I know this debate has probably come and gone.
I recently sold my SRH 480 and am looking at getting a SRH 454. Had reloading been an option
at the time I would have kept the 480 snd how there is a good supply of 45lc and 454 that was part of my decision to part ways with the 480.
I would like a good load for the 454 basically an all purpose load where I live most game is under 300 lbs.

mr. pepper, let me see if I understand this. You are reloading now? If not, I use Double Tap Ammo's 400 grain (at 1400 fps) load in my SRH Casull. In my .480 SRH I used Buffalo Bore's 410 grain load (at 1200 fps).

sorry i wasnt to clear i dont reload at the moment dont have the room for a reloading set up storage etc.
and was looking for a good all purpose load for the 454

I like heavy for caliber bullets, hence the 400 grainers in the Casull, and I generally find a load that shoots well and stick with it for basically all purposes. I think the Casull shines with heavier bullets. Double Tap and Buffalo Bore both produce good loads in the 360 grain range. The Double Tap (www.doubletapammo.com) 360 grain WFN (at 1500 fps) shoots really well in my SRH -- plus they are priced well (25 bucks a box).

I haven't reloaded in a long time and am not set up for it either at the moment forcing me to use factory ammo. Fortunately there are some great loads available!

Well it sounds like you've about talked yourself into a 454 Casull.

If you got along well with the 480, chances are you'll like the 454. It's plenty for whatever you'd want a big bore handgun for.

And SRH's are a lot of gun for the money too.

I sure wouldn't carry 400 gr lead ammo for deer and smaller game. A heavy bullet at 1400 fps or even 1000 fps will go through a deer like it was made of paper.

Consider a light JHP like the Barnes solid copper slugs. Federal and Corbon both offer commercial loadings - the Federal is about 130 fps slower but a lot cheaper.

Here's a great pic of a .480 Barnes bullet after shooting into water:



This round is a MUCH better choice against light predators like cougar or humans. If you venture into bear country, then definitely get some 400 grain hard cast ammo.

John Davies
Spokane WA

John, it's a preference of mine, but I like two holes -- the animal bleeds more that way! I also like one load as I don't want to have to re-sight the weapon in for lighter loads -- again, just a preference.

Also, you're already making a .45 caliber hole -- how much larger does it need to be? LOL!

That Barnes looks really nice expanded like that! What weight is it?

quote:

Originally posted by Whitworth:
John, it's a preference of mine, but I like two holes -- the animal bleeds more that way! I also like one load as I don't want to have to re-sight the weapon in for lighter loads -- again, just a preference.

Also, you're already making a .45 caliber hole -- how much larger does it need to be? LOL!

That Barnes looks really nice expanded like that! What weight is it?

The above pic shows a .475 diameter bullet, 275 grains (fired through a Rossi Puma carbine into water). The .454 Casull bullet is 250 grains.

The Barnes bullets pentetrate like crazy compared to a lead JHP and retain nearly 100% of their weight - I seriously doubt if you would ever only find one hole in a deer on a broadside shot, butI have no personal experience here.

These shoot real nice, at least the Federal stuff. I haven't bothered with the more pricey Corbon version.

Here's a nice review of the Corbon stuff (in 45 Colt), with some more pretty pics:

http://www.hipowersandhandguns.com/Corbon%2045%20Colt%20DPX%20Test.htm

QUOTE: Mr. Mike Shovel of Corbon advises me that the 225-gr. DPX penetrates roughly 15" of 10% ballistic gelatin and expands to "at least eighty-caliber" after passing through the dreaded four layers of denim. UNQUOTE



OTH, I shoot mostly 400 gr hand loads (in .480) purely for economic reasons - they are way cheaper, shoot great and are pleasant compared to the hot and light bullets.

If you want to play with reloading the Barnes bullets, Midway has a sale right now and they are, I think, $17 per 20.

John Davies
Spokane WA

John, there is nothing pleasant about my 400 grain loads! LOL!!

I'm with Whitworth on this. I have not found a load or boolit weight that bothers me and don't care if I shoot a 440 gr or a 250 gr boolit at a deer. The main thing for me is the amount of shooting I do and the expense of buying the fancy loads or bullets. I would have to hang up the guns until just before season if I had to buy expensive stuff. I make my own molds and shoot for pennies plus I know what they do on deer so I can't change anything.
The question between the .480 and .454 can't be answered either, both will do what you want and it just boils down to a personal preference or economics.

I've shot quite a few SRH's in 454 and 480. To me the 454 has a much sharper recoil pulse than the 480, the 480 just feels like a big 44 mag.

While you certainly don't need a 400 gr bullet to kill a deer, having one load that'll work for everything is the best way to master a gun. I don't know how well wet silt equates to performance in flesh, but my 400 gr @ 1200 fps produced a fist sized cavity for about the first 12" of penetration, then a gradually reduced cavity for a total of about 36" of penetration. That equates to plenty of damage on a lungshot deer, and enough penetration for angling shots even on large critters.

To me where the 454 shines is lighter bullets at high velocity. I.e. if you want a revovler that will do what a rifle does. Personally I use rifles for that task, an prefer big heavy bullets at relatively sedate velocities from revolvers.

The only caveat of the 480 is you have to be a handloader to fully appreciate the great round.

Paul, I completely agree with you about the recoil of the Casull. Seems that no matter how light the bullet (within reason), they seem to recoil more sharply than other big-bore pistol calibers. The heavy .480 rounds just seem to push and torque in your hand while the Casull slaps you.

I did shoot the 480 one handed a few times wasnt to bad. off the bench it torqued a little
havent tried the 454 i have heard anything from a hard push to to a heavy slap. im not recoil sensitive so it should be no problem for me atleast.

No doubt you won't have trouble shooting the .454, we were just comparing the recoil characteristics of the two rounds.

I agree with the comments about bullet weight relation to recoil in the casull. I am currently shooting the 225 gr speer over 36gr of H110 for a whitetail load. I cant tell any real difference between it and the 330 grain cor-bon penetrator loads.

There's a marked difference between let's say hot 300 grain and the 400 grain loads I shoot. Any time you push a heavy bullet like a 400 grainer, you're going to feel it. All hot Casull loads seem to recoil -- they slap your hand, but the 400 are downright abusive -- LOL!