454 Casull

The #1 community for Gun Owners in Indiana

Member Benefits:

  • Fewer Ads!
  • Discuss all aspects of firearm ownership
  • Discuss anti-gun legislation
  • Buy, sell, and trade in the classified section
  • Chat with Local gun shops, ranges, trainers & other businesses
  • Discover free outdoor shooting areas
  • View up to date on firearm-related events
  • Share photos & video with other members
  • ...and so much more!
  • Butch627

    Master
    Rating - 100%
    24   0   0
    Jan 3, 2012
    1,698
    83
    NWI
    I recently bought a 454 Casull primarily as a range toy. With that in mind I am looking to stock up on both 454 and 45 long colt. I would be fine with reloads but I didn't find any on the search engine sites I used. No, no, no I am not going to start reloading myself. Does anyone know where to find reloads in either caliber for range practice or who has the best prices on those calibers new?
     

    Fullmag

    Master
    Rating - 100%
    15   0   0
    Sep 4, 2011
    1,956
    74
    454 casual is a monster round! Shot it a couple times and both times very impressed on how accurate it was. Also being a reloader I’m impressed on what it takes to load it. It is not not a caliber for long days at the range 20 rounds is a workout. Gun shows where you can trade back your brass might be good option to save with either case.
     

    Mgderf

    Grandmaster
    Site Supporter
    Rating - 100%
    43   0   0
    May 30, 2009
    17,875
    113
    Lafayette
    Inexpensive .454 Casull ammo is a unicorn. It simply doesn't exist.
    Even full-power .45Colt is not cheap these days. You can find reasonably priced .45Colt in "Cowboy loads", but no-one is hunting cowboys in 2019.

    Seriously, loading for .45Colt is almost as cheap as you can get.
    If you have brass, you can load full-power .45Colt loads for pennies per round.
    Loading for the .454 can be reasonable, but not cheap.
    The .45Colt uses a .452 bullet, whereas the .454Casull uses a .459 bullet.

    ,452 bullets can be found everywhere, and in a myriad of different weights and profiles.
    .459 bullets are more scarce, more expensive, and not as much variety in weight.

    I love my Raging Bull, and I'll never give it up, but it's not something to dump a bunch of rounds through in a short setting.

    I will say a 300+ grain projectile coming out of that .454 puts a serious hurt on a deer.
     

    BFR50-110

    Marksman
    Rating - 100%
    2   0   0
    Apr 19, 2015
    160
    18
    Montgomery County
    The .454 Casull uses .451-.452 diameter bullets just like the .45 Colt. The 45-70 and many other 45 caliber rifle cartridges use .458-.459 diameter bullets. I've heard of people using 45 caliber bullets designed for rifles in the .454 Casull but they were swaging them down to .452.
     

    Leadeye

    Grandmaster
    Rating - 100%
    4   0   0
    Jan 19, 2009
    36,686
    113
    .
    45 Colt loaded with the Lyman 325 grain gas check bullet and a large load of 296, H110, or Lilgun will probably drop any game animal in North America. I've shot one lengthwise through a Whitetail out of a Henry Big Boy. I have a Ruger SRH chambered in 454 that takes the same cartridge. Making your own ammo can't be beat in large pistol calibers.
     

    Fullmag

    Master
    Rating - 100%
    15   0   0
    Sep 4, 2011
    1,956
    74
    45 Colt loaded with the Lyman 325 grain gas check bullet and a large load of 296, H110, or Lilgun will probably drop any game animal in North America. I've shot one lengthwise through a Whitetail out of a Henry Big Boy. I have a Ruger SRH chambered in 454 that takes the same cartridge. Making your own ammo can't be beat in large pistol calibers.

    A buddy and I set up some ply wood to make some penetration testing, 45acp vs 454casul. The 45acp penetrated about 5 inches and the 454 went through about 14 inches of plywood. It was not very scientific but fun.
     

    Leadeye

    Grandmaster
    Rating - 100%
    4   0   0
    Jan 19, 2009
    36,686
    113
    .
    At woods ranges like 50 yards it's hard to beat big caliber pistol cartridges in a carbine.
     

    bstewrat3

    Master
    Rating - 100%
    142   0   0
    Apr 26, 2009
    1,520
    84
    Beech Grove
    Inexpensive .454 Casull ammo is a unicorn. It simply doesn't exist.
    Even full-power .45Colt is not cheap these days. You can find reasonably priced .45Colt in "Cowboy loads", but no-one is hunting cowboys in 2019.

    Seriously, loading for .45Colt is almost as cheap as you can get.
    If you have brass, you can load full-power .45Colt loads for pennies per round.
    Loading for the .454 can be reasonable, but not cheap.
    The .45Colt uses a .452 bullet, whereas the .454Casull uses a .459 bullet.

    ,452 bullets can be found everywhere, and in a myriad of different weights and profiles.
    .459 bullets are more scarce, more expensive, and not as much variety in weight.

    I love my Raging Bull, and I'll never give it up, but it's not something to dump a bunch of rounds through in a short setting.

    I will say a 300+ grain projectile coming out of that .454 puts a serious hurt on a deer.

    The 45 Colt and 454 Casull both use the commonly available .452 diameter bullets. The only reason to even consider using 45 Colt is the cost of brass, which is not that great of a difference. I have loaded the 454 down to 45ACP levels with no problems using Trail Boss to take up space.
     
    Top Bottom