Ruger's Super Redhawk 454 Casull Part II

Looking closely at a 454 Casull Ruger Super Redhawk, you’ll see a slight difference in texture and color across the three major components, frame, cylinder and barrel. The big 454 Casull cartridge has a maximum average pressure of 65,000 PSI, compared to only 36,000 for the .44 Remington Magnum, which means the 454 Casull’s cylinder, with its larger chambers and slightly thinner cylinder walls, has to withstand an 80% increase in pressure over the 44 Remington Magnum. To accommodate the 454 Casull’s additional pressure, and to provide greater resistance to stress corrosion cracking, the 454 Casull’s cylinder is machined from Carpenter Technology Corporation’s Custom 465® stainless steel and heat treated. To reduce throat erosion and gas cutting, the barrel is made from Carpenter’s Project 7000 15Cr-5Ni stainless1.

The 44 Remington Magnum version of the Ruger Super Redhawk has a fluted cylinder where the 454 Casull version does not. I have no idea what Ruger’s nominal cylinder dimensions are for each gun, but in direct measurement, the 454 Casull cylinder’s outside diameter checked 1.795″ and the outside cylinder wall thickness over each chamber averages 0.108″. The cylinder diameter for the 44 Remington Magnum Ruger Super Redhawk measured 1.781″ and the cylinder wall thickness averaged 0.112″. Both guns have the same cylinder length of 1.750″.

The Ruger Super Redhawk is not the typical double action big bore revolver. A tough, tough gun, with a solid sided frame, that has no problem digesting factory 454 Casull or heavy 45 Colt ammunition, including high performance 454 Casull and .45 Colt ammunition from companies like Buffalo Bore and Cor-Bon. No, this is not a wink and a nod suggestion that handloads should be pushed beyond mainstream, tested and certified published data. Just a comment that the Super Redhawk can be shot all day long with proper factory ammunition and handloads with confidence.

Handloading the Super Redhawk 454 Casull

Mainstream reloading manuals offer a 454 Casull cautions in two areas of consequence. The first,  all 0.452″ bullets are not for use with the .454 Casull. This is reflected in manual data where light bullets are loaded to lower velocity levels  than heavier bullets in an effort to reduce impact velocities consistent with bullet toughness.

Sierra suggests light loads for their 240 grain bullet which results in lower velocity levels than their 300 grain bullet loads. Hornady has similar excess velocity cautions with the suggestion that only their XTP/Mag series bullets be loaded in concert with the Casull.

None of this implies there is not a good selection if bullets for the .454 Casull, just that it is important to follow manufacturers’ suggestions regarding application when loading this cartridge to maximum potential and to reduce velocity when loading bullets intended for 45 Colt levels of velocity. I usually take the easy way out and go for cast bullets. From 225 to 360 grains, they penetrate, hold up to velocity, they are typically lower in cost that jacketed bullets, but they won’t deliver expansion.

The second area of consequence appears in Speer’s manual where they raise an issue of the 454 Casull having a sharp pressure to charge curve; incrementing a charge when approaching maximum levels could result in a disproportionately sharp increases in pressure. Smokeless powder reacts to containment and pressure with changes in burn rate and the 454 Casull is not immune to that dynamic. This is not the same as pressure curve changes in response to compressed charges as the 454 Casull, like the 45 Colt, seem to thrive on case full and compressed loads of slow powder.

Observations

There is a lot of message board voodoo out there regarding the 454 Casull and the Super Redhawk. Consistently, I encountered no fired cases sticking in cylinders, no forcing cone induced lead splatter, no blown or flat primers and no deformed case heads. All of the ammo received a pretty traditional roll crimp and everything was loaded with magnum small rifle primers. I don’t know that powder likes what primers, but in all of these cases, they seemed to play well together.

Warning: Bullet selections are specific, and loads are not valid with substitutions of different bullets of the same weight. Variations in bullet length will alter net case capacity,  pressure and velocity. Primer selection is specific and primer types are not interchangeable. These are maximum loads in my firearms and may easily be excessive in others. All loads should be reduced by 5%,  and developed following safe handloading practices as represented in established reloading manuals produced by component manufacturers. Presentation of these loads does not constitute a solicitation for their use, nor a recommendation.   Cartridge: 454 Casull   Ruger Super Redhawk Standard   Max COL: 1.765″   Bullet Diameter: 0.452″   Primer: *CCI 450   Barrel: 7.50″   Reloading Dies: Lee Precision   Max case length: 1.383″   Group distance: 3 Shot 50 yards *Starline Brass – Small Magnum Rifle Primer

Wrap up, unfortunately… for me.

I liked shooting with a scope, particularly with the Bushnell Elite 2-6x32mm, but that is not a requirement anymore than is hanging a scope on any lever action or other form of woods rifle. The factory metallic sights are very good and the front inserts are push button interchangeable.

The Redhawk isn’t hard to shoot off hand or from an informal field rest. Recoil is substantial, but the good kind of substantial, thanks to the geometry and recoil dampening effects of the Ruger mono grip system. I’ve felt a lot more discomfort when shooting a lot less gun. Again, another indication of Ruger’s designing a system rather than individual gun parts.

There is a lot to like about the Super Redhawk, on its own, and in comparison to other hunting handguns. For one thing, this isn’t a thinly veiled rifle like as is the case with a Contender, Encore or S&W 460 or 500 chambered revolvers. In fact, after working with the Super Redhawk for a while, it felt downright compact. I took the time to do a little hiking and shooting nearby and came to the conclusion this would make a heck of an alternative to a big game compact rifle inside 150 yards. I think the best part is that Ruger’s Super Redhawk is a lot of fun to shoot and the 454 Casull is an excellent cartridge to handload.

Ruger’s Super Redhawk 454 Casull Part I
Ruger’s Super Redhawk 454 Casull Part II