450Bushmaster.net

My 250gr Hornady hunting reloads shoot great. Due to the significantly lower price of the 225gr Hornady bullets, I would like to use those for plinking in the off season. Full power loads of the 250gr or 225gr aren't exactly soft on the shoulder. Do you guys have any favorite loads that you use for lighter recoil plinking? The lighter bullets may not be designed to handle the 450 speed, so I'm hoping to find a load gets them back down in the range they were designed for. I'm not necessarily looking for anything subsonic, though I'm not against it. Just something with less recoil that uses less resources so I can maximize the amount of lead I can comfortably put downrange. It would also allow others to shoot my 450 with less 'shock and awe'.

I have Lil'Gun and H110 available along with a half dozen other powders, but wouldn't have an issue adding another powder to the list if something is more (or in this case less) efficient for this task. Two additional goals are accuracy and functionality. I still want to hit what I'm aiming at and cycle the action on the AR.

DuckHunt

I have mentioned that the 225 ftx has three accuracy nodes but have mainly stuck with my favorite 38gr of Lil Gun over a Remington 7 1/2 primer and seated to 2.12 COL. That is the middle node The lowest accuracy node was with 35 or 36gr of Lil Gun. 5-shot Accuracy was MOA at 100 yds off a bench rrest setup and yes it was easier on the shoulder. That was using a factory 1:24 AR upper. You will probably have to tinker a little with that in a 1:16 bolt action. To be honest, I didn't think the 38gr load was hard on the shoulder either, but that was with a Ross brake and a slip on Limbsaver pad. The real pussycat load while still lethal was the 200gr FTX over 36gr of Lil Gun, but they cost more than the 225 FTX.

BTW, Welcome Aboard!

Hoot

You can also use the 230gr FMJ bullets at a lower velocity with the same 35-36gr LilGun load. They are the cheapest plinkers, non-cast or coated, and accuracy is good out of most rifles. They usually don't shoot as well as FTX bullets but function just fine as plinkers.

The 225 grain seemed just as potent with 38 grains of Lil'Gun as the 250 grain FTX bullets, at least to the casual observer. It certainly sounded just as potent. I'll try backing down some and see if that improves the feeling. The Limbsaver pad certainly helps. I may have to invest in a new break. Of course this is all from a bench where you notice it. The recoil wasn't even noticed while in the deer stand.

DuckHunt

The 225 gr FTX would probably be the most economical bullet, especially if you can find blems at Midway, which they have from time to time. Even without the blems, they are running $.31, which is not bad.

https://www.midwayusa.com/product/192444/hornady-ftx-bullets-45-colt-long-colt-452-diameter-225-grain-flex-tip-expanding-box-of-100

Hoot wrote:I have mentioned that the 225 ftx has three accuracy nodes but have mainly stuck with my favorite 38gr of Lil Gun over a Remington 7 1/2 primer and seated to 2.12 COL.

Your results proved to be spot on for me as well. I tried loads of 32, 35 & 38 grains. While 32 and 35 were more pleasant to shoot, the accuracy just wasn't there. Sure, I could hit a baseball at 100 yards which is good enough for most people. But 38 grains will group in a golf ball at 100 yards. Regardless of the recoil, its just hard to complain with those results. I guess I'll just be doing my plinking with 38 grains.

DuckHunt