Sidearms & Scatterguns S&W 460 XVR gain twist barrel, how does that affect 454C and 45LC loads?

This is old post but I will reply..=not good
Gain twist=lead barrel if shooting w/o copper gas locks. Tried shooting copper coated and lead 45lc ect and I did find 1-brand copper coated bullets that had a thick enough coating that did not did not lead up the barrel …sooo
In my experience .. very bad only use copper jacketed

FYI for if you wanted to do cheap loads use the berrys 45 long colt Bullets, as they seem to be thicker copper coating than others, to handle the twist?? I realize there are other variables…

Also, never ever ever put your fingers, hand ect next to the CYL. Gap!

Bye bye thumb!
This is 60,000 psi case!!

Just to add to the previous post, I don’t think I really ever shot it with jacketed and bullets?

I think I used 330gr grain lead cast.. myself. With very hard lead, and a copper gas cap.

Just use care when reloading if you’re going to be using lead bullets as the pressures, r- way up (my experience only)compared to the brass jacket compadres..
When going 460full loads

I’m going to use some jacketed bullets and load them up 460 cases…. 100rounds or so and report on accuracy.

I sent email to Smith And Wesson, because I had sparked an interest in this gun again.
I was just pretty bummed when I couldn’t shoot basic lead cast 45 long colt in this gun…
I may have a long conversation with Smith and Wesson.

Probably just go pick up an inexpensive Ruger 45 colt BlackHawk conversion … as I shoot a lot of 45acp as well…
The reason why I say inexpensive, because comparing it to a BFR, or freedom arms….

If I went with a BFR… it only comes 454casull, if you want the short cylinder, otherwise they offer a 45 colt but in a very large 410 cylinder,

If I wanted a short 45lc from BFR, it will require a custom order from BFR = Bisley handle and do an extra cylinder your at like 2500 price… at that point your freedom, arms price.

So 1,300 BFR 454casull (off the shelf) half the price than trying to special order….
Or 890$ Blackhawk 45lc conversion..



Long winded…

Kocher said:

I’m going to use some jacketed bullets and load them up 460 cases…. 100rounds or so and report on accuracy.

I sent email to Smith And Wesson, because I had sparked an interest in this gun again.
I was just pretty bummed when I couldn’t shoot basic lead cast 45 long colt in this gun…
I may have a long conversation with Smith and Wesson.

Probably just go pick up an inexpensive Ruger 45 colt BlackHawk conversion … as I shoot a lot of 45acp as well…
The reason why I say inexpensive, because comparing it to a BFR, or freedom arms….

If I went with a BFR… it only comes 454casull, if you want the short cylinder, otherwise they offer a 45 colt but in a very large 410 cylinder,

If I wanted a short 45lc from BFR, it will require a custom order from BFR = Bisley handle and do an extra cylinder your at like 2500 price… at that point your freedom, arms price.

So 1,300 BFR 454casull (off the shelf) half the price than trying to special order….
Or 890$ Blackhawk 45lc conversion..



Long winded…

Click to expand...

IMO you're attributing the leading issue to the wrong thing. It has nothing to do with the gain twist barrel.

45 Colt just doesn't work that well in the long 460 S&W chamber. The bullet has to jump between the case mouth and the cylinder throat, a longer gap than the typical 45 Colt bullet. That means two things - the bullet is rattling across that gap and likely entering the throat skewed at an angle, and it has hot gas blowing past it, i.e gas cutting. Gas cutting is the #1 cause of leading, whether it's in the barrel or a cylinder like this, or the barrel/cylinder gap. If you recover any of these bullets, they'll show a lot of erosion around the bullet base from gas cutting.



If you want to fire mild 45 Colt-level loads with cast bullets, just load them in 460 brass. That works fine, with no more leading than any other 45 Colt. If you use powder coated bullets you can expect it to work great with no leading at all.

Be careful: DO NOT try to fire full pressure 460 S&W after leading up your cylinder chambers with 45 Colt, until you've taken the time to clean them. It does cause high pressure in an already hot round; I saw that with mine first hand, which is why I had to sit down and think about what the issue was.

Also - full pressure 460 S&W loads do work very well with cast bullets when done right, but it's unrealistic to expect a lead bullet to work well in a 60,000 psi revolver load without a gas check. You can get away with it in a rifle chamber, when everything is right, but in a revolver with a cylinder gap you have to expect some leading if you're not using gas checks, at high pressures like that.

It would be even more unrealistic to expect any copper plated bullet to work well - those have soft swaged lead cores (nearly pure lead, much softer than most cast bullets) that simply can't hold up to high pressure loads very well, and that thin copper plating isn't enough to make up for it, even the brands that do a thicker plating now. Leave those for the mild 45 Colt-level loads only, but even then you'll need to shoot them in 460 brass; letting them rattle down the gap between 45 Colt brass and the throat does bad things for their accuracy, and the jackets often come apart in the bore.


Almost everything I shoot in the 460 (and in the rifle version, 45 Raptor) is cast bullets, and it works very well if you learn what works and what doesn't. Mostly I use one of these below - 395gr and 360gr versions of an old NEI mold, and the Lee 310gr WFNGC. Plated 9mm bullet shown for scale.

Have you read the S&W X-Frame manual?
The revolver should come with 2 different compensators.
The one with no top ports is for shooting lead bullets while the one with top ports is for shooting jacketed bullets.
Page#26 of the manual
https://assets.contentstack.io/v3/a...af/S&W_X-Frame_ONLY_Manual_121119_3012881.pdf

I have been revisiting this thread.
I learned that some of the issues with leading in general, particular with the Ruger, is that the cylinders are cut tight, therefore, swaging the lead bullets down and then bouncing around in the larger rifling of the barrel.

Guys will get a cylinder reamer and open them up and then get match grade accuracy and no leading.

I think I dropped a lead bullet through the cylinders at one time. I don’t remember if it was a tight fit or not. I think it was fine so like the previous post about using me full length 460 brass, although hesitant with all that room in there, for lighter loads…

Obviously, the cowboy powder would be ideal. I believe I am our makes that but it’s been like out of stock everywhere. I do have some of it so I haven’t tried, but that would be ideal.

Or I’ll just pick up a Ruger Blackhawk
It’s stainless it’s a conversion 45 LC and 45 ACP and it’s got a Bisbee handle!

Never mind about the Blackhawk. It was on sale, should have purchased it… snooze you loose..