.454 Casull reloading

[barbarossa]

Are any of you guys experienced in reloading the .454 Casull? I have a few questions.

Thanks!

 

[gunner_lee]

ask your questions.

 

[Gator 45/70]

I have about 66 piece's of this hand bazooka brass laying around here, Mostly Hornady brass, I don't reload this beast.

 

[barbarossa]

ask your questions.

I'm looking to load some light "plinking" rounds, but I want to load .454 cases, not .45 Colt. So the question would be what would happen if I went way below the starting load for .454 and loaded that case like a .45 Colt? Would it not ignite reliably? Would it create a dangerous detonation hazard?

Also, what powder would be suitable for such loads? I was planning on using 260gr lead bullets.

I have experience with reloading, just never done any .454 Casull. I'll be shooting a Ruger Alaskan with a 2 1/2" barrel.

 

[Gator 45/70]

Better check your load data again, I think you can cram about a 1/2 lb. of powder in each case...Or so it seems.




lol....

I'm looking to load some light "plinking" rounds, but I want to load .454 cases, not .45 Colt. The starting load for .454 with any given powder is almost three times that of .45 Colt. The case is not that much bigger. So the question would be what would happen if I went way below the starting load for .454 and loaded that case like a hot .45 Colt? Would it not ignite reliably? Would it create a dangerous detonation hazard?

Also, what powder would be suitable for such loads? I was planning on using 260gr lead bullets.

I have experience with reloading, just never done any .454 Casull. I'll be shooting a Ruger Alaskan with a 2 1/2" barrel.

 

[barbarossa]

Sorry, I got my numbers mixed up. It's late and I'm tired.

The question is still, can I load a .454 Casull case with .45 Colt load data, and if so, what would be a good powder to use for that?


For example, starting load for .45 Colt using Titegroup/260gr bullet is 5.5gr, max is 6.3gr.

Same powder and bullet, a .454 load is 9.9gr starting load.

Can I load a .454 with the max load for .45 Colt of 6.3gr? Or, say 7gr, and work up from there?

 

[Redd508]

45 colt operates at a much lower pressure than 454. IIRC the 45 is around 14k psi and the 454 is 50k+. Your gun wont blow up from 45 colt level loads. The Alaskan bbl is short so stuck bullets should not be an issue either. You should be well within safe limits. Accuracy is another issue. You wont know how your gun likes your loads until you pull the trigger. Post some pics when you do.

Whats the difference in the heaviest 45 charge vs the lightest charge in 454 with your chosen powder and bullet?

 

[bigboreblaster]

lite 454 loads

I have been reloading the 454 for 30 years and yes you can use any 45lc load you want. the only problem is don't use lite loads of H110 or 296 or other slow ball powders or you may get hang fires. Unique is a great powder for reduced loads as are most of the faster shotgun type powders. Use rem 7 1/2 br primers for the hotter loads but the light loads u can use small rifle or pistol

 

[barbarossa]

bigboreblaster, thanks for your reply. It helps greatly. I will try some loads in the next few days and report back.

Meanwhile, do you have any favorite recipes for this cartridge to share?

 

[hunter5567]

You could also use trailboss powder for more case filling lower powered loads.

 

[barbarossa]

You could also use trailboss powder for more case filling lower powered loads.

I would, if I could find any.

 

[Southern Shooter]

Blue Dot and Unique

From my Alaskan, my light loads include a 265 grain cast bullet and 15 grains of Blue Dot for a little over 1,000 FPS or 11 grains of Unique for about 1,026 FPS.

http://castboolits.gunloads.com/sho...asull-Range-Report-02-25-2012-BLUE-DOT-POWDER

 

[revbc]

Also just remember that if the Hornady brass is leverevolution it is shorter than standard and can raise pressures with regular loads. Not sure if you could get the Casull in it though.

 

[revbc]

Here's a couple. The RD is a 290 gr cast Ranch Dog gas checked