Lee 452RF GC in the 454Casull Loads???

[wlc]

That title should have been Lee 452-300RF GC

Been shooting this bullet over IMR 4227. Does anyone load it over 296 or 'Lil Gun? If you do what is your load if you don't mind sharing. None of my load books list 'Lil Gun with a 300 gr cast and the Lyman book doesn't list 296 or 'Lil Gun with a 300 gr. Would it be OK to use jacketed loads with this? Start at the lower end and work up??

[DougGuy]

I use that boolit in .45 Colt seated out long with a COA of 1.650" which may be near your COA in Casull brass if you seat in the top groove.

22.5gr H110 or W296 (same exact powder btw) for 1200f/s. If you don't have any starting data for it, hunt around there has to be tons of load data for this powder in the Casull. Just don't download this powder.

20.5gr LilGun for 1100f/s from a short barreled Vaquero.

17.0gr Hercules 2400 for 950f/s

Some of the Casull shooters won't use LilGun because it runs hot, and with max loads it is claimed that it will erode barrel throat/forcing cones. I don't worry about it in my loads because I don't push it to Casull power levels and it isn't a problem.

Cast in 50/50+2% this boolit runs 320gr checked and lubed.

[RobS]

Considering a 454 and not a 45 Colt.......... Attached is a PDF direct from Hodgdon which is on their online load data base.128899

[RobS]

Forcing cone erosion on one of my 454's due to Lil Gun. 20 rounds later IIRC and it looked like someone too a nail and scratched the forcing cone edges.
http://i612.photobucket.com/albums/tt206/RobS01/IMG_4117.jpg (http://s612.photobucket.com/user/RobS01/media/IMG_4117.jpg.html)


This was when Lil Gun was first on the market though and I don't know if they changed anything or not. I will not be returning to it for 454 Casull loads.

[wlc]

Rob, Thanks for the pics and warning and that PDF. I'll try the 296 and forget I have 'lil gun.

[44man]

I have a PB boolit I made for the .45 Colt. It weighs 325 gr. Shoots best with 26 gr of 296 from a friends Freedom revolver. No leading and most groups at 50 yards of 1".
That is a max load but we have exceeded it during tests since we used cut down .460 brass with a Fed 155 primer. No primer problems at all.
Lil'Gun will never go in another revolver around here. 12 shots and the barrel smokes, I don't need to solder circuit boards with a barrel! [smilie=b:

[Tom W.]

I had a .454 in an Encore and used Lil' Gun without any problems. Got some outrageous velocities,too, with the 300 gr.Lee boolit.