I used to have a FA 454 Casuall--I sold it. I kept my dies brass, etc. I have recently found a used (less than a box fired) Taurus Raging Bull 454 Casuall in as new condition.
My old load (and I still have some of it loaded) was 31.5 grains of H-110 with a 300 grain Hornady XTP with a Rem. 7 1/2 primer. Chronographed MV out of my old 7 1/2 inch barrel was 1775 FPS.
Does the Taurus safely handle the loads that my old FA would? Should I pull bullets and start over again? I wouldn't start with this load to begin with, but my main question is, does the taurus typically handle the loads that the FA does? I would especially like to hear from you guys who have a Raging Bull or have friends who do.
xphunter

The load you have listed is a maximum load in my book, which should be safe in your Taurus. HOWEVER, as each gun is a rule unto itself, I would pull the bullets and work up to that level. The FA is without a doubt stronger than a Taurus, but the Taurus is built to handle SAAMI spec loads. I have the Ruger, it has digested over 2000 454 loads, most with 335gr cast bullets and H110, I like it better than the FA I used to shoot, but the FA is built to much more stringent tolerances, and is well worth the price.

Hello XP,

No experience with 454, but loaded a lot of 44 with H110. Hodgdon warns against reducing your starting load more than 3 percent below max when using H110, so don't start out too low. Your load is also well above Hodgdon's listed max for the 300 grain bullet. See www.hodgdon.com , and go to "Data", then "Pistol". I personally would not feel comfortable with that load. I would start at 29.1 grains and work up to 30.0 max.

(Edited to add) I always test double-action revolvers with a full cylinder. Sometimes a load will eject, for example, three fired rounds just fine, but not eject a cylinder full of empties. Test the "cumulative" effect....

Regards, Bill

[ 11-25-2002, 20:05: Message edited by: Bill M ]

I wouldnt pull the ammo you have, I would get a hand full of brass, and work up loads to that point. Then if you find it to hot, pull and reduce. After all, we need more excuses to go shooting..

Oh darn.....

MY SRH 454 W/29.5 GR-H110 DOES 1440 GOOD PLACE TO START ACCURATE LOAD I THINK THE SRH AND TAURUS WILL NOT GO AS HIGH AS THE FA'S I HAVE A FA 83 475LINEBAUGH THE TOLERANCES ARE BETTER W/FA'S

XP;

hey how are you doing.

never owned one but 2 friends had them.The key word here is (had).They will not handle the same loads as a FA will.

The ones they had did not handle factory ammo for very long and had to go back a few time each.

But I have heard that they are better now than when they first come out.

Talk to you later

Wade

I appreciate each of the posts made. I can tell that there is a number of different manuals out there with different info. I really enjoyed the comment of not pulling the bullets until I know for sure whether that gun would handle it or not and looking for the "culmative" effect with the cylinders (practical advice). I have head about the Raging Bulls and their problems. I was unsure if it was a problem that had been ironed out or if people just were not buying them because of the problems. Who knows maybe a combination of both. I may just pick up a S&W or Ruger (Redhawk or Super Redhawk) 44 Mag. in future to have another revolver to hunt with.
Another option I have is to have MOA chamber a 10 or 12 inch 454 barrel for me. That would be one accurate rig. So many options--So little money.
If you have any more suggestions I would be glad to hear them.
xphunter

That load of 31.5 used to be acceptable in the original brass from Freedom Arms, but they tell me it's too much in some of the brass out there now .......not enough capacity for both powder and brass! I'm lucky in that I've got lots of that original brass. I admit it's a stiff load that I'd be aprehensive in shooting in anything but an FA!

One thing to note. The Ruger, and the Taurus, do not have the precise fit and finish that a Freedom Arms has, this is both good and bad. It is good in the respect that in the Ruger, you can shoot .45 Colt rounds, and due to the metal used you don't have to worry about cylinder throat erosion, and because the chambers aren't as tight spec'd, you don't have the pressure spike worries you have with the FA when firing 454 loads afterwards, the down side is that brass does not last as long as it will in a FA, it gets worked alot more in the Ruger and Taurus. I trust my Ruger to handle any of my 454 loads that the FA used to handle, and I do tread with care when working up loads for bullets bigger than 300 grains, which almost all of mine are, it is also why I like H110, it behaves quite well at the extreme pressures.

I used to shoot 300-grain XTP Magnum with 31 grains of H110 with my Bull but did not have a chance to shoot it much before I sold it. However, my friend still got his Bull and I have been reloading ammo with this load for him for a year now without a problem. Chances are that your load is okay but it is close to the maximum load capacity so if you find any sign of high pressure then stop and pull them out. Good luck.

xp I talked to 2 FA factory boys at a gun show in slc last weekend. they claim that thier guns are tested at 90,000 cup and are designed to run at 65,000cup he told me when they made the agreement with winchester to build ammo that they would keep the velocities up to freedoms specs he says they developed a new powder they called 297 that would produce FA velocities at about 58,000 cup and that is as high as you should run in a ruger or taurus he also told me they tell you that when you buy one of these pistols-which they didn't when i bought my ruger- i personally shoot the same loads out of the ruger that i do out of my freedom with no troubles yet but maybe time will tell, that may or may not help but i thought it was intresting and may be aplicable

That is correct, it is industry standard to test to 140% of the SAAMI specifications, Ruger tests theirs to 90,000 and I am sure Taurus does too. I read somewhere that Ruger blew one up, it was well over 100,000psi, so stick to the load manuals, if you are like me, and like to load heavier bullets than the load manuals provide for, let common sense rule. These are magnum rifle pressure we are holding in our hands, I only have two, and would like to keep both fully functional.

There are some very "smart" shooters out there who try to out load their guns because it is okay to do so. I am guilty because I am one of these people. The problem is that most guns do not fail right away with high pressure loads but instead it will fail over time. I am a lot dummer nowadays because I try not to make my ammo too hot. It just does not prove anything to hot load a gun other than to tell a good story. Good luck and have fun everyone!

Here is an interesting article on 454 Ammunition...

http://www.sixgunner.com/mcpherson/454factoryammo.htm