Speed goats and elk.... now you're talkin'... Range, range and more range. Hunt em' like a bow hunter with a wheelgun... sneek up and shoot from short range or figure out how to extend your range. I put handgunning in to two general categories. Pistol cartages... straight walled with a big bullet, or a bottleneck cartridge that has the range. For a wheelgun, its a short range proposition of 100 yds or thereabouts so a low magnification scope is in order... maybe even a red dot type sight... which is faster to acquire the sights with ... its like muzzy hunting but more difficult with faster followup shots. A 44 mag is my personal choice for that kind of hunting with open sights or a very low powered scope. A 4X scope is a little too much in my opinion for a revolver but some like it. Iv'e gone to pretty much open sights as the range your limited to is short and open sights are faster and the system is lighter and easy to handle.
For ranges beyond 100 yds, I go with a single shot platform... in my case a TC Encore. I go with a scope of 4x... or higher magnification but really like a 4x. Calibers of choice for me is a 260 barrel from Bullberry at 15 inches.... deer, speedgoats and even elk. Recoil isn't bad and its a really accurate gun. My big caliber is a 338 federal in a 15 inch barrel from MGM. Its a hammer. I made the mistake of not putting a muzzlebreak on it. That caliber is powerful enough to do it all with ease... and after a practice session with it, I'm about wore out. It has "stout" recoil.
Holsters are a very big deal... in my opinion, it makes all the difference. If you go with a hip carry type holster, you in for a struggle. With a revolver, an alaskan guide chest carry rig is the way to go. Galco makes them that accommodate scoped revolvers and it is a good setup. For the Encore setup, I attach the holster to my pack and carry the gun that way. I tried carrying slung across my chest but for me its too bulky and aways seems to be in the way.
Your 454 is a great caliber and will do it all. I suspect you'll put a scope on it eventually and maybe do what I did and put a scope on it with too much magnification initially. The thought in my mind was that a scope with higher magnification will give me more range. That thought is a obvious mistake. If you want to extend your range, you need to go with a bottleneck rifle caliber cartridge... then you can realistically extend your range beyond 300 yards if you practice. Pistol caliber cartridges are a short range proposition for hunting. For your 454 I would go with the lowest mag scope like a 2x and certainly no more than a 4x and thats pushing it.
All this comes with the caveat that the recommendations given by me are worth exactly as much as you paid for them... but they are my experience and I hope they can help you in your journey.
