454 Casull

Is FA really worth the money?

I'd really like a Blackhawk Bisley, but that seems an awfully small grip for that kind of cartridge.

So...Redhawk or Raging Bull?

What are your thoughts?
cant go wrong with the raging bull,i have 2 and 5 freedom arms in 454.no animal will ever no the difference between the two.the bulls are pussy cats in regards to felt recoil.ive never met the animal that would stand still long enough to let me shoot a three shot group in it to admire my group size so accuracy is not an issue.J.M.O.as far as money goes,thats up to you.
 
Just back from the range.
Here is a pic of two of the 375gr cast bullets I shoot in my Raging Bull Casull.
The second pic is of 3 recovered bullets from sand banks. They are very hard, dont deform or break up.
The third pic is a target shot at 20m and 30m, Ive since slightly adjusted so it is zero'ed at about 25m. Perfect for walk and stalk warthogs. (y)

HB.

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Here is the Ruger .454 I bought off Gun Broker. I picked it up today. 9” Magna Ported (or factory ported?) barrel. I looked up the serial # and it’s a 2001 year model. Looks like it’s never been fired and came in the original box with scope rings. I really like the gray finish. I bought some 260gr Mag Tech cartridges off GB. Going to the range tomorrow.

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Just back from the range.
Here is a pic of two of the 375gr cast bullets I shoot in my Raging Bull Casull.
The second pic is of 3 recovered bullets from sand banks. They are very hard, dont deform or break up.
The third pic is a target shot at 20m and 30m, Ive since slightly adjusted so it is zero'ed at about 25m. Perfect for walk and stalk warthogs. (y)

HB.

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Nice looking bullets and nice shooting! What brand of speed loaders are those? I’d like to find some for my Ruger?
 
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ColElkHunter you might find a problem trying to use a 5 round speed loader in a 6 round cylinder :barefoot: However if plain old black speed loaders will do, then the HKS 25-5 fits the Ruger Super Redhawk .454 Casull quite nicely.
 
ColElkHunter you might find a problem trying to use a 5 round speed loader in a 6 round cylinder :barefoot: However if plain old black speed loaders will do, then the HKS 25-5 fits the Ruger Super Redhawk .454 Casull quite nicely.
Thank you! No, I would want the six round speed loader. I’ll check out the HKS. I haven’t used speed loaders for 25 years, when my duty weapon was a Smith 66. Thanks!
 
I would advise getting the model with a long barrel. Two inches is a little on the short side for this cartridge. :D

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Just read some information on the Casull where the cartridge’s operating psi is 60,000! Wow! My .338 WM is 64,000 psi! Didn’t know that about the Casull? No wonder I couldn’t eject the last six cases from the cylinder after shooting 19 rounds in one shooting session? Although the gun was new and I hadn’t lubed the cylinder ejection rod before I took it to the range.
 
I LOVE THE 454 CASULL
I have 2 FA one short barrel and one 7 1/2 scoped. Also have a Redhawk scoped early model. Ironically my favorite is a 6" Raging Bull, it shoots
amazing groups and handles well. The FA is a WY icon and is our State Gun (if you live in a state without a State Gun you live in the wrong place), they are a work of art that is second to none! If you like a Glock for backup for DG or self defense.....go for it! I carry a S&W 329PD daily here in WY.
However, for backup in wolf and grizzle country I carry a custom STI double stack with a break in 460 Rowland in a chest rig. With my years in
IPSC/USPSA it is purely second nature, as is a 45 in 1911 my off the ranch daily carry! One should only carry what they shoot well and can do the job!
 
I LOVE THE 454 CASULL
I have 2 FA one short barrel and one 7 1/2 scoped. Also have a Redhawk scoped early model. Ironically my favorite is a 6" Raging Bull, it shoots
amazing groups and handles well. The FA is a WY icon and is our State Gun (if you live in a state without a State Gun you live in the wrong place), they are a work of art that is second to none! If you like a Glock for backup for DG or self defense.....go for it! I carry a S&W 329PD daily here in WY.
However, for backup in wolf and grizzle country I carry a custom STI double stack with a break in 460 Rowland in a chest rig. With my years in
IPSC/USPSA it is purely second nature, as is a 45 in 1911 my off the ranch daily carry! One should only carry what they shoot well and can do the job!
Both the FA and Raging Bull are intriguing to me. The FA is a little out of my price range, but the Bull isn’t. For now, I’ll stick with my Ruger until I figure the .454 Casull out. So far I love it!
 
The photo shows that your SRH is still fitted with the old style grips. Newer SRH are fitted with a Hogue designed grip which has two benefits:
i. The grip has a sorbothane insert in the area behind the recoil shoulder. This absorbs a lot of recoil and takes away the hard edges,
ii. The grip has rubber filling in the area between the rear of the trigger guard and the grip. This stops the knuckle from being bashed under recoil.

Hogue makes the grip for Ruger with the Ruger logo on it, however they sell the same item (without the Ruger logo) to the public as the 'Tamer' grip. Unfortunately for some people, the grip features finger grooves. Great if they fit your hand but uncomfortable if they don't.

ps If you're having trouble ejecting, then either your loads are too heavy of your cylinder is too rough.
 
The photo shows that your SRH is still fitted with the old style grips. Newer SRH are fitted with a Hogue designed grip which has two benefits:
i. The grip has a sorbothane insert in the area behind the recoil shoulder. This absorbs a lot of recoil and takes away the hard edges,
ii. The grip has rubber filling in the area between the rear of the trigger guard and the grip. This stops the knuckle from being bashed under recoil.

Hogue makes the grip for Ruger with the Ruger logo on it, however they sell the same item (without the Ruger logo) to the public as the 'Tamer' grip. Unfortunately for some people, the grip features finger grooves. Great if they fit your hand but uncomfortable if they don't.

ps If you're having trouble ejecting, then either your loads are too heavy of your cylinder is too rough.
Thanks for the info! I might invest in the Hogue grips. I shoot right handed. The knuckle on my right middle finger took a beating without a shooting glove on. It was the back of the trigger guard under recoil which did it.
I was shooting factory 260gr JSP Mag Techs, so I’ll see what’s happens the next shooting session as far as extracting the cases from the cylinder since I lubed the ejector rod with Break Free? Thanks!
 
Sounds like the Raging Bull has improved....I owned one when they first came out and the cylinder timing was off.....it would shave bullets because cylinder wasn’t properly aligned with forcing cone......had it back twice to Taurus till it finally got fixed.....sold it for a FA.....nothing wrong with Ruger and in my experience their customer service is second to none.
 
This is an old thread, and probably @sgt_zim has already made his decision, but in the event he hasn't... well... here it goes..

Everyone will tell you that a big magnum revolver is leaps and bounds above anything else in terms of stopping large carnivores... They may be right. I have never had to do it and hopefully, given proper shooting with my hunting rifle, will never have to do it. That said, I go black bear hunting each and every year and every year I carry my tried and true Springfield XD .45 super:
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Its got some wear and tear but it goes into the chest holster and carries nicely. I can very quickly dump 4-5 rounds into an 8" target from 10-12 yards from un-holstering to last round fired in about 3 seconds or less. I have owned .44 magnums and .357 magnums but I could never achieve the speed and hits with a magnum revolver that I could with this one. With a solid grip, it hardly flips up at all and each round carries over 650 ft-lbs (currently still fairly low pressure. I could push more now that I have a ported barrel but I don't think it is necessary). The difference on target between this gun and a 10mm is pretty much indistinguishable (sold my 10 to buy this). I reload and my .45 super drops brass 8ft to my right. The 10mm would throw the brass almost as hard as the bullet.

There are people that will say the 10mm is more far more potent than a .45 super and from a numbers standpoint, not vastly different but they are probably right. 700-800 ft-lbs with top loads in a 10mm vs 650-750 with a .45 super. I am not going to argue levels of anemia here. They are both woefully under-powered compared to the rifle you are likely carrying. In the event that it is all you have, well if Phil Shoemaker killed a coastal brown bear in defense of his fishing clients with a compact 9mm... With proper placement, these will do the job just as well.

Anyway... I say all that to say... from a holistic bear gun point-of-view (the package,carry-ability, shoot-ability, speed, and power compromises) I think the 10mm and .45 super are just as effective as the big bore revolvers. Maybe not on a single-round basis (magnum will definitely be more effective if you can only manage one hit), but I would bet basing it on an "encounter by encounter" basis the successful defense ended the same. Wounded carnivore running off/Dead right there, and hiker/fisherman/hunter trying to get their heart rate down to a level where they can once again communicate.

The reason my vote also goes to .45 super is a lot of guys already have a .45ACP that can handle a limited number of .45 super loads. Any modern 1911, SIG, H&K, Springfield or Glock (with a fully supported barrel mod) can easily handle a few dozen rounds a year.

All that rambling is to say... I wouldn't limit myself to a big bore revolver if all you are looking for is a practical bear gun that will fit in your chest holster to be with you at all times. But... I am not the keeper of your wallet and if a .454 casull strikes your fancy.. HAVE AT IT!! The fireball will stun them if the bullet doesn't. I have never fired one but I hear it is a little like catching a baseball bat in the webbing of your shooting hand. (y)
 
I love the 45 Super. I was lucky enough to be able to buy one of the Springfield V16's built for it when they first came out about 20 years ago. It's my woods gun. I used to load for it but now just shoot 45 Super Buffalo Bore 255g hardcast at 1100 fps (a little faster than the box says due to it's 6" barrel). For practice I shoot regular 45 ACP hardball then finish with a clip or two of the Buffalo Bore. It's recoil, because of the ports is no more than a standard full sized 1911 shooting 45 ACP (I have one of those too)

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I love the 45 Super. I was lucky enough to be able to buy one of the Springfield V16's built for it when they first came out about 20 years ago. It's my woods gun. I used to load for it but now just shoot 45 Super Buffalo Bore 255g hardcast at 1100 fps (a little faster than the box says due to it's 6" barrel). For practice I shoot regular 45 ACP hardball then finish with a clip or two of the Buffalo Bore. It's recoil, because of the ports is no more than a standard full sized 1911 shooting 45 ACP (I have one of those too)

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Every time you post a picture of the V-16, I really want to send Springfield an email that basically says "WHAT IS WRONG WITH YOU? BRING BACK THE V-16!!!!" It's a really sweet gun!
 
Nothing compares to FA! I had two (6" I sold and 7 1/2" I will sell only if I start needed a kidney)! Finest and most accurate revolver on market, highly reco.
I also have two Ruger RH 7 1/2". Very intelligent design (I especially love frontal cylinder locking system), extremely strong. My loads (300grs XTP, 1.700 Jules) which works flawlessly from Ruger RH can destroy SW 29, not to mention OAL.
If you want to have the best on the market, go for FA but if you need working mule for half price go for Ruger RH. In case you are keen to use red dot that you dont need long sight radius so pls consider 5 1/2" barrel - way handier than 7 1/2"!
 
Nothing compares to FA! I had two (6" I sold and 7 1/2" I will sell only if I start needed a kidney)! Finest and most accurate revolver on market, highly reco.
I also have two Ruger RH 7 1/2". Very intelligent design (I especially love frontal cylinder locking system), extremely strong. My loads (300grs XTP, 1.700 Jules) which works flawlessly from Ruger RH can destroy SW 29, not to mention OAL.
If you want to have the best on the market, go for FA but if you need working mule for half price go for Ruger RH. In case you are keen to use red dot that you dont need long sight radius so pls consider 5 1/2" barrel - way handier than 7 1/2"!
Don’t forget the Magnum Research BFR.....very similar to a Ruger with a few added items.....I love the free wheeling cylinder....and like Ruger they are not afraid to take a chance and chamber for some of the not so popular calibers.
 

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