.454 Casull

[havana d]

I'm looking at a rifle in .454 Casull. One has a 16" barrel, The other has a 20" barrel. What are the ballistics like as far as range, fps, muzzle energy? Any info would be great.:ssmile:

[Poolshark]

You pairing this up with a pistol?

[havana d]

I wish... I was looking at the Freedom Arms awhile back, and man, are they expensive!

I was thinking brush gun for deer, and bear. That or a ported .450 Marlin.

Mainly because i lost the bid on a .35 Rem., and a .45-70.

[Poolshark]

What are your plans for this rifle?

[havana d]

Deer, and Bear hunting.

[IWantThatKnife]

:devilzeek
Deer, and Bear hunting.

bear and ground venison from one caliber...:ross::ross:

[Rat Finkenstein]

I would rather have a 45-70 in a rifle.

[rudechuck]

:devilzeek

bear and ground venison from one caliber...:ross::ross:

:bwah: I was thinking that might be overkill for the deer too, but you said it so much better.

[Rat Finkenstein]

:bwah: I was thinking that might be overkill for the deer too, but you said it so much better.

It is a pistol caliber, nowhere near as powerful as rifles commonly used for deer.

[rudechuck]

That will blow a huge hole in a deer, and at a significantly increased velocity coming out of a long barrel as opposed to a revolver. It's definitely overkill.

[Manganr]

Are you hunting angry rhinos or something?:manganr:

[Rat Finkenstein]

it is less powerful than a 45-70 which is a common deer caliber.

[Peter Lezard]

I think a lever gun in .454 would be cool...it is a handful in a handgun, but makes a great levergun round... Inside 100 yards or so, but you said brush gun, so you should be good...

Energy figures from hornady for a 454, and a round that nobody has ever called overkill, the 30 30...

http://www.hornady.com/store/454-Casull-300-gr-XTP-Mag/

http://www.hornady.com/store/30-30-Win-170-gr-FP/

Edit...I forgot to bring up shooting 45 colts in it for deer, and save the 454s for those tough to clean stains...

[rudechuck]

Again, the 30-30 test barrel is 24 in.
The 454 test barrel is 7.5 in.

I would like to see ballistic figures for a 454 Casull shot from a 16-20 in. barrel.

I'm not trying to be a smart ass. I tried to find them myself and I couldn't, and I'm more than willing to admit that I'm wrong. Now I'm just more curious than anything else.

[hangtime]

1) your location says New Jersey so I assume you are talking about white tailed deer and black bear - correct? 2) You only listed the rifles as 16" and 20" - I assume they are both lever guns?

The 454 Casull is fairly easy to load for and there are many styles of bullets available to suit the type of game you are hunting so you can load down to near .45 Colt levels for lighter game and up to near factory 45/70 loads for heavier animals.

[Peter Lezard]

Again, the 30-30 test barrel is 24 in.
The 454 test barrel is 7.5 in.

I would like to see ballistic figures for a 454 Casull shot from a 16-20 in. barrel.

I'm not trying to be a smart ass. I tried to find them myself and I couldn't, and I'm more than willing to admit that I'm wrong. Now I'm just more curious than anything else.

Rats... I can't find that info either.. :banghead: My SWAG guess tells be that it might pick up a few fps, but most factory stuff is made to be shot in a handgun, so I'm not sure it would be a huge pickup...

[havana d]

1) your location says New Jersey so I assume you are talking about white tailed deer and black bear - correct? 2) You only listed the rifles as 16" and 20" - I assume they are both lever guns?

The 454 Casull is fairly easy to load for and there are many styles of bullets available to suit the type of game you are hunting so you can load down to near .45 Colt levels for lighter game and up to near factory 45/70 loads for heavier animals.

Yes, whitetail, and black bear. Yes they are lever guns.
It's the first time I've seen a .454 rifle configuration, and i was curious about the gun being a: overkill, b: shoulder killer, and c: hard to find ammo.

[havana d]

Rats... I can't find that info either.. :banghead: My SWAG guess tells be that it might pick up a few fps, but most factory stuff is made to be shot in a handgun, so I'm not sure it would be a huge pickup...


Again, the 30-30 test barrel is 24 in.
The 454 test barrel is 7.5 in.

I would like to see ballistic figures for a 454 Casull shot from a 16-20 in. barrel.

I'm not trying to be a smart ass. I tried to find them myself and I couldn't, and I'm more than willing to admit that I'm wrong. Now I'm just more curious than anything else.

I had no luck finding anything either, I'm going to try to find the makers website to see if they have any info.
BTW, the gun is a Rossi Puma model 92.

Yikes! Rossi website says the gun weighs 5lbs.

[Rat Finkenstein]

Yes, whitetail, and black bear. Yes they are lever guns.
It's the first time I've seen a .454 rifle configuration, and i was curious about the gun being a: overkill, b: shoulder killer, and c: hard to find ammo.

a. no

b. no

c. reload or pay a lot.

[hangtime]

If by overkill you mean will it tear up a lot of meat the answer is no. The bullet may shoot through a small deer but that generally leaves a good blood trail for tracking if necessary. Bears are very tough animals and I would be more concerned about a lack of penetration than overkill. I would not attempt anything other than an ideal shot especially at extended range.

Recoil should not be a problem unless you are particularly sensitive to it. Pistol caliber rifles and carbines generally have a sharp recoil impulse similar to a shotgun. If you can handle a 12 guage shotgun you'll be ok with the Rossi and a recoil pad can be added if necessary.

Ammo availability varies according to where you are but you can usually find what you need on the internet if local sources aren't adequate. Reloading is a good plan for this caliber to maximize the potential of your rifle as you can tailor loads for the game species you are after and find what bullet / case / powder combination shoots best for you. The folks at levergun.com are a pretty good resource if you're new to this kind of thing.

[Trekker]

That will blow a huge hole in a deer, and at a significantly increased velocity coming out of a long barrel as opposed to a revolver. It's definitely overkill.

Better too much than not enough. And if his hunting skills are up to par, he'll know how to put the deer down without obliterating it.
Good choice I think.

[hangtime]

I can't see the overkill argument. Many states have a shotgun only deer hunt and the projectile of choice is almost always a slug. I think a 20ga slug is pretty close to what you'd get out of a 454 Casull in a handgun or short barrelled rifle. I think most of the latest 20ga slugs use a saboted .45 cal pistol bullet so what's the difference? Frankly, unless the object is to have a 454 Casull lever gun I'd probably opt for the sweet new Savage 220F. It is a bolt action 20ga shotgun with a box magazine and shoots factory 20ga slugs into ridiculously small groups according to some reviewers. Maybe not as light and handy as a 16" carbine but probably more capable at longer range especially if you put a nice bright 2x or 3x glass on it.