Reload .454 Casull with .45 Colt dies?????
Janis Millena
I was considering the purchase of a reloading kit, which was not offered
in a .454 casull package. The salesman recommented that I should purchase
the .45 Colt package. He stated that it would be a better choice, and that I
can load both .454 and .45 Colt with the .45 dies.
Are there any disadvantages, limitations, or special procedures with loading
.454 Cassul on .45 Colt dies??
It would seem odd that a manufacturer would even make a separate .454 set of
dies if .45 colt dies work just as well..
P.S. excuse me for such a dumb question, but can .45 Colt be fired in a .454
Casull revolver?
I would be delighted to hear any info that you guys could share with me..
thanks!
Jake
. . . . . . . . . .
Info on moderated group rec.guns is at http://doubletap.cs.umd.edu/rec.guns
Gundoc4u
Their is a slight difference in case dimensions between the 45 Colt and the
454. Freedom Arms said the reason for the sperate dies was because they had
RCBS make them without a bevel at the die mouth. That way you can resize the
brass all the way down to the rim. (Personally I thought this was a crock till
I tried using my Lee 45 Colt dies on the 454) Freedom cuts the chambers right
down to minimum spec. on the 454 so it does help to have the right sizing die.
Back in the early 80's Freedom said you could shoot 45 Colt ammo in their
guns but once again the tight chambers caused a problem. If you shoot the 45
Colt's in your gun you had some serious scrubbing to get the chambers clean
enough to shoot 454's again. That's when they started offering separate
cylinders chambered for the 45 Colt as well as 45 ACP and 45 Win. Mag.
Congratulation's on your purchase, The 454 is built like a Swiss watch and
as strong as a vault. Probably the finest production revolver ever made. Dick
Casull sure did it right. :)
Good luck,
Doc.
Robert J. Christman
#
# I was considering the purchase of a reloading kit, which was not offered
# in a .454 casull package. The salesman recommented that I should purchase
# the .45 Colt package. He stated that it would be a better choice, and that I
# can load both .454 and .45 Colt with the .45 dies.
#
# Are there any disadvantages, limitations, or special procedures with loading
# .454 Cassul on .45 Colt dies??
#
# It would seem odd that a manufacturer would even make a separate .454 set of
# dies if .45 colt dies work just as well..
#
# P.S. excuse me for such a dumb question, but can .45 Colt be fired in a .454
# Casull revolver?
The .454 Casull uses a slightly longer case that is the same
diameter as the .45 Colt (not .45 ACP!!!). Much the same as
.38 Spec. and .357 Mag. or .44 Spec. and .44 Mag. And yes,
you can use the .45 Colt dies (adjusted properly) to load
the .454 Casull with no problems. As for firing .45 Colt in
the Casull, it can be done, but you are going to need to
clean the cylinder well prior to firing the Casull loads or
they will stick after firing and be VERY hard to get out of
the cylinder. This is true of the other guns listed but
they don't develop near the pressures of the Casull and
usually aren't quite as touchy about dirty cylinders.
--
Bob C. NRA Endowment USN (Ret)
mbart44
dies.
1. The .454 expander plug is slightly smaller in diameter to allow for the
thicker case and to provide the
tightest possible grip on the bullet.
2. Make certain you get a set with the carbide sizing die.
3. Seat the bullet, then apply the crimp in two separate operations. This
will give you the tightest and
most consistant bullet grip possible without partially collapsing the
case.
4. Most important reloading advice of all... Get a precision dial micrometer
and mic the case just foward of
The rim before the first firing. If at any time your reloads cause the
case head to expand more than .003"
BACK OFF!!!!! Reduce the powder charge or bullet weight for that load.
This is one caliber that you
better pray to the shooting gods that you never have a case head
separation!!
5. When the primer pockets get real loose after 3 to 5 full power loadings,
cull that lot of brass for use
as .45 Colt power level reloads.
6. Don't try to extract the absolute maximun velocity possible with this
gun/cartridge combo. The risk is
not worth the few extra feet per second gained. And the target will
never know the difference anyway.
7. With an operating pressure of 50,000+ c.u.p., you had better treat this
caliber with respect.
Janis Millena wrote in message <71b97l$r...@xring.cs.umd.edu>...
> ...
I
> ...
loading
> ...
of
> ...
.454
> ...
Robert J. Christman
#
#
# The .454 Casull uses a slightly longer case that is the same
# diameter as the .45 Colt (not .45 ACP!!!). Much the same as
# .38 Spec. and .357 Mag. or .44 Spec. and .44 Mag. And yes,
# you can use the .45 Colt dies (adjusted properly) to load
# the .454 Casull with no problems. As for firing .45 Colt in
# the Casull, it can be done, but you are going to need to
# clean the cylinder well prior to firing the Casull loads or
# they will stick after firing and be VERY hard to get out of
# the cylinder. This is true of the other guns listed but
# they don't develop near the pressures of the Casull and
# usually aren't quite as touchy about dirty cylinders.
#
As pointed out by another poster, the .454 Casull dies
normally don't have the taper at the mouth of the die and
thus size the case all the way down to the head better than
the .45 Colt (important when using the Freedom Arms guns as
they have very tight chambers - I haven't checked the
chambers on the Taurus version). Freedom Arms also advises
using a separate cylinder (which they offer as an extra) for
firing .45 Colt loads to preclude damaging the .454
cylinder.
--
Bob C. NRA Endowment USN (Ret)
. . . . . . . . . .
fl...@alaska.net
I enjoyed the bulk of the post below, but believe that there were
several areas which should be elaborated on in the interest of safety:
#4. Most important reloading advice of all... Get a precision dial micrometer
#and mic the case just foward of the rim before the first firing. If at any time
#your reloads cause the case head to expand more than .003" BACK OFF!!!!!
Experienced reloaders know that if you have case head expansion of
0.003" you are WELL over a safe load and can expect case failure and
possible gun damage. Speer states in their #12 manual that case head
expansions of 0.0003 to 0.0005 inches indicate pressures of 50,000
CUP. The 0.003" expansion would be EXTREMELY excessive. I assume
that the 0.003" value quoted above is a typo.
#5. When the primer pockets get real loose after 3 to 5 full power loadings,
#cull that lot of brass for use as .45 Colt power level reloads.
If .454 cases get loose primer pockets after only 3 loadings, you are
WAY over a safe maximum and should NOT use that load. Good brass will
not develop expanded primer pockets at 50,000 CUP pressures.
Jay T