FA 454 Power Pistol 270saa

[spillway]

After considerable surfing looking for mild to mid range loads for the combination listed above I ran acrossed this post by Zues.

In fact, I used that FA this past week to shoot a 225 pound Merino Sheep at 95 yards. The sheep dropped at the shot and never moved. The load that I used may shock you....it was a bullet cast relatively soft from a RCBS 270 SAA mold over a mild 12 grains of HS6 in 45 Colt brass. That load is traveling about 950 fps from that revolver.

For practical hunting purposes here in Missouri that's all the load that would ever be needed and also a lot easier on my wrists.

I would like to load something similar using 454 brass with my MiHec 270 saa mold and HS 6 . Any advice as to load data bullet hardness and best lube and primer etc.I am just thinking that a load like this will cover 90% of my needs and allow me to get more utility out of this very accurate handgun.

[zeus]

About 14 grains will get you close to 1000-1050 if I remember correctly. The only reason those were in 45 colt that you mention is I loaded them for a USFA and it shot way too high so I just sighted in the 454 real quick that afternoon and used it instead. That's been a few days! Those were just air cooled bullets if I'm not mistaken that Fowler sent me. They shot great! I have some from the Miha mold now. I'm going to load them to about 1100 fps or so. Sixshot cast them out of a 70-30 mix like he did the 475 slug I use on the bison last year. I expect that they will perform excellent! Intend to sight the 10" freedom in for that load and give it a break from the 1900fps that it's usually fed. Should be very pleasant to shoot and will handle anything in the foreseeable future for me.

Another favorite of mine is a 260 grain slug over 10.5-11 grains of W231/HP38. That load does about 1140 from a 7.5" gun and shoots into a ragged hole at 50 yards. Honestly, that load has negligible recoil and can handle most anything that we normally will encounter. That is also loaded in 454 brass. It's an old favorite for sure. I typically use Rem 7.5 primers but any of the small rifle primers will be fine.

Hope that helps. What part of MO are you located?

[spillway]

Zues thanks for the reply. Monday thru Friday I'am located 30 minutes from downtown St. Louis and most weekend at my farm in Grassy ( as in one little general store/ gas station ) .in southeast Missouri.

[hammerdown77]

I use 11.5 grains of HS-6 in the 45 Colt for bullets from 250-290 grains and that load is one of a few that shoot well no matter what gun they are loaded in. I would think a couple more grains in the 454 case would get you where you need to be, although I don't know if accuracy would be affected with the lesser case fill. Might need to use a hotter primer. I just use a standard primer, sometimes a WLP, in my 45 Colt loads with HS-6 and they shoot very well.

[zeus]

Jan 23, 2014 11:59:47 GMT -5 hammerdown77 said:

I use 11.5 grains of HS-6 in the 45 Colt for bullets from 250-290 grains and that load is one of a few that shoot well no matter what gun they are loaded in. I would think a couple more grains in the 454 case would get you where you need to be, although I don't know if accuracy would be affected with the lesser case fill. Might need to use a hotter primer. I just use a standard primer, sometimes a WLP, in my 45 Colt loads with HS-6 and they shoot very well.

454 uses small rifle primers....

[seancass]

Zeus, small side note, do you use SR primers for everything 454? I've used Trail Boss a few times and wondered why is was using such primers. I've been using CCI SR-Mag, but I'm almost out. Then it'll be the Rem Benchrest primers that seem so popular.

I also have a large pile of Tula SR primers, I've wondered about them as well. I've never seen HS-6 for sale!

[zeus]

I use the Remington almost exclusively now days. The other I used early on was the CCI 400. I don't know if I ever used the SR-magnum but I probably did at some point along the way. When I was in Mississippi, I had a hard time finding Remington primers locally so I used a lot of CCI. Over the last 5 years or so, I've found a good many of the Rem 7.5 primers available and bought enough to get by for a while. I still pick them up every now and then just to make sure there are plenty there. HS-6 has always been fairly easy to get your hands on here. But with the Hodgdon company just down the street, that may help, who knows. I love HS-6. I use it in the 475 almost exclusively because its so pleasant to shoot and does anything I need. Another that I've found exceptionally accurate in the 454 was the military WC-820 powder. A little slower than 110/296 velocity wise on the top end loads but VERY accurate in all charges I've tried. I've personally never tried the Tula primers but I have heard positive things about them from others.

[spillway]

In an effort to cover multiple bases with one powder I have seen a lot of favorable comments regarding Power Pistol loads for the 44 special. Then I found this load for the 454 Casull on the Alliant website .

454 Casull 270 gr hard cast SWC Starline 1.75 oal 7.5 barrel CCI 400 Power Pistol 11gr. 1,114 fps

Just wondering if anyone here has worked with Power Pistol in the 454 ? Hoping I am on to something that will keep both of my FA's happy.

[zeus]

I've never used it but I've also never found a load that my FA wouldn't shoot well so I would bet it will do just fine. Only one way to find out looking at the charge and velocity from the 7.5, it looks to burn similar to the W231 load I mentioned.