XBT
02-04-2008, 08:43 PM
I have been wanting a scoped hunting handgun for some time and after not finding anything interesting in the classifieds I broke down and went looking for new ones. I had already decided on a Ruger because I like the scope mounting system. I looked at Super Blackhawks, Redhawks, and finally came home with a Super Redhawk in .454 Casull.
The gun is nicely fitted and finished and has a good trigger pull right out of the box. I mounted a Weaver 2X scope and tried it with some .45 Colt rounds I had loaded for a Blackhawk. It shot very well.
Then I ordered some Starline .454 brass from Midway and found out right away that the alloy (50/50 wheelweights / pure lead) that I have been using in the Colt loads was not suitable for higher velocities. I cast a new batch of boolits using 50/50 wheelweights / linotype in a RCBS 255 SWC and they shoot much better than the softer boolits. The RCBS 255 SWC mold is a plain base type and at first I got some very light leading, but after firing several hundred rounds the leading problem has disappeared.
I am loading the 255 grn. boolit with enough 2400 to get a little over 1400 FPS and after a minor problem getting the mounts to hold the gun is settled in and shooting twelve shot groups of around two inches at fifty yards. This is excellent performance by my standards and I am very happy with it. The gun is heavy enough that the recoil at that velocity seems mild.
I’m not sure if I can get away yet, but with some luck I might be able to hunt Javelina in Arizona with this gun later this month. If successful I will post a picture.
The gun is nicely fitted and finished and has a good trigger pull right out of the box. I mounted a Weaver 2X scope and tried it with some .45 Colt rounds I had loaded for a Blackhawk. It shot very well.
Then I ordered some Starline .454 brass from Midway and found out right away that the alloy (50/50 wheelweights / pure lead) that I have been using in the Colt loads was not suitable for higher velocities. I cast a new batch of boolits using 50/50 wheelweights / linotype in a RCBS 255 SWC and they shoot much better than the softer boolits. The RCBS 255 SWC mold is a plain base type and at first I got some very light leading, but after firing several hundred rounds the leading problem has disappeared.
I am loading the 255 grn. boolit with enough 2400 to get a little over 1400 FPS and after a minor problem getting the mounts to hold the gun is settled in and shooting twelve shot groups of around two inches at fifty yards. This is excellent performance by my standards and I am very happy with it. The gun is heavy enough that the recoil at that velocity seems mild.
I’m not sure if I can get away yet, but with some luck I might be able to hunt Javelina in Arizona with this gun later this month. If successful I will post a picture.