S&W m460v w/Buffalo Bore Part II.. More Problems!

[Evergreen]

It's the return of the Buffalo Bore .460S&W 360gr. THis is my second trip to the range with my new S&W m460v and I was prepared for the worst this time, but the worst was a bit worse than I thought it would be. Well, this time I cleaned my gun thoroughly and made it every effort to make sure I had no obstructions in the chamber.

Considering, the issues I had with extraction of the Buffalo Bore rounds last time, I brought some wooden dowels and a rubber mallet to the range this time. Thank God, I did so! Well, I loaded er up with 5 rounds of Buffalo Bore .460S&W rated at a blazing 1900fps with an energy rating of 2800 ft/lbs. Anyway, I fired the first 4 rounds without any issues. Then I fired the fifth round which fired the cartridge, but then immediately caused the cylinder to lock up. This is where my worst fears almost became a reality.

Once the cylinder locked, I freaked out a bit. I wasn't sure if the high pressured rounds messed up the timing of the cylinder or if there was some type of other damage to the revolver. I wasn't sure if I was going to be able to open the action and was thinking it may have to go back to S&W. Also, I wasn't sure if I fired 4 or 5 rounds (Dirty Harry phenomenon ) , so I wasn't 100% sure if the last rounds fired or if there was a hit on the primer and a live round stuck in the chamber. Anyway, I started messing with the cylinder trying to cock the hammer, push the cylinder release, tap on the gun. After either pushing the release or cocking the trigger after a few attempts, the cylinder turned and I then was able to open the cylinder.

After I got the cylinder open, I attempted to eject my spent casings. Well, not to my surprise, the ejector rod was stuck, just like the first time I tried shooting it. This time the gun was 100% clean, so I know that there was nothing obstructing the rounds. Anyway, I didn't panic at this point, but just inserted the wooden dowel and tapped out the spent casings. Each casing came out relatively easily. After each round was tapped out, the gun was clear.

I then loaded up another 5 rounds of Buffalo Bore which shot perfectly and ejected with ease. Then I moved onto the Hornady 460 S&W 200gr FTX rounds. These fired very nicely and ejected easily. This round exhausted quite a bit of heat, more than the Buffalo Bore. I could feel the top part of my hands get warm from the escaping gas of the cylinder. I didn't feel that with the Buffalo Bore. I was told that because it was slightly underpowered round, may be the reason. I'm not sure why exactly, although the bullet velocity is rated 300fps over the Buffalo Bore.

Next, I loaded up .454 Casull of different weights (260gr - 400gr) and each fired with ease and accurately. Following the Casulls, I loaded up 45LC Gold Dot, which fired like a 22LR out of this gun. Then I loaded up 45LC +P 360gr Double Tap which shot nicely, although still packing a punch, for such a smaller round in this big gun.

Anyway, after the first episode of horror, everything worked out great. What I like to hear, is what people's thoughts were about why the cylinder stuck. My theory is that the pressure of the Buffalo Bore round was so high, that it caused the case to stick out a bit, preventing the cylinder from rotating. I think tapping and messing with the hammer caused the case to go back into place. I could be 100% wrong with my assessment and would much rather hear someone more experienced with Big Bore shooting to tell me theirs. Does anyone think the stickiness of the round or fouling may have caused the cylinder to stick? This whole thing has really worried me about using the Buffalo Bore round. I am seriously thinking I would not use the Buffalo Bores for a big game/big animal defense situation, due to the lack of reliability of these rounds. It's ashame, because these rounds pack a lot of power for the velocity, but seem to have extraction problems.

 

[powell&hyde]

I would send an e-mail to buffalo bore and tell them whats going on with your s&w, you might be right at over over the pressure limits with the bb rounds.

 

[Zaydok Allen]

Yep, I'd email Buffalo Bore, and S&W the same message.

Hey Evergreen, I got your PM, and it's good to hear from you again, though I'm sorry you are having problems.

I gotta say, I'm not quite sure what the problem could be. I have never had any problems like you have described. I am thinking that powell&hyde is right about the pressures being a bit to high. I would guess that the extreme force of these rounds is slamming the cylinder hard enough to cause the cylinder to slam back with enough force, that it is actually damaging metal on the arm that holds the Cylinder. If that is the point of binding, it may make sense that the ejection rod will not move. With it jammed back, the locking mechanism would also be jammed. I wonder if you measured the barrel cylinder gap before, and after firing these rounds, I wonder if the gap would be ever so slightly bigger.

Another thought. 460 mag was originally designed to be shot out of a gun with a 3.5" longer barrel. If the muzzle flip and recoil is jerking the gun hard enough due to the reduced weight of the 5" bbl version, I wonder if it is actually binding the rotation mechanism (not sure of proper terminology) on the back of the cylinder. I would look at that area to see if there is any apparent damage, though this seems rather unlikely.

I hope someone with more revolver knowledge chimes in here. Maybe a gunsmith will give you a better explanation, as I am probably completely wrong.

I think the best advice is to stop shooting those cartridges out of your gun if they don't work. I've never fired them out of mine, since I can't justify the price. As you know, shot placement and accuracy are far more important than having the hottest ammo possible in your gun.

HSM makes rounds for it that are actually called Bear Loads. They usually are a little less hot rodded than Buffalo Bore, but are usually still up there. I however, can't find any ballistics data on those particular loads. They are also cheaper than the BB's if you look on Cabela's website. Also, Winchester makes some that generate a little more than 2600 ft/lbs of energy (less in our model 460). They come in dual bonded and Nossler Partitioned Gold loadings. I want to develop my own dangerous game loads with the Barnes Buster, or Belt Mountain Punch Bullets when I start hand loading, which will hopefully be soon. From what I hear, that's when the 460 really shines. By the way, I misunderstood you the last time we spoke. You said Double TAP, and I was thinking TAP. Then I went, wait, Hornady doesn’t make 45 Colt+p’s in TAP. Doh!!!!

 

[Evergreen]

Thanks for your response Kodiak. I'm really hoping I haven't done any damage to the gun. I don't have any of the gadgets available that can be used for any precise measurements and probably don't really know how that could be done. All I know is, after the first 5 rounds were fired, I loaded up and the gun fired perfectly fine with no extraction issues. I, even loaded up another 5 rounds of Buffalo Bore and shot them fine.

Do you think if any damage occurred that the gun would have kept malfunctioning? The gun seem to function properly after the first 5 rounds. I'm not really sure what type of damage I am to look for, but I didn't notice anything obvious. Do you think I should send the gun to a gunsmith for examination to make sure no damage was incurred from the lock-up I experienced?

As far as reduced weight, I haven't seen a large difference in weight between the 5" and 7.5" or even 8.5" barrel versions of the gun. I think it is 10 oz or so. However, maybe that is all it takes to make a difference. I have seen S&W is even making a 2.5" barrel version of this gun now, called the Bear Emergency Kit or something like that.

Anyway, I think you have convinced me not to shoot any more Buffalo Bore out of this gun. Perhaps, it really is for a longer barreled 460. However, I never noticed muzzle flip to be an issue as the round seems like a straight shooter and even quite accurate. There definitely is a thump of recoil, but it didn't seem unbearable. I guess I am speaking out of ignorance here, so I apologize. Basically, I am just reciting my experience with the gun, with my limited knowledge.

I will certainly investigate HSM, Corbons, Winchester and some other 460 rounds. I think I could be satisfied just shooting my Double Tap (Not TAP ) 400gr .454 Casull rounds out of the gun, which have enough power to kill anything in North America. However, I was really hoping I could get my hands on a nice .460 round that would be a nice shooter. If I am out in the bush in Alaska or Montana I'd wish to have the most reliable, yet powerful round I could get my hands on. However, the almost $3.00/round price of the BUffalo Bore is outrageous and I definitely need an alternative for the price alone.

Anyway, I'd await to hear what others say. Kodiak, if you, or anyone else think the gun may have damage and I should send it to a gunsmith before , please let me know. I may not be the best person to assess the damage due to my limited knowledge.

Thanks for the assistance.



Edit:
I wast just browsing some other forum's and I found a guy on another forum who wrote this statement.. I am wondering if this may have something to do with the problem I had. I'd appreciate to hear if anyone thinks this guy's post has any relevance to the problem:

3. I don't crimp for Encore loads but loads for a revolver must be crimped and the crimp must be VERY good or the bullets will move out of the cases under recoil. I would recommend a custom made Lee Factory Crimp Die for this operation. This die can be used on bullets without a cannelure. By the way, 460 S&W revolver loads are the only loads for which I resize new brass because if I don't, neck tension isn't enough to hold the bullets under recoil.

Anyone, think poor design of the Buffalo Bore rounds may have caused the bullet to push out under recoil, which could have caused the jam? Perhaps, the Buffalo Bore cases were not properly crimped?

 

[hardluk1]

You can get bullets to back out of there cases and jamb up on many cartridges when shooting hot loads in short barrels. It has happened to 357 and 44 mags and has there been warnings from some custom loaded ammo about short barrels for years. These hot loads in short barrels can push some fine guns to there design limits also. Does not have to be a loading /crimp issue as the same loads tend to work fine in longer barreled revolvers.

 

[Drail]

deleted

 

[Zaydok Allen]

Yes, I would wait for more response from more qualified individuals than myself. I am no gunsmith, and have not been shooting revolvers long enough to give you a good answer on this. My above post is guesses and theories only. Wait for some of the vets to put their two cents worth in.

 

[VA27]

Clean? Did you leave any oil or cleaner in one or more of the chambers?

Here's my take on what happened:

When you fire a cartridge the brass expands and grips the wall of the chamber, sealing it off and preventing the case from sliding back in the chamber. If any cleaner or lube is left in the chambers the case can slide back and jam against the back of the frame, effectively locking the cylinder and keeping it from turning or opening. I've had this exact problem with a Smith 940 when shooting CorBon +P ammo.

I took it to the armorer and described the problem and he simply pushed the cylinder thumb latch, held it forward and smacked the cylinder with the palm of his hand and it popped right open.

No damage to the gun, I just made sure the chambers were clean and 'dry' and I stopped using the +P ammo in that gun.

 

[Zaydok Allen]

Yeah, I think VA27 has a much better explanation than I do. I refuse to believe that S&W would build a magnum big bore revolver that can be damaged by hot loads that easily. I also don’t think BB would be in business this long if their ammo could damage a gun after so few rounds.

Hey, I meant to tell you also Evergreen, I recently shinned my 460V up with Mother’s Mag and Aluminum Polish. You can do it by hand and it doesn’t take much time. I only spent an hour doing it, and the gun already came out much brighter than when I brought it home from the store. You may want to give it a try if you like a shinier finish on your revolvers than S&W provides from the factory. I’m going to do it a few more times and see what kind of finish I can get. I also did the same to my SP101, which is my carry gun. It took away some holster wear and a few light scratches in just one treatment.

 

[Evergreen]

VA27, I don't think oil/solvent residue is the issue. I made very sure that I wiped out the bore and chambers thoroughly with a dry patch. After I cleaned out the chambers and barrel I ran several dry patches through the gun until the patches came out white. Do you think even after doing all this that oil/solvent residue can be the issue? I just cannot believe it is in this case, although I am sure many people can run into these issues with improper cleaning. However, I am just not thinking this is the case, as my gun was clean and dry before I shot it. If you have any other ideas about potential problems I'd like to know. For now, all I can think about is the excessive pressures pushed the case back.. I did exactly what the gunsmith you mentioned did.. I tapped on the gun and messed with the cylinder release and it opened up after about 30 seconds to a minute of tampering. I also tampered with the hammer as well as the cylinder release.

One thing I will mention is that Buffalo Bore .460 S&W is loaded within SAAMI specs. The owner sent me an email saying that it is not +P rated ammo. My beliefs, however, for him saying it is not +P, is probably because there is no distinction in the SAAMI specs for +P ammo in this caliber. I think that is what I was told by somebody else.


Kodiak, thanks for the advice about shining up the finish. That sounds real interesting. I would like to look into seeing what I can do to shine up all my S&W revolvers, as I have a lot of them. Almost all of my revolvers are stainless, except my S&W 442. I just received my Simply Rugged holster for the S&W 460v (what a beast), which also has hand engraved floral designs. I will take a pic of the gun with the holster when I get a chance, but I have to say its the most beautiful holster I have seen in a while.

If I could just get the dang gun to function properly :banghead: I will spend more time making it pretty. That is next on the agenda.. Where exactly do you get the finishing products you mentioned? Midway or Brownells?

 

[buck460XVR]

There have been many reports of sticky extraction with BB ammo. In one example when BB was contacted their response was that the ammo was originally designed for early .460 models that had a larger throat diameter and that the ammo should not be used in later production models with tighter throats. They blamed S&W for changing throat diameter without informing ammo makers. Funny, it is only BB claiming this. When working up loads for my .460, the difference of a few tenths of a grain of powder sometimes is all it takes to change from cases that drop out to ones where you need to pound 'em out with a dowel. Your BB ammo may be right at this point. Cases will sometimes back out a hair and if they stick will cause the cylinder to bind. I doubt if you have damaged you gun, but I wouldn't shoot the BB unless I had too. There is really no need, the .460 is more than enough gun even with standard loads. And since it seems only the BB ammo is what causes you problems, the solution is simple.

 

[Evergreen]

Thanks Buck for this great information. Also, you have made me feel a bit better. I always worry when people say I may have damaged my gun. I think I am convinced to stay away from BUffalo Bore.. I just don't get how they can be manufacturing rounds for S&W 460 and then claim it is not compatible with the S&W 460. That is really stupid. Anyway, your assessment sounds the most accurate to me and I will assume that is what the problem was. It seems to make sense, based on how everything happened.

I'd be interested to hear any suggestions on .460 ammo preferences. I might look into what Corbon has available as well. I'm really hoping Double Tap will eventually produce a .460 round.

I was reading on another gun forum a guy saying not to shoot .454 or .45LC out of .460, because it will eventually lead to chamber erosion and other problems. He said the .460 can stop functioning if you shoot shorter rounds. Does this guy's statement hold any truth, or is he flat-out wrong? I'm hoping he is wrong, but would like to hear opinions on his statement.

 

[sgt127]

What do the primers look like? Are they flattened? Is the primer flowing back into the firing pin hole? (does the primer look kind of like a "nipple" for lack of a better term) I would think that would be the first cause of a malfunction as you are decribing. The original S&W L frames all had that problem with hot ammo and were later modified.

 

[Zaydok Allen]

Evergreen, You can find Mother's Mag and Alluminum polish in the automotive department of walmart or any other store that sells automotive cleaners and polishes. It's just a metal polish. It's cheep too.

 

[OldStumps]

No .460 S&W, but a Taurus RB .454 in 8 3/8" barrel. My first rounds were Freedom Arms 240gr JHP. Amazingly stout. Would not eject and primer flattening out the wazoo. Two things now when firing this ammo. First I now carry a dowel with wooden ball at end to aid in ejecting brass. They won't come out with ejector rod. Secondly check the ejecting rod to make sure that it is properly tightened. Mine was a used RB and after some number of rounds the rod became loose and I couldn't release cylinder. Had to work at it to get things open. I need to locktite it one day when I finally get around to it.

I doubt very seriously that you are torquing or messing with alignment of cylinder with the BB ammo. These case rims are normally between cylinder back and backplate and they take up a lot of the recoil directly into the backplate. Not a lot of movement possible when they should already be back against the backplate when cylinder is closed.

I am not an expert here at all, but I know what to watch with my RB. With BB I can only say that they load to SAAMI max pressures. Your S&W is certainly able to handle more than max SAAMI loads and likely did so in proof testing. Don't like the sound of the forcing cone changes though.

My only other comment is watch leading with the .454 and 45LC in this gun. Also buildup in the chamber ahead of these two cartridges that might affect the chambering of the .460 round. In my RB I only shoot FMJ 45LC. Any lead bullets I would make sure were hard cast. I continue to have a lot of fun with mine and mostly shoot Magtech and Hornady ammo. A little over a $1 a round so saving brass and will likely reload one day. Don't really like crimping for case life (and I don't think any commercially crimped ammo is going to extract bullet on recoil).

Anyway have fun.

 

[Evergreen]

Been a while since I read this post.. Thanks Old Stumps for this heads up.. Right now, I don't have any more money to shoot my lovely beast, so it will sit in the safe for a couple months. I guess I am a little concerned about shooting the 45LC and .454 out of the .460, as I read a few people stating that it can screw up the chamber or something. I am hoping this is misinformation. I would certainly make sure to clean the gun before each use, especially when switching calibers.

Right now the Double Tap 45LC rounds are dirt cheap and very powerful. I know they are powerful considering the amount of kick they have out of my hefty X-frame w/Compensator. For .75/round I am getting all the power and possibly more that I would get out of a $2.00/round hard cast 320gr Corbon 44 mag round.

So, do you think a lot of shooting with the 45LC out of my .460 will cause any problems with chambering the .460 rounds? Assume I will clean it thoroughly before use. I am planning on shooting a lot more 45LC than .460 out of this gun, so I would really want to know. Also, I plan on carrying the 45LC as my 4-legged defense round when hiking around the forests in Oregon/Washington. This question may be important enough for me to post in a new thread.

 

[5.7Man]

When you fire a shorter cartridge in a longer chambered gun you run the risk of eroding the chamber in front of the case mouth, or building up fouling in that area. This will likely cause hard extraction. How many 45 colt and 454 rounds have you fired? I had a Freedom arms 454 a number of years ago and I remember FA cautioning against using 45 colt for this reason. I suppose it is easier to get away with with the 38/357, but they are not loaded to 50,000PSI.

 

[Evergreen]

Hey, my last post got deleted, mods can you tell me what happened?

5.7.. I said that it is unfortunate news, I have fired about 50rds of Double Tap 45LC through it. Maybe about 60 rounds of .454 or so. I haven't used the gun very much. I suppose I will have to use the .460 S&W solely for the .460 round. That is a bummer, because the gun is promoted as handling all three. I was really hoping to be able to use the 45LC as my main round for this gun.

 

[OldStumps]

I wouldn't shy away from using the .45LC. I just wanted you to be aware of pretty much what 5.7 and I have said. I am stocking up on .45 LC now and will continue to shoot it as the primary range round in my RB .454. I would be less concerned about any actual damage to the cylinder walls, although any firearm will undergo a small degree of erosion of chamber area with each round fired. You will likely undergo more with your high energy .460 and .454 rounds than .45LC. More importantly here is to shoot the .45LC AFTER you shoot any higher energy rounds, and .454 AFTER any .460 rounds. Said again, shoot the .460 first at any session after you have cleaned the gun, then .454 and then .45LC.

The other point is shooting lead versus half or better jacketed bullets in .45LC. I shoot FMJ flat points so I don't have to worry about leading. Shaved lead at the front of the case portion of the cylinder (where the shorter cases don't reach, is probably much worse than powder residue build up and needs to be soaked with solvent and brushed till it is spankin clean. Also don't forget the forcing cone at the back of the barrel. It's a major reason that hard cast lead is the only bullet you should shoot from any caliber in your Smith. Lead accumulation at the forcing cone can lead to another potential narrowing of the barrel and possible squib.

None of this is meant to cause undo caution. Only that these are real issues that you need to be responsible about with these hand cannons. If one of these goes Kaboom because you don't keep them clean or stay on top of it's not a little Kaboom - it's likely a real big one.

Finally in line with the last comment, metal erosion in high energy revolvers is many times found at the front of the top strap above the front of the cylinder. A lot of energy is blasted out of the cylinder gap in all directions. The front of the top strap is the closest part of the frame to the gap and imagine a little blow torch hitting it with every round. Especially keep that area clean. In technical terms for automatic rifles this erosional effect due to high energy gases is called 'throat erosion'. The Civilian Marksmanship Program (CMP) that sells M1 Garands to the public grades their M1s in part by throat erosion measurements. Roughly every thousand rounds fired reduced the erosion grade by one point. Barrels are replaced (including the eroded front of chamber of course) after about 5000 rounds. Guns wear out.

You can't beat the economics of learning to handle the gun with lighter loads. And it really is a .357/.38 comparison with more energy at issue. Hope that helps a little bit more. These guns with very high pressures (but really no higher than a modern high power hunting rifle) deserve more respect and require more care. I certainly think they're worth the effort to get it right.

 

[Loosedhorse]

VA27, I don't think oil/solvent residue is the issue.

What would better explain sticky extraction with the first cylinder of ammo after cleaning, and then perfect extraction with the same ammo after that?

Interesting that lock-up happened on the last round. I am used to the idea of the last round experiencing bullet creep, but that typically results in the cylinder not being able to turn completely, not locking up after the last round is fired.

I've run into weak cyclinder stop spring in SW revolvers, so that the cylinder will spin back on recoil, and your next trigger pull results in a re-strike on your just-fired case. How this might cause lock up I can't say.

If you're proposing one freak over-pressure round that happened to be the last cartridge in the first cylinder fired, that's certainly possible.

 

[Evergreen]

Thanks for your input, OldStumps. I am glad to hear I can still use 45LC out of my S&W 460, as that was one of the main purposes for me purchasing the gun. I'm not an expert with all the ammo specifications, but I am thinking the ammo you are referring me not to use would be lead rounds or semi-jacketed ammo. Am I correct? I am thinking that most of the ammo I am shooting is jacketed or has a hard cast lead bullet. Pardon, me for my ignorance, but can you give some examples of the types of ammo you think would be acceptable and which would be forbidden to use in this gun.

I have been shooting a small variety, including Double Tap 45LC +P HardCast 360gr and Gold DOt 45LC 250gr GDHP. As far as the .454, I have shot mostly hard cast lead rounds, but also some JSP. Would JSP be best to avoid in this type of gun?


As far as the order of shooting the cartridges, I do start with the hottiest and heaviest .460s, move down to the lighter .460s, then I will load up the .454s. Once, the .454s have been shot, I load the 45LCs and do most of the plinking with the 45LC. I understand that shooting a shorter cartridge in the .460 chamber can cause fouling that can lead to extraction problems if I attempt to shoot longer rounds afterwards.

I guess I didn't realize the challenges involved with owning this firearm and rotating calibers, but if there is a way it can work, I would like to do all it takes to properly maintain the gun to allow it to function properly.

The Double Tap rounds seem to function flawlessly, although I only had two trips to the range and always started with Buffalo Bore. I think my next range trip I will start out with the hottest .454 load I have in the Double Tap.

As far as cleaning the chamber and gap between the cylinder and throat of the barrel, would a strong solvent be advisable every time? I am using the Hoppes Elite with a brass brush and patches to clean it out. Is this not sufficient? The chambers look clean as far as I can tell, but maybe I am missing something important.

 

[OldStumps]

I think you're well on your way to lots of enjoyment.

I don't think anything harsh is in order. Hoppe's is fine. And if the patches come out clean and cylinder and barrel looks clean and smooth I think that's all that is required. With cylinder out look at forcing cone at back of barrel closely. Even hard cast lead can shave so it needs to be checked.

And really any lead bulleted ammo that doesn't say hard cast I would personally stay away from. Lots of lightly loaded cowboy ammo in round nose I probably wouldn't shoot.

As far as full metal jacket I shoot a great 255 grain full metal jacket .45LC that comes from a specialty/online manufacturer called The American Marksman. You can find him online (I believe in Arkansas) and I've been very pleased with service (not sure what your state's ammo laws are like for mail order). All new and about $29 a loose pack box of 50. They chrono out at about 950 fps and a little over 500 ft-lbs of ME from my 8-3/8 barrel. I consider that range ammo. I also shoot a jacketed hollow point in 200 grain that is Blazer ammo with aluminum case. About same velocity and 100 ft-lbs less ME because of the lighter bullet. Not many make jacketed ammo in .45LC. Choices are limited. These are what I am using at the moment. Oh, and for high energy .454 I really like the Hornady XTP .240 grain in my RB. About 1800 fps and 1700 ft-lbs ME.

And I agree that it take more effort to maintain, but again way too much fun not to.

 

[OldStumps]

Sorry, I missed the JSP question. I think 3/4 jacketed soft points would be fine (again only an opinion based on what I've experienced). For these I go with Magtech 240 and 260 grain semi-jacketed soft point for .454. I buy the Hornady and Magtech from Sportsmans Guide online also. When you join their Buyers Club and make use of coupons they provide I don't think you can get it as cheap anywhere else.

 

[Evergreen]

Thanks Stumps, I appreciate this detailed information about the ammo. The whole ammo ordeal is a bit confusing out of this S&W 460 and I think I will be a bit nervous with ammo orders. It appears most of the ammo I would purchase would be mostly jackted with a small exsposed bullet or hard cast lead round.

If you don't mind , can you tell me if the following rounds would be safe to shoot from this gun. These are some of the ammo I am planning on doing the most shooting out of the gun. I guess I am confused if shooting high quantities of any one of these particular types of ammo will mess up my gun:

Double Tap 45LC +P 360gr WFNGC (Wide Flat Nose Gas Check) Hardcast
This will be my carry load while hiking in the forest in Oregon/Washington. I also plan on plinking with this round.

Double Tap .454 Casull 400gr WFNGC Hardcast
Would shooting the heaviest rounds be best for .454? I figure the heavier bullet would be more of an advantage for big animal defense.

Speer Gold DOt 45LC 250gr HPThis is a light expanding load with almost no recoil in the X-Frame.. I plan to load my S&W 460 with this for urban/home defense.

You mentioned, the MagTech .454 JSP is safe to use, then I will definitely add that to my list of plinking ammo. It is affordable, but the Double Tap seems to be higher quality and more powerful for a similar amount of money.


As far as .460, I will be glad to take any of your suggestions. I have made note of a few of the types of ammo people suggested here. I think the Hornady XTP .460 will be a great plinker, as it is only like a $1.50 or so a round. If anyone wants to give me suggestions for good and powerful 460 loads that would be great to carry in grizzly country, I'd be happy to hear.

As far as my Buffalo Bore, I am going to sell it, as it doesn't seem to function well in my gun. What a shame, that BB 460 doesn't work in a 460! Anyway, I will see about finding alternatives, that are cost effective.

 

[OldStumps]

Evergreen,

First let me say I am getting envious. Having three different calibers to play with in one gun is pretty neat!

I haven't shot really any of the ammo you want to use, but have reviewed them. Only thing that came up was the DT 400gr. One reviewer said it was soft and mushroomed a bunch. Didn't sound very promising for deep, bone crushing penetration.

Personally I don't like wheel guns for home self defense. Prefer .40 semi-auto.

I've started looking at these 5" barrelled Smiths. About twice what I paid for my RB. Still, nice to look at. One of the ranges I frequent has Smith day and the local rep drops off a bunch of them and you buy ammo to shoot them. I'll try one of these next time I see that.

Have fun!