Eating crow!

[44man]

All of you know how I feel about Freedom guns but I shot one in .475 today that had perfect dimensions and shot like they should. I even stuffed some of my loads for the BFR in it using my 420 gr boolit. I was able to hold an inch or less at 50 yards. It shot a 360 gr and the Hornady 350 gr, all did the same.
The 400 Hornady was not as good and light loads could only make 2".
None of the semi wadcutters did anything worth talking about.
My friend forgot to put the rubber grips on it and my knuckle was taking a beating as well as the bottom of the grip banging and scraping my left palm until it hurt. Pretty grips are not for shooting! :veryconfu
Recoil is so different that a slight change in boolit weight made a huge difference in elevation.
But this is one I would like to have.

[targetshootr]

That's good news to me too. After reading about the FA 357 I was concerned when I bought a 475 FA barrel off Gunbroker to use on a Bisley project.

[dubber123]

http://i254.photobucket.com/albums/hh83/dubber123/IMG_0011.jpg See, I told you not all of them were junk... You want light? try 5 grains of Trailboss and the 400 gr. Lee. It shoots right around an inch at 50 yds., at about 500 fps. 8 grains of Unique will do the same at about 900 fps.

[Lloyd Smale]

my 475 looks and shoots about identical to dubbers but then my linebaugh built 475 shoots as well too. Both out shoot my 454 FA.

[44man]

The .357 still can't be made to shoot. I have no idea why as it measures out as perfect as any gun I ever seen. It took a lot of fixing by the factory but every chamber shoots to a different place and we can't even get an individual chamber to group. I am totally baffled. I suppose we worked with over 300 loads.
He has it on consignment at the gun store at a reduced price with no takers yet.
It is just one of those guns! :| The next one might shoot one hole at 100 yards.
That is the only gripe I have, at the price, it should have just been replaced and the factory should have used the bad one to find out the problem.
Now that .475! Even though it was beating both of us up, it makes me drool and I told him if he ever sells it to talk to me first. On a Ruger budget and SS, I might have to sell something else.

[Bucks Owin]

Now that .475! Even though it was beating both of us up, it makes me drool and I told him if he ever sells it to talk to me first. On a Ruger budget and SS, I might have to sell something else.
"Ahh feel yore payne" as slick willie would say. It's dang hard to live on a disability income and be a gun nut! I've been lusting after a .500 WE M-83 for a couple years now but don't wanna turn loose of any guns I have left. I lost my beloved 10" Flattop in a futile attempt to keep my house 2 yrs ago and damned if I'm gonna sell a couple Pre '64 M-70s just to have a new toy.....So far my lotto ship hasn't come in! In sympathy, Dennis :violin:

[JudgeBAC]

44man:

What grips do you like for your single actions?

[454PB]

My F.A. 83 field grade .454 came with the butt ugly Pachmayr rubber grips, but they certainly tame the recoil.

[Frank]

Lloyd says
my 475 looks and shoots about identical to dubbers but then my linebaugh built 475 shoots as well too. Both out shoot my 454 FA.

You 454 guys going to take that? I'll bet there must be some 454's out there do shoot good. Sure wish I still had my SRH. I've got the brass, dies and primers. How good can a 454 do at 50 yds? Don't they have special Freedom "shoots" for those guns?

[44man]

I use Pachmeyer grips on all of my revolvers and my friend has them for the .475 too but he loves to show his friends "pretty" and forgot to change them.
Frank, the only problem with the .454 is the SR primer. It prevents load work with slow powders like H110 and 296. You can only load max. Cut down .460 brass and a LP mag primer was a revelation to us. That SR primer is the only reason I don't like the .454. It works fine with a separately compressed load of Bullseye, Unique and 2400 since that was what was worked with at the time. Why the silly thing is still made with a small pocket makes no sense. [smilie=s:

[Lloyd Smale]

Im not saying my fa 454 isnt accurate. If it were a ruger i would have been more then satisfied with it but i kind of expect a fA gun to shoot one inch at 25 with about anyting its fed and my 454 just cant make that claim. Ive got a favorite load in it that will but it took some load developement to get there. Another thing in its defense is im just not that big of a fan of the 454 so it sits in the safe more then most of my guns. Dirty crime as it sure is a nice gun.

[targetshootr]

I never shot my 454 much either and finally sold it last weekend. It was awfully pretty but it felt too big.

http://i20.photobucket.com/albums/b233/targetshootr/DSCN4485.jpg

[jack19512]

Lloyd says
I'll bet there must be some 454's out there do shoot good.






All I can say is I really like my Ruger SRH 454. Granted, in my hands and with my boolits some may not want to brag on my groups but I am willing to bet that in the hands of someone like 44man or equivalent hand gunner it would probably be a tack driver. My 454 has been the most accurate revolver in the larger caliber that I own.

[jack19512]

.
Frank, the only problem with the .454 is the SR primer.




44man
Can you explain to me what exactly would be my benefits to using the 460 brass?

[Frank]

Large pistol primers

[jack19512]

Large pistol primers





Is that the only benefit?

[Lloyd Smale]

yes it is. Ive never tried it but someday ill pick up some. It may be the trick that brings that gun around.

[dubber123]

Years ago, Seyfried did an article where he was trying for a M.O.A. group at 100 yds. with a revolver. He didn't initially think it was possible, but in researching it, he ran into a few guys who could do it on occasion. 1 was a .454 F/A, so yeah, apparently some of them shoot. Seyfried eventually did it, using a custom Ruger in .45 Colt, with I believe, a 5-1/2" barrel. His groups at 100 were for 5 shots.

[44man]

44man
Can you explain to me what exactly would be my benefits to using the 460 brass?
My friend has a SRH and wanted to work loads for accuracy. So we began with starting loads of 296. We got a "POP" and found the powder charge and boolit driven into the bore. The powder near the primer was discolored but did not burn. As we worked up with the charge, it did not quit sticking boolits into the bore until we got to a max book load and it was better at 1/2 gr over. This prevented load work altogether. Accuracy was fair.
Now we tried every SR primer made but only a full case would light off.
We had .460 brass so I cut some down. We started with a LP mag primer and found we could drop to a starting load and work up. Accuracy was then easy to find and it beat the SR primer in spades.
Then for the heck of it we tried a Fed 150 primer and every load still ignited but accuracy was a little less.
The .460 brass is cut for a LR primer but it IS NOT NEEDED IN THE .454. It might raise pressures too high and has too much force, might push boolits out before ignition.
If you use other powders like 2400 or faster, the SR primer works but those are not the best powders for the caliber.
Why the books list starting loads of H110 and 296 for the .454 when the stuff will not light can let your gun blow up if you are rapping off shots double action is beyond me. Some WILL light! Mostly if a boolit is stuck in the bore and holds back the next boolit.
BAAAAANG!

[Frank]

That's good to know. I had maybe over a thousand rounds out of my 454 SRH and no misfires before I got rid of it. The cylinder was .456 and it split brass top to bottom. Maybe if the cylinder was good, it would work well.

[jack19512]

We got a "POP" and found the powder charge and boolit driven into the bore.







Because of my own stupidity that actually happened to me when I first got my SRH. I can't remember what powder I had used but I know that I didn't use a magnum primer.

My very first cast with this revolver and my first shot was a "pop". I opened the cylinder and checked and sure enough I had the cast boolit stuck in my barrel. After I got back home I easily removed the boolit.

I don't remember why I didn't use a mag primer but after this incident I started using the sp magnum primers and never had any trouble after that with the ignition.

So far of the powders I have tried 4227 seems to work the best for me and although I am pretty happy with the accuracy at 50 yards I would like to improve on it. If I thought for a second the 460 brass would help in this I would try it but hate to order a bunch of brass and it not help any.

[HamGunner]

Dubber123's groups at 50 yards are mighty fine. I wish I could see the bull at that distance again. I have trouble even seeing the black bull at 25 yards.

[dubber123]

Dubber123's groups at 50 yards are mighty fine. I wish I could see the bull at that distance again. I have trouble even seeing the black bull at 25 yards.

It's a pretty big bull... ;) I have tried larger and smaller than the plain black one, but thats the size that works best for me. Fitting the target to the sights is a big deal.

[44man]

It's a pretty big bull... ;) I have tried larger and smaller than the plain black one, but thats the size that works best for me. Fitting the target to the sights is a big deal.
Yes and it is the reason I like shooting at cans at 100 yards. I just hate paper at long range.