I am going to load some 454 Casull (actually just hot 45LC in casull cases), but Dillon doesn't have a 454 Casull die set.

Which die set should I use? The Dillon 45LC set, or somebody elses 454 set?

If you are going to load .454 Casull you will need the .454 dies.

That's what I thought. I am surprised Dillon doesn't have a set...

The Lee dies I use in my Dillon 550 are marked 454/45Colt.

I use the RCBS dies for .454. If you want, you can even use the .460 dies.
Here's the bad news, be careful what powder you use in the large cases. I realize you are shooting in a .454 revolver, and you do not want a ring in the chamber, but the ring is cleanable, and you should not care if you are not using the hotter .454 loads. If you leave a lot of space in the case, and you will with even hot loads for a .45, you can get pressure spikes that can damage your gun.
A .45 hot load consists of 24-25gr H110
A .454 load consists of 34-35gr H110
a .460 load consists of 49-50gr H110
All with a Hornady 250gr XTP

If you load down the .454 case with some powders it may be dangerous.
I suggest using full loads, even under compression, for the .45 Colt.

Just my 2¢

Terry

Well, if that's the case, I'll just get the dillon 45 colt die set.

The Blue Press lists the 45 Colt/S&W 454 Casull Caliber conversion kit for the XL 650 as 21118. They show the 45 Colt die set as j35-14405 but it does not say it is also for 454
You may want to call 800-762-3845 just to be sure.

Dillon told me they didn't have a 460 die set. I went with redding. I am having problems with sizing though. If I size almost all the way down the brass, the die wants to dig into the side of some of the brass. It is almost as if the brass is tipping as it is sized. I tried this die with my 550 and on a single stage. Tonight I tried resizing only 2/3rds of the way down and I didn't have issues. The brass still drops easily into my revolver. I think I will start a thread to see if anyone has info on this problem.

As far as the load you want: Trail boss powder is good for light loads in 460 and 454 as well as 45LC. Be careful with 296/110-don't reduce it to below what the book says for that case size. My next test is going to be with AA 5744. It should make some nice mid range loads for 460. It can be reduced below max velocities and it might work well for your 454.

My 460 trail boss loads are very easy to shoot. I also keep a brush in my gun bag to clean the cylinder if needed after I shoot 45LC. I like to use Win 231 powder in the 45LC brass for light loads.

Keep in mind that a lot of 45 Colt die sets assume a 454 bullet size and relatively low pressure levels. This will not provide optimal neck tension when loading 454 Casull. My RCBS 454 die set sizes for good neck tension with a .452 projectile. Adequate neck tension along with a proper crimp is key to proper ignition and pressure.

I tried loading some light loads for my FA 454 Casull several years ago.

I used H110 45 Colt specs but in 454 cases.

Bad idea.

In the first 5 rounds, one misfired.

The primer fired, but the power didn't ignite.

The bullet went 1/2 way down the barrel and stopped there.

Unburnt powder was blown all over the inside of the gun, all over my hands, and the shooting bench.

I had to take the gun apart, clean it, and push the bullet out with a small piece of wooden dowel.

I hate to think of what would have happened if I fired another shot with a bullet lodged in the barrel...

I have read since that H110 is particularly prone to this problem, so perhaps other powders would be better.

But I don't plan to go below the lowest recommended load for the 454 cases again.

Dave

REDDING dies with a .45 colt/454 Cassull Crimp die.