I have the Rossi 92 in .454. I got the 16 inch because I wanted the smallest rifle I could carry on an ATV/Quad/horse, and in my 4x4 to keep near me in Smokey's country. I do NOT hunt bear, but I don't want to be hunted by bear, either, and that is a real possibility where I fish and ride. My question is, which load, manufacturer, and what grain ammo is most desirable. I had some work done on my carbine, and the gunsmith said he found it worked best with Magtech 260 gr. flatpoints. Do any of you have any advice, recommendations, warnings, or whatever from your experience with any of this? Thanks for any help you can be.

I have the Rossi 92 in .454. I got the 16 inch because I wanted the smallest rifle I could carry on an ATV/Quad/horse, and in my 4x4 to keep near me in Smokey's country. I do NOT hunt bear, but I don't want to be hunted by bear, either, and that is a real possibility where I fish and ride. My question is, which load, manufacturer, and what grain ammo is most desirable. I had some work done on my carbine, and the gunsmith said he found it worked best with Magtech 260 gr. flatpoints. Do any of you have any advice, recommendations, warnings, or whatever from your experience with any of this? Thanks for any help you can be.

Get a 45/70...or .450 Marlin....load it to the max with a heavy cast lead round flat nose bullet of not less than 400 grains. If you stay with the rifle you have, then I recommend having the front site milled off in the event that the bear feeds it to you....it will go down easier that way

a big bear's heart beats about 12 times a minute...he can be shot in the heart..and still fun, climb or swim you down....then break your neck....and possibly even chew on you...you need something that will break bones....and it has to be short enough to allow you to very quickly get on target...so..go with ghost ring sites..and a short barrel....

I have the Rossi 92 in .454. I got the 16 inch because I wanted the smallest rifle I could carry on an ATV/Quad/horse, and in my 4x4 to keep near me in Smokey's country. I do NOT hunt bear, but I don't want to be hunted by bear, either, and that is a real possibility where I fish and ride. My question is, which load, manufacturer, and what grain ammo is most desirable. I had some work done on my carbine, and the gunsmith said he found it worked best with Magtech 260 gr. flatpoints. Do any of you have any advice, recommendations, warnings, or whatever from your experience with any of this? Thanks for any help you can be.

Good choice for a handy rifle. I suspect that you'll be more limited by what you can stand to shoot, some of the heavyweight .454 loads are going to be painful!

I'd personally go with a good 300 grain cast bullet, but if the Mag-techs are pretty hard and won't expand, they might be allright.

I don't shoot bears but a 300 grain cast bullet from a .45 Colt revolver, traveling MUCH slower than you'll get with the .454 rifle, will penetrate several feet of pig!

Anything you can shoot rapidly, and accurately, in such a situation is a good start.....

If you're talking Black Bear then the 260 FPs should work just fine. If your talkin' GRIZ then i'd recommend the heaviest hardcast loads you can find that will still feed reliably thru your rifle. Buffalo Bore makes several loads that would suit your needs, get the 360s if they feed okay. Just remember it may kick you back pretty good your rifle being a pretty lightweight rig.
http://www.buffalobore.com/ammunition/default.htm#454

Interesting. My cousins have a logging show up in the Queen Charlotte Islands in British Columbia. Killing bears is almost a daily activity as the island they live on is alive with bears, and the bears will literally tear their cabin apart looking for food. They have attempted to do that many times. My cousins have probably killed more bear than any of us--maybe all of us put together--have ever seen in the wild. Their choice of rifle? A .303 Enfield. Yep, about the power of a .30-30. Anoter cousin just got back from the Arctic where he had to keep a constant lookout for bears. He was not allowed to take a gun. Only the bush pilot/guide had a gun. It was a .44 mag. revolver. The Eskimos have hunted polar bears with .30-30s for a hundred years. Long before the arrival of the .45-70 hunters killed bears with rifles we would never think of using today. I don't see many Griz, and I would do anything possible to avoid them. I'm fully aware of the capablities of the bear to keep coming. I'm also fully aware that a 260 gr. bullet at 1871 lbs. of ME is much more capable of killing a bear than an Eskimo with a .30-30, or a .303, or a muzzle loader, or a bow and arrow which the Indians used. I wonder why it is that although many people handgun hunt with a .44 magnum, some people think you have to roll out the heavy artillery for a bear gun. I don't have a .45-70. I do have a Puma 92, which can double as a CAS carbine, and as a deer rifle, or whatever else I want a rifle to do. If I had a .45-70 I would have asked which load to use. But, I don't so I asked which load to use in my .454. Fair enough? BTW, what part of MT are you in? We also fish in SW MT and always carry a .44 mag.





Get a 45/70...or .450 Marlin....load it to the max with a heavy cast lead round flat nose bullet of not less than 400 grains. If you stay with the rifle you have, then I recommend having the front site milled off in the event that the bear feeds it to you....it will go down easier that way

a big bear's heart beats about 12 times a minute...he can be shot in the heart..and still fun, climb or swim you down....then break your neck....and possibly even chew on you...you need something that will break bones....and it has to be short enough to allow you to very quickly get on target...so..go with ghost ring sites..and a short barrel....

I'm glad you mentioned the .45 Colt. That was what originally got me interested in the Puma, but I thought why not get it in the .454 and have the best of both worlds. My original interest in the .45 Colt came about due to my reading Ross Seyfried's articles about John Linebaugh and his experimenting with the .45 Colt. After Ross became a "convert" to Linebaugh .45's, he used them in a handgun in Africa. I"ve heard that others use those loads in a handgun in Africa also. I don't shoot bears either. My question was from a defensive standpoint, not a hunter's standpoint. I was a little confused about what to use because I"ve heard everything from Winchester Partition to Magtech. Seems to me the Partition would not penetrate deep enough. I would sure like to hear some comment on that. Thanks for the input. I agree, the .454 is a whole lot more powerful than a .45 Colt, or .44 Mag, which is what a lot of people use.


Good choice for a handy rifle. I suspect that you'll be more limited by what you can stand to shoot, some of the heavyweight .454 loads are going to be painful!

I'd personally go with a good 300 grain cast bullet, but if the Mag-techs are pretty hard and won't expand, they might be allright.

I don't shoot bears but a 300 grain cast bullet from a .45 Colt revolver, traveling MUCH slower than you'll get with the .454 rifle, will penetrate several feet of pig!

Anything you can shoot rapidly, and accurately, in such a situation is a good start.....

I read the Buffalo Bore comments about their loads for the .454. Makes sense to me.
Thanks


If you're talking Black Bear then the 260 FPs should work just fine. If your talkin' GRIZ then i'd recommend the heaviest hardcast loads you can find that will still feed reliably thru your rifle. Buffalo Bore makes several loads that would suit your needs, get the 360s if they feed okay. Just remember it may kick you back pretty good your rifle being a pretty lightweight rig.
http://www.buffalobore.com/ammunition/default.htm#454

dzrtram, I have owned a 16" .454 Casull,Puma 92 for several months now.( in S.S. w/ fiber optic sights) I have shot several bullett types and weights from it. For the purpose that you mentioned,stay with that gun. Don't carry some big glommy, pry bar, type of weapon when you already have the perfect setup.(almost) FOR YOUR PURPOSES !!!, I would think about putting a rear ghost ring on. But would that be faster than the excelent fiber optic sights that it has now ??? If so,how much faster ??(in miliseconds please) I would shoot the LBT 360gr. hardcast. Think about how many of these little powerhouses you can stuff in the little rifle. How much energy would be at your disposal ?? These bullets will penetrate as much of anything that i can find for a test. Wet Sears catalogs? You better have alot of friends donate to "the cause". There is no doubt in my mind that if you shot a Griz/Brown/Kodiak,under the chin,it would exit the same place as the blue berries that he ate yesterday. On the shoulder,??, it would shatter the near shoulder,pass through,and coming out it would tear the far shoulder to pieces. Within 3 inches of the spine,??,it would sever the spine from hydraulic shock. How many big bear have I shot with my .454 ?? Well none------ but. I do have alot of experiance with Maine Black Bear and Moose. The .454 Casull will take down a 1000 lb. Moose with power to spare. Good luck and get some more opinions ref. the power of the .454 Casull. This was just one respectful opinion. I'm sure that there are others.-------pruhdlr

Great information. Thanks for the input. I am so new to this particular caliber that I have no idea where to get ammunition. Do you reload the LBT 360 gr. hardcast? If not, where do you get the ammo. I'm such a novice at reloading I kind of hate to take my reloads into the "wild". Grizzlys usually aren't a problem, although they could be. Most of the Griz are higher and further West from where I will be. Do you have the stainless steel 16 inch? I have been a little curious about who bought the extra one from my gunsmith, Steve Young. I don't like shiny anything, so I had mine bead blasted. It looks so good against the dark wood. I also had the "wrist" glass bedded because they are said to crack there with a lot of .454 loads. I will use the .45 Colt if I use it at all for deer. Deer are so close on my son's property that there is no need for his .300 Win Mag. Do you have a preference in .45 Colt? There isn't a lot of good factory hunting loads available for the .45 Colt, is there. A recommend on that would be much appreciated also. I really love this gun. I always wanted a custom Marlin .45-70 Guide Gun, but I bought and customized (almost rebuilt) this Puma 92 for a lot less than half the price of a Wild West, Brockman, or other .45-70, and it's a much better package to carry on my ATV, horse, or even in my four wheeler. Thanks for the support.
Ross




dzrtram, I have owned a 16" .454 Casull,Puma 92 for several months now.( in S.S. w/ fiber optic sights) I have shot several bullett types and weights from it. For the purpose that you mentioned,stay with that gun. Don't carry some big glommy, pry bar, type of weapon when you already have the perfect setup.(almost) FOR YOUR PURPOSES !!!, I would think about putting a rear ghost ring on. But would that be faster than the excelent fiber optic sights that it has now ??? If so,how much faster ??(in miliseconds please) I would shoot the LBT 360gr. hardcast. Think about how many of these little powerhouses you can stuff in the little rifle. How much energy would be at your disposal ?? These bullets will penetrate as much of anything that i can find for a test. Wet Sears catalogs? You better have alot of friends donate to "the cause". There is no doubt in my mind that if you shot a Griz/Brown/Kodiak,under the chin,it would exit the same place as the blue berries that he ate yesterday. On the shoulder,??, it would shatter the near shoulder,pass through,and coming out it would tear the far shoulder to pieces. Within 3 inches of the spine,??,it would sever the spine from hydraulic shock. How many big bear have I shot with my .454 ?? Well none------ but. I do have alot of experiance with Maine Black Bear and Moose. The .454 Casull will take down a 1000 lb. Moose with power to spare. Good luck and get some more opinions ref. the power of the .454 Casull. This was just one respectful opinion. I'm sure that there are others.-------pruhdlr

Mike, do you have a recommend for both .45 Colt and .454. I know nothing about hard cast bullets for hunting. I do have reloading equipment, but I have very little experience at it, and no one to teach me anything I may need to know. One thing I will not ever do is cast my own bullets. I just have nowhere to do it, and no desire to do it. Thanks for your input.


Good choice for a handy rifle. I suspect that you'll be more limited by what you can stand to shoot, some of the heavyweight .454 loads are going to be painful!

I'd personally go with a good 300 grain cast bullet, but if the Mag-techs are pretty hard and won't expand, they might be allright.

I don't shoot bears but a 300 grain cast bullet from a .45 Colt revolver, traveling MUCH slower than you'll get with the .454 rifle, will penetrate several feet of pig!

Anything you can shoot rapidly, and accurately, in such a situation is a good start.....

dzrtram, The 360gr. LBT bullets you can purchase from the Cabela's catalog. The brass that i use you can get from Midway or other sources. The brass is Starline.Use small pistol MAG primers. I use CCI 450's. Powder that i use is Hodgdon 110. Load is:24.5grs of H110. A tight crimp into the cannalure is mandantory. Seat the bullet and crimp in two diffrent steps. I strongly suggest that you obtain advice from a local person that is familiar with reloading. These loads are ok in my particular weapon. Yours could be diffrent. If you choose to use storebought ammo,use the heaviest bullet and the hottest ammo that you can find. This is just one opinion. R/ pruhdlr P.S Nothing can beat reloading your own ammo !!

Thank you. I shall heed your advice.

dzrtram, The 360gr. LBT bullets you can purchase from the Cabela's catalog. The brass that i use you can get from Midway or other sources. The brass is Starline.Use small pistol MAG primers. I use CCI 450's. Powder that i use is Hodgdon 110. Load is:24.5grs of H110. A tight crimp into the cannalure is mandantory. Seat the bullet and crimp in two diffrent steps. I strongly suggest that you obtain advice from a local person that is familiar with reloading. These loads are ok in my particular weapon. Yours could be diffrent. If you choose to use storebought ammo,use the heaviest bullet and the hottest ammo that you can find. This is just one opinion. R/ pruhdlr P.S Nothing can beat reloading your own ammo !!

dzrtram, The 360gr. LBT bullets you can purchase from the Cabela's catalog.
You could, but why not choose from the much better selection of LBT-style bullets from our board sponsors, Beartooth Bullets??? Click on their link at the top of the page. Marshall is kind enough to allow us to use his forum to discuss our hobby, we probably shouldn't be recommending a competitors product (especially when his are the best around). My preference in a 454 Puma 20" is a 325-335 grain WFN at around 1900 fps. BTB has bullets up to 400+ grains.
PS: You're going to want to use small rifle primers, not pistol. I'm sure that's what pruhdlr meant.

Mike, do you have a recommend for both .45 Colt and .454. I know nothing about hard cast bullets for hunting. I do have reloading equipment, but I have very little experience at it, and no one to teach me anything I may need to know. One thing I will not ever do is cast my own bullets. I just have nowhere to do it, and no desire to do it. Thanks for your input.

Get with Marshall for loads, but any of the Beartooth 300grain bullets should be fine for deer and whatnot.

If you are starting out with '45 colt' loads in your .454, you'll have a lot of room to work up, so it will be a relatively simple reloading task.

Starline .45 Colt brass, some dies, magnum pistol primers (or Winchester), and H110 / WW296, either one.

With the 300grain WFN bullet, I'd start at about 22 or 23 grains of 296/H110, and go up. Any of the 'Ruger level' .45 colt loads will be a good starting point for your efforts.

For factory ammo, might get a box of Buffalo Bore or Cor-Bon. Not cheap but if you load most of your ammo you won't need much.

SHOOT, Your ABSOLUTELY right-----Small rifle mag primers. I only will reccomend a product that I have used and had good luck with. Hence,the LBT's from CBP. I'm sure that the Beartooth is great. Seems like alot of the leaver shooters prefer them.Cast Performance was at the time the bullet that I could get directly from the Cabela's catalog so I went with them. I have no experience with the 45 Colt in my Puma. I've found that you can load down the Casull pretty far for practice so i stick with that. I appreciate Marshall being kind enough to let us discuss our hobby but I'm sure that he is the type of person that would like me to speak the truth about how i really feel. Again Beartooth Bullets ??? I'm sure that they are great,I just haven't used them. Respectfully-------pruhdlr

Thanks, Mike.

Get with Marshall for loads, but any of the Beartooth 300grain bullets should be fine for deer and whatnot.

If you are starting out with '45 colt' loads in your .454, you'll have a lot of room to work up, so it will be a relatively simple reloading task.

Starline .45 Colt brass, some dies, magnum pistol primers (or Winchester), and H110 / WW296, either one.

With the 300grain WFN bullet, I'd start at about 22 or 23 grains of 296/H110, and go up. Any of the 'Ruger level' .45 colt loads will be a good starting point for your efforts.

For factory ammo, might get a box of Buffalo Bore or Cor-Bon. Not cheap but if you load most of your ammo you won't need much.

dzrtram, Hope that you stick with that little powerhouse known as the 454 Casull. Shot mine again this AM and I'm still in love. With the factory fiber-optic sights can hit 5 bowling pins in 7 sec.at 40 yds. I'm 57 yrs. old with not-so-good eyesight. With the little gun stuck away in a backpack with the bbl. sticking out the top or slung over your shoulder with a strap it would be very handy. Also it's great for the front of your ATV cuz it doesn't hang out over the side of the racks. GOOD SHOOTIN'----- pruhdlr

Been off the board most of the summer, banging nails and killin fish. My little Rossi put in some miles this year in the boat.

I load it with 360grain Hardcast when poking round the willow bars for Salmon and sleeping along the coastline when hunting Halibut out of my skiff.

No doubt in my mind that it is up to the task.

BuffaloBore's 360's shoot well and cycle great from mine. Recoil is quite noticable (much like hot 45-70 loads)

I also "roll my own" 360's from a local caster. Concocted the load by pulling bullet from a factory load and backing off a bit on powder to start.

I like being able to shoot my Colt handgun ammo through the rifle for plinking and stewpot filling.

Be SURE to clean the chamber well after shooting the 45Colts and before you run the .454's in it.

Enjoy. This has rapidly become my favorite little rifle.

Scotty

Thanks for the info, Scotty. Sounds like you know what you're talking about. I'll give the Buffalo Bore a try. What do you think of Cor-Bon?


Been off the board most of the summer, banging nails and killin fish. My little Rossi put in some miles this year in the boat.

I load it with 360grain Hardcast when poking round the willow bars for Salmon and sleeping along the coastline when hunting Halibut out of my skiff.

No doubt in my mind that it is up to the task.

BuffaloBore's 360's shoot well and cycle great from mine. Recoil is quite noticable (much like hot 45-70 loads)

I also "roll my own" 360's from a local caster. Concocted the load by pulling bullet from a factory load and backing off a bit on powder to start.

I like being able to shoot my Colt handgun ammo through the rifle for plinking and stewpot filling.

Be SURE to clean the chamber well after shooting the 45Colts and before you run the .454's in it.

Enjoy. This has rapidly become my favorite little rifle.

Scotty

I shoot some CorBon from my handguns. Great Ammo. Have not shot any from 454 yet. have no doubt it would do just fine. BB had the load and bullet style I was looking for and that big ol blue and yeller box was callin my name 8*)

I took a nice grouse this evening with the little lever. Plopped him with a roundball over a slight charge of RedDot. Barely above squib velocity. A pop and a P-LOP!

Bowled him over good. Just about to roll him in flower and hot grease....

Scotty

Good to see you around, Scotty. Bet your trigger finger is all tuned up with the time spend running a framing nailer!

Mike,

My hands are like crab claws from the dang framing gunz. I am so practiced, that I am considering using my Pasalode Impulse Nailer for moose season 8*)

Still have lots on my plate to get ready for winter. Some days I question my sanity for living in the arctic.

Thanks Mike,

Scotty

Yeah, winter is upon us in Texas too... I think it might have stayed below 90F today!

Let us know how that nailer works out on moose.... best have a full magazine. I guess that would both tenderize the moose, and give you built-in kabobs?

Hello again,
I remembered this thread and wondered if you would care to share your experience with the 92 on a new Yahoo Group that a friend and I started. I couldn't find any .454 group so we stated one. In three days we had 27 members and over a hundred messages and started a chat.

Just drop by and give us your experience and information when you get time, if you don't mind. The group is at http://groups.yahoo.com/group/454casull/

Hope to see you there.
Ross


dzrtram, Hope that you stick with that little powerhouse known as the 454 Casull. Shot mine again this AM and I'm still in love. With the factory fiber-optic sights can hit 5 bowling pins in 7 sec.at 40 yds. I'm 57 yrs. old with not-so-good eyesight. With the little gun stuck away in a backpack with the bbl. sticking out the top or slung over your shoulder with a strap it would be very handy. Also it's great for the front of your ATV cuz it doesn't hang out over the side of the racks. GOOD SHOOTIN'----- pruhdlr