im not much of a belever in guns and math. newton taylor etal. i love my 44mag, is there a real world diferance between these two. i mean what you can see not maybe what happened, or is it just more blast and recoil. same could be asked about the 45 LC.

I have a friend that shoots the .44 Magnum like I do. So one day a friend of his asked him to shoot his .454 Casull RB which I believe was 8 3/8ths barrel. Well my buddy fired it 3 times and said that is it, no more.

Some of us, just like our .44 Magnums

The 454 will outperform the 44 Mag, no doubt. But, not enough advantage for me to switch from my 45LC. I like to enjoy shooting and it should not be a pain. If you port it the recoil becomes more friendly but the noise just isn't worth it. That goes for the 460 and 500 Smiths as well.

I guess it depends what you want to use it for.
I think the 44Mag will do what most hunters want and I shoot a 454 Casull.
The 454 gives you more distance and more penetration-A lot of people don't need that.
It is basically a strengthened and lengthened 45LC.

I think the step up in performance comes from bullet diameter and the ability to launch heavier bullets. I used to load my Casull really hot, but have toned WAY down and now my loads are more hot-.45 Colt than "Casull" if you know what I mean, and I have never found them lacking on any front.

But you sure do get a lot more noise and recoil from he Casull!

That said, I am looking to buy a couple more .44s right now........

Bluecow, handguns and calibers are kinda like vehicles...most folks don't need a Hummer just to get back and forth from work but, that's what they want...I think it's pretty safe to say the same about handguns...I live in MS and the only native big game we have is whitetail deer, wild hog and turkey. I have a 475 linebaugh revolver to hunt with, not cause I need it, just cause I wanted it...KRal

KRal -- exactly! When does "need" ever enter the picture (except when attempting to convince the wife!)?

You nailed it KRal!

Kral said it all but just let me add some words from a South African hunter " I have more guns then I need but not as many as I want". Truer words were never said......

Words to live by!

I don't think it's possible to have TOO MANY HANDGUNS!!

That pretty much sums up my thoughts and my life!!

The trick is being happy with (and more importantly appreciate) what you have.

Kral… I think you hit that head of the nail with the hammer!!!!!!!

I thought about it a long time, but with the way my SRH is shooting I don’t need a 454. It would be more beneficial to just go straight to the 475. But I am also loading a 300 XTP on the second crimp line with 23gr of H110. I called Hodgdon, Hornady, and Ruger before I did it because I had only heard rumors of being able to add 2 grains to the 300 XTP when loading it on the second crimp line. However, it shoots lights out. It shoots 2in groups at 100 at over 1400 fps with my 9.5 in barrel. I don’t think a game animal would know the difference between that and a 454. With all that being said, it does help to shoot premium ammo out of your 44. But my load is also a handful in my 4 5/8 SBH.

JMHO… just like posteriors, everyone has one! LOL

Duane, you're getting great accuracy out of your rig! Can't argue with that!

Thanks Whitworth, but I am just lucky I got a good SRH. Also spent quite a bit of time at the range figuring out what it liked.

considering what today is need a NEED a new handgun is like justify, not a good choise of words

Yes indeed, and I don't feel like I need to justify any of my handgun purchases (tough talk when the wife is listening!)!

The 454 when loaded up hits much harder than a 44 Magnum and I can often tell the difference when I shoot a whitetail. The 454 is also much more capable when it comes to bigger stuff. With that said, there aren't any animals, except a grizzly, that I wouldn't go after with a 44 and the right bullet if I didn't have a 454. You can always shoot reduced loads in a 454 to bring it down to 44/45 Colt levels but you can't go the other way.

Gary, do you think the 454 is an overall more versatile cartridge?

Not Gary, but yes.
Good thoughts Gary.

X2

Works for me!!

That you are!

I love my 454 in a Freedom Arms 83 but loaded full house it is just to much of a good thing to enjoy for very long. My favorite load for it using Trail Boss powder over a cast 250 grain and it is probably loping along at original 45 LC velocities.

I save the heavy stuff for the hunting. I use mostly hard cast bullets and have always thought that if the bullet goes in one side and out the other than any more energy left is wasted so I do not hesitate to take my 44 and 45LC hunting as well nor do I feel undergunned with them when hunting thin skinned game.

That being said everyone needs at least one Freedom Arms revolver so it may as well be a 454.

The .454 is a more versatile round, but I would part with both my .454s before I would let any of my .44s go. I would trade my FA .454 for a FA .44 mag in a heartbeat!

I too am way more attached to my .44s than my .454, as is evident by the fact that I sacrificed my Casull to the big-bore gods (it's being converted to .500 Linebaugh!). It served me well and has taken some game, but for that much noise and recoil, I'll take something bigger, thank you very much! LOL!

I do like my .454s, but I have never felt handicapped with my .44 mags. One aspect in favor of the .44 is loading costs. It seems like the older I get, the cheaper I get. I can buy 300 pieces of Winchester .44 mag brass for about the same cost of 100 pieces of Win .454 brass. The bullets cost less too and I save a little powder.

Part of my attachment to the .44 mag started ever since my dad came home with an old model SBH one day in the early '70s. Later the attachment grew from reading Elmer Keiths writing. Its a lot like the .30-06, its also been surpassed by bigger rounds, but when it comes down to it, there is very little it can't do.