I'm working up loads for my .454 and I'd like to work up some light target loads, some medium target loads, and some heavy hunting loads. I plan to work up to the heavier loads from the lighter loads so I am used to the recoil. From what I have read, Unique should be good for light loads, Lil'Gun for medium loads and low pressure, and H110 for the heavy loads. Does this sound about right, and should I be using any filler on the light loads, if so, what filler should I use. Fill me in, it's my first pistol loading experience. The gun is a 12" TC Encore
Yardbird

Yardbird
Used the data for 45 LC Standard loads,for your mild loads. There is some data around for medium loads but the best bet is to use the starting load data for the 454-stout but much less then Max loads.

What primer should you use for light unique loads in the 454? Standard small rifle?

For plinking/ indoor target with the FA .454 with 7 1/2 inch barrel, I have good luck with

drum roll....

2400 and 255 grain cast Keith style SWC.

I find that for my gun, 14.5 grains to 16.5 grains gives me exactly a 6:00 target hold on the NRA bullseye target, and outstanding accuracy.

Primers- I like Rem 7 1/2, but can't find em any more so have shifted to CCI.

Pete

I use 700X for light loads.
If your planning on doing lots of reloading and shooting, I'd suggest investing in some surplus powder. I've been shooting lots of WC820 in my 454 lately. It seems to take about 1-2 gn less than 296 for similar velocities and only costs $8 a lb. It burns clean and meters very consistently. I wish I would have run across it years ago. If your not going to shoot a a whole lot, then stick with 296 for your top loads.

There are tons of reloading data available for the 454 Casull on Freedom Arms's website. It should be a very good starting place. Hodgdon also has a lot of free reloading data on their website. Check them out. Have fun.

http://www.freedomarms.com

http://www.hodgdon.com/

I just worked up my IHMSA target loads last week and I'll post the data later when I dig it out of the camping pile.

But I used two powders, Unique and 2400, two primers, Win Small Rifle and CCI Small Rifle Magnum, and two bullets, Lyman 255gr Kieth gas checked and Lyman 324 RNFP gas checked. With these six components alone, I found everything I needed.

For a general purpose hunter, I have settled on 325gr Lyman gas checked, CCI Small rifle magnum, and 19gr 2400. Its about as medium as medium can get. I would have no trouble at 150 meters with this (assuming targets, not game), and it is still light enough for 50 meters without too much hold-under (with my sight settings). Around 1200fps if memory serves.

I set up this weekend with 265 gr. Keith's and 11 gr. of Unique, it was very accurate, one ragged hole at 25, 1/2" at 50, and under an inch at 75 yds., and a real pussycat to shoot, I could have shot it all day. I'm trying some Lyman 255's this weekend, I have Unique and H110 right now, it looks like you recommend 2400 for medium loads, what would you suggest for the Unique or H110?
Yardbird

Yardbird,

sorry, I forgot to bring my notes with me again. Prudence dictates that I refrain from posting exact loads from memory. I've been guilty in the past of typos, I'd like to avoid that.

H110 is probably a great powder for medium to full loads, but it doesn't do well in my measure, while 2400 does. I am going to try AA1680 or Reloader7 one day as a substitute. IMR4220 worked well for me, but burned incompletely and caused visible topstrap gas cutting. Maybe it was my chambers or my crimp, I don't know. The heaviest load I created with 2400 was 21.7gr 2400 with a 325gr bullet, and it measured an average of 1440fps. That, to me, was plenty stout. With a 255gr I got 1880fps, can't remember the charge. Also plenty stout.

For the unique, it feels and acts just like you described with both 255s and 325s. I think it is similar to the way bullseye behaves in a 357 magnum.

For both powders, about 100fps or more can be obtained by moving to a magnum primer with the same load. I went with regular primers for my unique loads, and magnum for 2400 loads, for my latest test. There is plenty of overlap, but the 2400 burns cleaner with magnums.

None of my loads are tested for accuracy, simply because I would be a poor judge. I am trying to match loads to my sight settings for 4 different ranges. If I can get 8MOA at 200 meters I will be more than happy. Right now I'm having to convert minutes to hours

Sorry it took so long. There is a lot of data here, so I'll stick to average MV.

Temp was about 72, pressure falling very slowly from maybe 30, humidity maybe 60%. Beautiful Central Texas spring day.

I was pretty close to 2.5 meters from the chrony to the muzzle, standing in the same spot each time. I was at a measured 8* angle downward into a berm in relation to gravity. If that matters.

In this test, I built 5 of each load, using unique with win small rifle primers under Unique, and CCI small rifle magnum primers under 2400. I used two cast bullets from BBT, a 325gr RNFP-GC (Lyman) with BBT's excellent "car wash" lube, and a 255 Kieth-GC with BBT's latest OFW lube. Alloy was about 18 BHN. No leading that I could tell. I got some unburned powder, especially 2400 with the 255gr bullets. Some of these are at the upper end of what I think is proper for long pistol life; the 325s have considerable kick, period. Those CAS types with an FA should keep this in mind

255grain kieth w/ gas check
Unique over win small rifle primer
Starline nickel brass, 2nd loading
11.5gr 1033
12.4gr 1044
13.3gr 1138
14.2gr 1181

255grain kieth w/ gas check
2400 over CCI small rifle magnum primer
Starline nickel brass, 2nd loading
21.6gr 1138
23.4gr 1251
25.2gr 1357
27.0gr 1494

325grain RNFP w/ gas check
Unique over win small rifle primer
Starline nickel brass, 2nd loading
9.4gr 788
10.1gr 901
10.8gr 990
11.5gr 1090

325grain RNFP w/ gas check
2400 over CCI small rifle magnum primer
Starline nickel brass, 2nd loading
17.0gr 1036
18.0gr 1094
19.0gr 1171
20.0gr 1264

From a kick standpoint, the 2400 tamed the punch, especially 325s, a little better. But sd (for what its worth) was lowest for the unique, especially with 255s. You could probably add 150fps to the unique loads with the 255s by using a magnum primer, from past experiance.

I have loaded Blue Dot, it is loud and flashy, and spits debris out of the ports. I have used IMR4227, AA XMP whatever it is, and H110. All three are probably better for hot loads than 2400. But for a GP medium powder, I wonder if Herco would work?

My bad, this was with a Taurus Raging Bull, 8.5" barrel, stainless, all factory stock, At least 3000 spent primers through it, cylinder gap is still .0035 as best as I can measure. Its a good hogleg for the casual shooter, that's for sure.

I have a SRH 454. For somewhat lighter loads I go with 14 grains of Unique to push a 240gr Hornady XTP-Mag bullet. For the more stout loading I go with 30gr of Win 296 to push a 300 grain Hornady XTP-Mag. I use CCI standard small rifle primers and Starline cases.