454 Casull Brass, Dies, and Loads

[TexNAss]

..... My Lee book shows the 454 Casull as .452 bullet diameter and 45 Colt as .454 bullet diameter. Is this a misprint? Can I use either of these die sets for both calibers or not? Why would they make separate die sets? I don't get it.

You 'can' use the 45Colt dies but shouldn't. The 45Colt bore size can carry a bit- but should be 0.452/.451. Slug it and check.

The Lee 454Casull die set contains
-Lee 45colt-D4 expanding die,
-Lee 45colt-D4 full sizing die, AND
-Lee 454Cas-C4 Seater/Crimper die.

Just buy the proper brass and die- at least then a mate can't load one of "454" '45colt cased' loads by accident.

In Australia- the cheapest 454 brass I could find was $95AUS for 50Starline delivered.

"Factory ammo" locally is $88AU for 20. Wish I could import it from you guys[emoji14] .

Tex.

[6Gears1Speed]

I got 200 once fired fully prepped 454 Starline cases on Gunbroker for $48 plus $6 shipping. That was the best deal I could find. I'll get the 454 die set.

[Ranch Dog]

That's a good deal!

[mr surveyor]

wow, that was quite a deal.

[6Gears1Speed]

Instead of starting a new thread I'll just continue this one for loading questions...

I have some Sierra 300gr. JSP on the way and once I get them tomorrow I will have everything I need to begin loading. I have never loaded ammo this powerful so I want to make sure I get it right. I called Sierra and they sent me the data for this bullet. They list H110 which is good since that's what I have on hand specifically for this project.

I'm used to the Lee book so I need help on how to do this in reverse so to speak. Their data lists velocities only and it's based on a 7.5" barrel. I don't know how to pick the right load based on my 2.5" barrel. The data is below. I now have a chrono that I haven't even used yet. Should I just start at the low end, chrono it and adjust accordingly or is there a calculation I can make to determine the velocity with my 2.5" barrel? The Sierra guy said I definitely picked the right bullet for my gun. It's their hardest bullet.

[RBHarter]

I had a "j" 2" 38 Special. I had 2 loads that were just ahead of the book in a 4" S&W M10 4" and only a little faster in a 6" Security 6. It was way slow in the 2" bbl and hit well below the sights even at 10 yd. When those loads were pushed well up into the +P levels it did make it to point of aim at 20 yd.

I have shared that because really you have the same situation here. You likely have load data created with an 8" Raging Bull class pistol or a universal receiver. I expect, unless this just happens to be a really fast pistol that you will lose 2-300 ft off the data .

[Ranch Dog]

I've been working quite a bit with data as of late with NOE and one subset of the work deals with velocities across a wide range of barrel lengths. I also have a personal interest in conceal carry revolvers. A Rossi 351 (38 Spl with 2.5" barrel) can be added to the lineup below, it is my favorite.



The convenience of the short barrel comes at a pretty good price. Directly from my work, I would state that you can expect to see 69% of the listed velocities with the same powder charge. To make it simple, here is a chart. This is what I've found but I've been working with cast bullets, not jacketed, but I doubt it would be any worse.

revolver_fps_effect.jpg

Of the powders listed, at hand you probably the most efficient for the short barrel. That is something that I'm also looking at, efficiency. The problem with the short barrel length is that you blow most of the charge out the end of the barrel before it has time to do what it is supposed to. H110 is only going to burn about 65% of that charge on the way out.

You don't need to worry about exceeding pressures as Speer is limiting it somewhat with the velocity limitation of their jacket design (a max of 1550 FPS). Barrel length does not change the chamber pressure, just the velocity and efficiency.

I took the liberty of adding to the title of this topic to reflect the direction it has taken.

[6Gears1Speed]

Thanks for the title change and information. Before I get to the actual loading, something unexpected just happened while dialing in the factory crimp die.

The Sierra data sheet says to apply a firm crimp and go so far as to recommend the Lee factory crimp die to achieve a proper crimp.

The instructions that come with the Lee factory crimp die say that it's impossible to buckle a case as with conventional crimp dies. Wrong.

I was playing around with the adjuster to try and achieve a roll at the cannelure, and having done this with other cartridges I just kept turning in the adjuster to find the point where it goes bad. What I got was a buckled case. I tried with a second case and got the same result. With other ammo including 357 cases I've turned to the point where the crimp was visibly too much but have never buckled a case. This is a bit concerning since I'm messing with powerful loads here and not sure what to make of it. I never got any kind of a roll. The mouth stayed straight right up until the point that the case buckled.

[f100cleveland]

Would using a faster burning powder like bullseye trailboss tite group etc be more efficient plus less powder less cost per round. I just found and ordered some 454 casull brass at midway for 33 per 100. On sale starline

[f100cleveland]

I have the Lee factory crimp die and can taper up to heavy roll on lead or jacketed bullets.