Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Handguns My new favorite .454 cal. load for hunting

This summer, I worked up a new load for my FA .454 Casull, for a fall hunt for hogs and red deer. It uses the Hornady XTP Mag., 240 gr., ahead of 20 gr. of HS-6 powder, which gives me 1650 fps. MV out of my 10" revolver. This is maybe 250-300 fps slower than some full-power factory loads, but recoil is very manageable, and very accurate. I also loaded up Barnes and some old factory Freedom arms bullets, but got my best accuracy with the Hornadys.

Last week, I shot a red deer hind at 55 yards, behind the shoulder. She took 4 or 5 steps, and piled up. Bullet passed through, no big surprise.

A couple of days later, I made a 50 yard shot on an 80 lb. meat hog, also just behind the shoulder. It made a 10-yard run and piled up, tail over head, dead.

This is only a sample of two critters, but it's now hard to imagine using anything else for nearly all game I intend to hunt with the Casull. I also doubt I will ever again shoot, or hunt with, full-power .454 ammo!

Why the 45 Colt is a nice place to be.

XTP has done well for me but prefer 3-325gr WFN, i dont do a whole lot of handgun hunthing tho.

That is an excellent, purpose-built load doing exactly what you need it to do. It don't get much better than that. HS6 is a fine middle-of-the-power-band powder and XTP's are dandy controlled-expansion hunting bullets. I've used a fair amount of both in the 45 Colt and have always been satisfied with the results.

Nice job, I'm shooting the 270 gr Thunderheads outta my FA 454 at a lowly 1250 fps, it's so damn nice, bet inside 50 yards [my handgun range limit] the deer and pigs will be just as dead.

My old load with the Cast Performance 335 gr WFNGC bullets at 1585 fps are real hellbenders, just not fun to shoot.

I use nothing in my Freedom Arms but the Hornady 300 gr XTP with Lil'Gun

For what it's worth Lilgun has a bad reputation of eroding forcing cones at .454 pressures.

one wonders is a 200 grain LSWC .452 diameter bullet at 1000 FPS might politely kill a deer.

Yes. Won't be a lightning bolt unless you break their spine, but it will poke a good hole through the heart and both sides. Meat on the ground in 10 seconds if they ain't spooked.

That is what they make new barrels for

"politely kill a deer"? I kill the dmn things with extreme prejudice using a 265gr SWCHP at 1,000+fps with my .45 Colt.

Don

the 45ACP is more polite in killin chit...