Browning 1885 in 454 Casull

[45r]

would one of these rifles be a good cast boolit shooter.Trying to decide between a 454 and a 45-70.The 454 would go well with my F/A 83.

[Bullshop]

The 45/70 will offer greater velocity potential with any boolit weight and will most likely work with heavier boolits.
Browning used a 1/18" twist in the 45/70 but I dont know about the 454. I would guess somewhat slower in the 454.
No contest by me, long live the 45/70!
BIC/BS

[Slow Elk 45/70]

I guess it depends on what you want to shoot. You will have to know the twist of the BBL in 454 to know how well it may shoot cast and which boolit.
Same with the 45/70, IMHO this is your best bet, but if your just looking for a companion rifle for a pistol in 454??

If performance and hunting are in your picture, the 45/70 is hands down best, you can load it from 1000fps to 1700+ to cover most needs with boolits from 300-485gr, 405 being most used , just depends on what YOU want....enjoy.S.L.

[Bullshop]

The Browning b-78/1885 action is a 60,000 psi launch platform.
The modern 45/70 solid head case is every bit as strong as most other standard or magnum brass so can tolerate most of that pressure.
Many snow's past while exploring maximum 45/70 loads in a siamese mauser a friend contacted the speer labs in Lewiston Ida. We questioned the max loads in thier current book at the time. They showed thier 400gn bullet with 62gn reloader #7 at 2100 fps.
After working up to this load we found it to be at what seemed a fairley moderate pressure. When asked the tech at speer said that even though the load was listed for the Ruger#1, Browning 1885, and siamese mauser no loads listed exceeded 40,000 psi.
He stated the reason the data was terminated was that the tech could no longer tolerate the recoil. There in is the reason most folks will terminate load development, recoil. The 45/70 in a proper launch platform is capable of far more than what you have suggested there Mr Slow Elk Sir, Dont sell it short.
In the Browning a 45/70 chambering properly throated with boolits designed to be seated out so as not to eat up case capacity will easily achieve 2000 fps with 500+ gn boolits. You aint gonna get no 454 to do that even if it did have the right twist.
My affair swith the 45/70 started many snow's ago with an origonal TD carbine, then to a real buffalo killin roller and now has seen so many others I cant remember. My respect for the cartridge has only grown and never diminished.
I see the 454 as being able to duplicat the origonal carbine load for the trap door but that is where the similarity ends.
Long live the 45/70 perfected now for nearly 150 years.
Blessings
BIC/BS

[45r]

Thanx for the replies,looks like the 45-70 is the way to go.I have a lot of very good molds for my 454,a 255 saeco, 250 and 270 rcbs,305 and 315 Mtn molds but no 45-70 molds.The 454 is hard to find and more expensive.I think the Winchester 45-70 1885's from Davidson's are less expensive and don't have the glossy finish.I think they're basicly the same as a Browning.What dies work well,RCBS Cowboy or Redding.I really like my Mtn molds.I think one with a glove fit around 350 grains would work well for me.I don't need a heavy boolit for deer hunting.

[Bullshop]

Dont take me wrong now, I didnt say the 454 was useless, far from it. I just said it cant compair favorably to the 45/70.
The 454 will likely fill your dear hunting needs with 350gn boolits quite nicely.
I have a custom design for the 454 that is 400gn and pushed by 25gn H110 will do 1350 fps from a 6" barrel revolver. That will take care of any dear nicelt within range of placing the boolit where it counts.
That load by the way almost exactly duplicates the performance of the military 405gn carbine load that I have seen listed at 1330 fps.
Think of the 454 in a pistol as being the equivilant of a trapdoor carbine with origonal BP ammo. Nothing to shake a stick at either. Almost universally comments you will find reguarding origonal 45/70 TD BP ammo will state that the 45/70 has always been a good dependable killer of game. What more can you ask for? Thats exactly why when I developed my 400gn 454 load I set my goal to be equal to the old dependabal killer of game the 45/70. BTW I didnt mention that the reason I developed the 454/400/1350 was that I was constantly being chased by brown bears at work but because of the work gear I had to pack couldnt really carry a rifle. I had a show down with one and got the job done a good fashion with a 44 mag and Elmers load and boolit, 250gn/22gn/2400 but couldnt fight the desire for more gun.
BIC/BS

[ktw]

If all you ever plan to shoot out of it are bullets less than 400 grains, the 454 will do it with a lot less powder. The biggest hangup I have with the 454 is the small rifle primer pockets.

-ktw

[Ed Barrett]

I have a .454 Winchester 92 clone from Brazil. It will push a custom 400 grain cast bullet at 1950 fps with Lil' gun for a powder. I think it will be more flexible than a 45-70 and a lot cheaper to shoot. I owned a Gibbs bolt action 45-70 and worked up some pretty hot loads for it and I prefer the .454, but that's just my $.02 worth.