S&W 460XVR......

[cmh]

Wondering how many folks here own and shoot the 460 smith long range and what's your opinion of it? Big game hunting experience?

[curmudgeon]

About 6 years ago, give or take. S & W contacted me and asked if I would develop a load giving the 460 2000 fps with a 200 gr. bullet. They said that the firms that were supposed to make the ammo, said it couldn't be done. I asked them what propellant their were using, Smith said they didn't know. I told them based on my experience with the 45 Colt I didn't see why it couldn't be done. However it might take the use of a mouth lacquer. Told them to send me a gun and some brass, as I had not had access to one at this time. They called back later.
Saying that both firms contacted had no interest in using a mouth lacquer. Told them I was not interested in developing a load that would not be considered.



Experience from other cartridges told me that this would be the answer. I explained to the Gentleman from Smith as to the whys and wherefores. He understood little of
internal ballistics.
Guess I did not sell anybody because they never sent me a gun or had any further contact. I believe I could do it with a 5 shot Colt 45 if allowed to use the chamber pressures that the X frame Smith works at.

Back to your original question, no I haven't used the 460 at long range but since that is what it is designed for I see no reason why it would not be suitable the 45 Colt is, and the 460 is just like the diff between a 44 Mag and a 44 Spl. Again, bbl. length and propellant would be the deciding factor. Personally for a long range shooter I'd stay with a bullet in the 325 to 400 gr. range. A LBT style long flat nose GC. FWIW dept based on personal experience.

[dmize]

A friend of mine owned one. I have no idea how far he shot it,but he said the accuracy was pretty awesome. He sold it because he just could not deal with the muzzle blast.

[cmh]

I've heard its volume is up there. I remember my 500 was obnoxious..... just curious if its any hotter than the 454 casull? And accurate as well.....

[dmize]

I believe it is a LOT hotter than a 454.

[toddb]

I have one and like it ALOT. I am a fan of just about any 45 caliber gun. I purchased mine some years back. It is a PC model with a 12" barrel. I bought it instead of a rifle and have sincerely enjoyed working with it. The fact that I reload makes it a versatile weapon for me. I've shot on paper out to 300 yards with a Burris LER handgun scope 4-12X.

The gun is far more accurate than I can ever be.

Off bags at 100 yards, I have shot several 3" groups, many with several holes touching and one or two that I pulled off. At 300 yards, the best group I've ever shot was 5" +/-. I was shooting at a paper plate and all the shots were in the center area of the plate.

Factory loads of 200 grains at 2K FPS produce a chest thumping blast. I shoot 300 grain bullets out of it most of the time.

I check here often, mostly lurking. Have been hand loading and shooting for 25 years. Variety of competitive disciplines over the years. More than pleased to share any info I have.

You can shoot 45Colts / 454 Casull and 460 ammo out of it.. but I would not make a consistent practice of shooting a lot of the shorter cases unless you want to be scrubbing the heck out of the chambers to clear out the carbon rings they leave.

If you'd like you can contact me directly at

toddb1911(at)comcast(dot)net

Take Care

Todd

[whitworth]

The .460 has a slightly lower SAAMI maximum pressure than the .454, and it is a much larger case -- 1.4-inches vs. 1.8 for the .460. This unfortunately necessitates a rather large revolver. I tested one a number of years ago, and only took a couple of hogs, but I can say that I have never shot anything louder in my life. It was deafening. Frankly, if I felt that I had to have a fast .45, I would stick with the Casull. It shoots plenty flat (this is a relative term), but can be worn on your belt. JMHO.

[cmh]

Makes sense

[shorty500]

hung on to my 8&3/8 S&W, but as others said its loudest boomer have ever dealt with, double up on protection and the concussion can still rattle you. was diappointed with the box to box and lot to lot variations i saw in factory ammo. lite thru normal weight .45 slugs fail to provide enough resistense to huge charges of slow powder at winter time temps lowering the velocity and changing ballistic path. settled on a 420grain gascheck mold running a near max load of imr4198 which lowers both the chamber pressure and the concussion levels. fine weapon but the .454 is a better choice in .45 and if slugs are over 400 odd grains then any of the .500s make a better handcannon

[bradshaw]

Mr. Jurras.... as you very likely know, Federal loaded their great 44A .44 mag 240 JHP with a sealant between bullet and case. Also quite a number of other rounds. The sealant looked asphaltic. Whatever it was, the round exhibited fantastic accuracy.
David Bradshaw

[Ken O'Neill]

I'm told that Speer also used a sealant on its .50AE ammo for a while, in an attempt to prevent bullet creep in revolvers.

[paul105]

Ken,

Several years ago (could 10yrs the way time flies), Midway had 100 round boxes of Speer primed .454 cases on sale for $100/500 delivered. These nickel plated cases had sealant inside the necks to retard bullet movement. While setting up the Dillon, I could barely get the case to release from expander/power drop -- after a couple of cases, I finally looked inside the case mouth and discovered the sealant. Solved the problem by using a .44 expander/powder drop. I'm pretty sure these were surplus cases prepped to load finished ammo.

Paul

[shorty500]

if ever a cartridge needed sealant it is the .50AE!!! played with a desert eagle once with both .50 and .44 barrels. the .44 would cook with 300-325g but regardless of powder/primer/bullet/crimp used the .50 always lagged way behind any and all published velocities. it shot great but the .44 was much more user friendly in load development

[cmh]

Went.over.to a.friends.house.to help him pick up a half.ton of shot.from the.gun club and shot his 460. I LOVE IT!!!! Nailed a tree 150 yards off at 2335fps and with his comp he built recoiled like a 44 mag.........

[curmudgeon]

David and Ken. I'm sure various ammo factories have used a mouth sealant since the days I, P & Ved all ammo available and the SAAMI specs have changed as well. I try to keep my SAAMI specs updated. But my shooting of factory ammo has abated to nil. As far as I know David all sealant is asphaltic base. And as mentioned only Sherwin-Williams is the only supplier to the industry. Alto Sherwin-Williams sells it in 55 gal. drums I don't believe everyone is crashing to get in on the market
I would also venture a guess that most goes to Military and used as a waterproofing
FWIW dept, I once had a pilot lot of 9mm ammo going to the Navy seals for suppressed 9MM Parabellum. Specs called for testing underwater at 3 atmospheres w/o emitting more than two bubbles. The tests had to be preformed in front of gov't inspectors from Naval Surface Warefare Center, Crane, IN.
The gun was one of ten handmade versions of what was to become the S&W mod 59. 6" threaded bbl. Later the specs were changed to use a 147 gr. solid.
That is where the 147 gr. load we have today is derived from. some gov't official felt the 147 weight would provide additionl recoil impulse thusly more reliable. We used a 124 gr.projectile, we only function tested about a thousand rounds with the gun furnished. That was w/o a malfunction.
The gov't man with the suppressor, arrived with in in a brief case chained to his wrist. And the first couple times he left the lab to go to the rest room he took it with him. I asked him why all the secrecy. Told me it was a special design done by himself. It was his first job after graduating from college (Naval Intelligence)
I later saw it and it was of the most basic design with prototype innards. I don't think there was anything that could have been patented. I showed him a book (Available to the public) on silencers with some 50 patented designs, his jaw dropped. Do I hear typical gov't employee