Shot a 454 Casull for the first time today~

Targa said:

^^^ Someday I am going to find some Trail Boss for the Casull . Until then 11 grains of Universal with my 250 grain cast rnfp is a nice break from full throttle loads. About 1200ish FPS out of a 6.5” SBH, so 45Colt +p.

Click to expand...

I use a lot of trailboss in 454, very very mild recoil and a 250 grain bullet at 1000 fps is still pretty darn powerful compared to a lot of other cartridges .
Odd to me trailboss is hard to get

Obturation said:

Odd to me trailboss is hard to get

Click to expand...

I know right. Back in the day when a store was low on powder Trailboss was always available, now it is about the only powder that has been completely awol in my area.

Targa said:

I know right. Back in the day when a store was low on powder Trailboss was always available, now it is about the only powder that has been completely awol in my area.

Click to expand...

I know.
Funny thing was last spring the absolute last powder on the shelf at the farm store was a 2# can of trailboss. It was there for several weeks before I noticed why, it was marked as a 4#? container and was almost $200. I figured I could show the manager that the sku # didn't match the shelf price tag but he didn't care, said it is was what it cost. A week or 2 later someone paid the double price and now I'm sure plenty of people would pay whatever just to get some.

I have a 7.5" SRH .454 Casull. Most shooters I let try it out don't shoot all six full house rounds.

The exception was a big, young Abbotsford police officer. He fired all six, double action!!!!!!!!! But he was a big boy...............

I have a Taurus "Raging Bull" stainless 6.5", and firing Hornady 300 gr XTP's
gives me 1600 / 1800 ballistics, with relatively smooth and easy firing. I carry
it when I'm "in the woods" for whatever reason, and I feel well armed with it.

I pity anything walking that tries me....

I've had my share of 454's and overall I think it's a great cartridge, probably the best all around big bore for someone who avidly hunts. For me though, I'm fine with the 44 Mag, I'll never shoot anything big enough that a 454 is necessary.

SDGlock23 said:

I've had my share of 454's and overall I think it's a great cartridge, probably the best all around big bore for someone who avidly hunts. For me though, I'm fine with the 44 Mag, I'll never shoot anything big enough that a 454 is necessary.

Click to expand...

For me the 454 made much better sense than the 44, sold both my 44s . more bullet options and all of them heavier with larger meplats. It's not really about taking larger animals than the 44 but about the ability to choose heavier bullets. My woods load is a 360 grain gas checked bullet, it does fine anywhere from 900 fps up to 1500 fps, the only real difference being trajectory. Most people don't even really need 44 magnum power but having the widest range of options is appealing to me. The 480 is awesome as is the various 500s , bullet options are limited and components are harder to find and more expensive. That's left me with 45 colt projectiles and loading dies that work great and are about as common as it gets.

When I just want a 250 grain bullet at 800-900 fps I put those in 454 cases too , in the big revolvers it makes those loads easy enough for my wife to shoot too but will still kill just about anything if you can hit it right.

For someone heavily invested in 44 mag, it's great and they can carry on with that. For someone with nothing in 44 mag, I'd skip right to the 454 for sure. But everyone's different and everyone likes different stuff. Im a versatility type of guy and the top end 454 loads are as much as I care to handle.

I do want a single action 500 jrh but for more of a fun gun than anything. I've been told cut down 45-70 which will help out if or when that cartridge fades into obscurity.

I just got some .454 time in at the range today, just to much fun. I ran the gamut from 11 grains of Universal under a 250 grain Lee cast bullet at 1100 FPS, 325 grain MBC “Slammer” over 25 grains of H110 for 1200 FPS and my attention getter, a 240 grain Hornady XTP bullet over 37 grains of H110 at 1800 FPS. It was a good day…
Very versatile round just not nearly as versatile in the platforms to fire it as the .44.

Targa said:

Very versatile round just not nearly as versatile in the platforms to fire it as the .44.

Click to expand...

That's true.
When I was in to 44 mag I was a super redhawk guy anyway (I'm an amature nuclear physist ), so for me it's same/same.

I like these projectiles!

Targa said:

325 grain MBC “Slammer” over 25 grains of H110 for 1200 FPS and my attention getter, a

Click to expand...

MBC makes a 300 gr version for the .44 called the "Hammer". On a really good day, slinging Hammers and Slammers downrange is a real BLAST!

Targa said:

325 grain MBC “Slammer”

Click to expand...

What seating stem are you using? I load those too and really like them but I have to stick a round nose bullet to my seating stem and use the base of the other bullet to seat the slammer bullet otherwise I get that ring on the nose.

I am just using a Lee 4 die carbide set for the .454…here is a pic of a few of them

Targa said:

I am just using a Lee 4 die carbide set for the .454…here is a pic of a few of them View attachment 1006880

Click to expand...

Me too. No ring on the meplat?

After you mentioned the ring I really took a closer look and can’t see anything noticeable. Maybe flare the case mouth a bit more?

Targa said:

After you mentioned the ring I really took a closer look and can’t see anything noticeable. Maybe flare the case mouth a bit more?

Click to expand...

It's a seating stem thing, mines fairly cone shaped and has a narrow "mouth". I could easily modify it to be a bit flatter but I'm ok with just sticking a bullet in the stem until I get a flatter stem. Lee makes them just been kind of low on my list of needs. Perhaps mines a little sharper than yours .

Yeh, that might be. I haven’t looked at the stem seater but good to know.