I just purchased a FA 7.5" 454 Casull. Looking for favorite powders to use behind. 240's, 260's and 300's.
Thanks.

quote:

Originally posted by stephen b.:
I just purchased a FA 7.5" 454 Casull. Looking for favorite powders to use behind. 240's, 260's and 300's.
Thanks.

H110 is my favorite with 300 grainers, but W296 is another frequently used powder, and you can't go wrong with either of those.

IIRC I use 30 grains of H110 with the 300 grainers and get about 1600 fps in a 7.5" Freedom Arms and Ruger Super Red Hawk. Accurate too.

You can slow a 250 grainer down to about 1000 fps with Unigue (10 or 11 grains IIRC) and it will shoot to the same POI as the 300 grainer at 1600 fps, with a 25 yard target. On out to 50 and 100 yards, the faster 300 grainer will be higher than the slow 250 grainer.

This is due to barrel time being greater with the slow-light load, yet barrel rise under recoil being less brisk, so they shoot to the same point. Same mechanics as involved in double rifle shooting, except no off centerline kick with a single barrel.

I carried my Field Grade FA Casull in a Bianchi Ranger Rig holster across the front of my chest everywhere I went in Alaska afield, hunting and fishing, when I lived there for 5 years. It was bear protection, and I took a Kodiak deer with it.

I used it to take an all white fallow deer stag on a game farm, "Whitey" hangs on my wall, knocked flat by a 300 grainer dead on at 50 yards.

I have tried loading with LILGUN and 300gr LBT's. I used 31gr and CCI small rifle mag primers, accuracy was not great. Then tried a few at 32gr and accuracy tightened up nicely, I am still working on this one, will post final results when done playing.

Ah ha! Here is the "squib" load that shoots to same POI at 25 yards as the 300gr/1600fps/30grH110 load:

Speer 225 gr JHP + 10 grains of Unique >>> 1082 fps.

Good accuracy with both, and group together at 25 yards.

I agree that H110/W296 are great powders for full-blown bear-stomping loads, but either only work well in a narrow pressure range and a number of factors can throw off consistency/accuracy, not the least of which is the crimp. Neither should be loaded less than 3% below max. For a more versatile powder, look at 2400 or AA#9. While they can't quite get the last hair of velocity that 110/296 can, they take alot better to midrange loadings. A couple more to consider are surplus WC820 and Hodgdon H108 (possibly the same powder). Best part about these is the $60/8lb jug price. Hodgdon lists 27.6gr of H108 as max for the 300gr FA JFP for 1652fps at 51k CUP. 32.5 grains behind the 240 and 260 slugs give 1930 and 1883 fps, respectively. You can load it down to heavy Colt levels, too.

Edit to add that those H108 numbers are from a 9.375" barrel (possibly a pressure barrel) and therefore shouldn't be compared apples/apples w/RIP's velocities from his 7.5" FA revolver.