The Accurate Reloading Forums THE ACCURATE RELOADING.COM FORUMS Hunting Handgun Hunting Might need a new bullet for my .454Go | New | Find | Notify | Tools | Reply | |
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My "pet load" of 240 grain XTP/Mag Hornady might have to change. I have 300 on back order from Cabelas, but other sites are saying "In stock at 12/28/09" (Midway). So, if I am going to be using my .454 this year, I might need a new load. Any suggestions? This will be for whitetail deer. | ||
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I use a 300 gr hornady FSP, gets the job done well. I have heard good things about the hornady XTP and Barnes XPB, but I haven''t had any real world experience with them, the FSPs do the job pretty well. | |||
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Two of my favorites: Whitetail at distance: Barnes 250 http://barnesbullets.myshopify...gr-xpb-fb-454-casull Hogs in closer: 335gr WFNGC http://www.castperformance.com/Detail.bok?no=21 DuggaBoye-O NRA-Life Whittington-Life TSRA-Life DRSS DSC HSC SCI | |||
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I've used the 250gr XPB in my Ruger BH in 45LC. Driven to 1400fps it penetrated a javalina end to end. Recovered the perfectly mushroomed bullet just under the skin.  I've also used the 250gr and 300gr .452" FTX, they are very accurate but haven't had a chance to shoot anything with them. | |||
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What will you be hunting? If your game is tougher than whitetail, I wouldn't even bother with jacketed bullets and just load up some heavy, flat-nosed cast bullets and be done with it. You are starting with .45 caliber, so you don't need expansion, just penetration. JMHO. Oh, and they're cheaper........ "Ignorance you can correct, you can't fix stupid." JWP If stupidity hurt, a lot of people would be walking around screaming. Semper Fidelis "Building Carpal Tunnel one round at a time" | |||
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What Whitworth said..  If you're going to make a hole, make it a big one. ΜΟΛΩΝ ΛΑΒΕ Member of the Delaware Destroyers Member Reeders Misfits NRA Life Member ENDOWMENT MEMBER NAHC Life Member DSA Life Member | |||
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Speer makes a dandy 260 gr Gold Dot. The 240 gr XTP is my go-to deer bullet for my .454 as well. If you really get in a tight spot, let me know-I've got 50 or so loaded up. Praise be to the Lord, my rock, who trains my hands for war, my fingers for battle. | |||
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My favorite for the 454 is the 300gr Hawk FP. I always had good luck with 240gr expanding bullets, but, even for whitetail, I find the lead bullet performs even better and, of course, for tougher game there's no contest. Hawk bullets are a little more expensive, but the cost of a bullet is pretty much a nit unless you're talking about target shooting. When you get bored with life, start hunting dangerous game with a handgun. | |||
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I like Nosler 260 gr. partitions for deer. Expensive, but they are accurate (more so, for me, than the XTPs) and perform well in game. I tried Barnes for the Condor Zone in CA, but had to switch from H110 (not enough case capacity). dvnv | |||
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My local gun store has both the Barnes and the Nosler bullets. I plan on giving them a try after the holiday! Unfortunatly I can't use hard cast lead in Iowa. The law states it must be an expanding bullet. | |||
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I wonder why that is. Even if you are hunting with a .500??  "Ignorance you can correct, you can't fix stupid." JWP If stupidity hurt, a lot of people would be walking around screaming. Semper Fidelis "Building Carpal Tunnel one round at a time" | |||
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Per the Iowa DNR hunting Regs, and 'Steve,' the helpful enforcement officer in Des Moines... just as with a shotgun slug or a muzzleloader projectile, a cast bullet made of lead [flat-nosed or otherwise] would be perfectly acceptable as it exits the barrel of a handgun en route to its intended corn-fed quarry. Any manner of JSP/JHP projectiles are kosher as well. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Soft_point_bullet As with many [all?] states, however, it is the non-expanding FMJ's that are illegal to use. Perhaps the phraseology of 'hard cast' not being = to 'non-expanding' is to blame. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Full_metal_jacket_bullet Page 23 in the Deer Hunting section at http://www.iowadnr.gov/law/files/08huntingregs.pdf states: Handguns: Center-fire handguns .357 caliber or larger, shooting straight wall ammunition with an expanding-type bullet. Minimum barrel length for all handguns is 4 inches. ... Shotguns: 10-, 12-, 16-, and 20-gauge shotguns shooting single slugs only. | |||
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THAT IS GREAT! When I asked a DNR offical one time about it, he said that if it wasn't an "expanding bullet" it wouldn't be legal. He did also say he wouldn't give a ticket for using hard cast lead, and he doubted anyone else would, but that was the law. | |||
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In my SRH the Nosler Partitions seem to be a little more accurate than the Barnes. I used NP 300s to take this in May. Was planning to use 260s but I was running short on the 260s just before leaving and my dealer got me 300s instead, so I made the switch. I was impressed with the results, it only went several yards, maybe 8, and that was without taking out either shoulder. Entered about low center rib cage and exited on the rear edge of the shoulder. By AkF&G scored 21 4/16. Used a predator call to bring it in to about 40 yards. I'd use the NP 260s for either deer or black bear.   | |||
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Shot large white tail with 310 gr cast (lee mold), deer was facing me. entered chest took out heart, lungs, kidney, found bullet when I skinned it on left ham just under the skin, it expanded to 70 cal. 454 Casull at 1250+- fps. Jacketed bullets seem to shed their jackets with this gun, so I'll stick to cast, BTW still weighed 295gr. "An armed man is a citizen, an unarmed man is a slave", Ceasar | |||
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I don't shoot lead bullets out of my RB .454 any more to hard to clean the lead out of the porting. I did shoot a deer with a 45XTPmag it didnt expand. If it did not have any porting I would sure use a heavy hard cast. Swede --------------------------------------------------------- NRA Life Member | |||
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