olyinaz wrote:Buck Elliott wrote:"Top-Level" .454 loads approach 65,000psi. That, combined with bullets weighing 300 grains and more, creates situations no 'normal' .44 magnum can even touch.. And yes.. 65,000 psi is the official SAAMI maximum average pressure standard for the cartridge.!
After working on a number of .454 Rossi leverguns, I have to say that I just don't trust them. I have encountered a few that had apparently stretched a bit, and virtually every one exhibited stock and/or fore-end problems, not to mention magazine-attachment issues...
Nope, my mileage was the same. I put a box of Buffalo Bore .454s down range in my Rossi .454 and by the time the box was empty the stock had cracked. The primers were flowing uncomfortably into the bolt face recesses as well, and I wasn't happy with how much the brass was bulging at the rear either (because I know that it's a 65,000 PSI round, and the thought of a case rupture at that pressure sends a chill down MY spine for sure).
Of course it beat the snot out of me to boot! But that's a personal issue. The other items you mention and I feel that I witnessed too? No thank you - it went back to Davidson's and they sent me a Puma 1892 in .45 Colt in its stead.
I have not seen any of these issues in the one my wife has, but the stock was split right away (someone knocked it over and then immediately stepped on it, and split it down the wrist) so I repaired the stock, and the method of repair with epoxy and pegs most likely resulted in a stronger stock. The wood that Rossi uses, combined with poor fit on many rifles, makes them prone to splitting, and it is not uncommon in my experience to see the stocks cracking in the wrist area straight from the factory. Combine that with the increased recoil of the .454, and I would expect a lot more splitting that the other calibers see.
I also don't look for max loads with the .454 since it is not really necessary for our purpose - 360 hard cast going a bit slower than max velocities are fine - penetration is everything with a bear - and I am not a worshiper of velocity.
However, before Rossi offered the .454, I had heard a lot about problems people had when really pushing the envelope with .45 Colt model 92s, so even with the improvements Rossi made to handle the .454, I see it as something that we don't want to shoot a lot, since I'm sure the life of the rifle is much shorter in this caliber. As I said before, I don't see it as a shooter - I would much rather have another caliber for this purpose (and we do). Our purpose for the .454 rifle is very specific and limited. Since my wife has shot it enough to know it is reliable, and the size and weight are right, and recoil is very light compared to similar performing rifle cartridges, it fits the purpose very well.
I wonder if the .480 version would be a better choice for this type of rifle, as far a battering of the rifle is concerned?