized. Should I shoot them as is or use them to cut the wheel weights I usually cast with? My favorite load is a 300 gn. slug over 32 grains of 296 with a hard crimp, 45lc case and large mag. primer. This will give me 2" to 2 1/2" at 50yds. if I do my part. I'm not being cheap, just lazy...I hate to waste all of his work for nothing.

[45nut]

shoot em and see how they do. try a few different lubes to see if there is any significant change and report back.
I agree, it would be wasteful of his efforts to just melt them down.

[454PB]

I'd sure try them out before using them as an alloy source.

Your "favorite load" sounds like a very hot one. I use the same recipe in .454 Casull brass, but by using .45 Colt brass, you're losing considerable case capacity with a resultant rise in chamber pressure. How much of the boolit is inside the case?

[Duckiller]

454PB You may not be loosing that much case capacity in 45 Colt vs 454. Owner of a reloading supply shop told me they have the same capacity, with 454 having a stronger head area and added length to regain capacity. Measured capacity with either water or H110, memory fails. Capacities were within 1 grain of each other. Found this to be an interesting tidbit. Light loads in Colt cases, heavy loads in 454 cases. Duckiller

[tnv]

I can do a full crimp on the crimp ring with no problem. Overall length (of the bullet) is .872 and the crimp ring is centered at .455, exposed lead is .425 after loading. They are water hardened and cast at 300-305 grains, with a binell hardness of 17-18. I use LBT blue lube and the fired cases fall freely from the cylinder. These are approx. since I just found the battery is dead on the digital caliper. I also use a full profile crimp and have never found any problems with it. Overall length stays the same from the first shot to the last. I do loose a little case cap. with the .45lc, but I find (although others may not agree) that the difference in speed from shot to shot in less with large mag. pistol primers then with small rifle primers. Since I'm here in north Mn., I have found no problem with ignition all the way down to -30 degrees. If it moves...I shoot it...if it still moves...I shoot it again. Hunting is a way of lyfe...and I do love to hunt. Handguns ONLY for me. tnv

[454PB]

Here is a screenshot from the Hodgdon reloading data website. We are comparing a jacketed bullet to a cast boolit here, but the weight is the same. Notice the cartridge overall length, and notice their maximum recommended charge of H-110. In your pet load, the .45 Colt has about 7% less case capacity than a .454 Casull case, because the case is nearly .010" shorter. I see the potential for some pressure problems using 32 grs. of H-110 in .45 Colt brass and a 300 gr. boolit., be very careful!



http://img170.imageshack.us/img170/9027/454datasmallfv9.jpg