.454 Lever Guns

[tygar]

Hi, I was looking for input from people that have a .454 Lever Gun. Which one, how good they are, that bullets/loads you are using & IF anyone has made a .460 S&W out of one or conversely, has anyone made a .454 out of a .45 Colt gun?

Thanks
Tom

In response to the below responses. Thanks but...

"OK I guess I'll say this again!

I WANT THE .454!

It is a given that I will get this. Don't care about the others. I have them, I load for them, I currently have 6 or 8 BIG 40 cal rifles. If they made a .500 S&W in one of these levers I would get that. I want the hot pistol cartridge in a lever action rifle.

That is the purpose of this post.

Input on that cartridge (.454) in a lever gun & bullet wts, loads etc. is what I am looking for.

Thanks, hope that makes it clear. "

[bearcove]

Cartridge length is a deciding factor.

[bearcove]

If you want get a 1895 in 45-70 and you will find you have all you want.

[bearcove]

Rossi is the only 454 you can buy

[tygar]

Hi, I have numerous 45 cals from 450 Marlin to 450 Watts. I like the .454/460 & have heard that 454 rifles have been made into 460s & 45LCs into .454. Just want to play with a good pistol cal in a light wt. lever gun. Also wanted to know what bullets/velocity people are getting with them. Also, I thought I remembered another maker making the .454 a number of yrs ago.

[Pepe Ray]

As has been mentioned, all Browning patent lever guns are cartridge length sensitive. Of course money and a good gunsmith can make adjustments.
Another thing to consider is how the added recoil affects the magazine tube connection. It's very disconcerting to find the end of the tube projecting an inch forward of the muzzle.
At some point Rossi had a solution, threading tube to receiver I believe.
Anyway I traded mine off to my BIL for something more practical.
If you actually enjoy getting the snot slapped out of you, try a hot 45 Colt in a trapper M92 with a 300 gr CB.
Oh yeah!!
Pepe Ray

[snaketail]

I have a Rossi .454 stainless. 95% of the time I shoot a hot .45 Colt load and ever so often shoot a Corbon FMJ .454 through it. It barks and bites and delivers an awful thump to the target. The cheap Rossi stocks seem to grab my beard and I get a shoulder slap and a face tug at the same time - an interesting sensation.
I have a tang sight on the rifle for shooting Lever Action Silhouette, with .45 Colt. If I were to use .454 cartridges more often I would change back to a buckhorn sight or a scout scope.
Two years ago I shot a 450 Marlin then my .454 - no difference in perceived recoil.
It is also a fine Texas hog gun. I used a cast 250gr SWC and carry a couple of .454s in case we ran across a "big one".
M
Attachment 86507

[osteodoc08]

I've got a Marlin 1894CB. I shoot hot Ruger type loads through it. Packs plenty punch really for anything I need it to do. Any 250gr lead boolit at 1100-1200 FPS should take care or anything "non-dangerous" you need be perusing in North America.

If I need something bigger or harder hitting, I use my 1895GS.

[helice]

Like Pepe Ray I have the 45 Colt just in the Rossi 92. I have gone the distance with H-110 and Lil'Gun just to find out what it would do. My barrel is a 20" version as opposed to his trapper, but it doesn't seem to add enough weight to make a difference. The heavy loads with 250 and 300 grain slugs can get a bit uncomfortable at the bench. They are truly heavy hitters on the hogs though and off hand they are just "noticeable". I can't imagine why a person would need more powder than the 45 Colt allows in a rifle that is so light. That said, I truly admire this Rossi 92 in 45C and for many that 454 cartridge would offer more options.

[tygar]

I want the .454, "just because". As I said I have lots of boomers, currently up to 450 Watts, which is very close to .460 Weatherby & have had several .460s & .470s, so recoil is not a problem.

As I said before there was another company that made the .454 & I just remembered who - Legacy/Puma. Their import office was in Alexandria, VA & a long time ago I called & talked to their gunsmith who did say that I could, in fact, make it into a .460. They had done it & the gun could handle it. So, I guess I need to find one of them.

The question I also wondered about was what bullet is the best for the rifle. I have always preferred the 260 & 300 in my pistols since this is what Dick Casull told me are best back in the 80s & have been using them to good effect since then. His load was all the H110 you could stuff in it & still crimp the bullet.

But today there are lots of new powders & others may work better in the rifle & also bigger bullets may work better, & since I am new to pistol bullets in rifles I thought I'd ask you experts.

So, appreciate the input, keep it up, I can use all I can get.

[DEVERS454]

+1 for going with a Marlin 45-70 over 454 for a levergun.

Three main reasons I sold my Rossi 454.

- OAL for the 454 is pretty finicky on the Rossi
- 45-70 has more bullet options on weights
- Marlin action in the 1895 is stronger

Just my $.02

[tygar]

OK I guess I'll say this again!

I WANT THE .454!

It is a given that I will get this. Don't care about the others. I have them, I load for them, I currently have 6 or 8 BIG 40 cal rifles. If they made a .500 S&W in one of these levers I would get that. I want the hot pistol cartridge in a lever action rifle.

That is the purpose of this post.

Input on that cartridge (.454) in a lever gun & bullet wts, loads etc. is what I am looking for.

Thanks, hope that makes it clear.

[starmac]

Doesn't bighorn armory make the 500 smith lever, it just takes money. lol

The only 460 rifle I have seen, was a ruger a friend of mine ordered when he bought his revolver. It took several months for the lgs to get it in, and they offered him a profit to let them keep it.

[tygar]

Yes but I have built in "costs 2 dam much" meter & the 2k plus for the .500 lever, really pegs the meter.

As I said, the Legacy/Puma gunsmith told me that they had modified some of their .454s into .460s & it worked.

What model was the Ruger .460? Never heard that they would make one.

[starmac]

It was the single shot 1 or 3, I don't know which. This was about 3 or 4 years ago, and apparently they didn't make many of them, as I said the lgs he ordered it from offered him a tidy profit on it.

[454PB]

I have a Puma in .454 Casull and have done quite a bit of experimenting/chronographing with it. My "go to" boolits are the Lee 320 FN and the 335 gr. Lyman 452651, both gas checked designs. Both of these have to be seated to crimp in the lower crimp groove in order to feed properly. Using H-110/WW296, WC820, AA#9, or Lil'Gun I can achieve over 1800 FPS with good open sight accuracy. Recoil is "brisk", but I've been shooting 500 grain boolits in Marlin 45/70's for 25 years....and as you know, recoil is relative depending on your experience.

[tygar]

Great, just what I wanted to hear. Have you compared the Puma & Rossi? If I remember the Puma's were considered pretty good back when I was looking at them sometime back in the 90s.

How is your accuracy with either?

I have usually used & like the performance of the various 300+gr in the .450 Marlin & up to .405gr. With the LeverRevolution bullets I can shoot accurately to 200yds with my ghost ring sites on my Marlin.

[454PB]

No, I have no experience with the Rossi. From what I've read, they are as good or better than the Puma. I haven't done any long range group shooting with my Puma. It is "box stock" and 50 yards has been the limit for my 64 year old eyes.

I did some plinking on our 300 yard range and managed to ring the steel gongs about 60% of the time.....holding about 4 feet over!

[tygar]

Hum, I have put some variation of peeps on all my levers cause my 66yo eyes can't do the regular sites. Even the peeps, unless ghost ring big are blurry. lol that's why I have a lot of hi power scopes on my rifles.

A couple of my .454 pistols shoot 100yds OK, same with .44 mags & my S&W .500 shoots good at 100. I even have a couple of my .45acp match guns that are good at 100. Hope I can get at least 100 with the rifle, hopefully 150.

I currently only have 100 & 200 yds on my property but will be putting in 300 & 400 when I get motivated so I'll be able to see what the max range on the levers will be.

[Dogg]

The Puma's are made by Rossi, only difference is the finish. I have a 16" and a 20" Puma and a 20" Rossi in 454. To be honest the new rossi has better finish than the Puma but my 20" puma has really nice blue finish, however the stock fitment was/is horrendous
I also questioned about converting a 45lc to 454 but was informed that the action has a different heat treatment in the 454s which make them stronger. So I just stuck with the 45lc but load them hot, which doesn't seem to bother them at all. I just wish they would make a 454 with a 24" octagonal barrel. The long heavy barrel would be nice for soaking up some of the recoil from the 454.