.454 Casull cases compared to .45 Colt cases.

[MCMXI]

I bought a Ruger Super Redhawk "Alaskan" chambered in .454 Casull/.45 Colt a few months ago and finally got around to ordering and receiving some Starline .454 Casull cases from Midway. I've never seen or handled .454 Casull ammunition so I was surprised to see how similar the case is compared to .45 Colt (in terms of length). The cases aren't appreciably longer with the biggest difference being the small rifle primer pocket compared to the large pistol primer pocket of the .45 Colt. I bought 2,000 small magnum rifle primers a few months back and plan on shooting some 300gr Oregon Trail Laser Cast bullets in front of H110. An extra 4 to 5 grains of powder and a magnum rifle primer seem to add up to a significant increase in muzzle energy based on Lyman's 49th Edition.

Some photos ...

 

[SideArmed]

Don't go shooting that one handed

 

[MCMXI]

Don't go shooting that one handed

Maybe I should practice one-handed shooting (left and right) in case Mr. Grizzly has a hold of one of my paws. Not likely where I live but you never know!!

 

[Vicious-Peanut]

Nice revolver. Is the .454 brass any thicker than the .45?

 

[MCMXI]

Nice revolver. Is the .454 brass any thicker than the .45?

Thanks .... and yes, the .454 Casull brass is supposed to be thicker but I haven't made any measurements. Intuitively, the small rifle primer pocket should also add the the integrity of the case or case head at least.

 

[Floppy_D]

I've never seen or handled .454 Casull ammunition so I was surprised to see how similar the case is compared to .45 Colt (in terms of length).

That's because you can already get some serious horsepower out of 45LC in a gun that's built for it... such as the Blackhawk or Redhawk. The round was designed for black powder, which takes up more space. Switch to conventional powders, and some new possiblities appear in the right guns. Mr. Linebaugh on the topic: The 45 Colt.

The slightly longer case is to make sure you don't go dropping 454 in your Uberti SAA clone.

 

[MCMXI]

The slightly longer case is to make sure you don't go dropping 454 in your Uberti SAA clone.

I need to worry about very hot .45 Colt loads in my USFA Rodeos. I only use Hornady (H for HOT) cases for Ruger type loads and use R.P cases for CAS type loads. Not a good system in the dark perhaps but it works fine at the range.

I just read on Wikipedia that the .454 Casull case uses a small rifle primer because small rifle primer cups are stronger than large pistol primer cups. I learn something new every day. Wikipedia also confirmed that the longer case is to prevent exactly what you (Floppy_D) described above.

Thanks.