I just bought a FA .454 and absolutely love it! There are definitely some companies that still take pride in their work!!!

I am looking for a good factory load to hunt MI whitetails with?

Any suggestions or personal experiences???

Thanks!

MIBIGHNTR

You might want to check out either Winchester or Hornady. I doubt you will need the 360 grain Penetrators from Corbon for whitetails.

In my neck of the woods Hornady's 300 gr XTP gives the best bang for the $$$$$. Probably more power than needed for whitetail, but i know i can take a raking shot with it too.

I'll be using 255 grain cast SWC or 300 grain XTPs this year.

Now that you got the sweetest cannon on the block- time to start reloading. It's easy, and there is lots of help here.

Good shooting,

Pete
(7 1/2" FA)

Welcome to the FA fold!

I got tired of paying 1.50 or so a round for the factory stuff and started reloading for mine. One thing I did notice was that the lighter bullets (260 gr or so) seemed to have more recoil than the heavier stuff.
I'm using the Hornady 300 Gr XTP Mag bullet in my loads. Haven't had many chances to use it yet, but the one's I have taken were w/ the Win bullets in 300 gr.

Reloading is the way to go, but as far as factory 454 loads for whitetails? I believe Winchester makes a load with either 250 or 260 grain bullets traveling in the 1200-1300 fps range. More than enough power for whitetails and should be very comfortable to shoot.

I have some new .454 Freedom Arms factory loads available for sale in the Classifieds. One box each with 240, 260 and 300 grain factory bullets. If you are interested but don't like the price, let me know what they are worth to you. (Boxes are marked 69.95 each.)

Take a look at BuffaloBore. They have 2 hardcast LBT loads for the 454 as well as a jacketed flat nose load. The 325gr LFN or 300gr JFN ought to suit your needs for whitetail. Their handgun hunting ammunition is second to none.

www.buffalobore.com

[ 09-28-2002, 05:00: Message edited by: DavidReed ]

nice to see another Michigander on here Im from the beautiful UP. If you ever start reloading look me up I have alot of different cast .45 bullets for you to try. Our dear arent huge or bullet proof. I would go with the lighter factory loads. they are plenty for any whitetail. I have hunted them with everything from a .357 to a .500 linebaugh and found that you cant improve on a 240-255 grain .44 or .45 bullet at 1000fps. Kills them dead, gives complete penetration and is very easy to shoot accurately and if you ever crank that .454 off in a blind with full power loads its probably you that theyll be hanging from the buck pole!!

You must reload it's a lot of fun and you shoot so much more. Try leadheads 310gr wfn bullets, they don't leave lead in your barrel or minimal up to 1650fps and are inexpensive. I have a ruger 454 and love it but I would love to have a freedom arms gun.

Sorry your question wasn't about reloading. Winchesters loads will work. Corbon for heavy duty work.

I have a Ruger .454, and the Winchester 260 grain factory loads do about 1750 out of it. They kick more than any other load I've shot, but they seem to be good stuff.

The Winchester 260's are the hottest factories I have tried in the 454. Mine is an Encore with a 12" barrel but the Win 260's chronograph a tad over 2000 fps. in my gun. Certainly don't need that much powder for deer and not a lot of fun on the range either.