I need advice for working up a load for 454 alaskan.

[deanl]

I will be elk hunting and we have had lots of bear eating people in the woods of Utah this past year. I Love my Ruger Alaskan 454 and it is a great gun to carry just for that situation.

I have been working loads up using 2400 and H110 but then I saw read on an eariler post talking about using a faster powder like aa#7 for the snubby's.

Great info as I remember:

I would like to know if anyone has some more ideas. Does anyone have advice or oppinions on this subject? The subject of loading different for a 2 1/2 inch barrel vs longer barrels and which bullet and powder combo might increase the self defense value for this gun against Bear that wants to eat people.

I have loaded and shot 250 xtp using 27 gn of 2400 and 27 gn of H110. I think I like the 2400 better but I think I would like to push a bigger bullet.

This is what gave me the best target groups;

250 xtp
27gn 2400
Starline cases
cci mag primer
Hi-1364 fps
lo-1302
av-1333
es-62
sd-23

250 xtp
27 gn H110
Starline cases
cci mag primer
Hi-1126 fps
lo-1054
av-1087
es-72
sd-30

Both powders gave me some great recoil and flames out the front! It was a cold but fun day at the range!

 

[nicholst55]

Actual chronograph tests reveal that using slower powders in a shorter barrel still works pretty well. Velocity loss is less than what one would expect. As far as practical effect on a marauding bear, I doubt he'll know the difference between a bullet that exited the muzzle at 1400 fps as opposed to one that exited at 1500 fps.

 

[campbell]

I'd go with a solid rather than an HP for bear defense. Only blacks in Utah (and attacks are pretty much unheard of aside from that poor kid this summer), so it's not like you'll need crazy levels of power. 300 grain solid will be plenty of punch.

I like Lil'Gun for pushing heavies. You can match the numbers of H110, but it has better ignition. Besides the online Hodgdon data, this Taffin article has some good loads.

http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m0BQY/is_8_47/ai_76558929

Sounds like you're shooting around 30,000 CUP with that H110 load. The .45 Colt loads in that article are in that neighborhood. 20 or 21 grains of Lil Gun under a 300 grain cast bullet will be much easier shooting than full house .454, but will put down a black bear no problem.

 

[deanl]

Great information, Thank you.
I hope that you can tell that I'm not too worried about the bear too much but more interested in the working up of the load for the gun. I will give Lil'gun a try sounds like fun. The solid bullets are a better idea as well, Thank you.

Side note on the Bear thing. Here in Utah we have had a great number of bears come into the cities and foot hills this year attacking people. all of which have not hit the news. the wildlife guys told me that it is because of the drought we have had and that the bears are very hungry. We had to put down 6 black Bear in the last 9 months or so in Utah County area alone. I was at our shooting range early one morning and one ran 12 feet from me under a fence and swam across a big pond to get away from me. It gets your heart going. A month before that a friend was hiking and found himself between a Momma and her Cubs. He had a .40 S&W with him and was able to shoot and scare her and her cubs off but only after She charged and scared the crap out of him. That was his 2nd encounter this year the other was a black bear climbing a tree after him while he sat in a tree stand. After shooting my .454 Casull he said he wished he would have had it with him just for the noise factor.

 

[deanl]

sorry

 

[joneb]

If I had a Ruger Alaskan .454 casull and wanted to work up a load to discourage da bears I would go with a 300gr jacketed solid, propelled with AA#9; http://www.accuratepowder.com/data/...5Cal(11.5mm)/454 Casull pages 149 and 150.pdf

 

[FLORIDA KEVIN]

i would probably go witht the 300 grain speer gdhp #3974 work up a load using Lil Gun you will be happy ! Kevin

 

[critter]

My FA .454 just LOVES the big ole cast 300 gr bullets with the long nose and a big flat point. I hear good reports with cast flat nosed bullets on game too. I have yet to get to try one out however. SOON!

 

[TimT]

Both my Casulls in the past here I loaded only heavy hard cast 345grn on up to 370 grn and using H110. I loaded for accuracies and for big bears. The recoil is substantial but with practice is manageable and the accuracies with my SuperRdhwk was amazing at 100yds.

 

[campbell]

Here in Utah we have had a great number of bears come into the cities and foot hills this year attacking people. all of which have not hit the news. the wildlife guys told me that it is because of the drought we have had and that the bears are very hungry. We had to put down 6 black Bear in the last 9 months or so in Utah County area alone.

Yeah, I've heard of a lot more of that down around Springville and Strawberry and such. I haven't seen any while fishing, but I've mostly been up Tibble Fork area and Big Cottonwood. They're having a lot of run ins down in Southern Cal. near the foothills as well. Drought's forcing them to come looking for food and water.

I'm trying to remember if I've seen anyone local carrying a decent selection of cast bullets suitable for a hot load. Cabelas carries Cast Performance on the website, but I don't think I've seen them on the shelf here. I've seen the Sierra .45 cal 300 grain jacketed soft point over at Sportsman's Warehouse. That's a good penetrator, and the Sierras are reasonably priced.