Anyone shooting Lyman 452651

[PacMan]

I aquired a Rossi Puma in 454 Casull.Now i need a mold. Was looking at the 452651 but not sure about the bullet itself. Has anyone shot this bullet in the Rossi or any other gun and if so what kind of accuracy did you get?
Put some thought into to the Lee 300 grainer also but really wanted the heavier Lyman bullet.
Any input on other bullets / molds would be appericated also.

Any info would be appericated.
Thanks

[LAH]

I cast this bullet. It normally runs heavier than 325. I haven't used it personally but had it tested by the several guys on the 5 Shot board. Results were good but none outstanding. Handgun groups averaged around 2" at 25 yards. Rifle & Contender groups were about the same at 50 yards. I have a few of these on hand if you would like to try them before purchasing a mould.............Creeker

[RobS]

From WW's: The Lyman 452651 cast out at 335 grains if my memory is right and the Lee 452-300-RF GC cast out at 325 grains which isn't much difference in weight. As for meplats the Lee is much larger than the Lyman but both ogives will require you to seat the bullets with the shorter COAL crimp groove to feed in the Rossi. I have the 454 Casull combo Rossi Lever/Ruger SRH and have worked with many bullets. The Lee will be more accurate on both fronts however because of its WFN design it drops quickly after 150 yards and the Lyman doesn't drop as badly which will give you a bit more distance without the hang over in aiming.

Another option if you are looking into a GC design is the RCBS 300 SWC GC bullet. It does cast out at 300 grains and for both the lever action and the revolver at short ranges as well as longer ranges it will be the most accurate of the three GC bullets mentioned. If you are looking into a bullet that isn't produced by a general manufacture then a custom mold maker can produce what I've found to be a good option for shooting in the combo. A GC LFN (secant ogive with a 73-75% meplat and not much longer than .380 nose length) style bullet works probably the best of all of them and has been the best in the lever action. A note, .380” nose length is about all you can get to reliably feed in the rifle with brass at the proper length.

If you are looking into PB bullets then an option for a heavier mold is the RCBS SAA-45-270 which casts out as at around 280 grains. BABore, a vendor sponsor here on the forum, can make a similar version of the bullet in a 1-5 cavity mold etc. This bullet works quit well in revolvers and in the revolver it performs neck and neck for that matter with the WFN and LFN designs at under 50 yards or at least it has for me. This bullet shot well from the rifle, but I just wasn’t too happy with it much past 150 yards. I've also taken the RCBS 45-325-FN PB and sized it down to .454. The bullet was actually quite accurate in both the revolver and lever action especially with the slower powders (2400, #9, H110) giving the best results. I chose to not use this bullet because of the difference in POI with my lighter bullets; literally a whole 10-12 inches different with impact in the revolver and 6 or so inches difference in the lever action. This bullet weighs in at 345 grains and was good at long ranges in the rifle but much more difficult to find accuracy with using multiple powders and wasn’t too good accuracy wise at lower velocities (under 1050 fps) which wasn’t an issue with the rifle.

The LFN design is probably the best bullet design for the rifle regarding longer ranges. I now shoot a 300 grain PB LFN version and a 315 grain LFN GC from my two firearms and they do quite well. If I was only shooting a revolver I would have probably not looked too much further than the RCBS SAA-45-270 for a PB and then the Lee 300 grain GC. If I only wanted a heavy without a GC then I would go with the RCBS 45-325-FN as it is a performer, but with it's larger diameter sizing much smaller than .454 may not be visable. Should you not want to go custom then the RCBS 300 GC is a ringer and the Lee 300 grain GC is a good place to start as well.

If you want any specifics to the mentioned production molds (RCBS, Lyman, Lee) bullets let me know as I can measure them out for you.