What to do when your gun like the super expensive bullets?

D

Deja vu

New member
I have been helping my dad reload for his 450 Nitro express. We have shot alot of bullets through the gun to find what is most accurate. In the end the choice came out to be woodleigh 550 grain Copper Jacketed bullets by a wide margin.

I was hopping for some thing cheeper. These bullets run about $2-$3 per bullet (not the brass and powder just the bullet for reloading.) He was looking for some thing cheep and accurate but it looks like his gun likes the bullets heavy, Jacketed bullets.
 
Sometimes you just have to pay to play.

The .450 Nitro Express was never conceived as a plinker or a budget shooter.

"Cheap and accurate" don't meet in that gun.

What to do?
Get a gun that shoots cheaper.
Denis
 
Take a second or third gun along when wanting to do some target shooting.

If I didn't have 22lr and 30-30 light loads to take to the range with my wife it would be a very expensive trip. I bought an sks just to have another cheap shooting round.
 
I agree with taking more than one gun along. shoot the expensive bugger probably 4 or 5 times and spend the rest of the trigger time with something that's nice and cheap to shoot.
 
What to do...

Casting is my FIRST instinct, despite the rifle's preference for jacketed stuff. Would the less expensive rounds need to travel as fast as the jacketed ones??
If not, then perhaps a hollow-based cast projectile would do?

The next step might be swaging projectiles from spent brass of another caliber. INITIALLY, this will be expensive, but amortizes fast at $2 - $3/shot. A spill-over benefit might be discovering other applications for rifle, using reduced loads.

No guarantees expressed or implied.
 
Kosh did you chrono what you are shooting? I am hardcasting for rifle caliber sizes .311 and .308 and running at 2600fps with a hard cast and gaschecked bullet in my 721 you should have no problem casting for what you have and not leading with the right alloy and a gascheck.
 
"The .450 Nitro Express was never conceived as a plinker or a budget shooter"

Yeah, that^^

I would think that some sort of cast bullet would provide decent accuracy and allow the use of reduced recoil "fun shooting".
 
Have you considered learning to paper patch? I don't seem to have the knack for it but I had great success when I teflon tape patched some cast bullets for my .45-70....

Tony
 
If you haven't discovered them already, both Berry & Rainer make .458 dia plated bullets. No sure if that is what you are looking for but definitely cheap enough to shoot costing about 2-bits apiece.

FWIW...

...bug
 
Guys on the cast boolit forum are getting jacketed performance out of correctly sized powder coated cast projectiles. Good velocities and no leading.
 
Since you fellows home reload. I agree with Geezerbiker. The cheapest route for your dad's 450 Nitro is indeed paper patching lead cast. {if you want see decent accuracy equal to jacketed} To do so there are a couple of measurements and calculations needing to be completed prior to accommodate such a old technique. {keep in mind this bullet paper patching technique was practiced back in the middle of the 1800s.} So it isn't all that difficult to learn how.

You asked: If I had a similar problem how would I resolve.
Again. All my rifles shoot either G/C cast or Nosler jacketed well enough (accuracy wise) to meet my current needs.
 
How wide is a "wide margin"? Does it mean you get 6" groups with everything else, but the premium hunting bullets shoot into 2"? or does it mean something else?

Other than being less accurate (but you don't say how much less accurate) did less expensive bullets (and it would be nice to know which ones you tested) perform well enough for you?

Have you tried a properly made (right alloy for the intended speed, sized for your barrel) cast bullets in the same weights as the Woodleighs? What was the difference in accuracy, if you have?

There are lots of things to consider, many factors that can be adjusted. Not knowing just what you got, and what you are looking for handicaps us for giving valid advice, beyond generalities.
 
And just how much shooting are we talking about?

I don't think I would want to shoot one of those more than 5 rounds a month!
 
No such thing as cheap anything for a .450 Nitro. It's one of many things that say if you can afford to have one, paying for shooting it isn't an issue. Big kid's toys are like that.
However, there might be a load somewhere for a cast .458 bullet. Hornady sells a 300 grain HP with an MSRP of $29.07 per 50.
 
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