.454 Casull
| .454 Casull | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
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 A .454 Casull full metal jacket round. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Type | Handgun | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| Place of origin | United States | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| Production history | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Designer | Dick Casull, Jack Fullmer | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| Designed | 1958 | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| Specifications | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Parent case | .45 Colt | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| Case type | Rimmed straight | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| Bullet diameter | .452 in (11.5 mm) | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| Neck diameter | .480 in (12.2 mm) | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| Base diameter | .480 in (12.2 mm) | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| Rim diameter | .512 in (13.0 mm) | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| Rim thickness | .057 in (1.4 mm) | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| Case length | 1.383 in (35.1 mm) | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| Overall length | 1.77 in (45 mm) | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| Primer type | Boxer Small rifle | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| Ballistic performance | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Test barrel length: 7.5 in Source(s): Hornady [1] DoubleTap[2] | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
The .454 Casull (/kə sul'/) is a firearm cartridge, developed in 1957 by Dick Casull and Jack Fullmer.[3]
Ruger began chambering its Super Redhawk in this caliber in 1997 and Taurus followed with the Raging Bull model in 1998 and the Taurus Raging Judge Magnum in 2010.
History
It was first announced in November 1959 by Guns & Ammo magazine. The basic design was a lengthened and structurally improved .45 Colt case. .45 Schofield and .45 Colt cartridges can fit into the .454's chambers, but not the other way around because of the lengthened case (very similar to the relationship between .38 Special and .357 Magnum cartridges as well as the .44 Special and .44 Magnum cartridges).[3]
Note: the .454 Casull cartridge was first offered in the near-custom Freedom Arms revolver, and is still available in that gun. Later, Ruger and Taurus began to produce revolvers in the .454 Casull cartridge.
Specifications
The new Casull round uses a small rifle primer rather than a pistol primer, because it develops extremely high chamber pressures of over 60,000 CUP (copper units of pressure) (410 MPa), and has a significantly stronger cup than a pistol primer. The .454 Casull is one of the most powerful handgun cartridges in production.[3] It can deliver a 250 grain (16 g) bullet with a muzzle velocity of over 1,900 feet per second (580 m/s), developing up to 2,000 ft-lb (2.7 kJ) of energy. The round is primarily intended for hunting medium-large game, metallic silhouette shooting, and bear protection.
The cartridges were originally loaded with a triplex load of propellants, which gave progressive burning, aided by the rifle primer ignition, resulting in a progressive acceleration of the bullet as it passed through the barrel.[3] The first commercially available revolver chambered in .454 Casull was made by Freedom Arms in 1983 as a five-shot single action revolver.[3]
Similar cartridges
The recently introduced .460 Smith & Wesson Magnum cartridge has the same diameter as a .45 Colt or .454 Casull, and therefore revolvers chambered for it will also chamber the .454 Casull, .45 Colt, and .45 Schofield.
See also
References
- ^ "Hornady". Archived from the original on 2009-07-31. Retrieved 2009-07-29.
{{cite web}}: Unknown parameter|deadurl=ignored (|url-status=suggested) (help) - ^ "DoubleTap Ammo". Archived from the original on 2009-07-31. Retrieved 2009-07-29.
{{cite web}}: Unknown parameter|deadurl=ignored (|url-status=suggested) (help) - ^ a b c d e Barnes, Frank C.; Skinner, Stan (October 20, 2009). Cartridges of the World 12th Edition: A Complete and Illustrated Reference for Over 1500 Cartridges. Krause Publications. p. 568. ISBN 978-0-89689-936-0.
External links
