So in the past week I have made some real strides forward with the new pistol. I also made a few discoveries, one, use the right lube for your bullets, two, a 325gr LBT GCSWC is too long for the Freedom Arms to be seat and crimped in the crimp groove, oh they will work, but they sit flush with the end of the cylinder, and even the slightest bit of creep out of the case ties up the revolver. The LBT bullets do shoot accurate, just think they will have to be loaded in 45 Colt cases. Now the RCBS 315gr GCSWCs that Dennis sent along with the LBTs don't have this issue, but they weren't quite as accurate as the LBT bullet either. Yesterday I had good success with my Mountain Molds 325gr WFNGC and 12 grains of Unique, I know this isn't really a "454" load, but they grouped 4 into 1 1/2" at 25 yards. I also had great results with the Sierra 300gr JFN bullets, I think it would be a good cow elk load, a lot of expansion, but they were loaded over 26 grains of 2400. The 289gr SWC from my Miha 270SAA mold really packs them in tight with the 12 grains of Unique load, first group was a little (very little) over 1" at 25, with good penetration into the dirt bank I was shooting into, I would estimate about 18 or so inches of mostly loose dirt. I may pick up a pound of Blue Dot this payday just to give it a try, I haven't shot any Blue Dot since I left Alaska in 04. Just a whole lot of fun, I am probably closer to being a one handgun man than I have ever been before.

Dave

Sounds great Dave. Working up loads for a new gun is one of my favorite things.

Dave,just a little follow up and a big thank you. Your intrest in the FA M 83 in .454 has me rechecking and relearning or just learning a few things. My new starline brass measures 1.372 out of the box with Speer recomding max length at 1.3...83 and trim to length at 1.373 these are perfect, BUT with the LBT's loaded into this brass my OACL is 1.789 and once again Speer recomends OACL at 1.680. These rounds are the max. my revolver will chamber and I have had a few boolits move and not tie up the gun but I did have to asisit the cyl rotation.As of now these are the only loaded rounds I have on hand but will load some others in other brass. I did measure my older many times reloaded R/P brass and it came out considerably shorter at 1.360 and I will from now on use this brass for the LBT's exclusively and if I decide to use the starline I will trim it down to or near this length. As I do more research I will keep in touch. Your friend Dennis