S&W 460 XVR

[ruggyh]

Thanks buck460XVR- your assessment of my comment is correct.

I will also agree that the 200 FTX is really a poor selection for large game as the open more like varmint bullets and may not make the vitals depending on shoot angle and placement. I learned these while casing hogs with the Model V and completely ruined several shoulders because of the excessive fragmentation and opening.

The Barnes 200 XPB and 275 XPB have worked well for me on a variety of game, but so has the 240 XTP MAG, 300 XTP MAG, 300 and 325 Swift A Frames, 300 Speer Deep Curls, 325 Busters, 240 CEB Raptors (at distance), and my current favorite 260 CPS North Fork Technologies. I am sure I missed a few and did not mentioned hard cast which perform well when selected correctly. With Hard Cast you can get commercial bullets to 405 grains; you don't have additional benefit once you pass 350 grain.

Those 300 grainers (any of them) are good hog medicine. I would suggest 4227 though most of the other powders will produce suitable results. My experience with these is you don't need to drive them hard to to get good grouping or clean kills - most of the time I run them at 1600 fps.

be safe
Ruggy

 

[buck460XVR]

He is entertaining and if he means that you can get something lighter that shoots 45 Colt and 454, okay. However if he means you can easily find revolvers more accurate, that is a steeper hill to climb.

I think you are right. But......IMHO, one reason the .454 never really caught on is because of how brutal it is to shoot outta most of the available platforms. While many want to put down the size and heft of the X-Frame platform, it is was makes the X-Frame actually pleasant to shoot with most loads. The accuracy of my P.C. X-Frame amazes me every time I shoot it, and how well folks new to shooting it do, also is impressive.

Those 300 grainers (any of them) are good hog medicine. I would suggest 4227 though most of the other powders will produce suitable results. My experience with these is you don't need to drive them hard to to get good grouping or clean kills - most of the time I run them at 1600 fps.

be safe
Ruggy

I agree. Altho we don't have wild hogs here in Wisconsin, we do have some good size deer. The 300 grainers work very well on them too. IMR4227 is my go to powder with the 300 grainers. They and the .460 platform seem to be made for each other. I still use H110/W296 for 240s tho. My loads for deer run just above 1600fps and have made two holes in every deer I have shot with them.

 

[saleen322]

I think you are right. But......IMHO, one reason the .454 never really caught on is because of how brutal it is to shoot outta most of the available platforms. While many want to put down the size and heft of the X-Frame platform, it is was makes the X-Frame actually pleasant to shoot with most loads. The accuracy of my P.C. X-Frame amazes me every time I shoot it, and how well folks new to shooting it do, also is impressive.

I agree with you. I have shot 44 magnums less pleasant to shoot than the X-frame 460 and the 454 is markedly more powerful than a 44 mag. Our 460 is production run 8 3/8" model and it shot a 5-shot group at 100 yards around 1.75" when we were testing loads with a scope on it. We made a scope adjustment and it then shot the next group around 1 5/8". The X-frame 460s are accurate and don't beat you up shooting them.

 

[Cosmodragoon]

This is one of the most fun revolvers on the market. It tames the recoil wonderfully. Just as saleen322 experienced, the XVR can be more comfortable firing .460 than a lot of standard revolvers firing .44 magnum. The relatively affordable 200-grain loads from Hornady are my favorite. There is something novel about taking a similar bullet to what you use in .45 acp and propelling it at over 2000 fps from a handgun. There is also something magical about how tame the recoil is versus the feel of the blast wave over your arm hair.