.454 questions

[svtruth]

Just took my new (to me) Super Redhawk to the range with a buddy who brought his Alaskan, also in .454. The ammo I brought, Magtech, seemed to recoil harder in each gun than the ammo my buddy brought. Has anyone else experienced this?
Also how much change in vertical POA should I expect when switching from one bullet weight to another?
Thanks in advance.
BTW, we survived the recoil just fine.

 

[Coal Dragger]

Recoil can be affected by many factors, bullet weight, construction, bearing surface, velocity etc. So not all ammo will feel or recoil the same.

As for POA shift the heavier the bullet you are shooting the higher the point of impact will be given that you are pushing them hard. This is due to the muzzle shifting upwards under the heavier recoil more quickly while the bullet is still in the barrel. Which is why you see really tall front sights on revolvers intended to shoot heavy bullets at high speeds.

 

[umc180gr]

Svtruth,

How do you like your SRH .454? I just picked one up recently. Regretted selling the first one I had. Took me a long time to find a nice used one believe it or not. Planning to put a Leupold on it 4X when I get the money. Planning to shoot hornandy 240rgrs. Never tried the Magtech yet.

 

[mes227]

I was at the range on Friday with some friends and amongst the revolvers were two 41Mags, a S&W and a RH, both with 6-1/2" brls. The RH owner picked up a box of Miwall rounds at the range while I had brought a box of BVAC. We started comparing the two revolvers with the Miwall and then when those ran out continued with the BVAC. The difference - in sound, barrel rise and felt recoil - was at least as large as going from 44 Spcl to 44 Mag.

The 45 Colt comes in perhaps the widest range of factory loads, ranging from 45acp- to 44Mag-level muzzle energies. I once tested side-by-side cowboy loads, Federal and Buffalo Bore, and each was a substantial step up from the prior.

 

[farscott]

I have a relatively new-to-me SRH that is my third revolver chambered in .454. My first ones were a "Field Grade" .454 I picked up in 1995 and a later Premier Grade M83. I also have messed with a fifteen-inch barrel on a T/C Encore in the caliber. You can guess I like the round. I have fired rounds from the old FA-marked 260 JFP to some of the Winchester reduced-recoil 250-grain loads to my own 300-grain handloads and most in between.

The stuff that recoiled the most to me is the FA-marked 260 JFP. That stuff is claimed to run at 1800 fps, and I believe it. It hits like a hammer on both ends. It helped land me a nice sized boar in Arkansas during a hunt with a college buddy. I now tend to load 300-grain pills between 1100 and 1200 fps as it is more than enough and easier on the the gun and my wrists. I like the heavier bullets running a bit slower.

Funny thing: The SRH appears to recoil more than the FA guns. The Encore was worse than both of them.