450B Shotshells on the Proving Grounds

[pitted bore]

A. PREPARATION

The thread on 450BM shotshell loads ( 450BM shotshell loads? ) was interesting, so I added some of the Speer 45-caliber shot capsules to my last Midway order, which arrived a few days ago. Yesterday I filled some of the projectiles, prepped some cartridges, patterned them, checked for penetration, and then shot a pigeon.

Projectile

The Speer capsules come 25 to a box, and require filling with shot before loading into a cartridge. The box label says they're for the 45 Colt, with a .452" diameter. I checked for loading information on line. Much of the information pointed to an article by Venturino in Handloader magazine #234 (April-May 2005). I dug it out, and the general message seemed to be (1) use really small shot like #12, "dust shot", and (2) watch out for shot bouncing back at you from close shots. There were no handloading data supplied for the 45 caliber cartridges.

The Speer #13 Manual had a section on filling and using capsules. Take-home lessons from that book: (1) Filling capsules with shot is a trial-and-error, learn-as-you-go process, and (2) keep velocities low to avoid blowing patterns.

I used the smallest shot on hand, Remington size 8-1/2 magnum (6% antimony). It took a couple of trials, but I did learn how to fill a capsule full enough that it did not rattle and would still permit the poly stopper-wad to seat fully. I made five filled capsules, and their weights were pretty uniform at 170 +/- 1 grains. I counted number of pellets in two other capsules and found 158 and 163 pellets.

Prepping Loads

As of yet there are no loading data for shot capsules in 450 Bushmaster. (No surprise there!) Venturino loaded no capsules in 45 caliber, and the Speer manual had no loads for any 45 caliber cartridges. A small data sheet that came in the box of capsules described loads for 4 powders for 45 Colt. The only powder I had on hand from the list was Unique, so I used 7.5 grains of that powder as the sheet suggested. That load was listed as giving 975 fps with a 45 Colt cartridge from a revolver with a 6" barrel. With pressures likely to be low and with an easy burning powder, I used Remington 6-1/2 primers.

I full-length resized some cases that had been fired multiple times. When I tried to insert the capsules into a resized case by hand, the poly wad-stopper entered the case pretty easily, but the edge of the blue plastic container hung up on the edge of the case mouth. The outside diameter of the resized cases was 0.474", so I used the Hornady expander to move that dimension to 0.4755".

After priming and putting in the powder, I used the Hornady seater die with the flat-ended bullet seating stem to start the capsule into the case. The bottom edge of the floating sleeve in the Hornady die can hang up on the top end edge of the capsule as the case is pushed into the die. If this happens and you push hard with the press, the capsule can fracture. Some caution and some wiggling may be needed to avoid breaking the capsule. Once the capsule is started into the case, there is little resistance to further seating.

Instead of completing seating with the die, I pulled the case from the press and seated the capsule firmly with finger pressure. Too much pressure applied by the press is likely to rupture the plastic capsule, or to distort the poly wad. After hand seating, the capsule was restricted from further entry into the case by the internal case taper. The poly wad end was not touching the powder, as nearly as I could tell from measurements. In reloading shotshells, the usual rule is that wad must be at least in contact with the powder, if not applying firm pressure. However, I did not expect having the powder being somewhat loose under the wad would be a problem with capsule loading, because Unique is used in a lot of pistol loads that don't fill the case completely.

The cartridge length after seating the capsule was variable, between 1.986" and 1.925". I used the Hornady taper crimp die to fix the capsule firmly in the case by crimping so that the exterior mouth diameter was 0.473". With finger pressure, I was unable to budge the capsule into or out of the case.

Off to the range we went.

Speer capsules and 450 Bushmaster

capsule.jpg (96.97 KiB) Viewed 13166 times

edited for spelling

[pitted bore]

PERFORMANCE AT THE PROVING GROUND

Patterning

To check out the pattern produced by the capsule loads, I used the heavy bolt gun I've been working with recently. The Speer manual suggested that the pattern spread should increase about one inch per foot of distance from the muzzle. I put up a 10"-square patterning target at 8 feet from the muzzle, using a cardboard box for the target support to prevent ricochets back toward me. The 13-pound rifle with the 12X scope was a bit awkward to align offhand.

I centered the target as best as I could estimate and touched off a round. The pattern was only 4" in diameter, with a central hole made by the capsule, and just 18 shot distributed at the edge of the pattern, with only one hole between the capsule and the periphery. It looked like most of the pellets were still in the capsule.

450B/Speer capsule pattern - 8 feet

pat_08.jpg (13.47 KiB) Viewed 13166 times

I backed off to a 12-foot distance between the muzzle and a new 10" target, and tried again. The pattern wasn't well centered, but there was a lot more scatter of the pellets.

I put up a 14"-square target at 12 feet for the third trial. The paper was large enough to catch most of the pellets. The pattern was sort of a donut, 10" in diameter. About 50% of the pellets were at the periphery, with some scattered pellets nearer the center. The rifling was having an obvious affect, but I had not expected the concentration near the edge. Also unexpected was the clumping of 3-6 shots in groups at the periphery.

450B/Speer capsule pattern - 12 feet

pat_12.jpg (37.1 KiB) Viewed 13166 times

The cartridges sometimes took a bit of jiggling of the rifle to get them into the chamber. The square front end of the capsule is not well adapted for smooth feeding.

Penetration

The next test after patterning was to check penetrating ability of the pellets, so I filled a gallon poly milk jug with water for the test. About 20 feet in front of the range was a steel rail that pistol shooters use for their falling plate practice. Because no other persons were using the range, I parked the jug on the rail and shot it from 12 feet muzzle-jug distance. (I was a bit worried about possible ricochets, and made sure my shooting glasses were in place. I expect if a pellet had bounced back, it might have broken some skin.)

At the shot impact, the jug exploded more than expected. and fell to the ground with vertical ruptures along both edges of the side being shot. Fortunately there were no detectable ricochets back towards me.

Perforated jug on the range

jug.jpg (103.96 KiB) Viewed 13166 times

A rough count showed about 60 pellet strikes, with the capsule hitting a glancing blow on the right edge. A half dozen pellets were recovered in the jug. About 12 pellets penetrated the back side of the jug, going through about 6" of water between the front and back sides. Several more made it through the upper part of the jug, having to get through less water.

Close-up Perforated Jug

shot_jug.jpg (25.73 KiB) Viewed 13166 times

Pigeon

A pigeon had appeared at the range recently, and it had seemed pretty tame. It was roosting in the roof supports over the rifle benches, and it was obvious that the benches would be decorated with droppings soon. After the jug shot, as I was reorganizing at the bench, this pigeon landed on the steel rail. A club officer was shooting at a nearby pistol range, so I hollered over asking about the pigeon. The guy hollered back, "It's a bird somebody brought out for dog training. Shoot it!" He came over to supervise the execution.

This was not a clay pigeon, it was a rock pigeon, a genuine Columba livia, just like the ones that hang around statues and city parks.

The pigeon flew into a nearby tree, and I tried to line up for a safe shot, The bird then flew out to a target support at the 25-yard line, so I loaded the rifle and started into a slow, careful pigeon stalk. The bird started to act worried when I was about 20 feet away, and I did not want to attempt a wing shot, so I hauled up the rifle.

Certainly the gun mount was not a smooth and practiced game-gun move. Rifles weighing 13 pounds with heavy barrels and 12X scopes make for a bit of awkwardness. I kept my left eye open looking at the pigeon, and shot when the right-eyed view of the cross hairs in the scope were centered on the bird. The bird fell in a shower of feathers, and the club officer came up and claimed the bird for his supper. (Hey, we're yoopers, baby!) Judging from the blood, the bird was perforated in several places. At least for this target, size 8-1/2 shot was probably better than the usual 12 dust shot.

I wonder if this bird was the first taken with a 450B shotshell? Sorry, there are no photos for the Trophy Wall forum. (The bird did look exactly like the one in the photo in the next post.

--Bob
Edited for spelling

[pitted bore]

Picture of Pigeon

Here's what the now-deceased and -devoured pigeon looked like:
--Bob

Rock Pigeon

pigeon.jpg (14.64 KiB) Viewed 13168 times

[commander faschisto]

I don't know about it being the first bird taken with the 450b, but I'm pretty sure it has to be the most expensive!

[bushmeister]

So would this be an option for the ar type 450? or would the plastic be a bad idea when it encounters a gas block?

[Texas Sheepdawg]

Next thing we know, Bob is gonna be writing his state Rep. To allow dove hunting with the 450B! LOL!

[pitted bore]

Next thing we know, Bob is gonna be writing his state Rep. To allow dove hunting with the 450B! LOL!

TSD-
As you may know, here in MI the dove is a protected Tweety, and not huntable with any sort of weaponry. The long and convoluted story is not worth rehashing here.

Maybe I can hire out as an animal pest control person, specializing in pigeons, If so, I'll have to swap the 12X Leupold for a 1X something-or-other.

Thanks.
--Bob

[bigboreshooter]

Can you fit larger pellets in the capsule? Would be a cool home defense round, with couple 00 buck and no 8's. At what range does it become ineffective? Very cool thread thanks for experimenting for those of us that can't.

[Hoot]

Can you fit larger pellets in the capsule? Would be a cool home defense round, with couple 00 buck and no 8's. At what range does it become ineffective? Very cool thread thanks for experimenting for those of us that can't.

Other than the first round already in the chamber, I would not want my life to rely upon the next one chambering, from the magazine in a 450b.
What are the internal dimensions of those capsules?

Hoot

[Texas Sheepdawg]

Next thing we know, Bob is gonna be writing his state Rep. To allow dove hunting with the 450B! LOL!

TSD-
As you may know, here in MI the dove is a protected Tweety, and not huntable with any sort of weaponry. The long and convoluted story is not worth rehashing here.

Maybe I can hire out as an animal pest control person, specializing in pigeons, If so, I'll have to swap the 12X Leupold for a 1X something-or-other.

Thanks.
--Bob

Yeah I knew that. Poor Ted tried and tried to convince those guys up in MI about dove hunting. I really do think that Ted loves our year round hog season down here and that's why he bought his ranch down by Crawford, TX. Gov Perry signed into to law last month or earlier this month, making it officially legal to hunt hogs from helicopters. LOL! And you know Tedly is already "on top" of this method! Gotta Love our Motor City Mad Man, gone Texas Wild!