Fun question..454 Casull or .44 mag?

[alfsauve]

Going stir crazy and I've got FQ's question rattling around.   I'm impressed with my 624 .44spl.   The bullets are so-o-o-o-o big.   Maybe I need to step up to a .45 also.

So I'm thinking my 624 needs a 625 Mountain model  in 45 LC as a companion.   Does the .454 Casull really gain that much over the LC?  Of course the 460V would be the ultimate and shoot all three.

Hmmmm.m.m.m.m.m.   My gun range owes me a purchase at cost+$50.   Maybe this will be it.

[CJS3]

Seems to me the ammo for the 44s, and 45LC, would be easier to find than the 454 ammo. I reload for all but the 454, so either would be a good choice, but I don't see a big advantage, on hogs with the 454 over the 44mag. It's hard to beat a Super Blackhawk for a hunting pistol, and a Marlin in a matching caliber would make a nice field combo.

[billt]

Does the .454 Casull really gain that much over the LC?

In a word, yes. The .454 Casull operates SAFELY at Magnum bolt action rifle pressures. Near, and at times above 60,000 P.S.I. The .45 Colt was designed as, and still is a very low pressure revolver cartridge. Handloaders hot rod them to higher velocities and pressures, and a lot of nice guns have been damaged over the years exercising that process. You can get 1,500 horsepower out of a 350 Chevy V-8, but it will be at the expense of a very limited service life. A .45 Colt is no different. If you want a thumper, by all means go with the .454 Casull. That is what it was designed and built for. A downside to consider with the .454 Casull is brass life. It is expensive, and many only last one reload before cases start to split. Many will split on the first firing, rendering them unreloadable. Again, it is the price you pay for such high performance.  Bill T.

[m25operator]

Either you guys are being nice to me, or no one noticed my faux paux, I said .500 Smith, meant the .460 Smith, so my statement was misleading. This has been a good subject and I realized that I am thinking like a city slicker and not a mountain man, my new statement, go with the .44 mag, I don't know what the heaviest bullet Walmart sells, but that is what I would buy, I am not sure that .454 or even .45 colt is available easily except through the big gunstores or private ones, you could get the cheapest Lee loader, buy a bunch of bullets and a lb of powder, come up with one good load and it would fit in a shaving kit. By cheapest I mean a 1 die does it all kit, you need a hammer or a rock, to hit it with, a powder dipper some cases and bullets and away you go, not fast, but if you only shoot 10 rds a week, your cool and will fit easily in your tent. If I could afford it, I would load 300 grn Barnes. Now instead of a pistol, how about a 92 carbine, ( be careful as some of them will not accept the longer 300 grn + bullets. ) I should say won't load them, they will fit in the magazine, just won't load in the chamber, My Rossi would not. So maybe a Marlin or Winchester. Get a 16" and cut it down to 26" overall, still enough butt stock and legal, and have someone make you a behind the back scabbard, as a trout fisherman you would not want to hip carry as you may be wading, so regardless of rifle or pistol, get a rig that keeps the rifle or pistol out of the water. Am I making sense?

[alfsauve]

.............. you could get the cheapest Lee loader,............By cheapest I mean a 1 die does it all kit, you need a hammer or a rock, to hit it with, a powder dipper some cases and bullets and away you go, not fast, ..........

For those who don't know, such kits did exist.  I loaded my first 50 rounds of .38 with a hammer and a single die.   Yes, seating the primer with a hammer, rod and anvil was an adventure.   

[Sponsor]

[m25operator]

They still are Alf, go to the Lee reloading sight and look up classic Lee loader. Sorry, my present set up does not show Urls.

[billt]

For those who don't know, such kits did exist.  I loaded my first 50 rounds of .38 with a hammer and a single die.   Yes, seating the primer with a hammer, rod and anvil was an adventure.

I started reloading in 1971 with Lee Loaders in several rifle and pistol calibers. I even started loading 12 Ga. shotgun shells on one. I still have them all, and would never sell them because of their compact size, along with the portability they offer in an emergency situation.  Bill T.

[PegLeg45]

They still are Alf, go to the Lee reloading sight and look up classic Lee loader. Sorry, my present set up does not show Urls.

http://www.leeprecision.com/cgi/catalog/browse.cgi?1294946259.3705=/html/catalog/cleeloader.html




They also have a breechlock hand press.
http://www.leeprecision.com/cgi/catalog/browse.cgi?1294946259.3705=/html/catalog/rlpress1.html#HandPress



As Benny said, stuck out in the wilderness, a shaving kit full of components would keep you in life-or-death ammo for a while.


I also agree on the .44 magnum. It is the better all around choice. It can be loaded heavy or light and as Bill pointed, probably has much longer case life for reloading.

[billt]

If that guy takes a dive backwards with that thing in his pocket, he'll be needing a Kidney transplant!    Bill T.

[PegLeg45]

If that guy takes a dive backwards with that thing in his pocket, he'll be needing a Kidney transplant!    Bill T.

Yeah, thought that too........of course, it could be tied to a long stick and used as a spear to catch supper.