Can ya get too heavy for a caliber? Well, obviously ya can, but what is the limit?? I like 45 Colt, so lets use it as our test subject.

I use a 335gr hardcast and I like it. Not interested in changing either. But what if ya got up to, say 450gr or larger. Would the bullet even make 50 yards? Would it even get out of the barrel? At some point, the longer bullet would have to take up powder space as to not lock up the cylinder (assuming we are using a single action revolver), so would there even be enough powder to get the really heavy bullet out of the gun? What is the heaviest 45 Colt bullet that is actually used in a 45 Colt? (I know the same bullets, and heavier, can be shot out of a 454, but lets not go there. Let's keep this to what can be shot out of a Ruger Bisley SBHH?)

I know this is just hypothetical, but surely I'm not the first one to think about this.

about to run 360s out of my superblackhawk hunter 45. have pushed 340 beartooths to 1350 out of it. my gallagher long cylinder 45 colt seems at best with the long cylinder medium nose 350 grainer. havent played with 400 grain bullets. they seem to be over weight.

I have run 360s out of the .45 and for me at least, I consider this to be the highest practical limit. I have used 400 grain bullets in the .454 and while they worked, they don't really do anything better than 360s or even 335s.

I've tested 405s in the .44 Mag and 700s in the .500 Smith. All too much of a good thing as far as I am concerned.

Just to use an extreme example:



Somehow, I think this would be a bit on the excessive side for the Colt. It's a 500 grain bullet, by the way. This would probably take up so much case capacity you'd have little to no room for powder. I predict it'd get stuck between the cylinder and barrel.

HAHA!!!! That bullet just looks FUNNY!!!!

Definitely to much of a good thing!

I don't like to think of it as too heavy for caliber as much as too heavy for any kind of front sight that you can still draw from leather ;^)

Craig

No kidding

Personally, if I feel the need to throw something 350 grains or heavier I'm better served moving up in diameter. Just for fun I designed an ouncer for a boolit mold....not much room left for powder ;-)

Nothing against anyone using either bullet, but the phrase "because you can doesn't mean you should" comes to mind. Especially when the "because you can" factor actually does swing the muzzle firmly into one's forehead.

The penn bullets 350 over 22grs gave me 1200fps out of a 4 5/8 bl and was accurate,2-3"groups with irons @ 50yards. I tried heavier and couldn't achieve better accuracy so from my testing in my 45colt rugers(4 5/8 & 7 1/2) 350s is it.

Cotton.
Theres a whole chapter on this in the book "Big-Bore Revolvers".
With test results.
Have a nice day.