BFR 460 Observations wanted

[kschatzle]

Greetings, Just got back from the range with my new Magnum Research BFR .460. The recoil was less than I expected, although after 20 rounds in about 20 minutes I have a bit of skin missing from my palm - the recoil was equivalent to Garretts 44 Hammerheads in my 7.5 in PC S&W which is about a 1 pound lighter gun.

I debated this gun for some time over the S&W Performance Center 460 12in non-ported and bought this one used as it was a sweet deal. I was curious as to whether it is a good idea to shoot the 454 Casull and 45 Colts through it and would appreciate some comments from the more enlightened than myself. Magnum Research says it is safe but that the smaller rounds will be quite innaccurate due to the long cylinder size. S&W advertises the versatility of their guns which have much shorter cylinders and I wonder if that would would be more accurate with the lesser ammo or even with the .460's. I suspect the BFR's all have such long cylinders so they can use the same frame sizes as their popular 45 70. Does anyone know if it will hurt or score the cylinder to shoot the smaller rounds since there will be a big gap between the bullet and the barrel. If this does hurt the cylinder I would think that shooting the 460's the gun was made for would also hurt the cylinder since they are also way shorter then the cylinder. Once I get the scope sighted in which seems to be a greater challenge than my rifles I plan on field testing the three rounds and reporting back to this forum - if the general consensus is that it will not harm the gun. Please comment on the two guns - Thanks this is my first post.

 

[buck460XVR]

I don't see what harm would come from shooting the shorter cartridges other than carbon buildup. I too thought at one time that being able to shoot .45LC and .454 would be a nice change from the full house .460 shells, but because they printed so much differently than the .460s and since the cost to reload them is similar, I gave up on it. I just download my .460 cases to .454 and .45LC velocities for plinkers, but still the majority of my range shooting is done with hunting type loads.


I have the comped 10.5'' PC X-Frame and even with hunting loads recoil is quite manageable. They are a hoot to shoot and very accurate. Have fun with yours.

 

[Prosser]

I'd contact BFR, and see what feedback they have.

With such high pressure rounds, carbon build up can cause blown guns.

Think about this:

The usual pressure test for a cylinder is around 90k. With a .44 magnum type load, around 40k, that gives you a 125% safety margin.

With the .454 and .460, loaded near 60K, you have a 50% safety margin.

I'm not saying you have to load, or buy stuff that hot, but it's out there.

Using the shorter cartridges creates a ring that if not cleaned out, can hold the bullet in place in a longer cartridge, creating super high pressures.

I posted the above because you will get folks telling you they shoot .38 special in their .357, or .44 special in the .44 Magnum, and they never have any problems. The situation
with the .38 and .44 magnum are NOT applicable to the .454, due to the MUCH higher pressure of the .454, or the .460.

The BFR's are incredibly strong guns, and that's a big, thick cylinder. Still,
FA's are pretty similar, and the problem has resulted in FA saying not to ever
shoot 45 Colt in their .454's. While that may not be the answer, taking the issue seriously, and making sure you clean the cylinder is vital, if you are going to shoot lighter loads in the gun.

As the above poster said, loading the .460 brass, down, with a high bulk powder is the safest route.

However, loading big cases down can result in inconsistent velocities, due to
the powder distribution, and detonation, in extreme cases.

I have had the .475, using minimum published loads with AA 9 and had wide velocity variation, same with the .500 Linebaugh.

I have the same issues you do, but using the shorter .500 Linebaugh
in a .500 Maximum. My situation is worse, because even though the Linebaughs are bigger, lower pressure rounds, the cylinder wall in my gun is way thinner, and it's not 17-4 or 17-6 stainless, like the BFRs.

Be careful, this is a serious issue.

 

[Fred in Wisc]

I have the Smith 460, and have found it needs a serious cylinder cleaning after shooting a bunch of 45 Colts, or the long cases really stick.

My usual practice load is a 255 grain cast lead RN or SWC, gas checked, at about 1500fps in the long 460 cases. Packs a decent punch (like a hot 44 mag), but cheap to load and not so horribly loud.

Highly recommend double ear protection with that 460, it's a whole new world of hearing damage potential.

 

[Prosser]

Fred:
What powder and load are you using?

I don't see any load on the Hodgdon website, minimum load mind you, that comes anywhere close to 1550 fps. Everything is around 1900 fps.

Make sure that someone has tested whatever you are using. Using light loads
can lead to blown guns, due to detonation:

http://www.reloadammo.com/liteload.htm

My rule of thumb is ALWAYS stay on the reloading tables...

 

[buck460XVR]

Fred:
What powder and load are you using?

I don't see any load on the Hodgdon website, minimum load mind you, that comes anywhere close to 1550 fps. Everything is around 1900 fps.

Make sure that someone has tested whatever you are using. Using light loads
can lead to blown guns, due to detonation:

http://www.reloadammo.com/liteload.htm

My rule of thumb is ALWAYS stay on the reloading tables...

Prosser............there are 5 loads for a 255 SWC in the newest Lyman manual that produce velocities from 950(about what my TB loads are) to 1530 FPS.

My reduced jacketed loads run about 1300 FPS.

 

[Prosser]

All good then. Just want to make sure you are doing it right, and don't blow up your gun.

 

[Zaydok Allen]

I have a Smith 460 and I shoot a lot of colt and .454's out of it. I do put a fair number of 460's through it too. I think if you just clean it really thouroughly each time, and avoid the crud ring build up, you are probably fine. I am absolutely crazy about the cleanliness of my guns though. I typically clean them, and then wipe them down the next day real quick. If you don't clean your guns a lot, then I would do as is stated in the second post. That will definately be your safest bet. Intense cleaning has been my practice and I've had no problems. That being said, I rairly put more than 150 rounds through that gun in one range trip, so crud build up is never much of an issue.