45 Colt Chamber

[Gohon]

Is the H&R 45 Colt chamber a little extra long like the 357 Magnum is?  Reason I'm asking is before I had the 357 Magnum reamed to 357 Maximum, I simply took a few 357 max brass and cut them down to 1.448 inches, slightly longer than the 360 DW, and they worked fine in the 357 magnum.  Worked up some pretty impressive loads before the ream work.  So I'm wondering if something similar might be done with the 45 Colt and 454 Casull brass.   Just curious if this is possible.

[quickdtoo]

Depends on your chamber, but Casull brass will fit in mine if I trim ~.060" off, dunno if loaded round would chamber at that length tho.

Tim

[Gohon]

Thanks Quick......doesn't sound like it's worth the trouble to mess with.

[cwlongshot]

I have tried but have not measured, but neither of mine will/would close on a 454 case. (One has been rechambered to 454 so THAT one closes just fine, now. )

CW

[Gohon]

Truth is I hadn't really even paid attention to the dimensions (length) of the 454 compared to the 45 Colt until I asked the question.  Now, the more I think about it, just 1/10" more in length and the almost doubling of pressure and recoil, I'm not sure the 454 is that much better than the 45 Colt loaded at the top end.  Certainly there is a little power gain but my 45 Colt BC with the metal curved butt plate already kicks like a snot nosed mule with hot loads.  Me thinks I'll just be content with what I have and enjoy the fact the old 45 Colt defies all paper ballistic when loaded at the top end.

[cwlongshot]

I LOVE the 45 COLT, but don't be fooled, the Cassull is head a shoulders above what the Colt can do. Its case is made for a small rifle primer that is far better suited to properly igniting the large amounts of powder in its case.

The 45 Colt will do allot of what the 454 can. It could even be argued the 45 Colt will do all thats needed. But it can not do all of what the 454 can! 

CW

[RPRNY]

I have been hugely impressed by both the 45 Colt and the 454 Casull in my BCC barrel. I certainly had no idea that the 45 Colt could be loaded to really spectacular levels out of a 20" barrel. The 454 is really a monster and in warm but not hot loads is, I think, an ideal Northeast woods caliber. I would not want to be shooting Casull loads out of a revolver though....

[BulletBrain]

My 45 has a long chamber but a very short throat.  I can not fit in a 454 (almost closes) but I can fit in a 450 extreme.  This cartridge is described in a few places most recently the 2009 Hodgdon Magazine/Catalog, and is somewhere in between Colt and Casull.  However I can only fit in certain bullets because of the short throat when I do this.  A Sierra will generally go right up to the lands, but many Hornady's do not at least not crimped in the groove.
 
Favorite load is a 454 case shortened to 450 extreme length, with a 200 grain Hornady FTX with the case full up to the base of the bullet with H-110 (actually surplus 820).  Using a BR4 primer, a little high at 100 and a little low at 200 and about 1.5 MOA all day long.  Using ridiculous amounts of holdover I have hit the 400 yard gong at least once in a batch of 50 reloads, (ridiculous grin).  Becoming a faovorite as eyes and arms fade and it becomes more "Handi" than the Freedom Arms it will replace someday.

[cwlongshot]

I have shot quite a few of those bullets from the 454 to almost 2200 fps.... They do shoot great. But at 1900 they do become fragile. I shot a 50-55# coyote in the shoulder at about 40 yards and the biggest exit was from the brisket... Straight down, 90 degrees from point of entry. PLUS atleast a half doz smaller exits top of back and off side ribs. I would not want to shoot a deer with these!  The 225 g is a stouter bullet for these velocities.

CW

[BulletBrain]

That is interesting about the FTX bullets and your experience.  I tried the 225 as it was a cheaper bullet by quite a bit.  I could not get it to shoot as well so I went back to the 200.  Hornady's website shows the 225 for the 45 Colt and the 200 for the higher pressure 460 Smith and Wesson.  I assumed this meant the 200 was the stiffer bullet.  But assumptions often don't match reality.  I think if I was going to go hunting with it I'd have a big bullet shoot off between of a bunch of brands and the top fimishers would have to go though some wet and dry phone books to prove their worth.

[quickdtoo]

I've shot the Hornady 200gr FTX 460 S&W ammo in my rechambered Colt Carbine at nearly 2900fps, but considering it's made for 2200fps from a revolver, I suspect it might be a bit explosive on a close shot, accuracy wasn't all that good tho either, ~2-3" at 100yds. 

Tim

[cwlongshot]

Good catch my bad I should have typed 250g!!  The 225 IS a 45COLT std pressure bullet!!  The 250 is made for the 450 Bushmaster at top or near top 454 velocities.

Appogies for the confusion.

CW