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Old September 2, 2012, 10:59 AM   #1
Edward429451
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454 Casull and Bullseye?

Anyone of you guys using Bullseye in the 454? I loaded up 20 rounds of 10.0 gr under a 255 gr SWC and got a big surprise. These loads flat shoot! No wonder they call it Bullseye!

I also ran em over a chrony and got 1177 fps, 38 ES, 13 SD. Not bad for what amounts to a starting load. I'm curious if others have had the same exp with BE or if it gets better with more BE.

Mine were shot out of a 6" FA 83.
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Old September 2, 2012, 11:07 AM   #2
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I would be hesitant to use bullseye in any case bigger than .45ACP for several reasons, most of which are listed in this link:

http://answers.yahoo.com/question/in...6104239AAmvn0g

There are several better powders to use for mild and accurate plinking loads and lead bullets in the 454. Trail boss comes to mind, as does Unique.
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Old September 2, 2012, 11:20 AM   #3
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If you ever accidently double charge a case, God be with you.

I bought my 454 to hunt with. I use H110 and heavy bullets. If I want to plink, the 38Spl comes out. Much, much cheaper.

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Old September 2, 2012, 11:31 AM   #4
Edward429451
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WADR, I am well aware of double charge hazards, and my load sequence allows me to be comfortable with loading despite these hazards. Rather than turning this thread into a safety lecture, I would rather hear from people who have used BE in their 454s.

I appreciate the warnings, but you're preaching to the choir here.
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Old September 21, 2012, 06:15 PM   #5
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"cricket...cricket..."
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Old September 21, 2012, 08:18 PM   #6
Edward429451
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Nobody's loading plinking loads for the 454 I guess.
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Old September 22, 2012, 12:56 AM   #7
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454....Bullseye....choir..preach. hhmmmm. Remember what the song Quint sang aboard the Orca.
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Old September 22, 2012, 08:38 AM   #8
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"Nobody's loading plinking loads for the 454 I guess."

I do, but I use Trail Boss. In my opinion, that's a better choice than Bullseye.
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Old September 22, 2012, 08:56 AM   #9
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I like BE. I dont have a 454 but if I did, I would probly try it. It does shoot good in everything else from 380 to 44mag.

The nice thing is, it dont take much so an 8lb jug lasts a LONG time. Unfortunatey, its been along time, and now I need a new jug.

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Old September 22, 2012, 09:14 AM   #10
Edward429451
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Yeah well they shot so well that I loaded some more and they shoot fantastic too, and are on the mild side for a 454. I realize that Bullseye blows up a lot of guns, but there's a lot of people that don't pay attention to what they're doing either. I didn't just get off the loading boat with my first Lee press.

I load 454 single stage and I charge the cases and set in the load block, then look over all the cases to make sure they all have same amount of powder in them. Then I check them 3 more times for you guys and again when I go to seat the boolits in them.

Bullseye seems to be a great powder for light weight boolits in the 454. The load's in the book so I'm not sure why everyone's skittish about them. Perhaps it would not be the best powder for a newbie to use but it's working fine for me. I had to know. I happened upon a good load.

That said, don't use Bullseye in a 454. I wouldn't want you guys to double/triple/quad charge your cartridges.
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Old September 22, 2012, 06:46 PM   #11
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I reload for my model 83 and I only reload full power loads.
I have a bunch of other handguns for shooting low recoil.
And I Only use freedom arms loading tables.http://http://www.freedomarms.com/loading.html
I also have the .45 colt cylinder but I just don't get any satisfaction shooting that cartridge. I bought my 83 to get just what it was designed to deliver.
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Old September 22, 2012, 09:14 PM   #12
Edward429451
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(your linky no worky)

Is it a sin to load 454 Casull to 44 Mag levels? I wondered about that. But what could I do with a 255 @ 2000 that I can't do with it @ 1200?

I have some 325 gr swc-gc's that I'm working with too.
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Old September 23, 2012, 02:46 AM   #13
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I always wonder why people make such a fuss over double charging with bullseye in something like 454. In basically any cartridge you use bullseye in a double charge is possible, and would have bad results. Why hammer on just one? If you can load 45acp without a doublecharge you can load 454.
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Old September 23, 2012, 07:18 AM   #14
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How exactly are you getting a 255 gr bullet to go 2,000 fps with a 454? Or am I misunderstanding something here?
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Old September 23, 2012, 08:28 AM   #15
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I'd much rather use Bullseye than other fast powders that pressure spike like Titegroup or Clays for example. Bullseye pressures up gradually and reliably with increasing increments of powder. Just don't try and get close to a max load with it.
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Old September 23, 2012, 08:34 AM   #16
Edward429451
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Quote:
How exactly are you getting a 255 gr bullet to go 2,000 fps with a 454? Or am I misunderstanding something here?
I'm not, I was being facetious. The point I was trying to make is that I am not trying to make a max load out of this. I don't need to, a 255 @ 1200 will kill anything I need it to and is a good plinking load besides.
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Old September 23, 2012, 11:06 AM   #17
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Got it.
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Old September 23, 2012, 12:43 PM   #18
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"Nobody's loading plinking loads for the 454 I guess."

Why waste the time? Just shoot 45 colts...
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Old September 23, 2012, 02:07 PM   #19
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F/A is pretty adamant about not using short brass in their cylinders. I like to use full length brass whenever possible, so the .454 brass makes sense.

You guys really consider Bullseye safer than Clays? I don't. But loading them in a block and comparing all 50 charges together is the way to go. I don't risk my F/A or my hands to any other method.
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Old September 23, 2012, 04:58 PM   #20
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Are you loading to the max? I load my .44 Magnum with Bullseye but I load them subsonic. If you go for full load, then get a slower burning powder.
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Old September 23, 2012, 08:09 PM   #21
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Are they? I have shot quite a bit of 45 Colt through my mdl #83 and it seems to like them. Why doesn't FA want 45 Colt brass in the 454 cylinder? Because of the resulting higher pressures from stuffing 454 rounds in on top of the crud ring after having shot 45 Colts in it?

I always shoot the 454 first and then shoot the 45 Colt ammo. I seriously doubt it would let me chamber any 454 rounds after 45 Colt anyway because the chambers are so tight. Heck, my 83 rejects close to 50% of that Winchester 250 gr JHP (Hunting) factory 454 ammo even when the guns sparkling clean. I got like 6 or 7 boxes of it with the gun. I needs the brass and hate to have to pull it down.
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Old September 23, 2012, 08:33 PM   #22
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No, I'm not loading max with it. I used Lymans #48 data for 454 Casull lead bullet #452490 (255gr SWC-GC) which lists Bullseye 9.7gr/1176fps to 13.0gr/1395fps (7.5" Test Bbl)

Lymans bullet is a gas checked bullet and I have a plain base 255, with a 6" Bbl FA 83. Actual results I got was 10.0gr Bullseye/1177fps/38 ES/13 SD

It's mostly just an experiment. Bullseye has always acted very stable for me. I don't think I've ever loaded a max load of bullseye before and don't intend to now. I have always been very cognizant of the high energy properties of Bullseye. But I figured what the hey, let's try it and give it a shot. I was pleasantly surprised at how good this load shoots.

I thought surely someone has tried Bullseye in light weight 454s before, but I see a lot of apprehension to it's use in 454. It is a good load. I have Trailboss but have not tried it in 454 yet. How much TB are you using in 454?
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Old September 23, 2012, 08:51 PM   #23
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Double tap, sorry.

Last edited by Edward429451; September 27, 2012 at 07:03 PM.
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Old September 23, 2012, 09:07 PM   #24
Edward429451
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Triple Tap?
That coffee was supposed to be de-caf!

Last edited by Edward429451; September 27, 2012 at 07:04 PM.
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Old September 25, 2012, 10:59 AM   #25
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It should work then., I use about 9 grains for my .44.

Just keep in mind that if you are shooting at distances pushing 100 yards, then load them subsonic for a more predictable ballistic. The issue I have with all pistol magnums is that they will go subsonic before 100 yards, displaying a sharp and unpredictable drop. For self defense and close range full magnum is great but not for long distances.
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