Best Group Ever! Warning- Gun Content

JTO · 07-18-2006, 05:42 AM

No, not the musical kind of group...

This kind of group:

Shot last Saturday. My handloaded 454 Casull. 355 grain Bear Tooth hard cast, gas check, 28 grains of H110, 1500 fps. Six-inch barrel and nice variable Leupold (Vari-X III 2.5-8X32). Off sandbags. Target at 100 yds. The group measured 2.7" by 1.7". I was a little "blinky" staring through the scope after twenty of these little boys went out the barrel. This is my elk load.

Troy

Drdogface · Drdogface's Garage

Now THAT'S gun control !!

Jeff Higgins · 07-18-2006, 06:03 AM

Nice shootin', especially out of a revolver. I have always loved the Freedom Arms single actions; probably the best made revolvers by anyone at anytime. That kind of group from a serious hunting load says a lot. I've seen "handguns" do that and better before, but they are all single shot "short rifles" as I like to call them. Not handguns in the pure sense.

That 355 grain hard cast bullet will do the trick. I've shot a number of animals, the largest being a caribou, with the .45 Colt (the Casull's little brother). My load is the LBT LFN (300 grain) that I cast from wheel weights and load over 22 grains of 296 for just about 1100 fps. A much lighter bullet at much lower velocity than you are getting, and I have never had one fail to fully penetrate and exit. The caribou was even facing me head-on (at about 9 or 10 yards) and I hit him in the brisket; the bullet exited his rump. You will have no trouble shooting clear through an elk with that load, at whatever angle you hit him. Good luck on your hunt.

Joeaksa · 07-18-2006, 06:04 AM

100 yards with a pistol, thats a nice group! Keep it up!

JTO · 07-18-2006, 06:32 AM

Thanks Guys. Its really a mental game. Trying not to worry about what happens after the trigger breaks. Its not really painful but its hard to fight the anticipation of that thing going off. It is fun.
Jeff, the Freedom Arms gun is amazing. I've had it since '96. It is the most consistent gun I have ever owned. Often with a rifle, I will get a flyer in a group for some unknown reason. This gun never produces a flyer. If I do my part, the gun always groups. The groups will open or tighten with powder charge, bullet type, etc. but they will always group. I love it and want another!
Troy

Rick Lee · Rick Lee's Garage

Here's one of my better ones. 15 rds. of .45 ACP from my SIG P220 at 20'.

I had a better one this past weekend with my P229, but I don't think I saved it.

JTO · 07-18-2006, 07:42 AM

Yeah Rick! That's good shooting. Those P220 are accurate.
Troy

Rick Lee · Rick Lee's Garage

On second inspection, those holes look like I had to be shooting 200 gr. semi-wad cutters. They sure make a nice clean hole in paper, but I had some FTF's with them. Now I just 230 gr. FMJ.

red-beard · red-beard's Garage

Nice shooting! Both of you!

JTO · 07-18-2006, 09:15 AM

Thanks Mr. Beard.
Yeah Rick, I like SWC. The feed fine in the Glock... They help me with scoring in IDPA since the hole is full diameter. I need all the help I can get.
Troy

charleskieffner · 07-18-2006, 11:08 AM

rick lee. that is some good groups. now repeat after me...........DOUBLE TAP CHEST-stop-DOUBLE TAP HEAD-stop-DOUBLE TAP CHEST-stop-DOUBLE TAP GROIN AREA for if they are not down by then they are wearing body armor! exact words from my CCW instructor!

Rick Lee · Rick Lee's Garage

Yeah, I gotta work on double-taps some more. I did one last weekend and the second shot took a chunk of ceiling out. Glad the range boss didn't see the debris raining down.

Jeff Higgins · 07-18-2006, 12:31 PM

I would love to see some one double tap a .454 Casull. Not only would it take a chunk of ceiling out, you would have one hell of a time getting the hammer out of your forehead.

JTO · 07-18-2006, 12:46 PM

Yeah Jeff. I guess the equivalent would be "fanning" the 454. Your wrist would be in bad shape after that. Taffin, who shot a lot of 454 in competition ended up with fractures in his lower arm from the recoil. Now, I do have a sweet load that consist of a 340 grain hard cast at about 1200 fps. Its easy shooting and lethal. Still couldn't fan that one.

Troy

Jeff Higgins · 07-18-2006, 01:22 PM

John Linbaugh was selling Ruger five shot conversions in .50-70 Government for awhile; still might be. He advised (no matter your experience level with big bore handguns) wearing a bicycle helmet the first time you shoot it.

Recoil on these guns can do some serious damage, starting with the .454 and up. .44 mags, heavy .45 Colts, and stuff like that can be mastered by most and won't physically harm you. The really big stuff is harder to master, and actually can cause lasting damage. Certainly nothing to fool around with.

JTO · 07-18-2006, 02:05 PM

Jeff,
Have you heard about the .500 Wyoming Express? Same gun as my Model 83 but chambered in this half-inch round. The ballistics say that it can push a 400 grain bullet to 1600 fps from the 7.5" barrel. I'm kinda intrigued by it (and a little scared). I might need one, loaded down of course!
Troy

FrayAdjacent911 · 07-18-2006, 02:58 PM

.454 casull... ouch... just... ouch...

I don't have any pics... once got a nice .6" group from a .223 bolt rifle at 200 yards. Usually averaged 2-3" at that range, then got a freak tight group with a handload I was trying.

With my .45-70 Sharps and iron sights, I've only put it on paper at 100 yards. Easily get 1-1.25" groups if I do my part.

They say there are two types of shooters: Spray-n-Prayers, and X-ring Addicts.

I'd say I'm the latter.

BlueSkyJaunte · 07-18-2006, 03:03 PM

It scared the hell outta the whole range the first time I brought my .44 mag to the line. Muzzle flash alone was enough to bring everyone else to a halt, not to mention the BOOM compared to their puny 9mm's and .40 S&W's.

8 inches of nickel-plated barrel also some curiosity factor.

Jeff Higgins · 07-18-2006, 03:09 PM

I haven't heard of it, but that sounds a lot like Linebaugh's .50-70 Government. About the same ballistics from what I remember. There is also a ".50 Special" that either Linebaugh or one of the other single action 'smiths turns out. It is far tamer, launching that 400 grainer at about 900 fps. Still a formidable load, though.

It seems most of the big bore nuts have settled on the .45's and .475's as the best useful compromise for hunting. They apparently out-penetrate the .50's due to better sectional density. Even a 400 or 450 grain .50 has a pretty low sectional density compared to the 300-350 grain .45's. Plus, recoil and blast get beyond what most folks can ever learn to handle. Your .454 is already treading in that territory. Hell, my heavy .45 Colts will leave my ears ringing all day from one shot when hunting.

I share your interest in something like one of these .50's, even as useless as they probably are in real life. Some kind of morbid fascination with something that intimidates me, I guess. How much of this do we really need? Geez, I have never recovered a handgun bullet from a game animal, because they have all gone clear through. Including a 260-ish grain RCBS Keith style bullet launched from a 4 3/4 Peacemaker, by black powder no less. At under 900 fps, it still went clear through a mature mule deer buck at over 50 yards. Add 100 grains and 500-600 fps, and the sky's the limit. But a .50 would still be cool...

Rick Lee · Rick Lee's Garage

I have an Insp. Callahan Special too. Try the 180gr. loads with a .44 mag. Unreal bang.