Just curious if anyone here has tried these .454's with .45 colt loads. I'm looking for a decent all around lever action rifile, and one that could digest anythign from "soft" .45 colt cowbow loads up to hot .454's seems like it would do it. There seems to be some concern about the .454 pressures in these guns, but I'd really just be looking for a .45 colt cowbow gun with the option of shooting .454's in. Any opinions? I'm VERY new to the lever gun thing!

Joe

Do a little searching, there should be plenty of posts on the Rossi .454s.

Welcome to the forum, and please don't double-post.

Mike,

I have done lots of searching. I am new to this forum but not forums in general. You are right, there are quite a few reports on the Rossi Puma .454, however none that I could find that address how it feeds and handles .45 colt cowbow loads.

What's a 'cowbow' load?

Joe

Cowboy load used for cowboy action shooting. Sorry type-o.


Joe

Joe357,

OK, I thought that's what it was, but I've learned to ask first then jump to conclusions later.

From the experiance I've had with my Rossi in .45 Colt feeding could be a breeze, or a problem. Mine needed gunsmithing to feed anything. While that problem was beeing corrected I told the gunsmith to adjust it so it would feed with the longer Keith bullets.
Now it will feed with any .45 Colt with a nose shape that will not jam up the magazine stop, and it will feed the shorter Schofield length rounds as well.

I suspect from what I"ve read that the .454 if it is feeding properly will feed the .45 Colts without a problem.
Leverguns.com forum has several members that own this rifle and they seem to be satisfied with it.

Joe

Let me start by saying I have absolutely no experience with the .454. That being said, I remember reading some time ago, that there was a concern with shooting lots of .45 colt loads through a revolver, and then shooting the very high pressure .454s. The idea was that lead and carbon would build up at the the mouth of the .45 case, causing a small ring in the chamber. When the longer .454 was loaded, this ring would be behind the mouth, in effect resulting in a slightly smaller diameter in the chamber at that point, which would cause higher pressures. I hope that explanation makes sense!

This was a concern for the .454/.45, and not other cartridge combinations like the .44 mag/.44 spl, because the .454 operates at much higher pressures (65,000 psi compared to the .44 mags 38,000, if I'm not mistaken).

Anyway, I don't know if this concern is legitamate or has been proven to be bunk. I'm sure some of the other fellows here can address this. If it is real, though, I'd guess it applies to rifles the same as revolvers.

Joe357...

My .454 seems to feed everything I can purchase or load up myself. Others have had to get theirs tweeked a bit for optumum feeding. Just gotta roll the dice I think...

All in all, I am very happy with my LSI .454. I cannot think of any critter in my backyard that would not soon reside in my freezer if I chose to make meat. It is a great little plinker with light loads and a real stomper with heavy .454's

I have put a dozen grouse in the pot this year with a little roundball load and would not hesitate to shoot one of my neighborhood Grizzly's with a case full of H110 under a 360grain cast boolit.

It sees more use than any other rifle I own. For my needs, I could get by with just this one rifle if I had to.

The jury is still out on the durability issue if one shoots lots of heavy loads but there are a few folks trying to find out the answer to that question.

I also strongly suggest cleaning the chamber GOOD before switching from .45Colt ammo to the .454's. I keep a small brush in my pack.

I have found that most of my shooting is with the various .45Colt loadings and I seldom load up the .454's unless I have a special project in mind.

Enjoy,

Scotty

Thanks Scotty. Thats exactly the information I was looking for!

Joe

Joe... I bought a Puma 92 Trapper .454 which, like Scotty, I use mainly for shooting .45 Colt JHP loads like Corbon 200 gr. JHP and Georgia Arms 200 gr. Gold Dot JHP. I've also fired some lead cowboy loads through it. All feed and fire just fine with my current Puma.

Legacy/Rossi '92 Ltd. 16" Trapper - .454 Casull
http://www.legendportraits.com/Images/Puma454.jpg

The first one I bought had an eggshaped chamber and Davidsons replaced the rifle immediately. The second one wouldn't feed anything. Again, Davidsons replaced it immediately. Now my third one is just great. I certainly recommend buying a gun through Davidsons. If something isn't right you don't have to wrangle with the manufacturer and wait weeks for a repair to happen, Davidsons just replaces the gun ASAP!

As Scotty feels, this rifle can really do it all... plinking with cowboy loads, mid power .45 Colt for hunting or self defense, mild or hot .454 for heavy duty needs, bear country, etc.

Personally, I'm thinking of reloading .454 cases to a mild .44 magnum level, just because I like the power-point and the big, old fat cartridges! In fact, Winchester has a .454 Super-X load which is equivalent to a moderately mild .44 magnum loading... very pleasant to shoot and easy on the gun as well. It's a 250 gr. JHP and from my Puma 92 Trapper clocks at 1602 fps / 1424 fpe. Comfy to shoot! So you can shoot .454 without setting yourself up for a trip to the chiropractor!

If you shoot mostly .45 Colt-type loads with just an occasional .454 load, the gun should last as long as a typical 92 would last... a long time!

Yes, clean the chamber very well after firing .45 Colt when you plan to shoot .454. I took a 2.5" - 3" copper bore brush and put a 90 degree bend in it near the threaded end so I can slip in in the chamber with the bolt open and do some scrubbing... works great.