NEF 45LC - Cast?

[Shooter6br]

like to maybe get one. Anyone shoot cast in it? Is it tapped for scope? Can you use 45LC on Pa. deer? Thanks Rick

[Good Cheer]

Got the H&R break over with the 20" barrel. Love it. Nice trigger pull.
So far it seems to like everything cast. Got test loads ready to go with the Lee 220 round nose, the RCBS 225CAV truncated cone and the LBT 265WFNGC.

Been meaning to try a Pedersoli .447" diameter hollow base with paper patch but just got too many things demanding attention.

Some day I'm gonna try FFg with a muzzle loaded boolit and primed cases just to see how it works.

[JJC]

If your 45 colt ammo meets the minimum ftlbs in the big game guide book I'd say you are good to go. Colorado requires 550 ftlbs at 50 yards. The Buffalo Bore factory ammo shure excedes that, if the rifle can handle the pressure. I assume it can?

[Old Goat Keeper]

I live and hunt in PA. From an NEF/H&R sinsgle shot the 45 Colt round meets PA's requirements for deer. With most any of the commercially loaded ammo you ar g ood to go and with premium ammo to atleast 100 yeards. I have an H&R Classic Carbine. It is accurate adn reliable. I'd not be afraid ot use it on deer within reasonable range.

Tom

[onondaga]

The 45LC has a lot more potential in a rifle than a handgun for deer hunting. Maybe you have a handgun for that cartridge too and want to take advantage of the reloading stuff you already have in that caliber. If not, and just like big fat cartridges, try the NEF in .500 S&W Mag. I have one and love it. Last season I had a short uphill shot at a nice buck that dressed 194 lbs . The deer went up with the uphill shot and came down with a couple leg twitches and that was it. I shoot a light bullet, the Lee REAL 250 gr., size it to .501 and get 1885 fps with surplus powder,35.2 gr WC820 and filler, BPI Original to rim. LOA is 2.005 in. and crimped on the middle band. The load has over 1,000 ft lbs at 110 yds. It is a buck buster and groups less than 1 in. at 50 yds. The rifle is fussy about scope mounting, use the Deadnutz one piece mount/rings the first time.

I can tell you a trick with the NEF rifles too. Many of them shoot the first shot high and then have a nice group below that due to a not so fine bore finish. The NEF user board recommends polishing the bore. I used a Hoppe's Bore Snake slathered with chrome polish and took 50 passes. Problem gone. You can clean the Bore Snake afterwords with WD40, then dish soap and rinse.

[canyon-ghost]

I found some Clover brand valve grinding compound at a local Napa store, great for bore polishing. I use 500 grit on a patch with oil, soak the bore and give it 20 strokes at a time. Bore polishing by hand works wonders and removes machine marks in the rifling.

Afterwards, you can remove it by pouring mineral spirits down the barrel. Lots of it, of course, wouldn't want to leave the grit behind.

Ron

[geargnasher]

I just put one of the .45 Colt versions on lay-a-way, can't wait to see how it shoots! It really points well, has an excellent trigger, the action is smooth and the bore looks pretty good, not bad for a $300 gun. I wanted the Lil' Sharps the instant I saw it, but I can't see spending that kind of money for something that is actually slower to operate and more difficult to clean than a break-action. My Savage 219 sold me on break-action centerfires.

Gear

[justingrosche]

I have one. The 452424 and the 423 both shoot well for me.

[wellfedirishman]

Geargnasher, see my other thread on this forum "Range Report on Buffalo Classic 45LC and Trailboss Cast Loads"

These loads are cowboy level, but I am pretty sure they would knock a deer over within reasonable distance.

Its a pretty fun gun for the money.

[DanWalker]

6.5 grains of Red Dot under a 454424 gives me just under 1200 fps from the 16"bbl of my win 94 trapper. This is a dandy load for medium game that has a mild enough recoil that kids easily shoot this load from my gun. 18.5 grains of 2400 goes 1500 fps with the same boolit and is a terrific load when more punch is required.
I've killed quite a few head of game with both loads.(Deer,hogs, and antelope)

[geargnasher]

So this begs the question: Is the NEF platform suitable for +P .45 Colt loads? I have no real need/want for anything over midrange SAA loads (12000 cup range), but just in case I change my mind.

How are the chambers in these guns, are they grossly oversized like so many .45 Colts are?

Gear

[onondaga]

I just visited the NEF accessory barrels page . New barrels in that cal listed as no longer available. Rifles? i dont know.:

http://www.hr1871.com/Support/accessoryProgram.asp

Gary

[rockrat]

Check out Greybeards. IIRC, people rechamber these barrels to 454 casull and possibly 460 S&W.

[Good Cheer]

Been wondering about a boolit design that just doesn't put very much lead in the case. Maybe just one lube groove.

[geargnasher]

Brought it home tonight![smilie=w:[smilie=w:

Cleaned the bore (it was filthy from the proof firing and being stored in an open rack at the store) and checked the chamber/throat/leade. Looks like a Lee 457-340-RF sized to .454" will be just the ticket. The nose rides the bore perfectly and it can be seated to engrave the first band slightly while only leaving about half the "body" of the boolit in the case. I'd say this thing has an exremely generous throat. We'll see how she shoots this weekend.

Looks like +P stuff isn't out of the question, I can send this thing back to NEF and get a .500 S&W Magnum or .45/70 barrel put on it, to mention only a couple. It should be able to handle 20K .45 Colt loads with Starline cases, not out of the realm of reasonable for the heft of the .45 Colt cases. There is always the possibility of trimming down .454 Casull brass for +p work since the boolits would be seated so far out that they wouldn't chamber in any other .45 Colt guns I have.

Gear

[Taylor]

I have one,except for the front sight,I really like it.I shoot the same load as for my 45colt,454190,shoots real well.

[Good Cheer]

Brought it home tonight![smilie=w:[smilie=w:

Cleaned the bore (it was filthy from the proof firing and being stored in an open rack at the store) and checked the chamber/throat/leade. Looks like a Lee 457-340-RF sized to .454" will be just the ticket. The nose rides the bore perfectly and it can be seated to engrave the first band slightly while only leaving about half the "body" of the boolit in the case. I'd say this thing has an exremely generous throat. We'll see how she shoots this weekend.

Looks like +P stuff isn't out of the question, I can send this thing back to NEF and get a .500 S&W Magnum or .45/70 barrel put on it, to mention only a couple. It should be able to handle 20K .45 Colt loads with Starline cases, not out of the realm of reasonable for the heft of the .45 Colt cases. There is always the possibility of trimming down .454 Casull brass for +p work since the boolits would be seated so far out that they wouldn't chamber in any other .45 Colt guns I have.

Gear

That sounds like a very nice boolit for the H&R. Please do report back.

[rockrat]

I have tried the same boolit in my 460 S&W Ruger #1 and it show alot of promise

[geargnasher]

Tried Lee's 250-grain flat nose and 452664 both behind the usual 9.5 and then ten grains of HS6, little thing shoots pretty well but not stellar. I got 2" groups at 25 yards and 2.5" groups at 50 consistently through 100 rounds, I don't know why I couldn't make it shoot at 25. These were the standard plinking-grade stuff I shoot in all my SAA clones and Open Tops, so the COAL wasn't putting the boolits anywhere near the lands on the NEF. Going load some of the 340s tomorrow and see what gives.

Gear

[Catshooter]

You might try more velocity. I too have a 45 Colt barrel and twenty grains of 2400 under a 260 grain Keith shoots into a ragged hole at 50 yards. I haven't tried the lower end Colt loads yet.

Good luck. Oh yea, have you been to Graybeard's and checked out the NEF tutorials? Everything one needs to know and more. Go here: http://www.go2gbo.com/forums/index.php/topic,26264.0.html


Cat

[geargnasher]

Thanks for the link, Cat, I've been there but haven't looked at everything. Their twist rate chart was VERY handy.

I tried the 340s today, seated so the first driving band just touched the leade for an OAL of 1.820". These were .453" WDWW+2%Sn coming out at 19.5 bhn. After reviewing published data I decided that Li'l Gun was about the right burning rate for the velocity/pressure range I wanted to stay in, so I started with 14 grains and went to 15. Really woke the gun up, but I think it needs to be a bit hotter to get a clean burn, still getting lots of dirty particles in the barrel. Listed data should max this combo out at about 19-20 grains, but I'm not really wanting to go that high with the pressure on these plain-based boolits. I think 2400 may be the next thing to try.

Gear

[Catshooter]

gear,

You're welcome.

I wouldn't worry about the pressure on the base unless leading starts. I push Lyman 452424s out of my H&R and a Winchester at over 1500 fps with no leading. I use 2400 and air cooled wheel weights.


Cat