454 Casull? Looking for advice.

[3forks]

I’ll preface this by saying that I’ve never shot a 454 Casull; but have always liked the idea of the cartridge.

A local dealer has a Ruger Toklat in their shop and I’ve been trying to tell myself not to buy it.

I know the recoil of the 454 is significant, but just how bad is it with a moderate load? *I also know I can shoot 45 long colts out of it.

When I lived in Montana, I carried a 10mm in grizz country. I now live in Colorado and don’t carry a firearm during archery.

I tell myself I’d put a scope on the Toklat and use it on a future elk or deer hunt, but who knows if I ever get around to that.

I’ve got a little disposable cash I could use on this purchase, but I don’t want to get this gun and not shoot it because it’s too painful.

So... anybody who has some experience and wants to talk me out of it - I’m all ears.

 

[elkguide]

.44 Mag=100 yard deer round
.454 Casull=150 yard deer round
.460 S&W=200 yard deer round

Recoil also goes up with each round. Most anyone with handgun experience can handle the recoil of a .44 Mag. When you get to the .454 Casull…. you will need some practice and need to shoot somewhat regularly to adjust. And from here on up, most people prefer/need to wear a glove to help handle the recoil. The .460 S&W is in a heavier frame and that does help with recoil a little but you definitely know when you have fired one.

I carry a .44 Mag in a Ruger RedHawk when in Grizz country mainly because I can stay on target for 6 shots. Of the other two calibers, I prefer the .460 S&W.

Bottom line...… if you have some "disposable" income and you like the way the Toklat feels in your hand, buy it and enjoy the feeling that comes from shooting a big bore handgun.

 

[OXN939]

I’ll preface this by saying that I’ve never shot a 454 Casull; but have always liked the idea of the cartridge.

A local dealer has a Ruger Toklat in their shop and I’ve been trying to tell myself not to buy it.

I know the recoil of the 454 is significant, but just how bad is it with a moderate load? *I also know I can shoot 45 long colts out of it.

When I lived in Montana, I carried a 10mm in grizz country. I now live in Colorado and don’t carry a firearm during archery.

I tell myself I’d put a scope on the Toklat and use it on a future elk or deer hunt, but who knows if I ever get around to that.

I’ve got a little disposable cash I could use on this purchase, but I don’t want to get this gun and not shoot it because it’s too painful.

So... anybody who has some experience and wants to talk me out of it - I’m all ears.

I've seen three .454 Casull handguns shot in person. Zero of the three pistols' owners shot them well. I'm sure there are people who do just fine with them, but if I owned one I could see it getting to know the inside of my safe really well.

 

[Mighty Mouse]

Felt recoil is subjective to the person and varies with gun weight, barrel length, and the particular load you're shooting. My only experience with 454 Casull is shooting them through my S&W X-frame. 454 recoil with that gun isn't bad at all, but it has a 5" barrel and is quite heavy since it's designed to handle 460 S&W Mag. As you mentioned, you would have the option of shooting 45 LC (which is still a very capable cartridge, especially with +P ammo) if 454 recoil proves to be too much.

 

[xziang]

Funny to come across this for just recently acquired a ruger super redhawk in the 454 and have yet to shoot it.

 

[Beendare]

I think Elkguide pretty much nailed it.

I've only shot one once 30 years ago....and I just remember it felt significantly more powerful than my .44SW 629 classic...which is no slouch when it comes to ballistics.

A general comment; Recoil is something that takes time as a shooter to conquer. I was garbage with my .44 for a long time until I made an effort to run a bunch of rounds through it. Once I did I didn't have a problem shooting others like a SW329PD or SW500 4" barrel.

In comparison to those, my G20 is a total sweetheart creampuff.

Personally I have no desire to own a 454 casul or a SW 500 hand cannon as I just don't enjoy shooting them. I would rather spend the $$ on ammo for my other pistols and continue to get better with those........my take anyways.

______

 

[jaredg]

You have to enjoy recoil. If you don't enjoy blast and recoil, the hand cannons are not for you. I like the feeling of a big hand cannon and hunt with a SW460 & SW500. But I also spend a lot of time behind a 44 Mag. Most people I hunt with don't enjoy that level of BOOM and will stick to 357 / 9mm / 45ACP.

 

[Yukon Cornelius]

I’ll preface this by saying that I’ve never shot a 454 Casull; but have always liked the idea of the cartridge.

A local dealer has a Ruger Toklat in their shop and I’ve been trying to tell myself not to buy it.

I know the recoil of the 454 is significant, but just how bad is it with a moderate load? *I also know I can shoot 45 long colts out of it.

When I lived in Montana, I carried a 10mm in grizz country. I now live in Colorado and don’t carry a firearm during archery.

I tell myself I’d put a scope on the Toklat and use it on a future elk or deer hunt, but who knows if I ever get around to that.

I’ve got a little disposable cash I could use on this purchase, but I don’t want to get this gun and not shoot it because it’s too painful.

So... anybody who has some experience and wants to talk me out of it - I’m all ears.

I am a big dude. Can handle recoil pretty well. Did not enjoy my 454. It hurt to shoot. It was expensive to shoot. I sold it and bought a 44 mag that sits in my safe. I carry my 10mm and that’s plenty of bear gun for me. I shoot the Glock much better than revolvers so that is my main reason for the 10mm over the 44 mag.
I carried the 10mm in a coastal alaskan community where bears are big (not Kodiak big, but big and plentiful). I’m still in Alaska but not on the coast. I still carry the 10mm.

 

[Runningwater]

As mentioned above, it really depends on the load and the gun. I have a 454 Alaskan. I'm not a big guy, but medium 454 loads (ham bear loads) are quite manageable. It's a lot of shove and lift, but not sharp or painful. On the other hand, hot 44 mag hand loads in my friends lightweight taurus tracker and sharp and painful. I've shot 460s&w in their full size gun and you certainly know its powerful but felt recoil is less than the 454 alaskan or the 44 taurus. I would think the toulak would be no problem except for hot 454 loads. Don't get my wrong it's going to a 2 hand gun with recoil. My problem with the alaskan is that even as small as they've made it, it's just bigger and heavier than I want to backpack with.....

 

[BigSky]

I have a Toklat. In my opinion it is one of the better platforms for the 454 Casull. and one of the better built handguns ever. It is built like a tank and relatively easy to control. The recoil is stout; but, it is manageable. For familiarization and practice, one can shoot 45 Colt if one desires. Heck, shooting 45 Colt cowboy action loads out of it is like shooting a soft 38. I reload for mine and shoot factory loads out of it. It's not bad. It is more stout than your 10mm; but, it's not bad. With practice, it's even better. Unless you are using it as it was originally intended, as a longer range hunting revolver, you don't need to get caught up in the 1400-1600 fps craze. I carry it for griz protection and I prefer to shoot the heavyweight bullets (340gr to 360 gr) at around 1150 fps. Somewhere around 1000 to to 1200 fps is ideal for penetration with hard cast heavy bullets. It's a great firearm and it does kick. The heavy weight bullets and the high velocity bullets do really get your attention. Those no getting around physics.

 

[3forks]

Thanks, guys! I appreciate everyone providing some feedback.

 

[thinhorn_AK]

I have a super Blackhawk Bisey 454. I don’t find it very fun to shoot. I should probably sell it.

 

[Varminterror]

I own and have owned around a hundred magnum and super magnum revolvers. It’s kind of a passion of mine.

The Toklat Super Redhawk is one of, if not THE best balanced and handling factory Magnum revolvers I have ever handled. I bought my first out of the initial run, and bout a second a couple years later. Wonderfully powerful, but heavy enough to behave itself. High volume plinking with 45 colt level loads is a delight, and a guy can shift a lot of gears before tapping out with full 65kpsi Casull loads. It’s more portable and better balanced than the 7.5” SRH, and ultimately just as portable as the Alaskan, with far better balance in hand, and considerably less muzzle flip. I changed my Hogue grips over to the older Lett Style grips with wooden inserts, and even still, the recoil is well managed.

In the realm of super magnum revolvers, the 454casull is exceptionally well behaved in the Toklat, and is readily available in factory form. I have a 6” Redhawk in 475 Line as well, which I previously favored most, but the Toklat has superseded it for my favor. Shown here with one of my Alaskans, which relatively balances like a bowling ball on a stick.

 

[jacknifejc]

I’ve had multiple 454 Casulls. I didn’t mind the recoil, but the ammunition price was crazy. Now that I reload for handguns I may have to buy another one.

 

[Wrench]

I feel for anyone who ever has to fire a full house 454 or 460 un plugged. My 460 when loaded to potential makes me want to barf after 10-15 rounds just from the muzzle blast.

For protection against bears I choose the 329pd, 10mm or 40s&w.

 

[MTElkChaser]

I had a Ruger Super Redhawk Alaskan in .454 Casull and it wasn’t that bad to shoot with heavy Buffalo Bore bear loads. Mine was purchased for bear protection ... that’s it. I carried it in a Diamond D chest holster on a few hunts and lots of fishing trips. I’m not going to talk you out of it - if you want it - you’re going to buy it.

I switched to a Glock 20 full size in 10mm last year because I could draw the Glock, get it on target, and fire a shot before I could even get the Ruger out of the chest holster. In my mind at least, the familiarity of the Glock made it faster and gave me more piece of mind. I’m NOT saying that 10mm is even close to the .454 Casull. But that’s why I personally switched. If you end up buying the .454 Casull - PM me ... I might have some ammo and snap caps that I’ll give you! Good luck!!

 

[3forks]

I had a Ruger Super Redhawk Alaskan in .454 Casull and it wasn’t that bad to shoot with heavy Buffalo Bore bear loads. Mine was purchased for bear protection ... that’s it. I carried it in a Diamond D chest holster on a few hunts and lots of fishing trips. I’m not going to talk you out of it - if you want it - you’re going to buy it.

I switched to a Glock 20 full size in 10mm last year because I could draw the Glock, get it on target, and fire a shot before I could even get the Ruger out of the chest holster. In my mind at least, the familiarity of the Glock made it faster and gave me more piece of mind. I’m NOT saying that 10mm is even close to the .454 Casull. But that’s why I personally switched. If you end up buying the .454 Casull - PM me ... I might have some ammo and snap caps that I’ll give you! Good luck!!

Thanks for the info and possible offer!

Unfortunately, the dealer sold the Toklat! I was trying to make an informed decision about buying the gun, and waited too long. Of course, having this gun slip through my fingers makes me want one even more now... Predictably, the distributor is out of stock on these.

 

[FlyGuy]

I have the 460 Alaskan. I only shoot 2 cylinders per outing, any more than that and I feel that I would start to develop bad habits. The palm webbing of my shooting hand between thumb and pointer finger starts to hurt at that point so I always shut it down. Ammo is not cheap. That said, I really like the gun. It has such a “cool factor” about it.

I bought it for a Spring bear Hunt in Grizzly country. I Upgraded the stock to a laser grip, changed the front sight, and put it in an Kenai chest holster that works great and carries extremely well.

I am not really looking to get rid of it, but typing this I realize that I will not be hunting in Grizzly country anytime in the foreseeable future. If you are interested shoot me a PM.

You can’t cheat the mountain

 

[HorseCreek]

I own a Freedom Arms 454 Casull and the 500 Wyoming express.
I mostly shoot 45 colt thru it tho.
mid you’re getting it for a personal defense gun in the back country I’d rethink that. With the recoil you’d never get a second shot off. But like you said if you’re buy cuz you like guns and have extra money then go for it. Too many guns had never been a problem.

 

[Islanderflyer]

The recoil in the Toklat isn't bad. The grip really fit my hand well. Mine had large cylinder throats and the chambers were pretty loose too. I couldn't get hunting accuracy with it but it would be fine for bear defense.