If you happen to have a .450-400 3-inch NE

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Bill in Oregon
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If you happen to have a .450-400 3-inch NE

Post by Bill in Oregon »

I horse traded for a Ruger No. 1 in this caliber, and it will be here tomorrow or Monday.
One of the worst things in the world is to welcome a new firearm into the home but be caught with no ammunition for it. So I cast up a batch of bullets using my new Accurate 41-350W mold. They weigh 364 grains lubed, gas-checked and sized to .410 using range scrap alloy.
Going by the IMR formula for finding Trail Boss loads, I marked the neck of a Hornady case at the point where the seated bullet's base ends, filled the case to that mark with Trail Boss and weighed the charge -- 33 grains. Using 33 grains as the maximum load, the minimum load is calculated by multiplying it by 70 percent, which yields 23.1 grains as the starting load. The rifle arrives tomorrow or Monday, so it will be next week before I can test the loads. Fun stuff, though. Overall length of the loaded cartridge is 3.682 inches.

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1894cfan
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Re: If you happen to have a .450-400 3-inch NE

Post by 1894cfan »

And we'll have fun fun fun until Daddy takes the T-Bird away! :mrgreen:
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Re: If you happen to have a .450-400 3-inch NE

Post by GunnyMack »

Oh boy sumthin is gonna get a thumpin !
I WANT a #1 in 9.3x 74R but I dont NEED it...
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Bill in Oregon
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Re: If you happen to have a .450-400 3-inch NE

Post by Bill in Oregon »

Gunny, I hope multiple feral Texas swine get thumped with it. 8)
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2ndovc
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Re: If you happen to have a .450-400 3-inch NE

Post by 2ndovc »

GunnyMack wrote: Fri Dec 02, 2022 3:33 pm Oh boy sumthin is gonna get a thumpin !
I WANT a #1 in 9.3x 74R but I dont NEED it...
Same here, but a Nitro Express wouldn't be a bad choice either!! :D

Really looking forward to this range report!

jb 8)
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Re: If you happen to have a .450-400 3-inch NE

Post by AmBraCol »

Definitely interested in your experiments with this round. Trailboss, eh? I used to have a small jar of that, but wasn't overwhelmed with it in the 38 special or the 45 Colt. It'll be interesting to hear how it goes with your rifle loads!
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Bill in Oregon
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Re: If you happen to have a .450-400 3-inch NE

Post by Bill in Oregon »

Paul, I haven't used much Trail Boss either. My preferred powder for cast bullet loads with a case this big would be Accurate 5744 but it is currently nowhere to be found -- at least by me. Years ago I had a No. 1 in .416 Rigby and as there were no Cape buffalo in Oregon at the time, I very much enjoyed shooting it with 50 grains of the old XMP 5744 under an RCBS bullet of about the same weight -- 370 grains or so. I got inch and a quarter groups and the load chronographed just under 2,000 fps. The heavy barrels on these Ruger Tropicals help soak up some of the recoil.
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Re: If you happen to have a .450-400 3-inch NE

Post by GunnyMack »

Bill that ought'a thump swine just fine!
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kaschi
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Re: If you happen to have a .450-400 3-inch NE

Post by kaschi »

Please let us know what it's like to touch that thing off! That cartridge looks like a real attention getter.
Bill in Oregon
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Re: If you happen to have a .450-400 3-inch NE

Post by Bill in Oregon »

It's actually one of the milder of the Nitro Express family. Original ballistics were a 400-grain bullet over 60 grains of Cordite for 2125 fps. Getting any 400-grain bullet to that speed begins to become a chore rather than a pleasure past about 1900 -- for me, in a No. 1 anyway. The milder cast bullet load is much pleasanter to shoot. I will also try stuffing a few cases with FFg and lighting them off; Jeffery introduced this shorter smokeless version in 1902. It was the direct descendant from the .450-400 3 1/2 inch black powder express.
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Re: If you happen to have a .450-400 3-inch NE

Post by Rockrat »

Take this with a grain of salt, but I read somewhere, in the past, that the best load will be found around 90-95% fill to the base of the bullet. In a big bore rifle I was working with, I started around 45% and worked my way up. Best group was around 92%. The stuff is kind of unobtanium around here, right now.
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Re: If you happen to have a .450-400 3-inch NE

Post by earlmck »

That'll certainly thump whatever it connects with! I looked at it in QuickLoad and QL thinks your 33 grains should get around 1525 fps at 35k psi; the 3 grains about 1300 fps at 20k psi. And I have no idea how close QL is to reality in this cartridge.

If your "range lead" is as soft as mine I'd be worried that the 1500 fps velocity might be too much for the alloy. Guess you'll find out.
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Rockrat
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Re: If you happen to have a .450-400 3-inch NE

Post by Rockrat »

With gas checks, he should be fine. He can always water quench from the mould to get a harder bullet. The QL velicities predicted might be spot on or maybe a tad bit low. The big bore I was working with hit 1600fps. Pleasant load compared to the full throttle stuff.
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Re: If you happen to have a .450-400 3-inch NE

Post by Griff »

When you use up the TB you have now, you'll be looking for a new powder... TB has been discontinued.
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Bill in Oregon
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Re: If you happen to have a .450-400 3-inch NE

Post by Bill in Oregon »

Griff, hadn't heard that about TB. It has its uses.
I cannot find AA 5744 anywhere, but sent an email in to the folks at Shooters World asking about load recommendations with their similar Buffalo Rifle powder, which is also out of stock.
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Re: If you happen to have a .450-400 3-inch NE

Post by GunnyMack »

Bill , I remember reading a couple times in The Double Gun Journal about working up loads for the big black powder cartridges. Might be worth looking into but if I remember correctly, take 80% of the BP and that's the load of ( I believe) IMR 4198... Again DONT QUOTE ME but that's what I remember... not that 4198 is available?!
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Bill in Oregon
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Re: If you happen to have a .450-400 3-inch NE

Post by Bill in Oregon »

Gunny, I'll check there. There's a formula for Re 15, but there might be one for other powders. Sherman Bell wrote a bunch of great articles for the Double Gun Journal on just this kind of thing.
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cas
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Re: If you happen to have a .450-400 3-inch NE

Post by cas »

I've only shot non traditional, modern "Ruger only" type loads. 300gr JSP @ 2700fps.

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Barnes bullets a smidge slower.

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Mine is one of the 30-someting heavy barrel one's they made, so the weight helps with recoil.

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Got it off GunBrokeme a couple years back, they must not have known they had a rare bird. Neither did I till it showed up. Opened the box and thought "good grief that looks big, it's a truck axle!"
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kaschi
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Re: If you happen to have a .450-400 3-inch NE

Post by kaschi »

Didn't realize there are two different barrel styles. All should be like the one in cas' pic above.
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Re: If you happen to have a .450-400 3-inch NE

Post by barbarossa »

Believe it or not the Ruger no 1 rifles are on the verge of being banned here in Canada as if they are rebarreled in 460 weatherby they can achieve over 10,000 joules of energy .Imagine such a dangerous weapon in the hands of gang bangers just makes a person shudder.It just proves what idiots we have for politicians
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Re: If you happen to have a .450-400 3-inch NE

Post by Rockrat »

Looks like a "D" weight barrel on that thumper. My 375 H&H has the lighter "C" weight barrel. Think they had a run of 45-70's with the "C" weight barrel. Almost bought one, wish I would have. Would like a "D" weight barrel, or at least a "C" weight barrel on a 44 mag and rechamber it it to 445 super mag.
Bill in Oregon
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Re: If you happen to have a .450-400 3-inch NE

Post by Bill in Oregon »

Cas, yours is a very handsome No. 1. Mine shoulda been here today ...
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cas
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Re: If you happen to have a .450-400 3-inch NE

Post by cas »

kaschi wrote: Mon Dec 05, 2022 11:36 pm Didn't realize there are two different barrel styles. All should be like the one in cas' pic above.
They only made 32-34 or so of them?

It's does add to the heft for sure. I hunt with it a little, but I generally don't take it far.

Image
Slow is just slow.
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