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Would
you like a 45-70 in a light, easy to carry carbine lever gun?
Say six pounds...a working gun...a truck gun...a gun which is
extremely versatile, unlike the 45-70?
I am not knocking the 45-70...wouldn’t trade mine or
its brother 45-90, for any other gun or cash!
But even the Marlin 45-70 is a good size lever gun
and the Winchester/Browning 1886 45-70 lever actions are very fine, but expensive, and extra
large and heavy. So
what is this light, compact, and powerful, wonder lever action?
It is the Legacy 92 chambered for the Freedom Arms 454
mega magnum handgun cartridge. Legacy also markets Howa
bolt action rifles and other products.
The Legacy lever actions are the basic John Browning
1892 design...which I have been writing about for years,
especially about their strength...since they are basically a Winchester
model 71 but scaled down in size, which was chambered for the
very high pressure .348 cartridge (A 1930s reworked Browning
1886 design in modern steel).
The 1892 was the action John Browning developed,
actually scaling down the 1886 design which fired the long and
powerful 40 and 45 calibers on cartridge cases that held from
60 or so to over a 100 grains of black powder.
Scaled down for the old black powder 44-40/38-40/and
32-20 cartridges, the model 71/.348 came in the 1930s and was
a modern high pressure, flat shooting lever action rifle.
The design is sound and strong.
It
was discovered when smokeless powder was introduced to the
public, how strong these designs really were.
As steel became better and better, stronger and more
resistive to pressure, the 92 became an eventual
mini-powerhouse. In
the late 1970s a company called Rossi, had been
reproducing the 1892 designs in many calibers and for a number
of cartridges...like the .357 magnum and the 44 magnum.
And for Christmas 1998 my wife bought me a Rossi rifle
model ‘92 in 45 Colt, with a 24 inch barrel.
Which I have been running 50,000 psi pressures in ever
since. Nary a
problem except one....the loading tube kept cutting the
retaining screw off at the muzzle from recoil generated by the
heavy loads.
I
guess I am big enough to admit that I didn’t think the 92
design would take the 62,000 psi+ pressures of the Freedom
Arms/Casull 454 cartridge over a sustained amount of shooting
at that pressure. And
I have stated that many times in print.
But
so far my Legacy Puma 454 is still tight after 500+ rounds of
60 to 65,000 psi pressures, and another 250 rounds of my heavy
handloads. This
92 is a little different than the others Rossi used to
manufacture, now Legacy.
The biggest change is what they did to the loading
tube. No more
screw cutting! Like
the 22RF rifles that have a loading tube that has a spring rod
that goes over the cartridges into the tube to give the rounds
tension, so the cartridges will cycle, a scaled up version of
this is on the new 454 Legacy.
It opens at the muzzle with a twist and the rod is
withdrawn to the loading port cut into the tube itself, so you
can just drop the rounds in.
I was able to get 10 .45 long Colt rounds in the tube
and still close it, and it allowed nine .454 rounds. But short
of getting into a war, nine
rounds is certainly enough.
Also
the rifle has the normal loading gate in the side of the action
for loading, that way if you like the traditional approach...you
have it. Obviously
this is the same action Rossi used and Legacy uses now in their
model 92s in other calibers, like the 357s and 44 magnums and
such. Otherwise they would have left the side loading port off. That’s extra machining and cost you don’t engage in.
Unless of course the actions for all calibers are made at the
same time on auto-cutting machines.
Also the 454 action comes from the same injection molds
as the other calibers. I hear there is a special, extra heat treating, done on the
454s’ steel. But
I don’t believe that either.
All I can say for sure is...the gun withstood 500 very
heavy loads (much better than my shoulder over 4 days).
And more handloads in the 454 and heavy 45 Colt class.
It
is well built...the wood is the same dark South American alter
ego walnut-finished type Rossi used...and the bluing on the 454
is very, very nice. But
so is it on my Legacy 357 magnum, 24" octagon barreled
mod.92, with the case colored action. After all the shooting
over a week and a half, we re-measured the locking lug mortises
in the bolt with a 10,000ths digital capability readout, and it
was absolutely the same, as with the lugs themselves.
The trigger is too heavy, but if I keep it (buy it)
that’s easily changed, as is slicking it up.
Lets face it, this is no Browning 92!
But it’s price is less than half what the last Browning
I purchased in a model 92, (a .32-20). A check of the gun stores
in the Tucson and Phoenix areas gave an average price for the
92/20" plain Jane 454 carbine at $400.
I couldn’t find a store with the 24" mod. 454
Legacy, though the Legacy book states it has them on the market.
Overall
this is a fine little carbine...it uses a cartridge that uses 30
grains of powder and under, can give on the low side power, or
the power of a well handloaded 45-70 from a modern rifle. It is
short, with a 13 ½ “ stock, 20 inch barrel, and a needed
shock eating rubber recoil pad. It has a 2+ inch drop at the
heel. And overall length is only 2 inches longer than a yard
stick. Short, very
powerful...it would take any thin-skinned animal on earth with
the right load, and since every heavy skinned animal has been
taken with the 454 pistol loads, the rifle will do the same and
better....with the right bullet for those animals.
It is fast reloading, a fast action for the second, and
third, and so on shots. It
fits very well in the hidden overhead in my Ranger.
Mayhaps I just talked myself into keeping it.
Paco
Kelly
  
Loading Notes
NOTE: All load data
posted on this web site are for educational purposes only.
Neither the author nor GunBlast.com assume any responsibility
for the use or misuse of this data. The data indicated were
arrived at using specialized equipment under conditions not
necessarily comparable to those encountered by the potential
user of this data. Always use data from respected loading
manuals and begin working up loads at least 10% below the loads
indicated in the source manual.
HANDLOADS
VELOCITY
CHECKED IN 24" BARREL - .45 Starline/Colt cases, W/W
standard/magnum primers.
Recoil?????
AB-SO-LUTE-LY!
Bullet |
Powder |
Pressure/Velocity |
260
Keith |
23.5/296 |
22,000
CUP 1599 fps |
260
Keith |
25/296 |
25,000
CUP 1710 fps |
260
Keith |
26/296 |
30,000
CUP 1850 fps |
260
Keith |
27/296 |
32,000
CUP 1940 fps |
260
Keith |
29/296 |
38,900
CUP 2112 fps |
260
Keith |
26
H110 |
29,900
CUP 1855 fps |
260
Keith |
27/H110 |
32,500
CUP 1965 fps |
260
Keith |
29/H110 |
41,900
CUP 2205 fps |
260
Keith |
22/H4227 |
29,000
CUP 1710 fps |
260
Keith |
25/H4227 |
31,000
CUP 1880 fps |
260
Keith |
28/H4227 |
40,100
CUP 2160 fps |
300
grain WFN/LBT |
15/HS7 |
32,000
CUP 1610 fps |
300
grain WFN/LBT |
24/H110 |
32,500
CUP 1705 fps |
300
grain Lyman 191 (sized .451) |
20/2400 |
31,900
CUP 1650 fps |
300
grain Lyman 191 |
25/H110 |
32,900
CUP 1710 fps |
300
grain Lyman 191 |
27/H110 |
46,000
CUP 2110 fps |
300
WFN LBT |
27/H110 |
49,800
CUP 1960 fps |
340
SSK/WFN |
24/H110 |
33,000
CUP 1680 fps |
340
SSK/WFN |
27/H110 |
51,500
CUP 1940 fps |
335
WFN (CAST PERFORMANCE) |
27/H110 |
52,000
CUP 2010 fps |
325
JHP / JSP |
23/H110 |
31,500
CUP 1715 fps |
325
JHP / JSP |
20/2400 |
33,000
CUP 1675 fps |
NEI/Keith
325gr |
29/H110 |
54,000
CUP 2221 fps |
350
grain WFN/LBT (CAST PERFORMANCE) |
16.5/2400 |
30,000 CUP 1590 fps |
350
grain WFN/LBT (CAST PERFORMANCE) |
24/H110 |
48,000 CUP 1610 fps |
350
grain WFN/LBT (CAST PERFORMANCE) |
26/H110 |
53,000 CUP 1715 fps |
COMMERCIAL
LOADS IN THE ‘454 LEGACY’ - 20" BARREL
BUFFALO
BORE AMMO
HEAVY
LOADED 45 COLT/MAG +P (Buffalo
Bore’s ammo for heavy 45 Colt loads are marked this way for
modern rifles and strong handguns)
Note:
BB’s 325 gr LBT bullet IS LOADED both IN 45 COLT BRASS AND 454
BRASS.
Load |
Handgun Velocity |
Rifle Velocity |
Notes |
325gr
LBT/45 Colt/Mag+P |
1350
fps |
1710fps |
|
325gr
LBT/454 Case |
1525
fps |
1880fps |
Heavy
recoil |
300gr
Speer SN/45 Colt +P |
1300fps |
1660fps |
Mild
recoil |
260gr
JSP/454 case |
1450fps |
1855fps |
Medium
recoil |
360gr
LFN/454 case |
1425fps |
1785fps |
Heavy
push |
HEAVY
LOADED COR-BON
(Cor-Bon’s
heavy ammo also marked for strong guns only)
Load |
Handgun Velocity |
Rifle Velocity |
Notes |
265
gr HP/45 Colt +P |
1410fps |
1790fps |
Mild recoil |
300
gr JSP/45 Colt +P |
1340fps |
1655fps |
Mild
(great deer/black bear/elk load) |
335
gr LFN/45 Colt+P |
1075fps |
1360fps |
Very
mild |
ODDS
AND ENDS - HEAVY LOADED
Load |
Handgun Velocity |
Rifle Velocity |
Notes |
Winchester
250JHP/454 cases |
1313fps |
1660fps |
Mild/medium |
Black
Hills 250SN/454 cases |
1470fps |
1797fps |
Mild/medium |
Freedom
Arms 300JSN/454 cases |
1660fps |
2085fps |
Heavy
snap/not unpleasant. Best accuracy...deadly bullet. |
Freedom
Arms 260 JSN/454 cases |
1805fps |
2210fps |
Very
accurate, best all around power load. |
Note: Freedom
Arms no longer manufactures its own ammo.
Black
Hills Scofield loads... 558 fps (these are for cowboy
shooting and repro S&W break top revolvers, and they make
excellent rabbit type fun loads in the Legacy).
Black
Hills 45/255 gr lead... 986
fps
PMC
45/250 gr lead... 945 fps
Cor-Bon
45/255 gr lead... 816 fps
(surprisingly accurate)
Winchester
45/255 gr lead... 777
fps (surprisingly inaccurate in rifle and handgun)
Cor-Bon
45/200 JHP... 1412fps
(by lowering bullet weight, they were able to up velocity - this
is a very effective load, 1100 fps in
handguns.. I use it my Colt S/A’s, took a small
meat doe with it one year)
  
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Click pictures for a larger version.



Legacy's Model 92 in .454 is a fine little carbine
chambered in a fine cartridge...Freedom Arms' .454 Casull.



Legacy's newly-redesigned loading tube is a great
improvement over earlier versions.
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