Ruger SRH Alaskan .454 Casull---Tightest Grouping??

[Southern Shooter]

For those who have experience with the Ruger SRH Alaskan in .454 Casull:

1) What is the tightest group you have shot to date with this gun?
2) What was the distance to the target?
3) What was the ammunition used?
4) If it was a handload what was the recipe?

Thanks

[jrayborn]

I use the Lee 452-300 G/C boolit in 454 brass over 17-19 grains of 2400. I size to .454 to match the throats in my Alaskan. That load is more of a .45 Colt "Ruger Only" not much of a .454 I'm afraid. I have data saying I should be able to go as high as 28 grains! I do not intend to.

I have not really been shooting for serious grouping, its cold up here. But I have been very pleased because the revolver seems VERY accurate (for me anyway).

Sorry I don't have more info for you. I love this revolver!

[Southern Shooter]

jrayborn,
What kinds of velocities have you been getting with that boolit and powder from the Alaskan? I just bought that mold.

[44MAG#1]

"For those who have experience with the Ruger SRH Alaskan in .454 Casull:

1) What is the tightest group you have shot to date with this gun?
2) What was the distance to the target?
3) What was the ammunition used?
4) If it was a handload what was the recipe?"

What one can do doesn't mean you can do the same and vise versa. So the question would be what can you do with the gun with your loads and your ability.
Some can shoot a lot better than some. Some guns can't group worth a dime regardless the load used due to the shooter.
There are some top notch shooters that can take a gun that groups 3 inches at 25 yards and outshoot a loosey goosey shooter shooting a gun that will do one inch at 25 yards.
So how would one go about applying that to oneself what others can do off the bench (or offhand) with anything really?

[Southern Shooter]

44MAG#1,
I clearly understand that. However, gathering experiences from a variety of sources is never a bad thing.

[44MAG#1]

"I clearly understand that. However, gathering experiences from a variety of sources is never a bad thing"

That is so true. But, in the actuality of it means very, very little to what you or someone else will get with the same load. Unless you are equally as good or as bad as the one giving the info.
That is what I have found to be true as I have observed for many years at the range and shooting too.
I have been asked that same question many times by people and my standard answer is "you have to do the experimenting yourself as my results will rarely reflect what you and your gun can do."
Of course talking about it is a good way to pass time.

[44man]

I want to leave the shooters capabilities out of this, we all know about that.
The thing to consider is if all powder can be burned in the short barrel, can spin and velocity be reached? Since the .454 has a slow twist of 1 in 24", what does it take to spin up the boolit?
The short Ruger is made for face to face with a bear, etc, not long range accuracy. Yet how much better is a short .454 then a .45 Colt hot load?
Samo, samo all across the board. Would anyone put a .460 in a 10" barrel? As the case gets larger with more capacity, barrels must get longer or powder choice gets so critical you will never get it to work.
The worst thing I ever heard is that all powder of any type or amount is all gone in an inch or less.
That is how a BOMB works!

[44MAG#1]

It doesn't make any difference if all the powder is burned or not if that gun is what he wants.
If he buys it he will have to live with its positive points and it's negative points so that problem is moot. I am sure he can find a bullet that will stabilize even if he has to shoot a collar button bullet.
Leaving out the shooter is not an option unless one has gotten a mechanical device to fire the gun and even then does the HUMAN place it into the rest properly.
So with that being said even a poor shooting gun can actually be even worse if it is in the hands of a shooter who can't hit a bull in the behind using a bass fiddle.
Not saying this is the case the as the OP may be a one in a million phenom with a handgun.

[44man]

It doesn't make any difference if all the powder is burned or not if that gun is what he wants.
If he buys it he will have to live with its positive points and it's negative points so that problem is moot. I am sure he can find a bullet that will stabilize even if he has to shoot a collar button bullet.
Leaving out the shooter is not an option unless one has gotten a mechanical device to fire the gun and even then does the HUMAN place it into the rest properly.
So with that being said even a poor shooting gun can actually be even worse if it is in the hands of a shooter who can't hit a bull in the behind using a bass fiddle.
Not saying this is the case the as the OP may be a one in a million phenom with a handgun.
What you say is confusing but so much is right on. A gun that can't shoot with a shooter that can't shoot just blows defense out of the water. I wonder how many can hit a charging bear at feet to stop it with a revolver?
I see buck fever with deer hunters so all the tough keyboard bear stoppers really does confuse me.
I will tell you there will be a LOOOOONG trail of excrement to the keyboard expert.
Carry for bear. Yeah quick draw in an instant and plant a boolit dead center between the eyes of a charging bear. You bowl of jelly POC,
When you understand it is YOU and not the gun.

[44MAG#1]

That is the reason when discussing accuracy one must stress that the shooter is a big, big, big did I say big part of the equation.
What the gun and load does is just part of the equation. The biggest part of it is the shooter.
If anyone will spend time at a local range one will see that pretty quick.
Most handgun shooters are pitiful.
Now I am sure there are no pitiful shooters on here. Just at the local ranges.

[jrayborn]

Southern Shooter, I get really good accuracy (for me) and the groups I get are in the realm of 4" at 20 yards offhand. Velocity of the 19 grain load is in the 1000-1100 fps ballpark. It's actually manageable too. I plan to go up a grain or two when things warm up a bit and keep playing...

[44man]

That is the reason when discussing accuracy one must stress that the shooter is a big, big, big did I say big part of the equation.
What the gun and load does is just part of the equation. The biggest part of it is the shooter.
If anyone will spend time at a local range one will see that pretty quick.
Most handgun shooters are pitiful.
Now I am sure there are no pitiful shooters on here. Just at the local ranges.
For sure and what you said makes me laugh! Had a big tough guy here once, White House security, proud of his Block. He set up at about 10 yards and never touched paper. My friend Pete happened to come over and asked if he could try the Block. He poked the center out of the target! I can only hope he walks next to Obama with his tough look but he better have 100 magazines on him. If he WAS in a situation he would fail, same as an average guy faced with a bear charge.
Yet accuracy alone was wanted from the OP. I will not judge his shooting.
I have two things I work with; a poor shooting gun will never make a better shooter and shooting a .22 will not prepare your mind for a large caliber. I work backwards when I teach a man to shoot revolvers, I give him a big gun first and get him to hit and ignore recoil. My friend was over, never shot revolvers and I would like him to hunt with one. He sees me shoot deer after deer with mine. I gave him my BFR in .500 JRH. He tore up the ground but soon he was hitting at 50 yards off hand. I gave him my .44 and he never missed. He is now set to get a .44 for deer.
The short .454 can be intimidating and hard to shoot but if your life depends on it, it better shoot and you should have comfort with it. The problem is it might not be made to shoot other then close ranges. It is still the wrong gun for 50 to 100 yards when hunting. Muzzle blast, noise, recoil and barrel rise does not help. Add in trying to get velocity and spin up for boolit stability at longer ranges with the slow twist.
Now what you say about a shooter's ability comes into play, you need to be EXPERT first, but the gun has it's limit.
The old saying about leaving off the front sight so it doesn't hurt when the bear stuffs it where the sun doesn't shine might be true.

[44man]

Another thing I read all the time about revolver hunters is boolit placement. But those that CAN are so few and far between it is a silly explanation for the use of a small caliber like a .357 for deer.

[Groo]

Groo here
44man Yes Yes and ---Yes.
Hitting comes first ,aka the shooter, penatration next,aka the bullet,the remainder are Angles dancing on the head of a pin.
I do believe we make too much over accuracy for a "defence " gun and not enough for a hunting gun....
My spec is the heaviest charge that I"!" can hold on a paper plate at the max distance I expect to shoot under field conditions.
That is whatever the gun holds, 5-6-8-etc.
For a short barrel 454 that is about 50 yds. But I am out of pratice.
With my 357 TRR8 it is closer to 125yds.
My idea is like yours with shooters, but I work up a max load then reduce till my base line is met.