460 S&W rifle

[J E Custom]

if you like the ftx bullet, load the bonded shockwave from TC. Same bullet as the ftx, just bonded. I shoot the 250 bonded shockwave at 2600 from my 20" barrel 45 raptor. very accurate w/h110.

Couldn't find any that weren't Sabots and the prices were over a dollar a piece compared to less than .30 cents for the FTX and less than .50 cents a peace for the Hornady XTP Mag.
But thanks for the tip

J E CUSTOM

 

[meatyrem]

if you like the ftx bullet, load the bonded shockwave from TC. Same bullet as the ftx, just bonded. I shoot the 250 bonded shockwave at 2600 from my 20" barrel 45 raptor. very accurate w/h110.

Is there any load info for this. I have the 250 ftx and cannot find load info.

 

[Wolf76]

Couldn't find any that weren't Sabots and the prices were over a dollar a piece compared to less than .30 cents for the FTX and less than .50 cents a peace for the Hornady XTP Mag.
But thanks for the tip

J E CUSTOM

that's the beauty of the bonded shockwave. Plink with the ftx and hunt with the bonded version. I saw no difference in POI.
I built (4) 45 raptors via the savage platform and have tested many bullets. Some key observations:
No reason to shoot a bullet heavier than 250 grs. for deer/bear. Heavier bullets only generated more recoil - although the 275 Barnes xbp might be the most accurate bullet I've tested in these guns.
Many bullets fragment too much at these speeds, including the 275 + 300 grain Parker ballistic extreme
Xtp mag bullets shot ok, but the drops were noticeably more at extended distances.
Bullets that covered all bases well are more expensive. Cutting Edge, Pittman, Arrowhead LR Bullet, Parker, Fury, Barnes..... all $1+ per bullet

Clearly you have a vast knowledge base and I'm only hoping that some of these tips/observations are useful. Certainly you can take this cartridge to the next level. Good shooting.

 

[Wolf76]

Is there any load info for this. I have the 250 ftx and cannot find load info.

I use 460 SW load data for the 45 Raptor and make educated guesstimates based on multiple manuals and online published data. My personal load is a fair bit north of 45 grains of H110. The key is knowing most load data is for a 6-12" barrel. They use much faster powders, which isn't ideal for longer barrels.
Some manuals have TC Encore load data which provides the best starting point.

 

[J E Custom]

I use 460 SW load data for the 45 Raptor and make educated guesstimates based on multiple manuals and online published data. My personal load is a fair bit north of 45 grains of H110. The key is knowing most load data is for a 6-12" barrel. They use much faster powders, which isn't ideal for longer barrels.
Some manuals have TC Encore load data which provides the best starting point.

Question ?
The 45 Raptor uses .458 Bullets and should not do well with the .452 Diameter bullets. (Required for the 45 long colt, the 454 Casull and the 460 S&W) Glad you have had good luck with the TC bullets, and the FTX in .458 Diameter, but I cant use any of the .458 bullets, so I use the Magnum pistol bullets in .452 diameter. The 250 ftx was available in .458 dia for rifles like the 45/70 but have become hard to find. The 450 Bushmaster uses 250 grain FTX's in .452 diameter also so I still have a source.

Optimum performance appears to be in the 300 to 325 grain range and accurate to distances farther than 200 yards Like the 200 grain Bullets that Hornady loads for the 460 pistol. Average velocity for the 300 grain in my rifle is 2500 ft/sec.

I had thought about the Raptor because it would be such an easy build, but the .458 bullets ruled out the use of the Colt, Casull and the 460 S&W that I had plenty of ammo and components for.

J E CUSTOM

 

[Wolf76]

Question ?
The 45 Raptor uses .458 Bullets and should not do well with the .452 Diameter bullets. (Required for the 45 long colt, the 454 Casull and the 460 S&W) Glad you have had good luck with the TC bullets, and the FTX in .458 Diameter, but I cant use any of the .458 bullets, so I use the Magnum pistol bullets in .452 diameter. The 250 ftx was available in .458 dia for rifles like the 45/70 but have become hard to find. The 450 Bushmaster uses 250 grain FTX's in .452 diameter also so I still have a source.

Optimum performance appears to be in the 300 to 325 grain range and accurate to distances farther than 200 yards Like the 200 grain Bullets that Hornady loads for the 460 pistol. Average velocity for the 300 grain in my rifle is 2500 ft/sec.

I had thought about the Raptor because it would be such an easy build, but the .458 bullets ruled out the use of the Colt, Casull and the 460 S&W that I had plenty of ammo and components for.

J E CUSTOM

45 Raptor uses .452 bullets

.45 Raptor - Wikipedia

en.m.wikipedia.org

 

[remingtonman]

Thought I would post the results of one of my latest projects. After building a bolt action 460 S&W with a 22" barrel and finding that the cartridge has more potential, I decided on a 26" barrel in a TC Encore to save overall length.

I had a very similar setup for whitetail hunting in Ohio. It was an encore with a 20" 460s&w barrel. I couldn't stand shooting it and didn't like it, I Have since Sold it and went to the 357maximum, best choice I ever made. Recoil is minimal but anchors deer on the spot with the right bullet. Not to Mention The 357max is a lot of fun to shoot due to the minimal recoil and noise reduction compared to the 460

Using the 200 grain Hornady factory loading I found 500 ft/sec more velocity in the 22" barrel than in the 8.5" HVT pistol. Chronographing the new barrel during brake in basically told me that 26" to 28" is optimum barrel length.

Here are the velocities in the order fired. (All shots were cleaned before the next shot was fired).

1 = 2978 ft/sec
2 = 2981 ft/sec
3 = 2997 ft/sec
4 = 2999 ft/sec
5 = 2992 ft/sec
6 = 2992 ft/sec
7 = 2897 ft/sec
8 = 3004 ft/sec
9 = 3004 ft/sec
10 = 3015 ft/sec
11 = 3012 ft/sec
12 = 3026 ft/sec.
Once it broke in to the 3000 ft/sec velocity range, all velocities remained very close for factory loads.

The 22" barreled rifle exceeded 2900 ft/sec by a little and the 26" barrel did the same at 3000 ft/sec. 4 more inches only produced 48 ft/sec more after break in so I think it reached the optimum barrel length

The next step is to load and test the 300 grain bullets and the 325 grain bullets to see if the longer barrel length will benefit the heavier bullets and gain more velocity percentage.

Best accuracy with the Magneto speed attached was .757 and should improve with it off and more attention paid to accuracy.

Hogs beware !!!!
J E CUSTOM

I had a very similar setup for whitetail hunting in Ohio. It was an encore with a 20" 460s&w barrel. I couldn't stand shooting it and didn't like it, I Have since Sold it and went to the 357maximum, best choice I ever made. Recoil is minimal but anchors deer on the spot with the right bullet. Not to Mention The 357max is a lot of fun to shoot due to the minimal recoil and noise reduction compared to the 460

 

[J E Custom]

45 Raptor uses .452 bullets

.45 Raptor - Wikipedia

en.m.wikipedia.org

Interesting. When I first got interested in the Raptor, wildcatters were using .458 barrels because the 458 bullets were easier to find in rifle bullet for the velocity of a rifle, and that's why I chose the 460 S&W because of terminal performance. I guess that/s why it got locked in my head that it used /458 bullets. It is not to uncommon for some people to purposely use bullets of a different diameter or different barrel diameter for different reasons, I just don't recommend doing it for any reason.

Knowing that now, I'm still not sure I could chose one over the other except in certain applications
each one could have advantages and disadvantages depending on the rifle used.

Thanks for correcting me on that. good Info

J E CUSTOM

 

[J E Custom]

I had a very similar setup for whitetail hunting in Ohio. It was an encore with a 20" 460s&w barrel. I couldn't stand shooting it and didn't like it, I Have since Sold it and went to the 357maximum, best choice I ever made. Recoil is minimal but anchors deer on the spot with the right bullet. Not to Mention The 357max is a lot of fun to shoot due to the minimal recoil and noise reduction compared to the 460

Years ago I shot a 357 Maximum in a 14" contender for hunting and loved it. when I built the 460 S&W I went ahead and designed a brake for it that took care of the recoil and helped the noise level (Still loud but better than most) tested recoil with the 300 grain load is 13.1 ft/lbs and not bad to hunt with. It comes in at 48% reduction and I am still trying to improve the design if I can.

J E CUSTOM

 

[meatyrem]

45 Raptor uses .452 bullets

.45 Raptor - Wikipedia

en.m.wikipedia.org

Yes this is true it uses the .452 dia

 

[Wolf76]

here's my MB on the 45 R. works very well. JEC - my thought on 45 Raptor vs 460 is simple: bolt gun or AR= Raptor
Break action or single shot= 460 because of the rimmed case.
Also have a 350 Legend AR15 that shoots 125 hammer bullets at 2800 fps. Super light recoil and will be testing this combo on hair soon.

 

[J E Custom]

here's my MB on the 45 R. works very well. JEC - my thought on 45 Raptor vs 460 is simple: bolt gun or AR= Raptor
Break action or single shot= 460 because of the rimmed case.
Also have a 350 Legend AR15 that shoots 125 hammer bullets at 2800 fps. Super light recoil and will be testing this combo on hair soon.

The first One that I built was for my brother in law in Michigan and he wanted a bolt action plus he doesn't re load, so factory ammo was the only option for him. Plus he already had the 460 pistol and some ammo. The rimed cases are much harder to build on some bolt actions and the raptor would have definitely been easier.

Both will do the job, and ether is a good option if you reload.

J E CUSTOM

 

[hausser]

Resurrecting this thread with a question: Has anyone here used the Barnes TTSX 250g or Barnes TSX 275g bullets one a S&W 460 rifle?
They're labelled as "450 Bushmaster" bullets and have a diameter of 0.451"... the first inert dummies I use for bench set-up loads look wicked.
I have an Encore Pro Hunter with a new Bullberry 26" 1-16 Twist. Once I'm healed up from back surgery, I plan to get out and start playing.
Experience or thoughts please?

 

[Wolf76]

Resurrecting this thread with a question: Has anyone here used the Barnes TTSX 250g or Barnes TSX 275g bullets one a S&W 460 rifle?
They're labelled as "450 Bushmaster" bullets and have a diameter of 0.451"... the first inert dummies I use for bench set-up loads look wicked.
I have an Encore Pro Hunter with a new Bullberry 26" 1-16 Twist. Once I'm healed up from back surgery, I plan to get out and start playing.
Experience or thoughts please?

I have a bunch of experience with the 45R..rimless 460SW.

The Maker 250 T Rex bullet has performed the best by far. I've shot most available bullets for this cartridge and can clearly say there isn't any need for bullets >250grs. The 275s shoot very well, but add recoil and no benefit.

I'd recommend H110 and 300mp powders and large rifle(not mag primers), light crimp.

Feel free to PM me if you'd like to discuss anything further.

FWIW...I think your barrel is too long for this cartridge. 24" max IMO