Still thinking about buying such a rifle but I would need to shoot a lot to become familiar with it.

A cursory inspection of the Internet finds 20 shots of Hornady costing $70 to $84 USD, brass at $60 or more, and all the stuff is out of stock. Kynoch is even more per round.

Personally, I would prefer to reload anyway. A lifetime supply of loaded ammo, assuming the cases last a long time because the loads are low pressure, would be maybe 200 rounds ($800 bucks!)

Is there any way to corral up some brass without spending such sums? When I started shooting the .458WM three years ago, bullets, brass, etc. for it cost a lot less.

Also, where's a good source of loading data? 450-400 is a lot rarer than .458WM.

And...can you load these long cases in an RCBS Rockchucker press? I would think so, because I can load .300 Weatherby in it.

Well, that's about 6 questions...

Indy, I've seen Hornady 450-400 brass for $39/20...just have to keep an eye out for it.

Here's the brass:

http://www.midwayusa.com/viewP...productNumber=185957

Here are the bullets:

http://www.midwayusa.com/brows...52***19785***9016***

Here are the dies:

http://www.midwayusa.com/viewP...productNumber=155603

Here's the shell holder:

http://www.midwayusa.com/viewP...productNumber=520068

You can buy a special SH but the #31 RCBS works perfectly well.


This round is one of the easiest and cheapest DG rounds available to load for. Usually 80grs of IMR 4831 works well and you can also load R-15.

Do a search and you'll find many loads that will work.

Good luck.

Rock Chucker works nice for me.

Buy a Lee Classice press. Mine works just fine for 450/400 3 inch

Thanks, everyone. Now I have to convince myself that it's a good investment at the age of 65.

I notice that the Midway bullets are .410" in diameter sometimes and .411" sometimes, and that Woodleighs are .408. What is best for a "modern" (Heym, Searcy, etc.) rifle? I believe that Heyms are regulated for Hornady factory ammo, so that would be the diameter of bullet to use.

quote:

Originally posted by Indy:
Thanks, everyone. Now I have to convince myself that it's a good investment at the age of 65.

I notice that the Midway bullets are .410" in diameter sometimes and .411" sometimes, and that Woodleighs are .408. What is best for a "modern" (Heym, Searcy, etc.) rifle? I believe that Heyms are regulated for Hornady factory ammo, so that would be the diameter of bullet to use.

It just depends on the rifle, and there are appropriate bullets available.

The original standard diameter for the .450/.400 3 1/4" was .408". Then Jeffery introduced the 3" version with a .411" bullet. That was a mistake. The result was that a .400 barrel became a .400 barrel in the trade. The .400s were just one of many such situations. There were always standards, but due to the proprietary system, there were often differences of opinion as to what they were. A convention of the Gun and Ammunition Manufacturers was held at the London Chamber of Commerce in 1913 to adopt common standards. Both .400s have been officially .410" diameter ever since. CIP standard for both remains .410" today.

Correct bullet diameter is whatever the individual rifle happens to be. Hornady bullets made to .410" CIP spec, as are Heym rifles. The Woodleighs are available in .408", .410" and .411".
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"Serious rifles have two barrels, everything else just burns gunpowder."

If not now, when? Age 65, or any other age, is the perfect age to buy a DR. Go for it, man. And loading, and shooting the 450-400, is real easy.