So I have kind of a technical question. With my .460 I can also shoot 454 Casull, and 45LC . The first question is is there any elevated wear placed upon the entry throat of the barrel when you shoot shorter length calibers ? If I shoot 45LC that bullet is jumping an additional .500" of an inch compared to the .460 mag cartridge and that bullet must be waggling to a small degree while jumping that long of a distance. I'm more of a long gun guy, so just wondering... Thanks is advance !
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shooting optional calibers with one revolver questions
- Thread starter Road_Clam
- Start date
The only problem you may have is fouling in the cylinder from the shorter round that would not permit the longer rounds from chamber. The fix is to simply clean the cylinder. Just like shooting shorts, longs and pond rifles in a 22 rimfire. I have shot more 38`s in my 357`s than 357`s and while my carry gun is a 44 mag. I pack 44 Spec. in it. My 460 Encore barrel is more accurate with 454 and 45 Colt than 460 ammo.
One bit that may be helpful but is not related to wear is that the competitively slow .45 Colt through a .460 is going to hit the target at a very different elevation than .454 and .460 will. So much so that sight adjustment might be somewhat ridiculous and you might be just as well off to use a radically different point of aim with .45 Colt while leaving your sights regulated to the .460.
Also, depending on exactly what you are talking about in .45 Colt -- you will want to be very sure you aren't depositing lead in your bore and leaving it there. At the extreme pressures of the .460, a leaded up bore can be more than a small problem.
Also, depending on exactly what you are talking about in .45 Colt -- you will want to be very sure you aren't depositing lead in your bore and leaving it there. At the extreme pressures of the .460, a leaded up bore can be more than a small problem.
I've been doing my research on the leading issue and I will definately heed the warnings. I'm quite anal about cleaning and maintenence of my firearms so I should not have any worries. I would like the added versatility of loading up some conservative "plinker" cowboy loads for bettering my off hand shooting skills. Was concerned about shooting such a short round in a very long cylinder.
Magnum Wheel Man
New member
normally I'd agree with the masses here... ( I have several guns that can shoot multiple cartridges... 357 Maximum, 10 MM Magnum are a couple examples )
but the 454 Casull is not a "normal" reduced load cartridge by any means, with the pressures it operates at... if I were worried about any of the "little" cartridges, it would be the Casull... & only because of it's "unusually" high pressures... I could see it causing throat damage more so than a 357 magnum out of a 357 Maximum...
but the 454 Casull is not a "normal" reduced load cartridge by any means, with the pressures it operates at... if I were worried about any of the "little" cartridges, it would be the Casull... & only because of it's "unusually" high pressures... I could see it causing throat damage more so than a 357 magnum out of a 357 Maximum...
RIDE-RED 350r
New member
Most 460's come with an extra rear sight assembly for use with .45 Colt rounds and the drastically different POI of those vs the Casull and 460 S&W.
I would have to do a little digging to say for sure, but I believe that all come with the extra rear sight except a few of the long barreled PC models that come with a rail for mounting an optic as opposed to conventional sights.
Myself, I'm not one who fires much "optional" rounds if any at all out of my 357's, 44's, or 460. I fire a few 38's out of my 357's occasionally. Never fired 44spls form my 44's, or 45 Colt and 454 with my 460. I find the full house loads fun to shoot and never saw much point in playing around with the other stuff. If I wanted to fire those rounds, I would have bought revolvers chambered for those rounds. In no way am I besmirching those who do... It's just my taste for me and my purposes.
I do however see why you may be concerned firing those much shorter 45 Colts from your 460. It DOES seem like that bullet is running a fair distance farther in the chamber before it comes to the throat. Not just the 1/10" difference between 38spl and 357 mag. MAYBE the generally longer projectiles in the 45 cal helps this??? Just thinking out loud here, spit-balling with ya.
But having said that, I am certain S&W would not list it as an acceptable cartridge to fire in the 460 if there was any reasonable chance there could be an issue arise from it. Like others said, just make sure and thoroughly clean all fouling and lead from the chambers and barrel. 460's are no joke, and operating at already much higher pressures than almost every other handgun ever made, it doesn't leave you much wiggle room for more.
My 460 is a little pressure sensitive as it is and I clean it very thoroughly after each shooting session. I had several cases give me trouble ejecting with Hornady factory 200gr ammunition. And also, when I started reloading for it, I found I could not push to within 1 grain of max charge of h110 pushing a 240gr XTP MAG as listed by Hodgdon without experiencing stubborn extraction on many (but not all) cases. Mine is far from the only 460 I have heard with this condition. I am led to believe by those more experienced than I, that the chamber throats in my 460 are likely just a little tighter than some..at least those used by Hodgdon and Hornady for testing and load table data.
Sorry for all of that extra, just thought it might prove helpful in case you encounter then same thing once you start experimenting with your 460.
I would have to do a little digging to say for sure, but I believe that all come with the extra rear sight except a few of the long barreled PC models that come with a rail for mounting an optic as opposed to conventional sights.
Myself, I'm not one who fires much "optional" rounds if any at all out of my 357's, 44's, or 460. I fire a few 38's out of my 357's occasionally. Never fired 44spls form my 44's, or 45 Colt and 454 with my 460. I find the full house loads fun to shoot and never saw much point in playing around with the other stuff. If I wanted to fire those rounds, I would have bought revolvers chambered for those rounds. In no way am I besmirching those who do... It's just my taste for me and my purposes.
I do however see why you may be concerned firing those much shorter 45 Colts from your 460. It DOES seem like that bullet is running a fair distance farther in the chamber before it comes to the throat. Not just the 1/10" difference between 38spl and 357 mag. MAYBE the generally longer projectiles in the 45 cal helps this??? Just thinking out loud here, spit-balling with ya.
But having said that, I am certain S&W would not list it as an acceptable cartridge to fire in the 460 if there was any reasonable chance there could be an issue arise from it. Like others said, just make sure and thoroughly clean all fouling and lead from the chambers and barrel. 460's are no joke, and operating at already much higher pressures than almost every other handgun ever made, it doesn't leave you much wiggle room for more.
My 460 is a little pressure sensitive as it is and I clean it very thoroughly after each shooting session. I had several cases give me trouble ejecting with Hornady factory 200gr ammunition. And also, when I started reloading for it, I found I could not push to within 1 grain of max charge of h110 pushing a 240gr XTP MAG as listed by Hodgdon without experiencing stubborn extraction on many (but not all) cases. Mine is far from the only 460 I have heard with this condition. I am led to believe by those more experienced than I, that the chamber throats in my 460 are likely just a little tighter than some..at least those used by Hodgdon and Hornady for testing and load table data.
Sorry for all of that extra, just thought it might prove helpful in case you encounter then same thing once you start experimenting with your 460.
Another thing to keep in mind, though I am drifting a bit from the topic...
When you do choose to build stiff ammo (no matter which brass you want to run it from) bullet selection is important. You'll notice that Hornady offers "magnum" jacketed bullets in .452" diameter and this is for good reason. These slugs have a thicker copper jacket because the extreme pressure/velocity of these hardcore rounds can distort a normal jacketed bullet. And that distortion can be hell on your forcing cone.
I got this from ballisticians at Alliant, speaking on the subject of the .454/.460 but also on the subject of toying with very light jacketed .312" bullets (meant for .32 ACP) at irrational velocities in the 45k psi max .327 Federal.
When you do choose to build stiff ammo (no matter which brass you want to run it from) bullet selection is important. You'll notice that Hornady offers "magnum" jacketed bullets in .452" diameter and this is for good reason. These slugs have a thicker copper jacket because the extreme pressure/velocity of these hardcore rounds can distort a normal jacketed bullet. And that distortion can be hell on your forcing cone.
I got this from ballisticians at Alliant, speaking on the subject of the .454/.460 but also on the subject of toying with very light jacketed .312" bullets (meant for .32 ACP) at irrational velocities in the 45k psi max .327 Federal.
Thanks for all the great feedback. I do understand the mandatory usage of the Hornady XTP "Mag" special purpose bullets. I can also only use the 200gr FTX (not the 225's) for the same reason. I did score a great deal on 100 NIB Win 454 Casull primed brass. Bought the brass from my LGS for $30. So I think I will pass on shooting 45LC , and keep the 454 Casull shooting to a minimum and just keep a very close eye on the cyl bores for any combustion blast deterioration.
The "jump" you are talking about does not take place between the cylinder and the forcing cone but in the chamber between the case mouth and the chamber shoulder. It is no different from firing .38 Special in a .357 Magnum revolver, something that has been done billions of times with no significant problems except buildup from soft lead.
Jim
Jim
The major factor in mag bullets as compared to standard bullets is the hardness of the core material, moreso than the jacket thichness. Good unjacketed hardcast bullets can be loaded much warmer than standard jacketed bullets. Soft lead, even when jacketed changes its shape and expands more from the pressure behind it, shoving a "bigger" bullet into the forcing cone. According to Freedom Arms, bullets too soft, pushed under pressures too high are the most common cause of premature wear in their Casull revolvers.
For my .454 Casull I load a lot of .45LC, mostly for other people to shoot it. I use 180gr (45acp) cast bullets in light loads to keep the point of impact closer to my full power deer loads with 240gr. At 50 feet I can't tell much difference. I'm sure I would see a huge difference at 100 yards, but that not what they are loaded for.
Freedom Arms still lists reloading data in their website for .454 Casull including the limitations on various standard bullet types.
For my .454 Casull I load a lot of .45LC, mostly for other people to shoot it. I use 180gr (45acp) cast bullets in light loads to keep the point of impact closer to my full power deer loads with 240gr. At 50 feet I can't tell much difference. I'm sure I would see a huge difference at 100 yards, but that not what they are loaded for.
Freedom Arms still lists reloading data in their website for .454 Casull including the limitations on various standard bullet types.
When I first got my 460, I played around a lot with trying 45 Colt and 454 in it. What I found was that accuracy suffered considerably when using either of those cartridges compared to 460 brass(of course that was my gun, yours may be totally different). I have since abandoned all use of anything other than 460 brass. It just isn't worth the hassle to me. If you weren't a reloader, that would be a different story, but since you'll be reloading, I'd recommend the same. For wimpy loads, pick up some Trail Boss powder(my son could shoot these and he was only 9 at the time). Moderate loads can be made by using the starting point of your favorite slow burning powder (2400, Lil Gun, H110, 4227, etc.) then work up your high power loads from there.
Gdawgs said:When I first got my 460, I played around a lot with trying 45 Colt and 454 in it. What I found was that accuracy suffered considerably when using either of those cartridges compared to 460 brass(of course that was my gun, yours may be totally different). I have since abandoned all use of anything other than 460 brass. It just isn't worth the hassle to me. If you weren't a reloader, that would be a different story, but since you'll be reloading, I'd recommend the same. For wimpy loads, pick up some Trail Boss powder(my son could shoot these and he was only 9 at the time). Moderate loads can be made by using the starting point of your favorite slow burning powder (2400, Lil Gun, H110, 4227, etc.) then work up your high power loads from there.
Thanks for the input, after much research i've pretty much come to agree with your comments in reguards to only loading up .460 brass based rounds. I've found some great credible .460 mild load data using Trial Boss powder so that seems the best route to shooting reliable and maintaining accuracy.