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When it comes to big revolver cartridges, the 44 Remington Magnum and the 454 Casull are two of the best. They’ve both been around a long time and they’ve both proven their worth on everything from feral hogs to African buffalo. But some wonder which one is the best. The thing is, sometimes cartridge comparisons are obvious and easy, but that’s not always the case; best and most powerful don't necessarily mean the same thing. When comparing 454 Casull vs 44 Magnum, there’s more to consider than ballistics.
454 Casull vs 44 Magnum: Table of Contents
The 44 Remington Magnum
The 454 Casull
454 Casull vs 44 Magnum: Power
454 Casull vs 44 Magnum: Versatility
454 Casull vs 44 Magnum: Guns
454 Casull vs 44 Magnum: Best Loads
454 Casull vs 44 Magnum: The Practical Choice
44 Remington Magnum
In 1955, Smith & Wesson and Remington teamed up to introduce the 44 Remington Magnum, and gun writer Elmer Keith was a great inspiration in the cartridge’s development. The 44 Magnum’s starring role in Clint Eastwood’s Dirty Harry movie gave it immediate credibility and fame. It is, however, a handful to shoot, which is why it’s common to find used 44 Magnum revolvers being sold that come with half a box of ammo. Many shooters find they’re just not quite the man Inspector Harry Callahan was. Fortunately, 44 Magnum revolvers can also safely chamber and fire 44 Special ammunition, which has much less offensive recoil. In factory ammunition, there are more than 50 44 Magnum loads to choose from, and about half as many 44 Special loads.
The 44 Magnum does not use a 0.44-caliber bullet. The bullet diameter is actually 0.429-inch, but 429 or 430 Magnum just does not have the same ring to it. The cartridge is loaded to a maximum average pressure of 36,000 psi, which is about twice that of the 44 Special. As powerful as that seems, the 357 SIG is actually loaded to a higher pressure. The 44 Magnum has been used to successfully take every game animal on earth, and it’s a personal protection favorite with those who like to tromp around in big bear country. Marlin and several other manufacturers currently offer lever guns chambered for the 44 Magnum.
454 Casull
Dick Casull developed the 454 Casull as a wildcat cartridge in the late 1950s and it was first announced to the world in 1959. It uses a cartridge case that’s 0.10-inch longer than the 45 Colt cartridge case (the 45 Colt is often called the 45 Long Colt). This means 454 Casull revolvers can safely chamber and fire 45 Colt cartridges. The 454 Casull is one of the most powerful revolver cartridges available and more than 20 factory loads are currently offered. The compatibility with 45 Colt ammunition allows for that same dual-power versatility that’s found with the 38 Special and 357 Magnum, and the 44 Special and 44 Magnum.
The .454 Casull was not approved by the Sporting Arms and Ammunition Manufacturers Institute (SAAMI) until 1997, and their standard specifies a maximum average pressure of 65,000 psi. This is absurdly more pressure than the 44 Magnum, and it’s where the 454 Casull finds all its power. The cartridge can push a 200-grain bullet to more than 2000 fps. By comparison, the 45 Colt is only loaded to a maximum average pressure of 14,000 psi. In a 50-ounce revolver, 454 Casull is intimidating to shoot with full-power loads, recoiling with around 36 foot-pounds of hand-numbing and wrist-twisting force. Rossi and Big Horn Armory both offer lever-action rifles chambered for the 454 Casull.
454 Casull vs 44 Magnum: Power
If power is your main consideration, there’s no comparison; the 454 Casull is the clear winner. With its most powerful loads, the 454 Casull can generate nearly 2,000 foot-pounds of kinetic energy at the muzzle. This puts it in the same class as some rifle cartridges, but with bullets weighing twice as much. However, with high performance +P+ ammunition, the 44 Magnum is not that far behind the 454. Take note, however, there is not a SAAMI standard for +P or +P+ 44 Magnum ammo. Dirty Harry’s cartridge will not shoot quite as fast or hit as hard as the 454 Casull, but like the 454 Casull, the 44 Magnum can handle any critter you want to tackle.
Winner: 454 Casull
454 Casull vs 44 Magnum: Versatility
The most important comparison between the 454 Casull and the 44 Magnum might be with the other cartridges that can be fired in both. For plinking and recreational shooting, the 44 Special and 45 Colt are much more pleasant in hand and loads with similar recoil can be had in either chambering. However, when it comes to higher-performance factory 44 Special and 45 Colt ammunition, there are more powerful options available in 45 Colt; some even rival the 44 Magnum. This reinforces the power advantage of the 45 Colt/454 Casull duo, but there are more factory-loaded ammunition options for the 44 Special and 44 Magnum that offer more versatility. Also, while ammunition for all four of these cartridges can be expensive and hard to find, the price and availability of 44 Special and 44 Magnum ammo are a bit better.
Winner: 44 Magnum
454 Casull vs 44 Magnum: Guns
The cartridge your gun fires is important, but so too is the gun you’re shooting. Shooters have distinct tastes when it comes to firearms and, as they say, variety is the spice of life. Ruger alone currently catalogs 19 different 44 Magnum revolvers, but only five in 454 Casull. When it comes to long guns, Henry catalogs 14, 44 Magnum lever-action rifles, but not a single rifle in 454 Casull, and Ruger even offers a 44 Magnum bolt-action rifle. Clearly, there are a lot more guns chambered for the 44 Magnum than the 454 Casull, which means you’ll have a lot more to choose from with the lesser cartridge. Of course, custom gun makers can build a 454 Casull any way you want it, but most of us live on a beer as opposed to a champagne budget.
Winner: 44 Magnum
454 Casull vs 44 Magnum: Best Loads
For most outdoorsmen, the 44 Magnum serves two primary uses. The first is as a revolver or lever gun cartridge for hunting big game. In that arena, one of the best loads for the 44 Magnum is the Federal 270-grain HammerDown load. This load uses a 270-grain bullet that leaves the 20-inch barrel of a lever gun at almost 1700 fps and penetrates almost 2 feet in ballistic gelatin. The other primary use for the 44 Magnum is for defense against predators like big bears. For that application, the Heavy 305-grain hardcast load from Buffalo Bore is the way to go. It will shoot through any grizzly and can serve perfectly well as a big game hunting load from a revolver.
Anyone shooting a 454 Casull with 454 Casull ammo wants the bone-smashing power this cartridge can deliver. Otherwise, they would be shooting 45 Colt ammunition out of their 454 Casull revolver. To take advantage of all the 454 Casull can offer, there is no better factory load than the 360-grain hardcast load from Buffalo Bore. With a muzzle velocity of more than 1400 fps and more than 1600 foot-pounds of energy, it hits hard and will penetrate wicked deep, with enough force to pound big bears and even buffalo into the dirt. The question is, are you man enough to withstand the recoil?
454 Casull vs 44 Magnum: The Practical Choice
The reality is that most who want a powerful, large-bore handgun probably have designs on hunting with it or using it for protection against large predators like agitated grizzlies. If that’s you, it’s hard to argue against the 454 Casull. If you’re going to go big, might as well go badass too. And given that both cartridges in their full-power form kick like a mule, you’re probably not going to be shooting too many rounds through either. For those reasons, if I wanted a powerful big-bore revolver for pounding grizzly bears, I’d go with the 454 Casull just to make sure I left a mark that could not be rubbed off.
On the other hand, if I wanted a rifle or a rifle and revolver combo that could share ammunition, and if I wanted to do a lot of shooting, I’d opt for the 44 Magnum and the plethora of factory guns and loads currently available for it. Whichever way you go, be prepared to have your world rocked. The 44 Magnum and the 454 Casull like to let you know you’ve got hold of something mean and nasty when you press the trigger. Like my grandfather used to say, “Those guns are for grown-ass men.”
