Cryptoman wrote:I'm just getting started reloading for the 450b. I've done a lot of magnum handgun cartridge reloading in the past, .357 and .44 magnum and .445 supermag. H110 was always my favorite powder, but I have no experience with Lil' Gun. I see that both H110 and Lil' Gun are considered some of the best powders for the 450b. However, I'm confused by something I see in a lot of reloading tables. Maximum loads for H110 seem to be limited by pressure, but Lil' Gun is often capable of generating the same velocity at reduced pressure. That's great, but why do the reloading tables stop at those reduced pressure loads? Why isn't Lil' Gun pushed further up the pressure curve for even higher velocities? Is it a bulkier powder, and we are running out of case volume? Thanks for your insight.
Not sure if I said Welcome Aboard Cryptoman the last time, but it still stands.
Both of those powders are great in this rifle but my experience is mainly with Lil Gun. Though Hodgdon will not own up to it, many (myself included) swear that Lil Gun has changed since I first used it back in 2010. Seems a little faster, little hotter, but still IMHO, the most flexible powder for the 450b. I have used it up to 275gr bullets with good results, but in the case of the 275's that was before it
changed. Now I only use it up to 250gr and even then it seems to be on the edge of its comfort zone. H110, W296 and 300MP all carry the heavier jacketed bullets up as high in weight as you'll find commercially available in .451/.452. I haven't written the Range Report from last month, but I worked through some .458 325gr FTX bullets that I resized down to .4517, using AA1680 and though I was afraid it would be too slow, it performed quite well. I suspect there was some unburned ejecta, but some of the higher charge weights threw sub-MOA 5-shot groups at 100 yds. It's supposed to be a rainy weekend, so hope to get my range reports caught up.
As far as where to start, I personally love shooting the Hornady 225gr FTX bullets over Lil Gun. Over the loading range you can observe 3 accuracy nodes before the pressure signs say stop. The lower velocity accuracy node makes for comfortable plinking. They cost about a nickel more each than 230 fmj, but they reward you with small 100 yd 5-shot groups. The 230 fmj are just too darned short for their weight.
Have fun
Hoot
Posted: Fri Apr 14, 2017 10:19 am
Like you, I like the idea of the 225 FTX as they are much cheaper. I have the Hornady dies for now--I'll see what kind of results I get with them before experimenting with alternative crimps. This seems like a really fun round to reload/shoot, and I'm looking forward to it!