.44mag or .454 Casull Revolver?

[Ryninger]

Hey All,
I am not well versed in revolver calibers, loads, and flexibility. Reloading is available. What are the pros, cons, and ammunition/components costs/availability of selecting a .44mag revolver or a .454 Casull? I am interested in something that will have optics and be used for deer hunting and plinking... I am familiar that .44spl can be used in a .44mag. In the case of a Taurus .454, .45 colt (would probably be main caliber) and .410 can also be used, that's about it. When looking online all I could seem to find was "You should buy this caliber because that's what I have!" My small framed wife also likes to shoot, and want to be able to have her shoot it comfortably as well. I'm fine with having a separate load worked up for her as well to ensure her comfort.

Thanks ,
R

 

[cwillour]

I would probably go with the 44mag for a couple of reasons:

44mag and 44special can both be found in many big-box stores. The 454 seems to be generally harder to find and lately 45colt has even been somewhat difficult to source at a decent price.

Additionally, 454 recoil is pretty brutal with full power loads, depending on the weight of the revolver. I have seen several decent scopes (a Bushnell Elite and a Leupold, to be specific) fail after only a few shots.

OTOH, you could get a Ruger Blackhawk Convertable in 45colt/45acp and load your hunting loads to +P levels. That will let you stay in a smaller frame and still get you performance very close to 44mag levels. 45acp loads are relatively affordable and very easy to manage.

 

[confused89]

I would go with a 45 Colt as you can load them up hotter than you could a 44 mag in a Ruger Blackhawk or Old Model Vaquero. If you reload then 45 colt can be loaded up fairly cheap with more bullet options.

 

[Leo]

Clint Eastwood said the .44 magnum is the most powerful handgun they make, and 454Casull is stronger than that.

Ammo price climbs pretty fast when you get above .44MAG, which is not exactly cheap.

Unless you have a specific reason to need more power than a .44 MAG, anything bigger is really bragging rights. I know there are people who Love the .454, .460, .480. .500 S&W. I have also helped a lot of people work up downloaded reloading data to make them more enjoyable to shoot. It is funny, most of the comfortable to shoot loads ended up with power just under a .44 Magnum anyway

If I was up and close with dangerous game, I would have one in a heartbeat. In my young crazy days, I even had a Phelps Revolver chambered for .45-70 rifle rounds. The .44 Mag drops a whitetail pretty nicely.

This is still America, if you want a hand cannon, and are willing to pay to feed it, go for the gusto!

 

[warthog]

Depends on the recoil you desire. As I age I find myself wanting less recoil.

Whatever you decide though, get a Ruger.

 

[Mgderf]

I absolutely LOVE my Taurus Raging Bull in .454 Casull, but it ain't cheap to feed, that's for sure.

I also really enjoy my Ruger Super Blackhawk in .44mag.

Either will take a deer, but the .44 is cheaper, even using .45Colt you're still spending out the nose compared to the .44spl.

 

[wolfman]

If you are willing to get into reloading, I would go with the 454, since you can also run 45 Colt in it, and you can really save on ammo costs if you cast your own bullets. To give you an example, I reload "and" cast my own bullets for my 2 Ruger SRH 480's, and even with 20gr of powder per round, my cost is right around $8.00 per 100, compared to the $26.99 price tag on the last box of "20" factory loads I have in the safe which would come to $135.00 per hundred.

 

[jwh20]

I say go for the .44 Magnum instead of the .454 Casull. Unless you're after Grizzly Bear or Aliens (the .454 Casull was James Caan's primary weapon in the movie Alien Nation) the .44 will take down any game or bad guy you might encounter here in Indiana.

Indeed the .44 Magnum ammo is a bit expensive but .454 Casull ammo is downright ignorant in price.

 

[Leadeye]

A regular 45lc Blackhawk can be loaded pretty stout, I shoot both 44 and 45 in Blackhawks. For hunting or just regular shooting they are about equal in the hands of a competent reloader. Casull brass gets pricy and depending on the revolver you may be limited on your primers. I've not had good luck getting consistent ignition with anything except Federals in my SRH.

 

[Tombs]

If you load/reload then get the 454.

If you just shoot the thing here and there and only buy off the shelf ammo, 44 magnum.

Component cost... Eh I would say it's a tossup aside from 454 brass. Of course you'll go through a little more powder with the 454.

I would personally step back from the shooting range and consider leaving if someone was shooting a taurus in 454. Get a ruger or a freedom arms if you want a 454 casull, that's a lot of pressure you're trusting your life to. I find the ruger SRH 7.5" to be comfortable to shoot with full house 454. For example, a range buddy had his daughter along last time I took it to the range, his daughter managed to handle the 454's recoil fine and even enjoyed it. It's a very large very heavy gun that does soak up most the recoil, at worst it feels like getting a hard high 5.

 

[fastwally]

454, 460, and 500's are not fun. Hot 44 mag is about all the fun I can stand.

 

[warthog]

454, 460, and 500's are not fun. Hot 44 mag is about all the fun I can stand.

I am with you completely. I tried a 500 at the range, one round was enough for me. I can say I fired it, good enough for me.

I can shoot .44 mags all day though, especially my reloads.

 

[wolfman]

since you are not well versed in revolvers, may I suggest finding someone with a 454 that will let you take it for a ride. If you can put 20 rounds through it, and still want to touch off number 21, then I would say it is the gun for you, but if you can't run more than 2 cylinders in a row through it, get the 44 mag.

 

[Seancass]

I guess I'll throw in my two cents!

If you reload, get a Ruger 45Colt Super Blackhawk. (the fullsize gun, not the Flattop)

If you don't reload, get the 44Mag.

If you want the bragging rights, and a whole 'nother level of recoil, get the 454.

Any caliber: If you want absolute accuracy and perfection of craftsmanship, get a Freedom Arms.

Don't get a Taurus. Some people will defend them, but they are not as good as Ruger, Smith, or FA. Plain and simple, they're not as good. And more importantly, I believe they are not good enough. They stopped making a lot of bigger calibers when they realized their guns weren't strong enough for the rounds.

Don't hunt with a Judge(if you're still thinking about Taurus). Judges are toys. They're for fun. Hunting is for serious. Use a tool for hunting, not a toy.

I LOVE 454 Casull. I handload and run loads from mild, cowboy loads all the way up to full power. I have a Freedom Arms and I love it. Only shoot 454 thru a 454 FA. Shooting 45colt thru it is dangerous.

If this is your first big revolver, I'd love to say 44Mag. However, there's no replacement for displacement! That leans me towards the 45Colt. It's a great round that you can handload up to 44Mag power levels. You really have to work up to full power 454. The recoil will take a toll. If you can comfortably shoot 44Mag, you can easily work up to 454, but it is a significant step up in power(Technically, you can double the energy of the 44Mag with a 454.)

Cost: If you reload, the cost of ammo is virtually identical for the three calibers mentioned. Brass for the 454 will probably run a little more and be a little harder to find right now. My handloads in 44 and 45 run me about $12-13 per 50! with cheap bulk bullets. Quality, full power reloads will run $25-30 per 50, with most of that being bullet cost. I can't justify spending any more than that on bullets. 454 is the same because it will shoot the same bullets. However, with 454 you have to match the bullet to the speed. You can easily run a bullet too fast and have it fail in a variety of ways.

If you don't reload, ammo is going to be expensive. $1/per shot with 44Mag, and 45C cowboy/plinking loads. On up to $2-3 per shot for 454 and heavy 45colt+P.

The guns:
Ruger Super Blackhawk. Best choice. 44mag or 45colt. It's the blue collar value option. And a good value at that, it flat works. It will eat these rounds all day for years. They tend to be more accurate than the user. These should cost $350 for a beat-up used one, $450-500 for a nice, clean used model. $5-600 for the (delux)Hunter package.
Like double action guns? Super Redhawk in either 44 or 454. Could also do the Smith 29/629. I don't have much experience with the big smiths, but I'm sure they're great guns. The Ruger double actions start around $550, the Smiths around $650. I'd get the Ruger. Big and ugly, they're just a tank. The Smiths are smooth as silk, but slightly less tough.
Freedom Arms. The revolver Lamborghini. Best of the Best. I don't want to over-sell these things, but you should handle one before you buy any other 454! They're simply on another level of fit and finish. Also, with the recoil of the 454, I prefer the single action style grip frame. These start around $1200(sometimes much less) New from the factory, they're closer to $2000! I'll probably never own a new one! But dollar for dollar, they're worth it. If you bought a $350 Ruger, you'd be hard pressed to equal a FA for the money, in terms of fit, finish, and accuracy.

Speaking of grip frames, I'd highly recommend a Ruger Bisley grip if you choose a single action. Many find it handles recoil better than the plow-hand(normal) grip or the double action grip. Of course, some like the regular grip.

Any of these guns can be scoped, if you so choose. The easiest one will be the Super Redhawk and the Ruger Super Blackhawk Hunter. Both of these come with scope mounts. The rest of the guns have scope mounts available for $50-100.

I think I've droned on too long, but I thought I'd give you my experince. Or random sampling from it!

 

[Indy_Guy_77]

One more choice to muddle your mind:

A S&W .460

Can use the .460, .454 Casul, .45 Colt, and .45 Schofield!

What a great way to get into reloading! hehe

 

[Seancass]

One more choice to muddle your mind:

A S&W .460

Can use the .460, .454 Casul, .45 Colt, and .45 Schofield!

What a great way to get into reloading! hehe

Won't it shoot 45 Auto-Rim as well?

I left the 460 out of my already lengthy post because I wouldn't recommend one.

 

[PGRChaplain]

"Don't get a Taurus. Some people will defend them, but they are not as good as Ruger, Smith, or FA. Plain and simple, they're not as good. And more importantly, I believe they are not good enough. They stopped making a lot of bigger calibers when they realized their guns weren't strong enough for the rounds."

That's odd I thought the Raging Bull was still being made? I have an old Taurus .44Mag with the 8 3/8" Ported barrel. It's a good handgun and accurate. Ask the folks that actually have one for an unbiased opinion.

 

[CindyE]

If you want something your wife can shoot, I think .44 mag is the biggest I'd go. My husband has a 6" S&W revolver in .44 mag, and I have shot it some, but really prefer my .357 6" revolver. The .44 doesn't really hurt to shoot, but it just isn't real pleasant to me. I've shot a 454 Casull, there is no way I'd want much of that!

 

[Amishman44]

I would go with a 45 Colt as you can load them up hotter than you could a 44 mag in a Ruger Blackhawk or Old Model Vaquero. If you reload then 45 colt can be loaded up fairly cheap with more bullet options.

Or...try this load from Littlestone's Ammo: .45 Colt +P, 240-Grain Hornady XTP-MAG, Box of 50

Want some "eXtreme Terminal Performance" from your .45 Colt +P hunting revolver? Load up with Littlestone Ammunition’s high velocity .45 Colt +P cartridge featuring Hornady's XTP-MAG hollow point bullet. This 50-round box features 240-grain bullets with a muzzle velocity of 1,460 fps and 1,136 ft pounds of energy.

 

[chraland51]

If you want something your wife can shoot, I think .44 mag is the biggest I'd go. My husband has a 6" S&W revolver in .44 mag, and I have shot it some, but really prefer my .357 6" revolver. The .44 doesn't really hurt to shoot, but it just isn't real pleasant to me. I've shot a 454 Casull, there is no way I'd want much of that!

Heck, I am a big stong man and I do not care for the kick of the .454 Casull. A .44 Mag is much easier to shoot.