454 casull/45 colt loads

[jimgun]

hello, and thanks in advance for the help. I am looking to start casting for my freedom arms 454 casull/45 colt conversion and have already posted in one of the group buys for a mould. heres my question: since the loads, for a 350/325 gr boolit, for either gun will be under 1550 fps, do I need gas checks or not? I don't plan to ever get an snw 460, so the casull would be the hottest loads I will ever shoot with them. I posted I wanted a 5 cavity mold with two PB and two GC with one hp GC, but do I really need the GC's? what would you guys do? jim

[frnkeore]

I shoot a 335 gr PB with 23 gr of 296 w/o a GC. I get no leading with #2 alloy.

Frank

[leftiye]

Myself, I can't fathom (not being critical) loading something like a .454 down. Especially if you've also got one or more .45 Colt guns to use for less powerful sitchiatuns. Lead boolits are perhaps not able to take 1800fps 300 grain boolit loads anyway. You'd be doing some fancy loading if they did. This being said, passing up the gas checks would probly be passing up any chance of accuracy to save a penny or two. Lossa folks feel the need to make loud noises with guns, and thas okay (for them). Not to be a snob, but I'd rather make premium loads and shoot them at other things than paper. Working out and making up cutting edge loadings is what it's all about.

[RobS]

GC's will make load development easier or should I say more forgiving. It's possible to get to 1500 fps with a PB but the alloy will need to be able to take it and skidding, especially on the base band, will be more difficult to control as the higher velocities, pressures, and RPMs take stress on the cast boolit. If you plan on running much of your loads in the 1200 to 1300 fps range then you'll likely be fine with a PB bullet however if you are wanting to run up in the 1500 fps for a larger portion of your load development then a GC may create a more friendly environment for you as a reloader.

I don't know what you plan on shooting nor do I know your reasons but if you are looking at shooting thin skinned animals such as deer then 1100 to 1300 fps is more than adequate and a 1500+ fps bullet will actually do less damage unless you use soft alloy but at a possiblity of lead washing the game. Now if you are running them at 1500 fps to knock out a thick skinned animal with large dense, thick bones i.e. bear, bison, dangerous game in Africa etc. and/or needing to shoot at longer than typical revolver hunting distances then the added velocity may help with penetration and flatter trajectory.

[Gunnut 45/454]

Yep I agree with whats been said for more consistant loads use gas checked bullet. If your going to run 325/350 to 1500 fps plus I sure hope you like recoil. I had the 7.5 SRH and the 325's were my limit. After a cylinder full it was hard to hold the gun with fingers you couldn't feel anymore! That same gun with heavy 45 LC's I could shoot all day!

[LUCKYDAWG13]

i run 27.5gr of H110 with a 300gr G/C boolit out of my 13"
Encore 454 this shoots great in my barrel

[paul h]

That's always a tough call on whether or not a gas check is needed. There is no easy answer as the need a gas check is based on the pressure your load generates, the alloy you use, the hardness of the alloy and the twist rate of your barrel. Many people get great results with plainbased bullets in magnum revolvers.

My personaly thought on gas checks is that they make the bullet hardness less critical and are friendlier to high pressure loads and faster barrel twists. The cost is really fairly minimal, most people don't fire full patch 454 loads by the 1000's.

I like to keep life simple, and in a 454 casull, you'll likely find it's easier to get accurate loads at high pressure and velocity with a gas check bullet.

So, gas checks are absolutely needed, but highly recomended.