Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Express Rifles and Big Bores Only .458 suggetions for my Ruger No3

I got started shooting/loading 45-70 some time ago with a NEF handi-rifle and was hooked on the bug bullets. This summer I got my Ruger No3 and quickly developed loads that could take bowling balls. I was smashing them back in the summer but I didn't seem to be getting the same results this winter. I am also getting tired of always being careful not to let Ruger loads mix with the NEF stuff, as they are close to max for what the manuals say for Ruger and such.

I thought of getting the Ruger chambered in 45/90 or bigger as a way of keeping the NEF safe and also to smash bowling ball year round without over-stressing the brass. I am limiting my choices from 45/90 to .458 RCBS, considering every length between, just no change in rim/base dia. That keeps the cutting to the chamber and allows tired brass to be trimmed for use as 45/70 in the NEF.

My question: what is most sensible for a 22" barreled Ruger that is not very heavy at all? I realize that the .458 RCBS can be downloaded and the brass would last longer, but I figured that as long as I was still thinking about it I would ask around.

If you want to go with adifferent case length, go with the 45-90. The brass is easy to get and it is a great round. I have one in a C Sharps and it is great. I do shoot mostly smokeless powder with 500 grain + bullets. I shoot paper patch mostly. If you use slow burning rifle powders, i.e. R22 IMR 4831 AA8700, you will have lower velocities in the 1300fps range and will probably get very good accuracy. I use Hodgdon Varget, AA2495, & H4895 for heavy hunting loads. These will give good velocity,1800 fps with 500 grainers in my 30" barrel with low chamber pressures. Recoil would be really stout in a #3. They are a real treat in my 10.5 pound Sharps. They do kill like crazy. If you are killing bowling pins or bowling balls, you will get one shot kills with the low velocity loads. By backing your 45-70 dies off the shell holder in the press, you could load the 45-90s just fine. It is great caliber.

Good shooting,
Dave

Hey, I am a paper patch smokeless shooter too. My bowling ball loads have been with .451 Lyman "volunteer" bullets over compressed loads of Reloader 7. IMR 3031 is a little milder but those loads are pretty heavily compressed too. What I have not tried yet is sizing down to bore diameter and patching only the base of the bullet (and about 1/4" up) and seating it out to see what I could do with standard 45-90 loads... I could then use this same method in 45-90 cases if that is not punishing enough. In the back of my mind I keep thinking that an unscoped No3 would just be almost unshootable with .458 RCBS loaded to it's full potential.