Posted: 1/4/2005 9:36:51 AM EDT
| I just got my new G&A today and on the cover is a facinating looking Ruger. It's calibrated in .454 and has a 2.5 inch barrel. Has anyone out there ever fired this caliber, and if so what opinions do you have of it. |
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It is not a caliber for the uninitiated as recoil can be quite severe when loaded to the .454's full potential. If you consider the .45 ACP a heavy caliber, then don't get the .454 until you have some serious trigger time behind heavy loaded 300 gr. .44 magnums. Considering they list the 2.75 inch Ruger with 250 gr. XTP as 1164 fps and the 7.5 inch as 1326 does not seem like you are giving up much, but considering the 250 gr. bullet at 1376 is a very mild load in the .454 I would like to see what that 2.75 inch barrel would give with full power loads and how much you would lose then, although with full power loads in that short a barrel the revolver may well be almost uncontrollable. My 10 inch FA .454 drives a 355 gr. LBT LWNGC bullet at 1693-1707 fps, and with that load dropping back to 4.75 inches drops velocity only 200 fps. So you can see, 250 gr. at 1376 is a very mild load for the .454. I have a feeling that in a few months we will see a lot of short barreled .454s and 500s on the used gun rack unless the owners stick with .45 Colt loads or mild loaded .454s. Muzzle blast is bad enough in the long barreled guns, but cut them back to 3" or less and I think I would rather be mauled by a bear than shoot one without hearing protection. |
It's great if you are ever mugged by an engine block. |
I'll agree with the other two. My buddies got both a 7 1/2" (?) barreled Raging Bull and the new shorty 4" .500 S&W. Between the two of them yes even with the short barrel the .500 is easier to shoot. The muzzle break works like magic for that thing. I can tell you though, neither are a particularly pleasant way to spend an entire range session. Much more so the .454. which just kicks wicked hard. The only thing I noticed about .500mag other than the rather stout but surprisingly less than imagined recoil, was I wasn't sure if I shooting targets or burning the place down with a hand held flamethrower. Between the two of them get: If that don't do it for you homie and you need some extra bling to go along wit dem new gold teef 
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My Raging Bull in 454 is a handful. The brake and grip system really appear to work together as I can feel the grip really push into my palm on recoil. First shot always stops everyone else on the range looking to see where the grenade went off. After shooting some really hot 45LC loads in my Vaquero, the 454 is another level hotter. In a short barrel the muzzle blast must bruise your eyes. 
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| I'm fairly used to some amount of recoil, since my primary is a Glock 20. I'm not a real violent type fellow, my theory, now correct me if you think I'm wrong, is this with a larger cal. if you were in a position where you had to use deadly force wouldn't it be just as effective to stop a threat by hitting it in a non lethal spot? My point is this a larger cal. like my 10mm or the .454 might do the job in a shoulder shot where it might take several hits in a smaller cal. |
| a 10mm glock 20 is not a fair comparison to a 2.5" .454. There is no comparison. If you want a .454 get a Raging Bull or Super Redhawk with a full length barrel. TRUST ME, you will need it with that monster of a round......the 10mm to .454 comparison is what shooting a .45acp to a .357 mag is. The .357mag with 125's kicks like mule compared. |
I shoot my 7.5" Super Redhawk as much as I can afford to, on one range trip a few months ago clocked around 150 .454 loads and about 100 .45lc's in about a hour. Im contemplating the 2.5" version as a backup to my 7.5"; I like the 4" S&W but I think brakes on handguns are for sissies.
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