Who has shot a .454 Casull?...your opinions of it.

[MarinePride]

I picked up a Ruger Super Redhawk in .454 Casull from a friend who needed the money. For $525, I got the gun, a Simmons 4x Pro hunter scope and an Uncle Mikes shoulder rig. I've never fired one of these beasts before and it was an experience that made me appreciate the power that a handgun can possess.

I only fired 20 rounds because that was all I brought to shoot. The ammo is expensive and not easy to find locally. For those who care, WalMart doesn't carry it. I did locate a local gun shop that had some Hornady 300 gr. XTP though, price was $21.59, which is on par with the mail order places.

One on the first things I noticed is that the gun kicks much more than anything else I've ever fired. Every shot results in a barrel pointing skyward, no matter what. I had my ported Taurus .44 Mag. along for comparison and it was a stunning constrast between the two. The .44 felt like a 9mm and the .454 felt like a .45, if that makes any sense[:-]!

Anyway, the whole purpose of this was to zero the scope. The only problem is that I had to retighten everything after every shot, a bit tedious , but clearly necessary because of the recoil. In the beginning, I didn't do this and after a few shots I noticed the scope was moving backwards. I tightened it down good, but now the scope doesn't seem to adjust for windage or elevation, or at least it's not showing up on the target. I may have trashed the scope because of looseness of the rings and combined recoil. I need to put the whole gun in a vice and see if I can get the crosshairs to move.

Anyway, I got the thing hitting a 9 in paper plate at 25 yards offhand. It's dead on with the iron sights and using Kentucky Windage I can make hits to the center with the scope, but clearly the scope adjustment, or lack thereof, is bothering me.

In closing, I'm wondering just what a .500 Mag. is like. The .454 is a handfull and you have to be aware of the "flinch factor". For a gun like this, 20 rounds per range session is enough for the body and the wallet. I will be ordering some Lee carbide dies and some Hornady 300 gr. bullets ASAP. This is clearly a round to reload for if you want to save a buck. Basically, I know why the guy sold it, he's one of these guys who has lots and lots of guns, but just doesn't shoot them much.

[JagMagMan]

I am shooting a .44 RSRH. It has a 2X Simmons scope, and I am going to replace itwith a little better glass. Being loose, the .454 may have trashed your scope, but as handgun scopes go, you didn't lose much!
The .44 is about all that I consider that I'll ever need for what I hunt. The .454 has roughly twice the power of the .44 and the .500 has almost twice the .454'S energy.
The one .500 that I've shot was a heavy gun with a ported barrel. The recoil was stiff, but remarkably milder than I expected!
I just don't think that I'll personally ever need a .454 or .500 for my purposes. But after shooting the ported .500, I am considering porting my .44. That should make it a pleasure to shoot!

[wayomic]

Not too bad of a gun.
(but then again, I do shoot a Contender w/ 10" barrel in 30-30)
I personally like it. I've shot my father's and am now looking at the Ruger and Taurus for myself. Porting can make a big difference though.
If you are going to reload (IMO, the way to go with most of the big ones), what I would suggest doing is making up some reduced loads for practice and save the heavy ones for hunting, etc. I do the same with my 44mag, would/will do the sam ewith the 454. (basically a 45 Colt on steroids)
In fact, you may want to check on it because I think that the (newer) Rugers can shoot either454 or 45LC, which can save you some wear-n-tear on the gun and yourself.

Scope may behosed though. If playing with a new one I would think aboutusing "removable" lock-tite on the threads of the scope mounts.

Good luck.

[Hairtrigger]

I have a RSH in 454. actually it is my 2nd in 454. The first had a 9.5" barrel and I sold it to try the 7.5" barrel.
I have found thatthe rugers are very accurate. I am trying to learn to handle the recoil better as I shoot much better with 45c ammo

[jcchartboy]

I was firing a Raging Bull this spring...one hell of a gun is all I have to say...

JC

(This is the gun, but that is not me in the pic..JC)

[HighDesertWolf]

FUN!! FUN!! FUN!!! but im also a recoil junky. you should try the 500 smith or a 450 marlin.

[HighDesertWolf]

hey man guns and alcohol dont mix

[Hairtrigger]

Good eye.
Save the beer for when you clean the guns and check out the targets

[Anthony T.]

454? It will kill a mockingbird for sureand the fencepost he was sitting on.

[bearhuntr]

Hey, good choice in beer!

Back to the subject. I own a 454 Casull Raging Bull and love it. The 370 grain bullets that I have it in right now are quite the handful, though!