Absolutely. My favorite weight is 420grs. I used it to take a water buffalo from my .450 in February. Here is a link to my data. reflex264

http://levergunlovers.com/viewtopic.php?f=107&t=1061&start=0

water buff meets .450
with 420gr Crater Lite

 

These are 420 grain Cast Performance at 50 yards with H4198 with my 1895MXLR .450. I don't have any pictures out to a hundred. I recently changed to a Leupold VXIII which I'm going to zero tomorrow. I was having some issues with the Nikon scope so I changed to all American which I should have done in the first place! reflex264's target is way cooler than mine though!

 

These are 420 grain Cast Performance at 50 yards with H4198 with my 1895MXLR .450. I don't have any pictures out to a hundred yards. I recently changed to a Leupold VXIII which I'm going to zero tomorrow. I was having some issues with the Nikon scope so I changed to all American which I should have done in the first place! reflex264's target is way cooler than mine though!

 

Sorry bout the double post. Can't figure out how to delete it. :-\

 

Yup.
Cast 420s & H-322 in my Guide Gun.

 

Absolutely. My favorite weight is 420grs. I used it to take a water buffalo from my .450 in February. Here is a link to my data. reflex264

http://levergunlovers.com/viewtopic.php?f=107&t=1061&start=0

water buff meets .450
with 420gr Crater Lite

Awesome testament to the 450! Where did you take that buff?

 

I took it at Wilderness Hunting Lodge in Monteray TN. It wasn't like chasing one in Austrailia but it wasn't a pen shoot either. We chased them for 4 hours trying to get a shot. According to my guide they have never had one stopped as fast as this one. Hard to tell how big it really was from the picture but I am 5' 9" and its shoulder was higher than my head. reflex264

 

reflex264
took a look at wilderness hunting lodge
I guess this would be a great place to try my steyr big bore
that water buffalo is twice the size of the moose I shot this year
congratulation

 

Thanks. It was a huge critter to say the least. The meat is good but not as good as moose. They say teh best ones to eat are around 1000lbs. I am already thinking about getting another one. this time if time allows in Florida or Texas. both have hunts more like Austrailia on alot more land. reflex264

 

Reflex,
What was the velocity of your load and how long was the shot?

Hip

 

That particular lot of powder produced 1740fps. The buff was shot at 50 yards. The first shot stopped it and I got up about 25 yards away from it and put the second shot through the top of its heart. Blood was shooting about 4' away from the buff and it looked like a stream the size of a garden hose. The buff tipped over in seconds after the heart shot. reflex264

 

you know reflex, the fact you get to take the meat home really makes this hunt appealing. Almost pays for part of the hunt cost if you think about it, 800lbs of meat is expensive, lol.

 

you know reflex, the fact you get to take the meat home really makes this hunt appealing. Almost pays for part of the hunt cost if you think about it, 800lbs of meat is expensive, lol.

If I go after another one I will try to kill a 1000lbs cow. This one at 1800lbs is a little tough on some of the cuts. We have been going through the burger with gusto. Makes the best chile/stew meat in the world. reflex264

 

Boy I would have thought that you would push it a little faster than that----what was your load? With that velocity it shoulden't be anywhere near a max load.
Don't forget to use some in spagetti sauce and Sloppy Joes and with Hamberger Helper, Shepards Pie and Hungarian Golash!

I'm Drooling !

Hip

 

The load with H322 was 48.7grs which is max with H322. It was also all that was needed. I can get more velocity with some other powders but there are other considerations that get pretty deep. If you launch the bullet much faster it starts to come apart on big bones. Better to let the bullet destroy the bone than the bone destroy the bullet. The first shot broke the onside front leg, plowed through the lungs, exited the ribs and tore up the off side should joint stopping the big beast. I put a finisher in it but it really wasn't needed. All of that at 1740fps. Good enough. reflex264

 

Can't get any better than that !!!

Is that an Australian buffelo? It doesn't look quite like a Asian (?) water buff.

Hip

 

According to the people that run the place this one is a River Buff that originated in Asia. reflex264

 

reflex264

That is a lot of bull. ;D
Congratulations to you and your 450 Marlin. It is a penetrating power house for sure.

JD338

 

Reflex,
Does the 420 Crater have the same crimp to nose and crimp to base length as the 420 RD bullets?

44

 

When I first started loading cast bullets, I had a hard time finding load data. So a friend who has been loading for the 45-70 since before I was born gave me some advice. He said using RL7, I could determine how much of the case would be taken up by the bullet when seated to max OAL and simply fill the case with RL7 to the base of the bullet. I used this rule of thumb for 405, 420, 450 and 500 grain hardcasts and had very good results. There were no overpressure signs, and the rounds were accurate. I'm currently in Afghanistan so I don't have access to the data, but if I recall they were at roughly 2000 fps mv with the 405's, down to roughly 1750 fps with the 500's.

Note - this is ONLY for RL7. I have yet to load using any other powder. Oh - I used magnum primers.

 

Thanks for putting that picture on Roy, thats the most unusual Buff horns I've ever seen, probably used of seeing the Aussie ones with the wide sweeping horns, if that makes any sense ???
Aussie.