I shot my FA 475 6" yesterday. I installed a higher front sight as my revolver was still shooting high with the rear sight bottomed out. My gun has the express sights.
I was also able to chrono some loads thanks to gal's chrono [we were doing some work with his and D's doubles, a 416, and 2 375 H7H's].
I shot 2 each of the following loads with the listed velocities.

All factory loads.
400gr Hornady HP 1254 fps and 1239 fps.

400gr SP Buffalo Bore 1319 fps and 1349 fps

420 Buffalo Bore 1383 fps and 1374 fps

440 Buffalo Bore 1286 fps and 1305 fps.

The revolver seems to like the 420 BB lead load best, but shoots all of them pretty good.
The first 3 hit close enough together at 25 yards to hunt with with the same zero.
I plan on shooting a black bear in Idaho with the 475 in a few weeks if everything works out.
Not sure what load I will use but I am leaning toward the Hornady or the BB 400 gr Soft Point.

The more I shoot this pistol, the more I like it.

Good shooting NE 450 No2,any 4 of the loads is plenty for black bear.

Sean

475/480,
Thanks

I shot the FA 475 again a couple of days ago, and shot one round through the chrono of the following loads, all Buffalo Bore Factory.

350 HP [this is a Hawk Bullet] 1439 fps

420 Cast [this is BB's "mild" load] 993.4 fps.
The 420 mild load is accurate even at 50 yards. It does hit a few inches higher and a little to the right.
It is about like shooting a 44 Mag.
The 350 gr is like shooting a 454, very fast recoil.
I may just have to use the 350 gr on my Black Bear hunt next week. I know the hawk bullet will give dramatic expansion.
What do you think?I would load one or two of the 350,s followed by the 400 gr SP. [this bullet is made by Speer, it is of Gold dot plated jacket design].

I have owned a 475 since 1987 and I personaly believe that for a hunting bullet that you can not beat the 420 grain LBT style hard cast.It provides great damage along the wound channel and the most amazing penetration ability. It seems that people want to shoot jacketed but in my opion the hard cast is tops for hunting bullet for either very large or small game as it kills either with equal aplomb

I might be concerned about penetration with that 350gr HP,no doubt on a side shot it would be perfect but if you had to drive it from a different angle I'm not sure it could do it.Even the 420 Light load would penetrate completely from any angle.Since I cast bullets I am kinda partial to cast WFN or LFN's.

Sean

I'd go with the 420 grain cast bullet over the 350 gra HP. You're strating with a bullet that has a diameter of nearly one-half inch. You have enough diameter to begin with, penetration is the thing.

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go with the 420 grain cast bullet over the 350 gra HP. You're strating with a bullet that has a diameter of nearly one-half inch. You have enough diameter to begin with, penetration

Come on, it's a black bear at less than 50 yards. Anything from 350gr up is going to punch the lights, end to end out of that animal. And Tony knows how to shoot, so it's not really an issue.

got to agree with Joe here black bear and deer are not bulletproof and that load would surely take care of anyone of them that walked.

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Originally posted by Mighty Joe:

quote:

go with the 420 grain cast bullet over the 350 gra HP. You're strating with a bullet that has a diameter of nearly one-half inch. You have enough diameter to begin with, penetration

Come on, it's a black bear at less than 50 yards. Anything from 350gr up is going to punch the lights, end to end out of that animal. And Tony knows how to shoot, so it's not really an issue.

The 420 grain hard cast is a known performer the 350 grain hollow is not.I say this because I once I tried some 430's in the 500 Linebaugh that I believed would work they did not penetrate well at all.The 430 wieght should have worked but did not with that particular bullet

JJ Hack posts on one of the other forums.He states he has over 100 kills on black bear having done contriol work at one time. He has also guided many other hunters to kills. He wrote quite a long post on black bear bullets for handguns and recommended jacketed hollowpoints over hard cast. He stated both will kill, but the JHPs seemed to get a bears attention and causes more distracting immediate pain causing a bear to bite at the entrance wound like he was stung by a giant bee. A hardcast shot bear usually just picks up and runs and they can go a long way if a major bone is not broken.

A friend several years ago shot a nice black bear in Maine over bait at about 25 yards. The gun was a Marlin .45-70 Guide Gun with his own hard cast bullets. He punched the bear through what appeared to be through both lungs and the bear ran off. 6 hours and several miles of tracking later they lost the blood sign in the rain.

I would try the Hawk...Bob

I have never experienced what you have described with LBT style hard cast. I shot a 7' bear with the 475 and hard cast and all 4 legs went straight out spread Eagle and that was that. I have not experienced JHP as being beter than LBT stle hard cast on large game. I do agree if the hard cast is of different design and has a small meplat or is a round nose.

The thing to do with hard-cast bullets for any caliber is to shoot to break the shoulders or the off-shoulder and not behind the shoulder for a double lung/heart shot. The lung shot is great with a JSP load only.

Never had a problem with with a double lung hit and an LBT style hard in 45 caliber and up

Some of you have hit on the solution. A large flat meplat and enough boolit weight for penetration WITH THE CALIBER used. The larger diameter the boolit, the heavier it needs to be.
A nickel is big around, but get one to 1100 fps and see haw far it will go through an animal. Now stick 500 grs. behind it and see the difference.

I am back from the bear hunt. I saw no bears so no shots were fired. I had one 350 grain followed by 3 400 grain Speer soft points, all Buffalo Bore factory, for the first day. My bait was about 40 yards away. For the next 4 days I used all 400 Speer Softs as they shoot better at that distance.
Around camp, and while grouse hunting I carried the 420 grain cast loads from BB that go about 980 out of my gun. I can shoot those with one hand, and from ackward positions with out wrist damage.
The more I carry shoot and use this FA 475 the more I like it. I will carry it on my horseback back country Elk hunt in WY this Oct.