.45 Colt in .460 Magnum Pistols?

[G11354]

Recently purchased a S&W 460V and was wondering if it was adviseable to use the hotter .45 Colt loads in the .460 Magnum?

I know the 460 magnum pressure far exceeds the 45 colt but I wanted to be certain I wasnt overlooking something.

I have also heard that the 45 Colt can be hard on the forcing cone in the 460 Magnum revolvers, is there any truth in this?

 

[cfullgraf]

Since you can also fire 454 Casull in the 460 S&W Mag, I am sure hot 45 Colt loads would be fine.

After a while, a carbon ring will build up in front of the case and may make chambering a longer case difficult until the chamber is cleaned.

I had not heard that a 45 Colt would damage the forcing cone of a 460 S&W revolver.

I found a light load for the 460 S&W mag for use my 460 XVR revolver that uses the 460 S&W case. The velocity with a 255 grain SWC is 1000-1100 fps or so. Comfortable shooting versus the full power loads and the carbon build up in the chamber won't be an issue.

 

[Zaydok Allen]

The 460 was designed to have a 200 grain bullet (lighter than many 45 colt bullets) slamming into its forcing cone at high speeds. I don't think there is a 45 Colt load out there that could damage it.

You may however see some poor accuracy shooting 45's out of it. I've had poor luck with some loads. My gun seems to prefer 225 gr 45 Colts rather than heavier bullets.

Congrats. You picked a great model. Watch the compensator though. The bolt on mine tends to rattle loose during a range session.

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[243winxb]

Starline claims there 45 Colt brass is safe at 44 mag pressures. https://www.starlinebrass.com/order-online/all-cases.cfm if the 45 Colt brass can handle the pressure, i see no harm.

If buying new brass, why not 454? Oops , price difference i see. Looks like it just a little longer than 45 Colt.

Dont own a 460.

 

[Dog Soldier]

Most interesting thread. I am a long time fan of magnum handguns. The .460 looks like a real winner. It seems to be a versatile caliber?

 

[PapaG]

Ain't no way 45 Colt loads will hurt a 460 forcing cone. It will laugh it's butt off. Like shooting a std vel short in a lr chamber but about 80% less.

 

[Zaydok Allen]

Most interesting thread. I am a long time fan of magnum handguns. The .460 looks like a real winner. It seems to be a versatile caliber?

The 460 packs a very nice wallop. With 200 grain bullets it shoots extremely flat. Even with the short 5" barrel it will shoot flat out to 75 yards pretty easily. I find the loss in velocity acceptable in the 5" barrel, as it greatly increases the handiness of the gun by making it lighter and more maneuverable.

As far as versatility goes, I've had great results with Hornady's 240 and 300 grain 454 Casull loads both. Buffalo Bore makes a 360 grain hard cast 460 round that would be great for big critters.

A lot of folks argue that all you really gain with a 460 over a 454 or 44 mag is range, not effectiveness. I can't really dispute that since a heavy 454 or 44 will sail clean through a lot of animals. But that fact doesn't make the 460 any less fun to shoot.

Only the cost of factory ammo does that.

 

[Dog Soldier]

Well thanks so much for the .460 report. I agree on the 5" barrel. I own some long barreled magnums. But I rarely hunt with them. I liked your analysis on the.460 and the bullet weights. Well done, I am looking at a 5" .460

 

[Varminterror]

Hunting with a .460s&w lets me use a bullet meant for more expansion and at a longer range than .45colt or .44mag WITHOUT sacrificing pass through penetration. So I can dump more energy with an expanding pill and still be certain of punching an extra leak out the back.

Otherwise, yes, there's nothing in North America which can be killed by a .460s&w which cannot be by a .44mag. But where's the fun in living life based on "enough?" Motorcycles can't be too fast, gals can't be too good looking, whiskey can't be too smooth, and revolvers can't be too powerful.

 

[Zaydok Allen]

Agreed! My first handgun was a Ruger SP101 in 357. I was instantly addicted and the thought "I wonder how far we can take this?" entered my mind.

Four months later I bought my second handgun, and it was the 460 pictured above.

A lot of folks consider a 460 unnecessary. But what if you're attacked by a a bear, or a dinosaur............. or a Buick?

 

[cfullgraf]

Even with the short 5" barrel it will shoot flat out to 75 yards pretty easily. I find the loss in velocity acceptable in the 5" barrel, as it greatly increases the handiness of the gun by making it lighter and more maneuverable.

I agree that the 5" barrel would be handier but I was quite surprised how balanced the 8-3/8" barrel 460XVR is when compared to a standard 8-3/8" N-frame or a 7-1/2" Blackhawk.

The X-frame is just so heavy, it moves the balance point more towards the rear of the handgun even with the longer barrel.

I stumbled into mine at a gun store where it had been deeply discounted so that it moved. I probably would not have bought it otherwise. If grizzlies, or Buicks, ever come to TN, I'm ready.

 

[buck460XVR]

Best advice I can give folks with a .460 revolver is to reload for it. Then one can forget about shooting .45 colt/.454 in it. No carbon rings, no adjusting the sights/scope every time you change calibers.(POI from standard .45 Colt against standard .460 is about a foot or more @ 50 yards). When you reload, you can reload .460 for the virtually the same cost as .45 Colt. No need to deviate once you find something the gun likes and once the gun is sighted in. Don't know what model the OP has, but my P.C. Compensated Hunter is just as pleasant to shoot with legitimate .460 loads as my P.C. 629 magnum Hunter is with legitimate .44 mag hunting loads. Folks that don't regularly shoot X-Frames snibble about the mass and weight of the big cannons, but that mass and weight is there for a reason. As for versatility, my .460 has single purpose for me, as an highly accurate deer hunting revolver capable of effectively taking deer well past 100 yards.

 

[1976B.L.Johns.]

Recently purchased a S&W 460V and was wondering if it was adviseable to use the hotter .45 Colt loads in the .460 Magnum?

I know the 460 magnum pressure far exceeds the 45 colt but I wanted to be certain I wasnt overlooking something.

I have also heard that the 45 Colt can be hard on the forcing cone in the 460 Magnum revolvers, is there any truth in this?

Sure, go ahead and use 'em. But experience with my .460 has been why? Had a box of factory .45 Colt loads just waiting to be "used" and giggled when shooting them in the S&W 460XVR. Will continue to reload .460 rather than .45 Colt.Though I did do an experiment with .45 Colt (Starline Brass) WLP primer, with 13 gr. Titegroup pushing a Hornady 250 gr. JHP. Warning on box of ammo=.460 S&W USE ONLY! Yeah, more bang but like what was the purpose?( IMO) I'll stick with full length cartridges.( Found that recipe on an internet thread calling for 14 gr. Titegroup but can not seem to find it tonight.) On a side note, two winters ago my wife walked into my reloading room and asked what I was loading as she did not recognize the .460 cartridge. Told her....... Finally purchased my XVR with 8.375" barrell (7.375 cuz I do not count the compensator) this past spring! Yeah I had a plan, putting the cart B-4 the horse, wanted that gun since first reading about it years ago. Love that hand cannon except for top end loads...owwie, sez my old wrist after even five rounds.

 

[dickydalton]

I've shot a few 45 Colts through my 460, just to try it and they were OK. Mostly though I reload 460s. Early on I tried some 200 Barnes hollow points but they weren't accurate for me. My main loads are Cast Performance 265 or 360 grain LBTs, 200 grain FTX and 300 grain Hornady XTP Mags. The only powder I've used in it is Lil Gun. I have not yet had a chance to shoot a deer with it.