Thread: Load issues (blowback) 454 Casull

Hey, looking for advise.

Current load:
454 casull in Rossi 14” barrel
Hornady brass (not annealed)
250gr RNFP
Win 296 - 28.5gr (max load)
Small Rifle Primers

I’ve run some light loads in this rifle using AP70N, which works fine. These loads with the Win296 is giving me issues. Getting a lot of blowback, which is visible on the cases (soot marks). It’s almost like the powder is not burning quick enough and therefor not expanding the cases fast enough, and therefore causing the blowback. Results are the same with older Winchester Brass.
Don’t have a chrono to check velocity, but shoots an okay group at 100m with red dot sight.

I’ve read on other forums that W296 and H110 needs a magnum primer for better ignition. Others claim switching to Lil’ Gun yielded better results.

Anyone know what I should try?

Max load getting blowback? Sounds a bit odd. I would just change powder and see how that goes.

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memory bank trying to remember what it is about 296......something funny about it.....magnum primer could well be worth a crack.

Would that be a Small Rifle Magnum or Small Pistol Magnum primer?

lil gun may be faster velocity...but with hunk of lead that big how fast do you really want????
tray of small rifle magnum primers is stuff all $$$ to outlay and may fix issue...maybe...sounds weird you getting low pressure signs with top weight load....very weird.light crimp may be another thing to try....might hold things together tiny bit longer allowing better burn.
how does rifle go with factory load???

Originally Posted by Micky Duck

lil gun may be faster velocity...but with hunk of lead that big how fast do you really want????
tray of small rifle magnum primers is stuff all $$$ to outlay and may fix issue...maybe...sounds weird you getting low pressure signs with top weight load....very weird.light crimp may be another thing to try....might hold things together tiny bit longer allowing better burn.
how does rifle go with factory load???

Not too bothered with super fast velocities - just not sure it’s doing what the load data says.

Crimp is as tight as It can be I think, without putting dent in bullet.

Factory loads (Winchester SuperX 250Gr) worked fine. Have not tried since chopping barrel tho.

Ball powders evidently do benefit from magnum primers. If you are getting in complete burn there should be residue visible in the bore.

go hunting (take the 243 ) clear your head and think about it while you sit at camp wishing you had the 454 with the red dot when you were pushing thru the shitty bush and a silly spiker disappeared before you could close the bolt.........when you get home lock yourself in the reloading shed and try what these guys have mentioned above.....

Originally Posted by thatguy

Hey, looking for advise.

Current load:
454 casull in Rossi 14” barrel
Hornady brass (not annealed)
250gr RNFP
Win 296 - 28.5gr (max load)
Small Rifle Primers

I’ve run some light loads in this rifle using AP70N, which works fine. These loads with the Win296 is giving me issues. Getting a lot of blowback, which is visible on the cases (soot marks). It’s almost like the powder is not burning quick enough and therefor not expanding the cases fast enough, and therefore causing the blowback. Results are the same with older Winchester Brass.
Don’t have a chrono to check velocity, but shoots an okay group at 100m with red dot sight.

I’ve read on other forums that W296 and H110 needs a magnum primer for better ignition. Others claim switching to Lil’ Gun yielded better results.

Anyone know what I should try?

Greetings,
From memory 296 should not be used in reduced loads and does need a hotter primer. The soot is due to pressures being too low. This can be dangerous. Will do a bit of digging.
Regards Grandpamac.

Originally Posted by thatguy

Hey, looking for advise.

Current load:
454 casull in Rossi 14” barrel
Hornady brass (not annealed)
250gr RNFP
Win 296 - 28.5gr (max load)
Small Rifle Primers

I’ve run some light loads in this rifle using AP70N, which works fine. These loads with the Win296 is giving me issues. Getting a lot of blowback, which is visible on the cases (soot marks). It’s almost like the powder is not burning quick enough and therefor not expanding the cases fast enough, and therefore causing the blowback. Results are the same with older Winchester Brass.
Don’t have a chrono to check velocity, but shoots an okay group at 100m with red dot sight.

I’ve read on other forums that W296 and H110 needs a magnum primer for better ignition. Others claim switching to Lil’ Gun yielded better results.

Anyone know what I should try?

Greetings Again,
Had a quick scratch around. I see that Hodgdon specifies Winchester small rifle primers. Ball powders like 296 are a bit hard to ignite and the Winchester primers are formulated for this. If you are using a non Winchester primer this could be your problem.
Regards Grandpamac.

Shortening the barrel may possibly have had an influence on this. I went back through my notebooks and used to reload for the m1 carbine about 20 years ago using 296 and 110 grain projectiles and see I ended up at 1 grain over book max comments for lighter loads were sooty, unburnt powder and for one fails to cycle. Primers were std small rifle.

Originally Posted by grandpamac

Greetings Again,
Had a quick scratch around. I see that Hodgdon specifies Winchester small rifle primers. Ball powders like 296 are a bit hard to ignite and the Winchester primers are formulated for this. If you are using a non Winchester primer this could be your problem.
Regards Grandpamac.

I’m at max load tho so not sure why too low, probably not ingiting.
Using Federal primers, could try Winchester as well as Magnum.

Originally Posted by Marty Henry

Shortening the barrel may possibly have had an influence on this. I went back through my notebooks and used to reload for the m1 carbine about 20 years ago using 296 and 110 grain projectiles and see I ended up at 1 grain over book max comments for lighter loads were sooty, unburnt powder and for one fails to cycle. Primers were std small rifle.

Interesting, I would have thought it won’t make much a difference since load data is for Pistol (9.3” barrel)

I had similar issue loading my 32-20 for a rifle. Dirty cases, very dirty powder residue in barrel indicating poor combustion. Using Vihtavuori though not 296.
Lee in his book says that crimping will fix that or at least give better combustion. Got a crimp die and it made no difference.
Tried magnum primers (pistol IIRC) even though the VV I am using is not a ball powder, and no change.
Velocities and accuracy were acceptable.
I mostly used jacketed projectiles but when I tried cast I think I used a rifle load rather than a pistol load out of the reloading manual.

In the end lived with the issue as my 32-20 is only a 50 yd fun gun.

You could though as suggested though try magnum primers, or change powder.

On the subject of Lil'gun. I never had much success with it but that was in my Hornets. Sure I got higher velocity for supposedly lower pressure but accuracy wasn't that great and ES was bad.

On the subject of magnum primers with ball powder. I use W760 in my 6.5 Ackley. I have fired 1000 round thru it and had one misfire and I believed that to be a faulty primer. Everyone harangued me with "You MUST use magnum primers with 760 ball powder. You will get a slightly higher velocity and more consistent ignition". Well, I tried magnum primers and my velocity hardly rose at all, my ES blew out, my long range accuracy fell off. Back to std BR2 primers and business as usual. Maybe in a larger capacity case I would have seen a benefit.

Thanks for the insights @zimmer. Not much harm in trying different primers and then powder. Shame I have to buy at least 1lb to try even though it may not work as with the 296..