[Gunnut45/454]

Rmouleart
Now thats the kind of performance I'm looking for"450 Marlin"!! That 450 is touted as a great griz killer on many boards. I can't wait to get mine -should be here tomorrow?
I've run the numbers on a ballistic program and in a rifle the 454 looks to be a real thumper. Got to love those 45 cal guns. I already have a 45LC Win 94 but which is no slouch either. But to have both a 454 SRH and 20" tube lever gun that's a combo that can't miss!!!

 

[Gunnut45/454]

Sorry the way I wrote my first response sounds like I'm get a 450- I'm getting a 454 Rossi it 's in I just have to go pick it up!! I wish my fingers would type the way I think.
I figure this will pound anything I might run into in the ID mountains with enough authority -besides it matches up real nice with the 454 SRH!

 

[Gunnut45/454]

Loader
Hey youand I going to be talking alot- So do you also have a 454 in pistola? If you do what length barrel? I'm real interested in what kind of increase in velocity you see between the rifle vs. pistol. The 260 gr is list at 1786 (Pistol)at that charge wt you use to get 2200. So is a 500 fps jump the average? I haven't shot mine yet maybe tomorrow. I have good data from my pistol and want to cut alot of testing off the rifle by selecting a good starting piont with the pistol data as powder charge. So no pressure signs at Max load?

I will have Hornady, Winchester and some FA brass to fool with. One thing I've noticed right off my 300 WFNs have to be loaded to no more than 1.650 OAL or they will not feed!! So I think my Max load will be a little less then expected-shooting for 2000 FPS.
I would love to try Lil'Gun but no stocks it around here! Should be just the ticket for the Rossi.

 

[Gunnut45/454]

Loader
Sounds good to me- a 260gr JSPat 2200 fps is a nice flat shooter in my book and should be excellant for deer and such. So you have had any problems at the top end as far as pressure signs? Like I said before I just got mine and haven't cap a round through it yet - planned to start at low end and work up -Of course- but I would like to start with my best pistol loads to get a good feel for what the "Puma" likes. My goal is to get my 300 gr WFN to around 2000 fps for the bigger stuff we have in ID. I'm already impressed with the lock-up on this gun -much tighter then my Win 94, but smooth. They have made the change on the sights as well -mine is seperate dove tailed in the barrel from the band on front. Granted the wood work is not top of the line the rifle looks nice.

We also need to get our data posted for these young guy's and older folk who might pick one up so they got a place to start- cause there is Zero data, other than for pistol's!! This is/will be a great caliber lever gun for the folks who want something just aliitle different then the rest. I'm going to try my best to fill my Bear/Cougar tag this spring with.

 

[Gunnut45/454]

Loader
The reason I ask if you saw any pressure signs is another guy I've chatted with on another board said he was seeing pressure signs at around 1gr to a 1 1/2grs below the Max pistol loads . And looking at my Puma and the Win 94 I have I don't see much if any difference in the metal-barrel construction. Although the 92's bolt lock-up looks to be a stronger design. Well like I said I'll start at the lite side and work -up anyway. If the weather co-operates this weekend. Had thirty-fourty MPH winds all day today. It make s it very hard to keep a chrono standing! Plus my new Win br*** should be here tomorrow Nothing like virgin Br***!!

Star line is very good br*** -they supply Buffalo Bore and I have br*** from a box of 45 LC I bought- tough stuff - I use it for my heavy 45 LC loads never had a problem yet-Some have 10-12 reloads on them!!!

 

[Gunnut45/454]

Loader
Agreed, and every rifle has a different Max load it will handle. So that's why we need to develope some info for inclussion hopefully into a loading manual for the general public so we can have some sort of standards for the rifles.
The 45 colt rifle info is the same way -no data except for cowboy loads. And I have worked up some very stout loads for mine.

Question , have you shot any Hornandy loads through your's- 300grs in particular- I have some of those 99 lot rounds and I really think those were loaded to hot at the factory- always stick in the chambers of my SRH and I'm kind of leary about shooting them through the Rossi.

MIKEG
Yep I think your mother program is set aliitle high when Brass gets edited out. How about grass!

 

[Gunnut45/454]

Yea I got six of those rounds left, I really think Hornandy Goofed on that lot and got I little to much powder in them.but at the time I bought my SRH thatwas the only 454 around here and I needed brass to reload so I bought a box.
Every time I shot those through the SRH they stuck-if the gun was even a little dirty they were very hard to get out!! But when I reloaded up to about a grain below Max they worked fine anymore then 31.5 Gr of H110/W296 they would get sticky.

I also got my new Win brass today- loaded ten rounds starting at 30 -30.5 gr W296 so we'll she if it aint rain tomorrow. I'll let you know what they Chrony at.

 

[Gunnut45/454]

Loader
Finally got out to put some rounds through the 454 Rossi-WOW!! This thing is a thumper!!! You definately know you've capped a round!!! Rifle performed flawlessly- feed and ejection of cases with out a problem. Here's the Data form the Chrony.

454 Rossi 20” Barrel

300 gr WFNGC
Case: Hornandy
Powder: WW296
OAL:1.650
Chg Wt: 29.5
Av Vel: 1945FPS
ME: 2520 Ft Lbs

300gr WFNGC
Case: Winchester
Powder: WW296
OAL:1.650
Chg Wt: 30.0
Av Vel. 1980
ME: 2611 Ft Lbs

300gr WFNGC
Case: Winchester
Powder: WW296
OAL:1.650
Chg Wt: 30.5
Av Vel. 1998
ME: 2659 Ft Lbs

Note: I got very close to my goal of 2000 FPS- no pressure signs at all, cases all looked great!! I think I'll get where I want to be at 31 grs- at 30.5 two shots where over 2000 fps
Recoil was stout- definately needed that butt pad - this would be a bruiser if it had no pad. Acuuracy was good considering I had a twenty MPH wind!! All on paper at 50yds - 3" high 2 1/2 -3" group!

 

[Gunnut45/454]

Loader
Well I went back out today and got the final test rounds through the Puma. I did get to my goal of 2000 FPS- but the accuracy of the load went south- opened up to about 6" at 50 so I've surpassed the max for the Cast 300 WFN!! I'll have to harden the alloy or stay below 2000 FPS! The sweet spot for these seems to be between 30-31gr of W296 as I didn't see an increase in velocity until I went to 31.3 grs were accuracy went south. So it looks like I'll have to wait untiil my order of 300 gr XTP-Mags gets here to persue this futher.

I also shot some 250 XTP's throught it as well -Man what a devistating load!!! Though these are difinately not for hunting anything you want to eat- acted like a varmit bullet!


Next I'm going to get some of Cast 255 gr loaded to see what kind of load I can work up with these. My SRH likes them as long as I don't shoot them to fast-leading, The Win 94 loves them and I can push them about 1800 FPS out of it. So I might be able to get 1900's before they lead up in the Puma. That would make an excellant deer/antelope round. Time will tell.

Oh just for general Info- I pulled one of the bullets out of that Lot 99, 300gr Hornandy's, and measured the charge-it came out to 30grs of what looks like H110? Now why these things shoot so hot I haven't a clue- Now I'll try an dupicate the load using H110 at 30 gr to see if this is the problem or that maybe this is highly refined power and not H110. I still think they over loaded these shells but I guess I'll find out with the test. Factory rated at 1650 FRS out of 7" barrel so if this is the load they should come out of my Puima at around 2200 FPS!

 

[Gunnut45/454]

Rmouleart
Yea I thought the weather was the problem as well when I first shot those-it was late summer here and still hot- but I also shot some in the late fall same year and it was in the low 40's and they still stuck in the SRH? Soft Brass Maybe -but like I said when I've reloaded these they worked fine granted they were not max loads either. I'll let you know how the test works out -most likely this weekend since I'll need to let my shoulder heal up some from the abuse of last weekend. At 25 ftlbs of recoil with that thin stock it gets abusive after a few rounds.