Which Are Your Favorite Starting Loads For The .454 Casull

[johnnyflake]

Most reloading books, for almost any caliber, will show starting load data and max load data, based on bullet weight & style.

I am looking for what others favor in the starting load category for accuracy and easy of shooting.

[Zippidydoodah]

I don't have .454.cas but if you shoot 45 colt start there and progressively move up to the max as you like. I have both 38 special , 357 mag and 44 special and 44 mag and 45 auto and 45 win mag. I start low and work my way along. When I was young and starting out my first load was at max. I missed the point. You'll have more fun shooting lighter loads and shoot more without beating yourself up each session. I had a friend that shot a .257 weatherby mag and was beat up after firing 60 rounds. I would shoot 2-3 times as many because I shot reduced power and enjoyed it more.
I'm sure you'll find your own tolerance level somewhere along the path,
Btw, I still have some of the "good loads".

[paralaska]

I usually start in the middle . . . I've found that I usually get the best accuracy somewhere between middle and max. I generally go in 1/2 grain increments until I get a promising load, then work up or down in 1/10 grain increments to refine it . . .
My favorite powders are w296(h110), 2400, and 4227. . .

[Ranch Dog]

I usually start in the middle . . . I've found that I usually get the best accuracy somewhere between middle and max.

Me too, I personally don't take what used to be the norm of 10% max and work up. I jump in at 5% below and move quickly to max usually in three increments but sometimes in only two.

I'm not working with "published" data in that I'm a QuickLoad user. I have enough experience with it and have all the parameters of a load tweaked to what I'm using and have shot it's results enough across pressure trace equipment to know that the calculations are spot on.

I'm also a cast bullet shooter so I need to observe the limits of my alloy. In the case of the 454 Casull my starting load was 48.0 KPSI as that was the limit of my Lyman #2 clone. I switched to 50/50 linotype/wheel weights and went to 55.0K PSI, the limit of that alloy. The difference between these two pressures is one grain of Lil' Gun.

[paralaska]

Ranch Dog . . . Don't know what "QuickLoad user" means . . . Is that a powder brand? I've not heard of it . . .
Also . . . I was thinking of using COWW with about 2% tin added . . . Do you think that will be ok for medium to heavy 454 loads? They will be gas checked . . .

[akuser47]

Quick load is a computer program that you input powder, bullet, info into and it calculates and predicteds performance of that load and seems to work very well.

[Missionary]

Greetings
I have a BFR 454 with thw 7.5 inch barrel.
If you want to shoot COWW (maybe 8 on the brinnel scale) You need to think a gentle shove on that bullet base even with a GC. If you hit that soft bullet with a firm "Wap" you possibly will have the nose "slumping" into the body. Inertia really goes to work with soft aloys even will 2% tin.
In my BFR 50-50 (ww-range scrap % tin) Is the soft mix I use. The BFR had a 1-16 twist so a heavy bullet (270gr or so) at 950 fps stabalizes and is minute of groundhog at 100 yards. I seldom shoot lighter cast as if a light bullet is needed a 45 Colt RBH is very sufficient.. or I step downn to the 41 mag.
But the 454 was designed to shoot heavy slugs. At 950 fps a 270 grainer will go through a big whitetail chest. If you desire to punch shoulders use WW. I tend not to shoot corn crunchers through the "grill doors". Move that same bullet up to 1100 fps and there is not any angle you van not punch critters that weigh up to 250 pounds.
Once you get to higher velocities I switch to WW +tin. I do not need more than 1300 fps. All the wholly mastadons are gone from the ILLinois river bottoms and I have a 475 Linebaugh BFR if needed.
Mike in Peru