454 Casull vs 44 Magnum

On the subject of massive and badass revolver cartridges, the .44 Remington Magnum and the .454 Casull are two of the most effective. They’ve each been round a very long time and so they’ve each confirmed their value on every part from feral hogs to African buffalo. However some surprise which one is the most effective. The factor is, typically cartridge comparisons are apparent and simple, however that’s not at all times the case; finest and strongest don’t essentially imply the identical factor. When evaluating .454 Casull vs .44 Magnum, there’s extra to think about than ballistics.

.44 Remington Magnum

In 1955, Smith & Wesson and Remington teamed as much as introduce the .44 Remington Magnum, and gun author Elmer Keith was a terrific inspiration within the cartridge’s growth. The .44 Magnum’s starring position in Clint Eastwood’s Soiled Harry film gave it instant credibility and fame. It’s, nonetheless, a handful to shoot, which is why it’s widespread to search out used .44 Magnum revolvers being bought that include a half field of ammo. Many shooters discover they’re simply not fairly the person Inspector Harry Callahan was. Happily, .44 Magnum revolvers may safely chamber and fireplace .44 Particular ammunition, which has a lot much less offensive recoil. In manufacturing facility ammunition, there are greater than 50 .44 Magnum hundreds to select from, and about half as many .44 Particular hundreds.

The 44 Magnum doesn’t use a 0.44-caliber bullet. The bullet diameter is definitely 0.429-inch in diameter, however, 429 or 430 Magnum simply doesn’t have the identical ring to it. The cartridge is loaded to a most common strain of 36,000 psi, which is about twice that of the .44 Particular. As highly effective as that appears, the .357 SIG is definitely loaded to a better strain. The .44 Magnum has been used to efficiently take each recreation animal on earth, and it’s a private safety favourite with those that wish to tromp round in massive bear nation. Marlin and several other different producers presently supply lever weapons chambered for the .44 Magnum.

454 Casull

Initially referred to as the .45 Magnum Revolver, this cartridge was developed by Dick Casull within the late Fifties. It makes use of a cartridge case that’s 0.10-inch longer than the .45 Colt cartridge case (the 45 Colt is commonly referred to as the 45 Lengthy Colt). This implies .454 Casull revolvers can safely chamber and fireplace .45 Colt cartridges. The .454 Casull is without doubt one of the strongest revolver cartridges out there and greater than 20 manufacturing facility hundreds are presently supplied. The compatibility with .45 Colt ammunition permits for that dual-power versatility discovered with the .38 Particular and .357 Magnum, in addition to the .44 Particular and .44 Magnum.

The .454 Casull was not authorized by the Sporting Arms and Ammunition Producers Institute (SAAMI) till 1997, and their normal specifies a most common strain of 65,000 psi. That is absurdly greater than the .44 Magnum, and it’s the place the .454 Casull finds all its energy. The cartridge can push a 200-grain bullet to greater than 2000 fps. By comparability, the .45 Colt is just loaded to a most common strain of 14,000 psi. In a 50-ounce revolver, .454 Casull is intimidating to shoot with full-power hundreds, recoiling with round 36 foot-pounds of hand-numbing and wrist-twisting pressure. Rossi and Massive Horn Armory each supply lever-action rifles chambered for the .454 Casull.

454 Casull vs 44 Magnum: Energy

If energy is your important consideration, there’s no comparability; the .454 Casull is the clear winner. With its strongest hundreds, the .454 Casull can generate practically 2,000 foot-pounds of kinetic power on the muzzle. This places it in the identical class as some fashionable rifle cartridges, however with bullets weighing twice as a lot. Nonetheless, with excessive efficiency +P+ ammunition, the .44 Magnum just isn’t that far behind the .454. Take notice, nonetheless, there may be not a SAAMI normal for +P or +P+ .44 Magnum ammo. Soiled Harry’s cartridge is not going to shoot fairly as quick or hit as onerous because the .454 Casull, however just like the .454 Casull, the .44 magnum is able to dealing with any critter you need to deal with.

Winner: 454 Casull

454 Casull vs 44 Magnum: Versatility

Crucial comparability between the .454 Casull and the .44 Magnum may be with the opposite cartridges that may be fired in each. For plinking and leisure taking pictures, the .44 Particular and .45 Colt are rather more nice in hand, and hundreds with comparable recoil will be had in both chambering. Nonetheless, in terms of higher-performance manufacturing facility .44 Particular and .45 Colt ammunition, there’s extra highly effective choices out there in .45 Colt; some will even take care of the .44 Magnum. This reinforces the ability benefit of the .45 Colt/.454 Casull duo, however there are such a lot of extra manufacturing facility ammunition choices out there for the .44 Particular and .44 Magnum, providing extra versatility. Additionally, whereas ammunition for all 4 of those cartridges will be costly and onerous to search out, .44 Particular and .44 Magnum ammo isn’t fairly as dangerous.

Winner: 44 Magnum

454 Casull vs 44 Magnum: Weapons

The cartridge your gun fires is essential however so too the is the gun you’re taking pictures. Shooters have distinct tastes in terms of firearms and, as they are saying, selection is the spice of life. Ruger alone presently catalogs 19 .44 Magnum revolvers however solely 5 in .454 Casull. On the subject of lengthy weapons, Henry catalogs 14 .44 Magnum lever-action rifles however not a single rifle in .454 Casull, and Ruger even presents a .44 Magnum bolt-action rifle. Cleary, there are much more weapons chambered for the .44 Magnum than the .454 Casull, which implies you’ll have much more to select from with the lesser cartridge. After all, customized gun makers can construct a .454 Casull about any approach you need it, however most of us are reside on a beer versus a champagne finances.

Winner: 44 Magnum

454 Casull vs 44 Magnum: The Sensible Alternative

The fact is that almost all who need a highly effective, large-bore handgun in all probability have designs on searching with it or utilizing it for defense towards massive predators like agitated grizzlies. If that’s you, it’s onerous to argue towards the .454 Casull. Should you’re going to go massive, would possibly as effectively go badass too. And provided that each cartridges of their full-power kind kick like a mule, you’re in all probability not going to be taking pictures too many rounds via both. For these causes, if I needed a strong big-bore revolver, I’d go together with the .454 Casull simply to verify I left a mark that might not be rubbed off.

However, if I needed a rifle or a rifle and revolver combo that might share ammunition, and if I needed to undergo some rounds, I’d go for the 44 Magnum and the plethora of manufacturing facility weapons and hundreds which might be presently out there for it. Whichever approach you go, be ready to have your world rocked. The .44 Magnum and the .454 Casull wish to let you understand you’ve bought maintain of one thing imply and nasty if you press the set off. Like my grandfather used to say, “These weapons are for grown-ass males.”