loaded up some 454 today

[Plastikosmd]

270/360/395 grains

Shooting report to follow when I touch them off
http://i76.photobucket.com/albums/j5/plastikosmd/freedom%20arms/20141004_084725_zpscsyn9geh.jpg (http://s76.photobucket.com/user/plastikosmd/media/freedom%20arms/20141004_084725_zpscsyn9geh.jpg.html)

[Whiterabbit]

they look lovely. What lube do you use?

[LUCKYDAWG13]

looks nice i was just shooting my 454 300gr HP BOOLIT from a MP mold over 27gr of H110 out of my 13' Encore nice 1 hole group at 50 yards
but opened up to 2' at 100 yards i need to work on my load

oh my bad LOL 2''

[Whiterabbit]

man, why DO boolits sometimes do that? I have that issue too when developing loads, all the time. If I had a couple inches at 100 yards and opened up to 2' at 200 yards, I don;t care. But it bugs me to get holes touching, even @ 7mm, with cast boolits, then not be able to keep them in the black of an NRA target at 100.

[Plastikosmd]

Maybe they will drop back down at 200? ;)

Lube, I only wish I could say I cast em.

These will be launched out of a casull 7.5 scoped or a 10" silhouette.

I am trying 4227. Charges were something like 26/21.5 and 18 for the big boy
Shot one of 395 and 360 to check recoil. Still have my wrists so good to go

[bobthenailer]

I started shooting my FA 454 casull's this past weekend . getting ready for hunting season. i use the LBT 300gr gc LFN , MM 275gr TC pb and MM 260gr gc lfn for my shooting.

[scattershot]

I'd say that's pretty good shooting. Lots of folks can't do 2" at 100 yards with a rifle.

[LUCKYDAWG13]

118409
pick of my 454
27 gr of H110 300gr boolit

[Plastikosmd]

Sweet

[osteodoc08]

I loaded up a 305gr LFNGC and worked up to 30gr of 296. That thing was a real thumper out of my SRH.

I ended up selling off my 454 because I really didn't want to contribute to carpal tunnel which I saw my father deal with. That and the SRH just isn't the bees knees for me.

[44man]

.454 suffers from several things. 1 in 24" twist is one and the SR primer another. First you need velocity for stability and then you need good ignition. Cut down .460 brass and use a LP mag primer and see the difference.
Get the boolit moving and it will work.
Never seen or shot a .454 that was much worse then a heavy .44 load and my vaquero .45 will make you stop at 6 rounds. You don't shoot a .454 at 1000 fps, get over it.

[44man]

The 270 will shoot best because you can spin it but how do you fit the 395 gr in the little freedom cylinder? how do you keep them from pulling with recoil?

[Whiterabbit]

What's your vaquero load?

[Plastikosmd]

Fits easily? Dunno
only tested a cylinder worth now to judge recoil which was mild-moderate. Boolits sat put, just my usual roll crimp

more concerned about my heavy 45 win mag loads with taper

Will shoot for accuracy testing when I get back

[RobS]

I've found that 350-360 is about the balancing point for the 454 Casull. The extra 50 grains of mass, loss of case capacity and reduced velocity due to isn't going to give you more vs the lighter boolit IMO. I shoot a 345 grainer out of my 454's and they are definitely enough for the US and if I'm wanting to shoot at longer distances with flatter trajectory then a 300 grainer works nicely. Personally for my heavy Ruger 45 Colt I load a 310 grain design and the Casull mostly sees a 345 grain design. Velocity running north of 1100 fps will tighten up the accuracy with the heavies and as you push toward 1200 fps + things will really start to come together nicely with the 1:24" twist. Let us know how things pan out.

[44man]

What's your vaquero load?
I use the 335 gr LBT and the 325 Lyman with 21.5 gr of 296. I had to put Pachmeyer grips on it. These run about 1160 fps but the 1 in 16" twist is good. From a .454, they need shot faster.
A friend brought .454 factory cast loads with harsh, full profile crimps and we only got two shots before the cylinder locked from boolit pull, that was from a SRH with a longer cylinder. I would not want to carry for bear with these in a Freedom. My loads never pulled. Case tension!
Notice the BFR .454 also has a 1 in 16" rate.

[Plastikosmd]

Will do guys, thx for info!
like I said, winmag has me more worried.
1st time loading it, man that brass is thin

[4given]

Good lookin boolits! Love the wide flat meplat

[High Desert Hunter]

I have loaded up to a 412gr bullet in my FA 454, it is a 45/70 bullet sized down, shot well enough, but only bullet that has ever pulled for me in the 454. Loaded them to 1150, and they shot good enough to smack a basketball sized rock at 180 yards. I have 2 go to bullets, I shoot a 325gr WFNGC at velocities from 850 to 1650, and they shoot most excellent, I shoot more of them than any other bullet, the other is the RCBS 270-SAA which I only load in the 900-1200 range, like the 325s, they will cloverleaf at 25 yards, and are still flying true out to 200 yards and further, have rang the 250 yard gong with ease with either one. I do load the 300gr Sierra and Speer Deep Curls, and I size down my 345gr 45/70 bullets too. Someday I will try some 240s, but for now I'm having fun with what I have and what I cast. As far as twist rate, both my FA I own now, and the Ruger I used to own used a 1:24 twist, I have never had any issues with bullets not stabilizing, even the 325s at 850 still go through the paper nose on at 100 yards, my 45-70 shoots a 525gr bullet at 1200fps with a 1:20 twist, and it is accurate out to 400 yards. The only time I have had twist issues was trying to shoot 62gr bullets in my 1:14 twist 22-250, still shot into 1.5", just not the 3/8" I was used to.

[wlc]

High Desert Hunter, Do you size down in one step or multiple? Thanks.

[High Desert Hunter]

I size them to .458 from. 460, then down to .451, gun seems to like this bullet at .451 vs .452, everything else I size to .452.