Load suggestions for my new hunting revolver...

[driftrider]

First I'd like to say how stoked I am about my new revolver...I finally saved up enough, with a trade for one of my unused shotguns, to buy my dream hunting handgun, a Ruger Super Redhawk .454 Casull w/ 7.5"bbl! I've been thinking and dreaming about handgun hunting for months, and now it's finally a reality! Looks like the muzzleloaders are going to warm the bench for next season, unless my wife decides to come along this year. I had my dealer order it in and it'll be here sometime tomorrow, but the wait is KILLING ME! I feel like I did as a kid on Christmas Eve I'm so excited.

I've already got a tentitive load workup for the (near) full power .454 Casull hunting rounds. I bought a box of 100 pieces of Starline .454 brass, and I've started with 25.0gr (published MAX load minus 10%) of Alliant 2400 powder and Hornady 300gr XTP-Mag bullets. The load workup is in .5gr increments to 26.5gr. The MAX load is 28.0gr, but as long as accuracy is good and I get no pressure signs at 26.5gr I'm going to stay at 5% below MAX to prolong case life. I'm expecting velocities in the 1550-1650 area, which is more than enough oomph to take down even the biggest corn-fed Iowa bruiser whitetail.

I'd actually had preferred to load 250-260gr bullets for deer, but I could find bullets in that weight range in my local shops, so I went with the larger 300gr XTP-Mags. If anyone had another bullet suggestion in the 250-260gr range that will perform well at .454 Casull velocities, please post them. I've had great luck with XTP-Mags in my muzzleloader which shoots at similar velocities, and the XTP's were fairly inexpensive and available so that's what I picked.

I would also like to know if anyone has a good mild to medium load for .45 Colt with 200-250gr bullets in either jacketed or cast lead (commercially available bullets, not home cast)?

Thanks in advance for you comments and suggestions.

Mike

[eldeguello]

My deer load uses the 265-grain Cast Performance-LBT style flatnose gascheck bullet with 28 grains of 2400. It produces 1550 FPS from a 5.5" barrel, accurate, no leading. Yours no doubt would give like velocities with the 300 grain in that 7.5" barrel. I too use Starline brass, but have found that a 300 grain bullet is not needed for deer shooting up to 75 yards or so, which is over my current handgun range limit for hunting. In the Casull chamber, I use 25 grains of 2400 with the same bullet from .45 Colt cases. I have not chronographed this load, but have seen no excess pressure indications with it in my Taurus Raging Bull, which is no doubt not as stout a pistol as your Ruger.