I know that this subject has been discussed nine ways to Sunday. So let's discuss it again.

Many would argue that a 454 gives you nothing that a heavy-loaded 45 Colt can't deliver. Or, some would say that if you need more than a heavy 45 Colt load, use a bigger hammer. In other words, go up in caliber, not velocity.

All of that is good and fine. However, if you're a big bore handgun enthusiast, don't you owe it to yourself to tinker with at least one 454 in your lifetime?

In a way it just seems wrong to own and load for everything from the 41 Magnum up to the 500 Linebaugh but never to have experimented with a 454 Casull. And yet, it seems that the 454 has fallen out of favor with a lot of the guys who post on these handgun forums. I see more people steered away from its use than just about all other cartridges combined.

Anyway, just some thoughts from another handgun hunter.

I have the big ones but I LOVE the 454. My all time favorite. Load down and shoot all day long or load up and whack anything that walks. What's not to like!

I really like the 454 Casull, and shoot a lot of rounds every year, but I dearly love the 45 Colt. I seriously doubt I will ever own anything larger than the 45 caliber in a handgun.

If it came down to one hunting handgun for everything, my choice would be a 10 inch Freedom Arms 454. I also own 475 and 500 caliber revolvers, but the 454 with its extra velocity has taken everything that can be hunted. Sort of like the 375 H&H rifle. It may not be the best for everything but for a one rifle hunt it is good for anything.. The same can be said for the 454 Casull

While I do think that a warmly loaded .45 Colt is enough for 99.9% of situations, I chose to buy a 454 recently because for one I wanted a nice single action without having to drop $2K I don't have on a FA, which left the BFR and it's a great revolver. I think of it just like I do the .45 Colt, you can load it mild or wild which adds to its appeal and versatility. I've messed with the lighter 250gr JHPs doing 1300-1400 fps to 300gr JHPs doing 1800 fps and even some 395gr hardcasts.

I don't personally see the need in pushing hardcasts super fast, and while you can ultimately get heavier bullets in the .475 and .500 calibers, there are some 400+gr heavies for the Casull. Plus you've still got the superior selection of bullets since it's a .45, so really you've got the choice of light and fast and heavy and still pretty fast (for a handgun). Not saying it's better than the .475 or .500's but it offers a lot, eats less powder, shoots flat, hits like a Mack truck is more gun than most folks will ever need.

I have or have had all the major revolver calibers short of the 50 ak and the 454 is by far my favorite. Ive taken cape buff on down and its taken them all decisively. The hunts my son used his 460 on were rounds purposefully chosen as they were 454 level velocities and bullets. He has 44 mag, 45 colt, 460 and 500 jrh, as well as the 454, and if ya ask him his favorite he'll tell ya the 454. The idea that a 45 colt will do what the 454 will do only applies to under 100 yards and with brittle cast bullets. Use a high quality slug like a beartooth and that velocity thats not needed, supposedly, causes the bullets to expand on impact to about 60 caliber and when used with high quality a frames or barnes bullets it does damage like no other round. Hunting deer, ya dont wanna trak'em just use a 240 hornady factory round or any of the 260 speedster rounds and it drops em right there. That supposed not needed velocity helps increase penetration and wound channel size when used with high quality monometal solids like ceb solids or the punch bullets or corbon penetrators or the barnes busters. The problems ive seen is some guys shoot a large animal with a bullet made for deer and are somehow mystified that the bigger calibers did better. If ya use the right bullet theres nothing ya cant drop and drop at range well beyond 100 yards. There isnt a big bore round i dont like and not one i havent used, but my favorite and the one i used when 30k is on the line is the 454.

Great post tradmark! For pure hunting, I will grab the FA 454, for general everyday woods carry, or as a backup to a rifle, I carry a 5 1/2" Ruger Flattop 45 Colt. The 454 just flat gets it done.

I gave up the 454 but was a fine gun while I could shoot it good.If I was 25 insted of sixtysix I would get a 480 Ruger and never look back.My bears have all been 44mag,45colt and one with 45/70 and 375H&H.Both rifle bears were no deader than the handgun bears.Revolver all the time now days.

I sold all 3 of my .454's this past summer to pare down my estate, but I took a lot of game with those revolvers over the years. While I personally prefer the .475 Linebaugh for very heavy game, I believe that any really serious handgunner should own and have experience with a .454.
In other words, buy one. I highly recommend the FA version..

in the eighties/nineties,thats all I read about was the .454 Casull,...that was big daddy back then,...so of course when I could finally afford one I had to have it.There is nothing this round can't do anywhere on the face of this earth with the right bullet.When it comes to deer though,just deer,...she is tied with my other favorite and that is the .357 magnum.But for one caliber that can do it all(right bullet of course) ,that would be my .454 Casull,the one caliber/gun I dreamed about getting when I could afford to finally get it (ya know kids and responsibility kinda get in the way-lol)J.D Jones said it in one of the sixgunner articles way back when-theres nothing this .45 magnum cartridge can't do!,.....john

and........due to the high operating pressures of the highest end loads (it doesn't have to be run that hard btw) the bullets have been refined. the soft points and expandables for the 454 are the best out in any handgun caliber imho. so much so i killed a cape buff with an a frame. there's not another caliber with an expandable that i'd even attempt it with other than the 460 cuz it's the same bullets. the soft points for the bigger calibers are softer, either don't open or open too much. so what i got what an 80 caliber hole thru the buffalo instead of a 50 cal hole which is what i'd have had with a smith 500. funny the same bullet is also devastating on deer. talk about a do everything with one bullet round.

Starting with the qualification that this is purely my opinion, I feel that the .454 will do everything that the .45 Colt can do, and then more so. While you don't need to go to top end loads, you can if you want to. You know that any gun that will chamber the .454 is designed for top end pressure levels. Not all guns chambered for .45Colt will handle the type of loads the cartridge is capable of.

Probably the question you should be looking at is what type of gun do you want to fire it out of. Single action, double action, mid length barrel, long barrel etc. How packable do you want it? For example, a 460S&W brings even more power to the table, but at a significant increase in gun size and weight. Would you be comfortable to carry one in the field all day?

Also, as mentioned many times, proper placement will always trump calibre, so choose what your comfortable with and practice, practice, practice.

If you are serious about tinkering The Cabellas in Louisville had a field grade 10 in barrel Freedom Arms .454 in there showcase at 4:00pm tonight for $1500 ish.

In single action, and I've owned them all so far, the 454 is great. The hammer has the spring tension for reliable detonation, the hammer mass and throw distance. It in the super RedHawks, I've had bad luck. 3 out 3 owned will light strike the primer periodically with handloads and factory ammo as well. Especially in double action. I've shot them double action for practice for bad scenarios involving bears. It's a known issue of short firing pins etc. jack Huntington as well as Hamilton Bowen pointed this out to me and I've lived it. I just parted with my last one. I like the caliber but not all the platforms. I know many people have great luck with them, just not me. But 454 is as I said, a great cartridge. I do think though that the 45 colt in a 5 shot conversion will do what the casual can do and the 475 to 50's can do more. My humble opinion and the bottom line is; shoot what you like.

I had a FA premier in 454 and it was nice.
I shot it for awhile but I never shot it as good as my SRH in 44, or my SBHH in 45...so I let it go.
I also had a BFR in 454 and I shot that better then the FA...wish I would've kept the BFR.
So I guess I'm saying, get one, try it out and go from there.

While l don't own a 454 l do have a 460.. My favorite loads come from my Speer manual in 460 for reduced recoil..Pushing a 260 gr Speer sp at 1500sp is 454 territory for my 460..l don't want the 454 in my 460 because of the powder ring left in the cyl due to the shorter case.. 454 level loads are great

I know the heavily loaded 45 Colt is very popular but I have moved away from it. I really like the 45 Colt for moderate loads like 270-SAA @ 1000 fps but after that I prefer the 44 magnum.
When I want more than 44 magnum I really like a 6" FA 83 in 454. This revolver is just getting started at heavy 44 mag levels. However, I don't shoot max loads. I wouldn't own it if I didn't reload for it.

Agreed. Good reason to get yourself a .454!

Now this thread is making me want a .454 lol.

How could you not want a 454?

If I had to pare down my collection to the bare minimum, the last big-game handgun to remain would be my .454 SRH.

Briefly, there are two reasons that I'd not part with mine. First, I have the utmost confidence in the .454 to handle anything on 4 legs, with the right load and within it's range limitations. Second, the gun itself has contributed to quite a few successful hunts over the last 7 years, and of course, that would factor into the decision to keep it.

It"s going to be my next one.

Never wanted one......

Ditto.

I'm with James on this one.

Alot of people never wanted a ferrari either but its still a hell of a ride!

cause it kicks the hell out of me in a FA, and i didnt like that.

Just reading all these posts from the veteran hunters on here makes me glad that
i have one

I am quite happy with my Casull.

i love mine.

I like mine, but I find myself taking the 44mag more often.