Author Topic: Handgun Hunters Input Needed (Read 3167 times)

Fred McIntire · « **on:** January 01, 2010, 02:46:59 PM »

Okay, I thought I had put this question to rest and settled on the 45 LC to use for Whitetail deer hunting in Indiana; however, I was looking on Gunbroker at Rugers and came across several Ruger Super Redhawks in the 454 Casull - 45 LC chambering.

I thought I wanted the 45 LC revolver to match with a 45 LC Marlin Cowboy lever action rifle, but now I'm intrigued by the 454 Casull - 45 LC Super Redhawk.

I'd like to get input from some handgun hunters that have shot these two cartridges, especially if you've shot the Ruger Super Redhawk chambered 454 Casull - 45 LC .

Does this gun shoot the 45 LC as well as it does the 454 Casull ?

Thanks !

Fred

Lloyd Smale · « **Reply #1 on:** January 02, 2010, 02:10:13 AM »

no idea on how they shoot 45colts but the few ive shot were tack drivers with 454s. One my buddy has is one of the most accurate 6 guns ive ever shot. I just cant get past the looks and the weight though.

Redhawk1 · « **Reply #2 on:** January 02, 2010, 03:03:01 AM »

Indeed they will shoot the 45 Colts as well as the 454 Casulls. I have owned 3 of these guns, and shot both rounds in the gun. Shoot the 45 Colts for deer and black bear and hogs, and if you feel the need for more power then step up to the 454 Casull.

I sold mine because I wanted custom single action handguns for hunting. Don't get me wrong, I still have some double action handgun for hunting but use my single actions the most.

You will do just fine with the Ruger Super Redhawk in 454 Casull.

Fred McIntire · « **Reply #3 on:** January 02, 2010, 04:05:46 AM »

Thanks Lloyd.

Redhawk, I take it the 454 would be a little overkill for deer in your opinion ? The gun I thought I had settled on was the Blackhawk in convertible 45 LC / 45 ACP.

Thanks again for the input.

Redhawk1 · « **Reply #4 on:** January 02, 2010, 04:21:20 AM »

Fred McIntire, no such thing as over kill in my opinion..

I use my 475 Linebaugh, 510 GNR and a few others for deer, hog and black bear. My new toy is a being built right now, a custom 5 shot Blackhawk in 45 Colt. I like big holes in all the game I shoot.

There only draw back to the 454 Casull is the recoil, and you the shooter will be the one that has to put up with that. A hot 45 Colt in the Super Redhawk is not bad at all.

I say get the 454 Casull and have a blast.

irold · « **Reply #5 on:** January 03, 2010, 02:52:55 AM »

Agree with evrything said thus far. I have a SRH in 454. I shoot both 45 and 454. The big drawback for me was the need to adjust the sight or do a lot of mental calculating when switching between the 45 and 454. I did a lot of load testing and finally came up with a load for each that puts them very close to the same poa at 50 yards. Its a hot 45C with 250 XTPs and a mild 454 with 240 XTP Mags. My 454 will certainly shoot, I wouldn't call it a tack driver.......same for it in 45 Colt. I suppose it shoots 2 to 3 inch groups at 50. Thats with open sights, fiber and O.R.H. on the rear. I don't think ya can go wrong with the SRH. It might be ugly and a little heavy ( the weight comes in handy when your shooting full blown 454s with 300 grainers) but its strong. regards

Kskybroom · « **Reply #6 on:** January 03, 2010, 05:39:13 AM »

Can you go with the 460... I think you can soot 45 lc, 454. 460.

dennissailplane · « **Reply #7 on:** January 03, 2010, 06:41:18 AM »

Hi, I live Columbus, IN. I shoot a Taurus Raging Bull, 61/2 in the 454 Casull. My load is 300gr. Cast Performance GC bullet over 29.0 grs. of H110. Have never had a Whitetail not drop with this load.

shot1 · « **Reply #8 on:** January 03, 2010, 10:56:47 AM »

It all depends on the yardage you expect to try to kill a deer at. If it is inside 100 yards the hotter loaded 45 Colt loads will do OK. If you want to stretch the yardage out a little bit then I would go with the 454. If you are not accustom to shooting big bore stout recoiling revolvers you will need a lot of practice shooting the 454 before you will be able to get accurate with it. Don't fight the recoil because you can't hold it down. You need to let it recoil but need to learn how to handle it. The Redhawk is a great pistol.

Hairtrigger · « **Reply #9 on:** January 03, 2010, 11:51:50 AM »

Without a lot of practice I shoot 45C rounds more accurately than heavy recoiling 454 Casull out of my Super Redhawk.
The more I practice with the revolver the better my 454 groups get.
I just have not yet mastered the recoil

SonnyDaze · « **Reply #10 on:** January 05, 2010, 04:48:12 AM »

The Redhawk, Blackhawk and SuperBlackhawk are the guns I would advise, in .45 Colt or .44 Mag. Get Bisley grip for better recoil control.
The SuperRedhawk is a beast. Very heavy; I don't even pick it up. My neighbor has one; never shoots it.
SonnyDaze

ctrout · « **Reply #11 on:** January 18, 2010, 04:32:20 PM »

You will gain NOTHING in killing power by going to the Casull round. All you will gain is flatter trajectory, a marginal amount of range, recoil and muzzle blast. The 45 Colt loaded hot will do anything that the Casull will do at reasonable handgun hunting ranges. In fact, the 45 Colt with a hard cast 300 grain bullet at 1200fps will shoot end to end through any mule deer in Idaho. What more do you need? I shoot a 5.5" Ruger Bisley with the aforementioned load and it is stout but comfortable. I have shot a few cylinders full through a Reeder custom 454 Alaskan which is ported and the full power 300 grain loads are BRUTAL!

Mikey · « **Reply #12 on:** January 19, 2010, 12:27:11 AM »

Fred: the other guys have all given you great advice. As to the notion of 'overkill'... Graybeard his own self has defined 'dead' for those of us who ofgten use the term 'overkill' to indicate a cartridge more powerful than what is required for the game we hunt. I do not recall exactly how it goes but it is something like 'there is dead, really dead and totally dead', or 'dead, dead, dead', or 'dead, totally dead and 100% dead'. I'm not really sure of the definition once it gets past 'dead', but as they say, 'dead is dead'.... HTH.....

Bitterroot Bob · « **Reply #13 on:** January 19, 2010, 03:11:49 PM »

Yeah,
What Mikey said. Depends on what part of Indiana you are going to be hunting in. The longest shot I ever needed in Orange County was 35 yards. The .35 Rem 180-grain Hornady was overkill, I guess. The last one I killed in Monroe County was with a .44 Magnum 250-grain Keith bullet. No problem. I doubt that I have been in many spots where more than a 75-yard shot would be even posssible. This is brushy country. I would guess that more deer are killed with arrows than bullets, so don't make flat trajectory your biggest concern unless you are trying for shots across fields up North.
The .45 Colt in a strong modern revolver can be loaded quite strong enough to lay out a whitetail. Build a good accurate load and practice. Don't get hung up on HP's v SWC's, either. A .452" wound channel isn't big enough?
My 4-5/8" Blackhawk really likes the two 290-grain bullets that I cast at home. I don't believe that the .454 is necessary, but they sure are cool.

BTW, as far as shooting the shorter Colt through the Casull chamber affects accuracy- The .45 Colt must be a very forgiving cartridge. I get excellent results through my 10" .45 Colt/.410 T/C Contender barrel. Considering that the chamber is 3" long, and the removed choke tube leaves it another inch shorter, I'm amazed!

Bitterroot Bob

Ole Man Dan · « **Reply #14 on:** January 20, 2010, 09:02:29 AM »

The .454 is a great gun, but I sold mine and settled on .44 mag's & .45 Colt's.
The weight, muzzle blast & recoil of the .454 got to be more than I wanted on a daily basis. I like to hunt and carry guns with Iron sights. The .45 Colt & .44 mag do me just fine in single actions.
I did make a compromise and get one each with 4 5/8- 5 1/2- 7 1/2" in each caliber.

If I used a scope, I might have kept the .454, but it had become a safe queen. Too heavy...

Hook686 · « **Reply #15 on:** January 23, 2010, 10:16:14 AM »

For non-reloaders:

- factory .45 LC ammunition - does it measure up to the ballistics mentioned in this thread ?

- would the 454 be a better choice and are lower recoil loads commercially available ?

countryrebel · « **Reply #16 on:** January 25, 2010, 12:05:53 PM »

Quote from: Ole Man Dan on January 20, 2010, 09:02:29 AM

The .454 is a great gun, but I sold mine and settled on .44 mag's & .45 Colt's.
The weight, muzzle blast & recoil of the .454 got to be more than I wanted on a daily basis. I like to hunt and carry guns with Iron sights. The .45 Colt & .44 mag do me just fine in single actions.
I did make a compromise and get one each with 4 5/8- 5 1/2- 7 1/2" in each caliber.

If I used a scope, I might have kept the .454, but it had become a safe queen. Too heavy...

My 454 that I had was way too much for me. .45 colt was good but the 454 never again. If it needs more than what a 44mag can do I should be using a rifle IMO. SRH are good guns and I currently hunt with one in 44mag with a 7.5" barrel. I say buy it and try it out and decide if you like it or not. Then you can say you went down that road.

havent got a clue · « **Reply #17 on:** March 08, 2010, 08:41:47 AM »

20+ years ago I met John Linebaugh in Cody Wy. and had a nice chat with him about 45 colt vs 454. His question to me was "how many elk do you want to shoot clean through?" Meaning the new 45 colt Rugers and other guns in their class loaded with stiff loads and heavy projectiles would do the the job nicley, the only advantage with the 454 is a little more range. I personaly have cleanly harvested elk out to 100yds and mule deer out to 275yds with my 5" Linebaugh in 45 colt. I use a 325gr gc LBT WLN. Kills em dead! Oh yeah, I practice alot shooting long range!

SHOOTALL · « **Reply #18 on:** March 08, 2010, 09:01:50 AM »

Well i have both and never use the SRH 454 gun much . The redhawk in 45 colt is one of my favorite . the 454 is better suited IMHO as a gun carried in hand like a rifle the RH is a packing gun . Shooting 45's im my SRH works ok but it is nessary to clean the gun well before switching back to 454 as some say not doing so can raise pressure . You do realize you can load the 45 Colt to match 44 mag when shooting a RH ? For deer the 45 colt will do , gassed up to 44 mag level it will do in spades . Look at the spec in hornady's book a 300 gr. bullet for either . 45 colt can go 1300 fps and a 454 1500 . drop back to 250 gr bullets and the 45 is 1350 and the 454 is 1800 fps . So if you like heavy bullets is it worth the pain for the small gain ? where the 454 shines is likht bullets shooting flat. When loading a revolver the cyl. limits OAL as does crimp ring . A 45 case being shorter can use the first crimp ring and get a workable OAL the 454 having a longer case can sometimes need to use the second crimp ring and restricting room for powder . With a light bullet it is not an issue . So what do you wish to shoot lite or heavy ?

Noreaster · « **Reply #19 on:** March 11, 2010, 01:38:19 AM »

I love the Ruger Blackhawk and they are dirt cheap used, (in my area you can get one at 95-97% for $325-$350, brand new under $500.) Take a look at buffalo bore. Some of their 45 Colt loads they put the game weight for that load. Can't imagine you'd need more gun. Plus I just like the feel of the blackhawk, nice carry gun. The SRH is a fine revolver and can accomadate a scope real easy, guess it just comes down to personal preference. Let us know what you decide on.

simplicity · « **Reply #20 on:** April 10, 2010, 12:46:27 PM »

A few years ago before I moved up to my 500 smith I had a ruger 454 SRH 7.5 barrel. Maxed out with 300 grainers at roughly 1750fps (didn't have a chrono then so just a estamation) Recoil was worse then the majority of 500 loads since the guns was a decent amount lighter then my 500. The revolver scope with a 1.5-4 buris the best i could get the gun to do was 3" at 100yards. now off a bench I can get 1.5 inch groups with open sights with my 500 and about 3.5 inch groups off hand. Like what was stated before when it all boils down under 100 yards the 500 460 475 500 wyoming etc really has no advantage in killing power over a 44 mag or a fairly stout 45lc load when it comes to deer beyond 100 yards is where you start to see the advantages, but then again 90% of most handgun shooters can't shoot that far accuratly enough to make good clean kills any how. I'm pushing up to 4700 rounds now through my 500 and the load I've settled on is the remington cor'loc ultra (same bullet in the saboted slug rounds) and I'm only pushing them at 1650fps and it's really not that bad to shoot either not nearly the recoil of a SRH in 454 developing the same energy.

Terbltim · « **Reply #21 on:** April 12, 2010, 08:48:53 AM »

I went from 44 caliber to 45 caliber by getting a 7.5 inch barreled 454 Ruger Super Redhawk.
It was a sweet deal that I just couldn't pass up and I was hooked.
As I learned the care and feeding of the beast I got a series of Blackhawks in 45 Colt. As I learned to work on them all and improve their performance generally and with cast bullets specifically, I would sell or trade off the Blackhawks. I think of them as "project guns".
The thought of selling or trading the 454 has never entered my mind.
My RSR shoots 45 Colt exactly as good as it shoots 454 whether loaded mild or wild. I also use it as a test platform for wild-ass 45 Colt experiments.
I normally use 454 brass so I didn't have that extra ring of crud at the front of the chamber to clean, (which has never been any kind of issue until cleaning time.)
I agree generally with the guys that say 454 [at full power] is more than necessary. I played with full power for about 6 or 7 years and developed a heck-of-a flinch.
Now I use a 300gr flat-nose bullet for everything and have 2 load levels.
Game that is 100 lbs and up get "old reliable", scooting along at around 1300-fps.
I'd use that on any North American game.
I do think that is a bit much for smaller game so I made up another pet load.
Now game smaller than 100 lbs gets the same bullet at just under 1100-fps, right down to groundhogs.
I've shot deer with the slower load and can't see a difference in how the game reacts.
My 454 RSR also wears the extra-cushion grip made for the Alaskan model.
Between the weight and that grip its a pretty comfortable package that is far more accurate than I am.
If you get a good deal on a RSR I say take it!
A note on the bore, the RSR 454 barrel is Ruger spec'd to be .453" and mine was, (until I fire-lapped it to .4535".) No more lead in the barrel after that.
I can't recommend cast bullets smaller than .454" in the RSR.
Just 'cause its a 454 doesn't mean you have to shoot full-power 454s out of it.
Load what you like to shoot. Make good shots and the bullet will do the rest.
No amount of power can fix a bad shot.

On the issue of "over-kill", I think of that term only when the critter I just shot is too messed-up to bother with after the shot.
All the talk of small groups at 100 yds or more makes me scratch my head.
My RSR will do it too and that kind of shooting is pretty cool but I think of anything over 50 yds as rifle distance.
I've been hunting with revolvers for nearly 30 years all over America and still haven't shot at a live target farther than 47 steps.

petepaaz · « **Reply #22 on:** April 12, 2010, 08:07:19 PM »

After owning a RSR in 44mag, I discover that the recoil w/heavy loads over 240gr would cause bruising on my trigger finger. I would imagine the 454 would be worse. Plus it was way too heavy to carry comfortably on a hunt. The grip angle on the RSB was tricky w/full power loads too. But a Bisley grip in either 44mag or 45LC would be a better heavy load shooter and lighter than the RSR......the Bisley Hunter can be scoped easily too although u r getting into a pretty heavy carry again.
A stoutly loaded 45LC, such as from Buffalo Bore ammo or similar reloads will handle most big game w/in 75 yards w/o the excessive recoil and muzzle blast of a 454. Unless I am in serious grizzly country, I see no benefit from the 454.
Personally I would opt for the standard Bisley Blackhawks in either 45LC or 44mag.....w/preference to the 45LC

Tommyt · « **Reply #23 on:** April 13, 2010, 03:04:02 AM »

I'm going a little off beat here
This coming season I am going in the woods with 45 colt or 357 max on my side a set of sticks or mono
In my back pack I will have food water what not
Along with a 12 inch 7-30 waters If I see a good one out beyond 50-75
I will take the TC and stick out ...... squeeze one off
I think its a little cheating with the longer gun but until I am better with the 45 and max I'll tote the TC
This btw is for Hogs I don't care much for Deer

Tommyt

mk454 · « **Reply #24 on:** May 01, 2010, 08:54:28 AM »

well, i like the look of the srh. i have 2 FA, 2 SW 629's and my bud bought the SRH 454. i love it. look, you can get the 454 and do everything that the 45 colt will do and more if you need it do or want it to. took my first elk with a .454 raging bull at 30 yards with a hornady 240 gr xtp in a load that travels 2100fps through my chrony. i don't have to adjust point of aim at all on deer out to around 140 yards or so. if that's the only shot ya got on a hunt, sure nice to not have to figure range, compensate for alot of drop etc. then if you're plinking or deer hunting and know you don't need the range then shoot 45 colts out of it. seems like a simple decision. and..........if you ever go to alaska for grizz or africa for dangerous game, well the 454 will kill any of those game animals decisively as well.

SHOOTALL · « **Reply #25 on:** May 03, 2010, 06:20:36 AM »

I have both a RH in 45 and a SRH in 454 . On deer the 454 is a better long range gun . When you load for it it becomes apperant that the cyl length limits the powder load . What i mean is with a heavy bullet your case capacity is limited . with a light bullet you can get a very flat shooting bullet . In a 45 Colt case the crimp ring works out better with a heavy load on some bullets IE you can still use the back crimp ring and the bullet will still fit in the chamber not always so with a 454 case. . So if a scope is used with light bullets (180 - 200 gr. ) you can have a very flat shooting gun . If however you want a light to carry holster gun and shoot heavy bullets the 45 would work well at shorter ranges. I seldom carry the SRH as it is heavy and bigger. If it was dangerous game then the 454 would be a better choice maybe and worth the extra effort .
Hey get both .