I've read on the Hodgdon website that Trail Boss can be used effectively to create low recoil practice rounds for large bores. Have any of you done much experimentation with Trail Boss loadings with 500 grain bullets? Specifically, at (say) 50 to 100 yards, are the ballistics of the light recoil loads at all comparable to regularly loaded ammo? If not, what does one accomplish by light-loading, other than the ability to push a greater quantity of bullets down the barrel before getting sore? Final question, if the Trail Boss experiment is a useful one, does anyone have any suggested 500 grain loads for .458 Lott?

Hodgdon actually lists loads for Trail Boss for 458 Winchester and 45-120 Sharps (!) on their loading data web site:

http://www.hodgdonreloading.com/data/rifle

The main purpose I have used this kind of load for is reducing the recoil to tolerable levels. Velocities end up in the 1100-1300 fps range. I would only use plain lead bullets for these!! My guess is that jacketed bullets, particularly heavier ones, might lodge in the barrel with Trial Boss loads.

I have used Trail Boss in my 416 Rigby with 400gr Midway "seconds" and had one hole groups at 50yd. Much easier on the shoulder.

In my 470 double I had a load with 325gr pistol bullets that would regulate at 50yd but be about 6" lower than full power 500gr bullet loads. Fun for hinting pigs.

The one thing I noted is Trail Boss appears to burn much hotter than 4350 or 4831, The barrel warms up very quickly and the ejected 416 cases will give you second degree burns if you shoot, rapidly eject, and pick up the case.

Thanks for the quick input! I was considering loading Hornaday DGS's (cause that's what I've got on hand), but I'm reconsidering a bit after reading bpsteve's comments. This whole thought project came about because a couple of weeks ago I shot off 4 boxes of 458 Lott and 3 boxes of 450/400, and the next day I was kind of sore. Getting old, I guess. But I love shooting the big bores. GBS: with your experience at how hot Trail Boss burns, would you recommend a large rifle, rather than a magnum rifle primer?

5744 is what you want.

And by golly, 5744 actually is in stock at Midway. Guess I'll buy a pound and report back how it works out! Thanks.

I have used it only in some of my 45/70 rifles and it seemed to have a pretty good velocity swing from low to high.
As dpcd suggested try some 5744, it gave some impressive results in my rifles especially in a 45/70 Sharps with 500 gr Postell(?) bullet.
Again all my experience has been with 45/70's.

Steve.........

Another vote for 5744.

I use it in .585 Hubel Express for 650gr bullets. 80 grains of 5744 yield 1900 fps in my rifle. Clean burning, easy loading.

5744 is a great powder and is more flexible than Trail Boss. Trail Boss always burns clean, but is pretty limited in how much velocity you can get. 5744 can be used for those low velocities but will leave a lot of unburnt powder; at higher velocities and pressures it burns clean too and works fine with jacketed bullets. Both powders generate a surprising amount of heat given the charge weights, especially TB. Lots of nitroglycerine, I guess.

I have used TB in a Lott with 405 grain cast. I used the method described on the Hodgdon website to get powder charge.
Shot at 50 yards with iron sights, quiet, can hear bullets hit cardboard target.
Used to shoot a 150 pound hog, at 45 degrees bullet exited.

M

PM Todd Williams here on AR. He has shot a lot of TB in big boresz—including his .500 NE doubles.

Thanks, ledvm. I've sent Mr. Williams a pm.

I don't really understand the idea of shooting reduced load jacketed bullets in big bores. Surely the DG big bores are made to heave heavy bullets at reasonable velocities to hit large dangerous game hard and by laws of physics also hit the shooter reasonably hard too, how much more or less depending on the cartridge and gun.
Obviously it is great to be able to shoot our big bores as often as we like on the range or on lesser game but so much nicer if we can do it without the punishment on the body that we would get firing multiple full power loads. Similarly our children or grandchildren can enjoy shooting the 'elephant' gun without being knocked into the next world.

Therefore in reduced loads the bullet doesn't matter as it is not going to be used for the true intended purpose of the big bore so why use jacketed. This is where the cast bullet and small charges of fast shotgun or pistol powder really come into their own. Usually a good range of bullets weights are to be had and the powder charge is economical, very easy to ignite with no filler to cause any problems. It is possible to see these 1300-1500fps loads up to full power jacketed load POI and they are just a pleasure to shoot.

eagle27

My own reasons with no particular order (585 Hubel Express):

I don't want to mess my rifle with lead. But nothing against epoxy coated hard cast bullets (I use in .500 S&W at 1600 fps). Not available in .585. Not sure if coating can be good enough at 1900-2000 fps range.

650gr Woodleigh black powder express bullets were on sale, so I bought few hundreds and matched velocity for them (1900 fps). Can be great hog or whatever killer. You can also fire them 2700-2800 fps to make excellent varmint vaporizer ;-)

I don't fire it so much I have to care about price of bullets.

Eagle 27

My motives are much shallower than I care to admit. Before an Africa trip several years ago, I bought a couple hundred Hornaday 500 grain DGS's and a couple hundred cartridge cases so that I could work up loads and practice for the trip. These were full power loads, and after shooting about 50 of them, I decided I'd done enough full power practice! So now I have a lot of 500 grain jacketed bullets sitting in the reloading bench drawer. I really just wanted to create some loads to use them up while having a bit of fun shooting at targets, as it appears my days of shooting the 458 "in anger" may be behind me. (I also have a load of 450/400 bullets and cartridges that I'd like to use up). Regards!

Jiri and LeonK I understand where you are each coming from with your own situations and to be honest it is you guys with the resources to purchase and use a lot of jacketed bullets and case components that make it worthwhile for manufacturers to keep making them, so keep it up for my sake, I'll just keep popping my light cast loads, regularly annealing cases and even repairing the odd case neck split