Revolver to reload for

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yenningcomity

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So I have about 600 give or take in my gun budget after buying my mateba. I am taking a reloading class in two weeks and I want to pick up a second gun.

My mateba is 44 mag and I would like a different caliber to keep things different. My reloading budget more then covers the cost of components for 2 calibers.

I want to be able to shoot lead out of it. That removes Dan Wesson's with ported barrels (no alaskan guide). It needs to be a revolver so I don't go chasing brass (hence it being under this forum). I will use this as an hd gun so guns designed to chamber lower pressure variants are a must. In the past I had a 586/686 loaded with 38 special. I would shoot magnums at the range. Lastly must be double action.

Right now I am leaning towards getting a raging bull in 454.They come up often enough and asking prices tend to be 500-700 used. I have had taurus in the past, I am fine with the brand. Please do not make this a Tarus bashing thread. I figure with a 454 I can load cowboy level 45 lc while I learn and work up to bigger things. I need to see if anyone sells some decent 45 lc hd ammo though.

Aside from that I have considered dan wesson supermags, but unless I find one local shipping and ffl fees really put them out of my range.

Why not 357? Because I have had it before. I may still get one, but I feel that if I am going to reload that I should take advantage of it. I also plan on getting into casting which will further cut down on my cost per round.
 
so guns designed to chamber lower pressure variants are a must.
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You are aware you can reload & shoot lighter .44 Special, .44 Russian, and .44 Colt in your .44 Mag?

rc
 
Someone correct me if I'm wrong, but doesn't a 454 operate at pressures and velocities above those optimal for non-GC lead bullets?

Sounds like the OP is intent on lead, which I think is great, just trying to save him some possible frustration down the road.
 
Well, it's a Mateba.
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Right!
I plum completely over-looked that little detail.

A .45 Colt Super Blackhawk or Redhawk would be a better choice for lead bullet loads then a .454 Casull.
You can go all the way from mild to wild, and there is tons of load data for every power level.
Not so much for the .454.

rc
 
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A .45 Colt Super Blackhawk or Redhawk would be a better choice for lead bullet loads then a .454 Casull.
You can go all the way from mild to wild, and there is tons of load data for every power level.
Not so much for the .454.
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Why can't you down-load 454 casull? There is only about .100" difference between a 454 case and a 45 colt case length. Pressure differences would be minimal between the two with identical loads. Bump it up a bit and you have the same. This is assuming that you didn't just want to run the 45 Colt in the 454 cylinder.

I vote Super Redhawk in 454 casull.

or a .357.....
 
I was looking for opinions and info. From where I sit the 454 makes more sense then a gun designed only for 45 lc simply because I can shoot both. I did not know that 454 is a bit too much for lead though and that is something to consider. Someone also might have a better gun to suggest.

What I do find interesting is that no one has bashed 45lc as a hd round, the porting on the raging bull, or the cost of shooting 454 versus other calibers.

As for downloading 454 cases it really comes down to cost. 454 brass is 1/3rd more compared to 45lc.
 
I'm also in a similar boat. Although I want a SAA clone. From a reloading and possible hunting standpoint which is better, .357 or 45lc? I have the dies and some components for .357 but that is not a huge factor. .38 is cheaper to buy than 45 lc. Components seem to be a little cheaper for .38 and .357 too.
As far as hunting whitetail. I hunt in heavy wooded area and my 270 can be unwieldy in close quarters.
i've had a .357 and I liked it, but I kinda want something new. I'm not a huge fan of dealing with lead. I have little kids and I reload in the basement. Health concerns with lead?
 
WOW a 454 for hd? I hope your neighbors are not close by, that round is going to go thru some PILE before it stops to say the least. I own one of the " first" production raging bulls in the 454 caliber (8 3/8" barreled version blued) so I can attest to the damage this round can do (makes my super redhawk 9.5" barrel feel like a heavy 357mag when you shoot std ammo not stuff like double tap for instance). I too USE TO put 45lc thru it, but I've grown out of that now. I only shoot full power loads out of if it for years now with no problems ( I too have heard horror stories about taurus). I would be leary of lead in a 454, I personally like hornady bullets they hold up well under the stress that this caliber can put on a bullet. I only shoot what I load out of mine, don't get me wrong I have a few boxes of "factory" ammo on my shelf but for the cost that's where it stays. If you buy newer production taurus just check it out real good before you purchase it ( this doesn't always work) to see if you notice anything off or "quirky" about it. I think winchester sill makes a 45LC STHP, that would be good for hd. If your going to load for it your dollar is going to go WAY futher that's for sure
J
 
The benefit to down loading 454 is that you don't have a carbon ring to clean in your cylinder from the short case. May or may not be worth the cost for you.

I am willing to bet that case life of a 454 downloaded to 45 colt pressure levels would be nearly indefinite.

As far as 454 being too much for lead, if you want to shoot full power loads use jacketed or gas checked bullets. If you are like me, there will be a bunch more of the low power loads through it than the full 454 loads.

I have a S&W 629. I shoot many more 44 special level rounds (through 44 mag cases), than I do full 44 mag rounds. Most of my brass comes from factory loaded 44 mag as I haven't been able to find a suitably economical way to purchase 44 mag brass. Around me I can get Magtech 44 mag for around $26/50. Brass seems to be around $40/100. The situation may be totally different for 454 casull.
 
For HD in .45 LC, Speer makes two good rounds, a 200 gr. GDHP Blazer, and a Speer 250 gr. GDHP.

Federal has a 225 gr. SWCHP. There are other offerings out there. Plenty of choices.
 
You can get unvented barrels for the DW's I have a 8" with and with out vents. The first onwer bought it that way. later model DWs had the vents beyound the barrel. just in the shroud, Nice revolvers. . Where you located. I say a 375 and 44 supermag a while back at a area shop. very nice Not shot much. really . Looked like new. But its was in marion nc.
 
Downloading a .454 to use with lead bullets is not that hard. My Speer manual number 14 has quite a few different loads listed with hard cast lead bullets. Another way to accomplish this is to shoot very heavy lead bullets in the 330-395gr range with gas checks, they will easily take up a lot of case space and make for consistent ignition. Plus be really powerful but not absurdly abusive to shoot.
 
You can get unvented barrels for the DW's I have a 8" with and with out vents. The first onwer bought it that way. later model DWs had the vents beyound the barrel. just in the shroud, Nice revolvers. . Where you located. I say a 375 and 44 supermag a while back at a area shop. very nice Not shot much. really . Looked like new. But its was in marion nc.
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If one came up for sale locally I might be able to spring for it, but even then 600 is a stretch for a supermag. I ruled out the 375 and 414 altogether due to rarity and cost. Then you have to factor in the ported barrels are worthless to me and it would be blind luck to stumble across one in good shape setup how I want. Granted I could always cruise ebay and GB for a replacement barrely and shroud, but those get pricey.
 
I figure with a 454 I can load cowboy level 45 lc while I learn and work up to bigger things.
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There's a WHOLE lot of room between those two loads, that can be safely handled in the right revolver. A 255 - 270gr SWC at 1000+fps doesn't let too much get in it's way. Unless you are planning on hunting the big bears, a heavily loaded .45 Colt is more than enough gun.

Don
 
I have always had a fondness for N Frame S&W in 45 caliber, either ACP or Long Colt. If you reload, you can load them the way you like them.
 
454 is to me easy to load up or down in either the 45 colt or 454 case. I shoot it in a Raging Bull and a custom single action, have had the Redhawk and Freedom arms. Over the years have shot everything from round lead balls, some paper patch lead, and up to a 395 grain cast. The Raging Bull has a tight barrel cylinder gap and cast or swaged lead builds up and binds the cylinder. My single action does the same. Hard cast with a clean burning powder helps. I like Titegroup powder for the large cases, a friend uses trail boss. Clean the cylinder good and using the 45 colt case is not a problem. Wish I had moon clips to fit the Raging Bull, would try 45 acp in it. The 45 caliber revolvers can be loaded to be used a lot of different ways.
 
Check out EWKarms. There is work that he is produceing 44 stuff soon and his price's are waaaay cheaper than even used DW stuff. Give this guy a call- http://www.ewkarms.com/index.htm and see whats comeing up for the large frames. 357 barrel and shrouds run around 165, so check them out.
 
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