new to 454 casull

[luckydawg13]

ok i just orderd a 13" heavy barrel 454 & mag na porting four port & i plane to put a bushnell elite 3200 scope w/talley one piece scope mount oh scope is 2x6 i wish to deer hunt with this in illinois will this be a good rig i allso have a contender 10"44 mag & 14" 357max did i go to big with the 454 casull ?

[Graybeard]

Will it be a good rig for deer? Sure it will so long as you can deal with the recoil OK. But to be bluntly honest it really adds nothing but recoil to what you already had. The .44 mag is a perfectly fine deer killer as should be the .357 max. The .454 Casull isn't going to kill them any deader or at any longer range really.

If the recoil level of it doesn't prevent you from shooting it accurately tho it will do fine. It is a quantum leap up in recoil for a not to me at least noticeable increase in deer killing effectiveness. In fact the one deer I've shot with a .454 Casull ran further after being double lung shot than any deer I've shot with any other handgun.

[Black Eagle]

I agree with Graybeard.  You really aren't going to gain anything in deer hunting over the .357 Max and the .44 Mag.  I've spent considerable time behind these big bruisers -- .454 Casull and the .500 S & W -- and I think you will enjoy the gun even though the recoil is stout. It takes some time to learn to enjoy them, at least it did for me, but the good news is, it will drill good shooting form into you.  The better your form, the more comfortable they are to shoot. My advice, although you may not need it or want it, is to limit yourself at first.  Shoot only a half dozen or so rounds each time you go to the range concentrating on your form. I've seen some excellent handgun shooters develop a horrendous flinch by trying to move too fast with the gun. 

[454Puma]

Yep after shooting the 454 awhile you'll love shooting the 44 Mag- it will feel like a 22!  I disagree on the premise that you'll not see  a difference in the killing power. Load some 240 gr XTP-mags at 2000 fps and you'll see a difference over the 44 mag 240gr Big time. You'll also gain about 50 yards in range. So 150-175 yard shots will not be a problem. You'd be pushing the 44 mag at 125 yards!

[BlackHawkCazador]

Good luck with your hand cannon it looks like you have a sound setup.  I  hunt deer and hog with my .44mag Blackhawk anniversary flattop S/a with 6.5 in. barrel iron sights only.  My next step in handgun hunting will more than likely be  454.  I like the ballistic information i have read about that load and its velocities.

[Black Eagle]

While I certainly agree with 454Puma that the Casull delivers a lot more kinetic energy at a longer range, I'm not sure that means much in the practical world.  Years ago, when I used to teach a handgun hunting course, we impressed on our students not to shoot big game beyond 50 yards. The reason for this was not the lack of energy the gun delivered or the performance of bullets beyond that range, it was because the average man or woman couldn't shoot well enough with a handgun to insure a clean kill.  Colorado used to require an examination of all would be handgun hunters in order to get a handgun hunting license. [They abolished that requirement about 15 years ago.]  Among other things, the students had to put 6 rounds with their hunting handgun and hunting loads in a 6" disk, off-hand, at fifty yards. Back in the days when I was administering the test, I was always surprised by the fact that only about 10% of the applicants could pass that test. Part of the problem, of course, is that a LOT of hunting handguns are only capable of shooting 3"-4" at 50 yards from a bench and offhand adds error to that. Most guns had to be "tuned" for accuracy and it requires careful load development to get there along with a lot of disciplined practice. I don't do any handgun hunting anymore, and I rarely teach it -- getting too old I guess and I don't like packing elk out of the Colorado Mountains no matter how I kill it -- but I still think 50 yards is the limit for most handgun hunters.  

[BIG Dog454]

I love mine.  I reload it down to about 1000 fps to 1200 fps for deer using a 300 gr lead boolit, that makes it very manageable and tames it right down. it is still a stiff load that goes thru and thru a deer.  I don't think that the recoil (especially from those loads) is as bad as the snap recoil that a 44 mag gives me, and if I want I can always up the velocity.

[luckydawg13]

thanks for all of the help is the talley one piece scope mount aney good ?

[TommyD]

I love mine.  I reload it down to about 1000 fps to 1200 fps for deer using a 300 gr lead boolit, that makes it very manageable and tames it right down. it is still a stiff load that goes thru and thru a deer.  I don't think that the recoil (especially from those loads) is as bad as the snap recoil that a 44 mag gives me, and if I want I can always up the velocity.

It works for me too. 300 grain Hornady XTP at 1150 fps. I have used a sub maximal charge of Lil'Gun (see hodgdon.com for load data) in a 45 Colt case to get this and it is an entirely satisfactory killer of whitetails. Bullet passes through both sides of the chest leaving silver dollar sized entry and exit holes. Sure you can load it up to .454 levels, but you don't need to. Once the bullet exits the deer, all that extra velocity is just wasted.

I recommend you go with the 300 grain bullets. I find that my SRH groups much tighter with the heavy bullets rather than the 250-260 grainers. Probably due to the longer bearing surface on the heavier bullet. No matter how much power you have, placement is still everything.

Velocity is no substitute for mass.

Tom

[Redhawk1]

While I certainly agree with 454Puma that the Casull delivers a lot more kinetic energy at a longer range, I'm not sure that means much in the practical world.  Years ago, when I used to teach a handgun hunting course, we impressed on our students not to shoot big game beyond 50 yards. The reason for this was not the lack of energy the gun delivered or the performance of bullets beyond that range, it was because the average man or woman couldn't shoot well enough with a handgun to insure a clean kill.  Colorado used to require an examination of all would be handgun hunters in order to get a handgun hunting license. [They abolished that requirement about 15 years ago.]  Among other things, the students had to put 6 rounds with their hunting handgun and hunting loads in a 6" disk, off-hand, at fifty yards. Back in the days when I was administering the test, I was always surprised by the fact that only about 10% of the applicants could pass that test. Part of the problem, of course, is that a LOT of hunting handguns are only capable of shooting 3"-4" at 50 yards from a bench and offhand adds error to that. Most guns had to be "tuned" for accuracy and it requires careful load development to get there along with a lot of disciplined practice. I don't do any handgun hunting anymore, and I rarely teach it -- getting too old I guess and I don't like packing elk out of the Colorado Mountains no matter how I kill it -- but I still think 50 yards is the limit for most handgun hunters.  

I have been involved in handgun hunting for over 30 years now. So many of the new handgun hunters do not want to put there time in to get as proficient as they can with them. So many guys think because  the gun is capable of 100 yard kills, that they just have to point the gun in the direction of the game and pull the trigger.

From watching other handgun shooters, I would say 25 yards is more like there personal max distance. Myself I practice out to 100 yards but keep my shot under 75 yards.Most of my handguns for hunting are fitted with either a red-dot or iron sights. Like I said I actually practice and know that my best accuracy is obtained at 75 yards and less. Now with a good solid rest and one of my scoped handguns, 100 to 150 yards is very doable, but there again, I do a lot of practicing at those ranges.  For most deer hunting with a handgun, a 357 MAG 41 mag, 44 mag or 45 Colt is fine. Black bear and hogs I go bigger and eliminate the 357 and 41 Mags.

Personally I like bigger holes in my game and I like to use the 45 Colt, 475 Linebaugh, 510 GNR and 500 Mag for my handgun hunting. Not that they are needed, but just what I like to use.

[Hairtrigger]

I have not been a fan of Magnaporting, mostly because of the noise.
This fall I purchased a SBH in 44mag that had been to Magnaport and has action work plus porting. The way that gun handles and shoots I now have my SRH's in 44 mag and 454 for sale.
I guess an old dog can still be open to change

[jakes10mm]

I'm a big bore fan too.  A few years back, my hunting buddy and I outfitted ourselves for handgun hunting.  We picked up matching Ruger Super Balckhawk Hunters.  His was in 44mag and mine in 45 Colt.  Loading "equal" loads in 44 and 45, the 45 had notable less snap than the 44.  The 45 pushed harder, but the 44 created a lot of wrist snap.  Our hypothesis was the difference in operating pressure.  Although both loads were producing equivalent kinetic energy, the 45 at .023" larger diameter created less pressure.  I have another hunting buddy that just picked up a Taurus 454 with porting.  He's been shooting some pretty stout loads, but I think the noise will do more killing than the lead.  I'm between hunting handguns and debating my next direction.  Although it would be nice to reach out to 200yds, I hunt Pennsylvania woodlands where max shots rarely reach 100yds.  I'm leaning towards another 45 Colt or possibly a 41 mag.  The Super Redhawk 454 is enticing, but probably overkill for my hunting environment.

[GRIMJIM]

I think with the 13" barrel and the scope you will have enough weight to help with the amount of felt recoil. It should be a good shooter if as was said you can handle the recoil.

I have a magnaport reworked super redhawk in 44 mag and it is a sweet shooter and plenty of gun for me. I had an accubrake installed instead of the porting though.

I just plink with my raging bull in 454.