Range Report: Taurus Raging Bull 454 Casull

[colt38sp]

I was shooting this weekend with a new to me Taurus Raging Bull in 454 Casull.
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First off I have handloaded my own ammunition for many years but I have never had powder unburnt in the case other than the occasional few flakes. I had been shooting some Accurate No.9 with Sierra 300 grain bullets. I know they are the forsaken J-words but just was trying some out. All previous rounds were perfectly fine. My shooting session ended early due to a squib load.
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The load I was using was out of the Sierra manual and I was using Winchester Small Rifle primers. These were loaded one at a time and weighed individually in New Starline Brass. Good news is that nobody was hurt and I was able to tap the bullet back out and everything looks fine. The following pictures are of the empty casing and the clumpy powder. I am hoping that maybe you guys have some idea as to what might have happened. Bad primer? Bad powder?
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[Dan Cash]

Need a different powder.

[knifemaker]

I would switch powders to either W-296 or H4227 for that 300 gr. bullet. Go to the free Hodgdon reloading web site for load data for those powders and several other powders.

[Sig556r]

unburnt clumpy powder? may have been contaminated...

[reddog81]

How many rounds were shot before the squib and did you notice anything unusual with those?

How far down the barrel did the bullet make it? How much unburnt powder was there with the other loads?

Could be any number of things. Weak primer, contaminated primer, contaminated powder, real light load slipped by somehow. An errant drop of oil or water while sitting on the reloading bench could cause something like...

[RED BEAR]

Glad you were not hurt.

[LUCKYDAWG13]

H110 works great in my 454

[lar45]

I have a 6.5" 454 Raging Bull and the only time I had squibs like that were with standard CCI small rifle primers. I switched to magnum primers and never had another problem with it. I was using WC820 mostly, but did load some H110 and 4227 also, but no problems with either of them. I was using mag primers tho.

[megasupermagnum]

On paper, Accurate powders usually look good. In practice, I've never been impressed with them. The only time I've seen a squib with #9 was in 10mm auto. I had not loaded the rounds, and figured he had forgotten to add powder. I didn't see any powder, although I was more focused on getting the bullet out. There very well could have been a clump of powder in the case. The bullet was just barely engraved passed the throat, and I tapped it out easy enough. In 327 federal, 357 magnum, and 41 magnum, AA #9 always fired fine, but never with the accuracy I'm after. From chronograph testing, #9 is better with a magnum primer in all instances I tried.

H110 is a better powder.

[Guesser]

I had the same happen back in the early days of the Raging Bull 454 using A#9. I went to CCI Small Rifle Magnum primers and when it came out I went to Lil Gun powder. Burn was more complete, pressures were lower, accuracy was as good as I could shoot and I liked the smell better.

[colt38sp]

Thanks everyone for the responses. I was wondering if I probably should have been using Magnum primers with AA no.9. I do have 296 and H110 and I will definitely use magnum primers with those. FWIW the bullet didn't make it much past the forcing cone. The previous rounds were very accurate and burned completely.

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[35remington]

Starting load or near max?

[Thin Man]

Recently a customer came to us with a 454 Raging Bull and the complaint that the yoke screw (sideplate screw that retains the yoke in the frame) could not be tightened enough to hold it's position in the frame. He advised he would tighten the screw but it would fall onto the ground within a few shots. Close inspection revealed that the screw (and threads) appeared normal. The screw cavity in the frame was another story. There appeared to be a few threads deep down in the recess, but they were absent toward the middle and top of the cavity. We contacted Taurus and that revolver is back in their hands at this time. It will be interesting to see how they approach this challenge.

[colt38sp]

Starting load or near max?

They were near starting loads. Maybe 2.0 grains higher than starting.

[shooting on a shoestring]

What you suffered was an ignition failure. The primer drove the bullet forward increasing the volume which in turn decreases the temperature and pressure. In this instance that was enough for the fire to go out instead of propagate. Hence the scorched powder and bullet lodged in the forcing cone.

454 Casull is the only big bore straight walled case that uses small primers. If that was a good idea I think we’d see it used in other cartridges.

I’ve had the same thing happen with my 454 Super Redhawk.

My solution was to use a duplex load with a grain of Bullseye (high nitro glycerin content, high flame temperature) next to the primer and worked up a load using WC820 (very similar to AA#9). No more ignition failures, tightened up velocity spreads and hence groups. Made me happy.

I’ll caution that duplex loading demands chronographing and a firm understanding of internal ballistics. It’s uncharted territory for several reasons. It’s also where Dick Casull went when he was pioneering his cartridge. He actually triplexed some of his early loads.

Another, less risky solution is to get away from the spherical powders and use the extruded, easier to light powders like 2400 or 4227. I think you’ll find better results with those.

[bobthenailer]

with slow powders use only small rifle mag primer in the 454 Casull,
Perhaps a weaker brand primer got into the mix?

[Groo]

Groo here
Shoestring has got it right.
The slow powders need pressure to burn which means tight case [ use 454 sizer not 45 colt] and a heavy crimp. [Ps Keith found this out in the 30's]
Also, some are now using S&W 460 brass trimmed down as it uses large primers.

[ASSASSIN]

Powder wise, I would recommend Winchester 296 and definitely a magnum primer.

Looking at the primer in your case, with the radius that it has around the egdes, your pressures appear to be quite low. The 454 Casull operates best at the upper end of the "safe" pressure limits, and Winchester 296 powder can do everything it's needed to in this cartridge. I shoot a Ruger Super Redhawk with a 7 1/2" and 9 1/2" barrel, and at least in my guns, the harder you push them, the better they shoot.

[Messy bear]

Number 9 is fine. Just use more powder and an appropriate primer. Not enough case fill. Also use freedoms data. Sometimes better than others

[High Desert Hunter]

Never used #9 in the 454, but in 20 years of loading for it, I have never had an issue with the small rifle primers, even in -30* temps and midrange to maximum loads of H110 or 296. I use a profile crimp due with a heavy crimp, and for top velocities these days, I shoot 300-MP, for day to day midrange loads, I shoot HS6 or Longshot, for light subsonic loads I use Unique. Cut my teeth with 454 in the Super Redhawk whe they were released, now I shoot a Freedom Arms, still love the round, and shoot a lot of midrange loads every year. Only cartridge that gets more attention is my 480. I have had H110 squib on me in a 44 Magnum, exactly as you describe, too soft of a bullet lube and hot NM sun contaminated the powder charge, had a hang fire in the 44 once as well with H110 at super cold temps, stopped using CCI primers for that load and never had another problem.

[Poseidonsfist]

It could be a contaminated primer.

I had a tray, some moisture got to 3 primers in the corner, I wondered so I loaded them like the others and labeled.

One didn’t fire at all, other 2 squibbed.