460 s&w

[badd0g]

Hey is anyone out there casting for a 460 s&w ? I've been doing 230gr .45 and 158gr .38 with 3% tin 7% antimony is that hard enoughfor the 460 if used with a gas check? Not hunting as I live in Canada and not allowed. Target and some silhouette,thinking 300gr but it's all a guess right now. Shooting xtp magnums right now hoping to cast Look forward to any info Thanks Todd

[Tatume]

Welcome aboard!

My favorite alloy is 2/3/95 tin/antimony/lead, but I only run my revolver bullets around 1400 fps. A 320 grain bullet at 1400 fps is all the excitement I need.

[badd0g]

do you use a gas check

[Tatume]

do you use a gas check

Yes. Some folks claim to get good results at 1400 fps without gas checks, but I am not among them.

[Markbo]

What is your guesstimate on hardness with that mix Tatume? And how is accuracy? I Havent shot bullets that heavy in mine

[DrCaveman]

I got some good results with a 405 grain lee boolit, sized down to .453" launched about 1400 fps. It was a bit much for regular shooting for me, and decided that the boolit was a bit heavy for the barrel twist (and length)

I shoot a smith 460V with the 5" barrel and compensator. Ive since been focusing on the rcbs 300 swc, with gas check, water dropped wheel weights. Around 22-25 bhn. The last loads i tested "only" flew around 1350 fps, but i will be cooking up some faster loads using aa1680 and h110 in the next few months.

Some of my early loads, including some *very* stout 45 colt loads leaded the barrel and comp early on, worst leading i have ever had. Since i have been using harder boolits (even air cooled wheel weights) with a good fit (my bore likes .4525" or so) and better lube, the leading is gone. We'll see how the 300 swc holds up when i launch around 1600-1700 as i plan to do

Good thing about cast boolits in that one, there is no jacket to become separated and obstruct the barrel. You should do fine, just be sure to keep em hard. Probably try water dropping, as long as your size is good

Welcome aboard!

[454PB]

Mine are used in .454 Casulls, but wheel weight alloy and a gas check work fine at 1600 fps. Your recipe for alloy is harder than WW alloy.

[Tatume]

What is your guesstimate on hardness with that mix Tatume? And how is accuracy? I Havent shot bullets that heavy in mine

My 2/3/95 alloy is around 13 BHN when air cooled, as measured with a Lee hardness tester. If water cooled it hardens to about 19 BHN. The water cooled bullets are unnecessarily hard, but that doesn't hurt anything. Both shoot very well. I prefer the air cooled bullets.

[osteodoc08]

I cast heavies for 45 Colt. Does that count?

[calshipbuilder]

seek out the whiterabbitttt

[Whiterabbit]

For an X-frame you are looking for the LEE300 for light loads (454 +p) and something in the 350 grain range for a full on cast load. If you want to go faster, you'll need the jacketed stuff. For the BFR, the ranchdog 425 grain boolit is what you need. something in the 500 grain range if you want to ditch the gas checks. I like the RCBS BPCR, but for the X-frame you'd want the FN to maintain case capacity. Neither will stabilize particularly well in the X-frame, including the ranchdog. The BFR shoots them great.

I use slightly less antimony and tin, but not much less. Our alloys are similar.

The X-frame likes the pistol powders like H110 and lilgun. The BFR likes H110 and 4198-class powders.

Treat the X-frame like a bigger 454. Treat the BFR like a baby 45/70.

[Markbo]

Dang....ive only got about a ton of wheel weights...these heavy .45s & .475s are gonna eat that up!

[Whiterabbit]

Dang....ive only got about a ton of wheel weights...these heavy .45s & .475s are gonna eat that up!

Far left is 220 grains. Then a barnes bullet. Then the 425 grain ranch dog.

[Markbo]

And what are the rest of those monstrosities?

[Whiterabbit]

LOTS of fun to shoot! the first 9 on the right even went through the target straight!

That 10th one though....