.454 casull ammo

[SDHNTR]

So I just bought a .454 and because I live in communist CA, I bought some copper Barnes Vortex 250 gr ammo. We can't shoot lead where I might hunt hogs with this thing so that's what I bought. Fine for hogs. But the main reason why I bought this fire breather is for bear backup in AK. For that, will the 250 gr copper hollow points suffice, or would I be better off with some heavier hard cast loads? Any specific factory ammo suggestions?

 

[mt100gr.]

Look at Double Tap ammo. In my 454 I like the 335gr 45 Colt+P. Its a WFNGC (wide flat nosed gas check) hardcast. A bit more mellow than full power 454 and still lots of thump.

 

[bhylton]

I think buffalo bore makes a 360gr lead cast that would put a hurtin on a bear. As far as the 250gr being adequate... probably. But if i wanted to shoot 250gr bullets i would have bought a 45LC or 44mag. You take full advantage of the 454 by using heavy bullets. Those loads take some getting used to though.... even in my 8 3/4in barrel raging bull.

 

[mt100gr.]

Forgot to mention, mine is a 2.5 inch Ruger Alaskan. With full power loads it's pretty damn snappy. A real handful. I like the 45 Colt +p ammo for the ability to get more rounds down range in a more controlled fashion.

 

[direwolf]

Fire breather is right. I have the same snub nose Ruger 454. Only bear encounter where I used it was with a stubborn 8 footer who wouldn't give me space when I was salmon fishing by myself right at dusky dark. After it was clear that I wasn't getting though to him with yelling I shot a round in the ground in front of him. In the low light conditions it looked like a flame thrower. The bear couldn't have cleared out of there any faster. Much better for everyone around to reinforce a healthy respect for giving humans their space and let him go back to being a bear in the wild. It's a real PITA to kill one in self defense in Alaska when it's not bear season or you don't have a tag.

 

[Kevin Dill]

Do a ballistics comparison of .454 loads looking at ft-lb energy. The advantage of the Casull is its ability to shoot a heavier bullet at higher velocity = big energy on target. Don't give too much of that energy away in order to take multiple shots. Most bears are either going to go down or turn around at the first shot...considering that a majority of dlp handgun shootings will have the first shot happening at 20 yards or under. My personal philosophy has always been good energy + good bullet + accuracy = best outcome. Accuracy only happens with a lot of practice, so get a good pair of cushioned gloves and shoot the heck out of that Alaskan. Have fun!

 

[bhylton]

to practice with mine i loaded up around 200rounds of 45lc. 200gr lead flat point and i think 8 gr of green dot powder. it was actually really accurate and a real treat to shoot out of my 454. shot at about 900fps. something like that (or even a lighter load) might be the ticket for practicing with the 2.5 in barrel.

 

[SDHNTR]

I've got the 45 colt rounds for practice, and I've got these 250 gr lead free ones for CA. Got that covered. Any more specific recommendations for factory ammo? I'm confused by the choices of cast, lead, jacketed, etc. what's best for worst case scenario?

 

[muleman]

I found this video interesting. Especially the gelatin results of the 12 guage slug vs the 250gr Barnes TAC-XPB

[video=youtube_share;H2KhI7aHLqU]http://youtu.be/H2KhI7aHLqU[/video]

 

[SDHNTR]

That was an interesting vid. Thanks. Now it's a matter of penetration vs expansion.

 

[Vance in AK]

For worst case scenario I want a HEAVY hardcast with a wide meplat (the flat part on the end) driven as fast as the cartridge will allow. I want a bullet that will penetrate the skull or anything in the way of the spine. A central nervous system hit is the only thing that will stop a brown bear "right now". A heart shot or lung shot with an expanding bullet will kill it but will still give it plenty of "chewing time". Most expanding bullets will not penetrate the heavy bone structure of the skull or the muscles/bone of the high shoulders.

 

[SDHNTR]

Vance can you recommend a specific factory load?

 

[husky390]

The Buffalo Bore 300gr JFN is hell for stout. It by far has the most felt recoil out of any of the factory loads I've shot through my Alaskan. This gun has been more of a novelty to me but it's been a lot of fun to shoot and a learning experience. One main thing is to pick a load, sight it in and stick with it. The velocity spread and aiming points between a 45 Colt and 454 is amazing. Even changing bullet weights in .454 Casull will change my point of aim quite a bit. Have fun and expect to be approached by random folks wanting to ask questions at the range when you start touching off rounds with that hand cannon.

 

[Vance in AK]

If you can shoot it well this would be a great load.
https://www.buffalobore.com/index.php?l=product_detail&p=61

 

[husky390]

If you can shoot it well this would be a great load.
https://www.buffalobore.com/index.php?l=product_detail&p=61

That's a good load. Milder recoil than the 300gr and that bullet is stout. We recovered one from a hard wood tree stump and it held together very well.

 

[SDHNTR]

360 gr has less recoil than 300? How is that?

 

[husky390]

360 gr has less recoil than 300? How is that?

I don't know, but to me it felt like the 300gr had more felt recoil. About the only explanation I can come up with is it's because the 300gr is jacketed and the 360gr is lead.

 

[Shot]

Hey Nate,

Any chance to decided on a specific factory load yet? Just picked up a Ruger Alaskan myself.

 

[SDHNTR]

Only shot the Barnes 250 Vortex so far. They are slightly painful at the range, but I actually had the chance to torch off almost a full cylinder at a "charging" pig (I realized afterwards I was standing in the middle of the trail she wanted to use to escape) a few weeks ago and I didn't feel a thing. I was damn near deaf for a few hours but I didn't feel any recoil, which makes me want to go with more juice for bears. So I'll probably opt for the 360gr cast Buffalo Bore.

 

[StrutNut]

I had a Freedom Arms 454 and loved it. I will say DO NOT SHOOT 45 LONG COLT in them. The biggest problem Freedom arms has was replacing cylinders from guys shooting 45 LC as 454 casings would get permanently stuck in the cylinder from the 45 buildup. You can hand load the 454 down to very manageable recoil. I was also told that hard cast where the best bet for bear protection. All this info came directly from the rep at Freedom Arms and although the information is dated (10 years ago) I think it is still very valid. My FA 454 had less than 1 inch groups at 50 yards with hard cast and just over 1 inch at 100 yards. I really loved shooting it and the only reason I sold it as I had lost my job and needed to pay the mortgage.