Purchasing 1st FA

[RB98SS]

First post.  Been lurking for a while.

It appears I've been granted permission from the "boss" to go ahead and purchase my 1st FA revolver.  I have a few questions regarding the caliber I think I want to purchase.  It's a .454 Casull in a 6", Premier Grade.  I'm a fan of the big bore guns and this would be my first SA revolver.  I currently own a .50/.44 caliber Desert Eagle along with a Model 29 S&W, and a Ruger GP100. 

I'm a reloader and my main question is, would there be any benefit to order an extra .45 Colt cylinder or would I be able to download the Casull case to Colt velocities?  I'm currently downloading .44 magnum to .44 special, and .357 down to .38 special velocities with no issues and wonder if that would apply to the .454 also. 

I've been reading posts also regarding leading problems when not using jacketed bullets and wonder if anyone has had success loading lead with Casull cases.

Thanks in advance, Gary

[salvo]

Congrats! I have my first one on the way also.
I found a article by John Taffin about practice loads for big bores.
Page 5 has load data that you may find helpful.
http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m0BQY/is_1_50/ai_110470557/

[kl4j]

Congratulations.  I have he same gun but with the trigger job and a round butt.  I love it.  Be mindful of the significantly different point of impact between the 45 LC and the 454.  My gun and loads don't allow me to change back and forth without significant sight adjustment.  Of course it's much worse when I change to the 45 acp cylinder.  In any event they are great guns and shoot better than you can imagine.  Good luck.

[MarkH]

Personally, I would download the 454 rather than mess with a 45 Colt cylinder ... unless you already shoot a lot of 45 Colt and have an abundance of ammunition.

Point of impact will vary a good bit between the two calibers depending on the load, but having different front sight blade heights helps.

90% of my shooting in the 454 is done with lead bullets.  Getting past leading issues is a matter of finding the right bullet and load.  I use 300-325 gr gas checked and plainbase LFN and WFN bullets from Montana Bullet Works in 454 brass, generally with IMR4227 and H110 powders, with very good accuracy and no leading issues.  I have also been shooting a 250 grain Nosler Sporting HP over HS6 for a much milder experience, with excellent accuracy.

[SM]

Nice choice! My first FA is similar to yours (plus micarta grips and a 3 lb trigger) and I've got a 7,5" octagon .454 on order. I thought about the second cylinder in .45 ACP for my gun also, but after studying a little decided to go without. After living with the gun for a while I'm in agreement with Mark; it's easier to just load down than to play around with the second cylinder. I, for one, am lazy when it comes to changing things with my loading press. As I load only 9mm and .454 at the moment, I only need to use small primers, SP for one and SR for the other of course.

I noticed that the softest loads shot a good bit higher at 25 meters, but some of my medium loads actually shot to the same POI/POA as my full house loadings. I've tried everything from mild to wild with my FA and I prefer to shoot from medium to high end loads, but not just because of the same (or in some cases close to same) POI. I feel that those loads really bring out the excellent ergonomics and potential that's built into these fine shooting machines...

I bet that you enjoy the very different loads you can shoot with your Casull; I know I have.

 

[RB98SS]

I love these forums, what a great way to share information.

Thanks for the feedback.

Gary