| .454 Casull | |||
| .454 Casull FMJ (full metal jacket bullet) round | |||
| Type | Gun | ||
| Place of origin | United States | ||
| Production history | |||
| Designer | Dick Casull, Duane Marsh, Jack Fullmer | ||
| Developed | 1958 | ||
| Characteristics | |||
| Parent case | .45 Colt | ||
| Type of shell | Straight rim | ||
| Bullet diameter | .452 inches (11.5 mm) | ||
| Neck diameter | 0.480 in (12.2 mm) | ||
| Base diameter | 0.480 in (12.2 mm) | ||
| Rim diameter | 0.512 in (13.0 mm) | ||
| Rim thickness | 0.057 in (1.4 mm) | ||
| Case length | 1.383 inches (35.1 mm) | ||
| Full Length | 1.77 inches (45 mm) | ||
| Case capacity | 45.5 g H 2 O (2.95 cm 3) | ||
| Primer type | Boxer Small Rifle | ||
| Maximum pressure (SAAMI) | 65,000 psi (450 MPa) | ||
| Ballistic characteristics | |||
| 1923 ft⋅lbf (2607 J) | |||
| 300g (19g) XTP JHP Hornady | 1,650 ft/s (500 m/s) | 1813 ft⋅lbf (2458 J) | |
| 335 g (22 g) WFNGC DoubleTap | 1,600 ft/s (490 m/s) | 1,904 ft⋅lbf (2,581 J) | |
| 360 g (23 g) WFNGC DoubleTap | 1,500 ft/s (460 m/s) | 1800 ftlbf (2400 J) | |
| 400 g (26 g) WFNGC DoubleTap | 1,400 ft/s (430 m/s) | 1741 ft⋅lbf (2360 J) | |
0.454 Casull
(/kəs¯ul/)[3] is a cartridge firearm developed as the Wildcat cartridge in 1958 by Dick Casull, Duane Marsh and Jack Fullmer.
[4] It was first announced in November 1959 by Guns & Ammo
. The basic design was a lengthened and structurally improved .45 Colt case. [4] The Wildcat cartridge finally became mainstream in 1997 when Ruger began producing Super Redhawk cartridges in that caliber. The Telezza was followed by the Raging Bull in 1998 and the Taurus Raging Judge Magnum in 2010. The .45 Schofield and .45 Colt cartridges can fit into the .454 cartridges, but not vice versa due to the extended body (much like the cartridges. The relationship between the .38 Special and .357 Magnum cartridges, and the .44 Special and .44 Magnum cartridges ). [4]
Specifications [edit]
The .454 Casull was finally commercialized in 1998 when SAAMI published its first standards for the cartridge. [5] [6] The new Casull cartridge uses a small rifle primer rather than a pistol primer because it develops extremely high chamber pressures in excess of 60,000 cubic units (copper pressure units) (410 MPa), while the rifle primer has significantly cup is stronger than a pistol primer.
This cartridge is one of the most powerful handgun cartridges in production. [4] The .454 Casull produces nearly 5 times the recoil of the .45 Colt and approximately 75% more recoil energy than the .44 Magnum. [5] 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 from the pistol. A single Buffalo Bore load propels the heavier, 300-grain JFN bullet at 1,650 ft/s, delivering 1,813 ft-lb of muzzle energy. [7] The .454 Casull cartridge is primarily intended for medium to large game hunting, metallic target shooting, and bear protection.
Casull cartridges were originally loaded with a triple charge of gunpowder, which produced a progressive burn, aided by the ignition of the rifle's primer, causing the bullet to progressively accelerate as it passed through the barrel. [4]
.454 Casull revolver cartridge
.454 Casull revolver cartridge
It so happens that in America, two types of weapons have long become the most popular - shotguns and revolvers. Naturally, many gunsmiths came up with the idea of creating a pistol that would be as powerful as a rifle in firepower, or even superior to it in close combat. For such a weapon it was necessary to develop a new powerful cartridge. In 1957, two American gunsmiths Dick Casull and Jack Fulmer in Salt Lake City (USA, Utah) developed a new cartridge, based on one of the most popular ammunition in America - .45 Colt.
The basic cartridge has been lengthened and structurally improved. And instead of a standard pistol primer, a small rifle primer was used in the cartridge.
The cartridge was first introduced to the general public in 1959 in the American gun magazine "Guns and Ammo" and at a gun show the same year.
In 1978, Kassul and Farmer founded their own armory, where they began producing revolvers chambered for powerful cartridges.
Casull cartridges use small rifle primers, rather than large pistol primers, because the extremely high pressure of 410 MPa occurs in the case when fired. The .454 Casull can accelerate a 16 gr bullet to a muzzle velocity in excess of 580 m/s, delivering a muzzle energy of over 2.7 kJ.
The new cartridge was given the official name .454 Casull. The .454 Cassul cartridge is designated: .454 CASULL / 11.5×35 R / XCR 11 035 CBC 020. The .454 Casull cartridge has a cylindrical case with a groove and is loaded with bullets weighing 14.5 - 19 grams (225 - 300 grains).
Ruger began producing revolvers chambered for the .454 Casull cartridge. In the 1980s, the Ruger Super Redhawk revolver was chambered for this cartridge.
Most weapons chambered for this ammunition are intended for hunting or self-defense and have become expensive, just like the ammunition for them.
The production of .454 Casull cartridges was established by many companies. And the cartridge itself, in addition to the USA, has become standard for Europe. If desired, all .454 Casull weapons can be loaded with a .45 caliber cartridge, but not vice versa. Before the development and production of the .460 Smith and Wesson and .500 Smith and Wesson, the .454 Casull was the most powerful pistol cartridge.
Mention in films and games
In the movie Harley Davidson and the Marlboro Man, Harley Davidson uses a Ruger Blackhawk chambered in .454 Casull until the very end of the movie. In the anime Hellsing, the main character Alucard uses a self-loading pistol with the Hellsing ARMS .454 Casull Auto engraving, designed to kill vampires and other evil spirits, which is loaded with a modification of the .454 Casull - explosive silver bullets smelted from the silver cross of Manchester Cathedral. The Casull family in the anime Scrapped Princess is named after the patron of the same name. In Fallout Tactics, the player can find a Casull Revolver, but it uses .45 ACP ammo. In the anime "Pirates of the Black Lagoon", one of the "Nazi" officers boasted to Revy about his Luger, modified to chamber 454 Casull, although he did not have time to use it - Revy shot him before he finished boasting.
Similar cartridges[edit]
From left to right: .460 S&W Magnum, .454 Casull, .44 Magnum, .45 ACP and .22 LR
The first commercially available revolver chambered in .454 Casull was manufactured by Freedom Arms in 1983 as a five-shot, single-action Model 83 revolver capable of firing .45 ACP, .45 Colt, and .454 Casull with interchangeable cylinders. [4] The .460 Smith & Wesson Magnum cartridge introduced in 2005 is a lengthened .454 Casull cartridge and has the same diameter as a .45 Colt or .454 Casull. Thus, revolvers chambered in .460 S&W will also chamber .454 Casull, .45 Colt, and .45 Schofield (.45 S&W).
Cartridge .454 Casull mod. 1957 Why is this revolver cartridge called the “atomic magnum”?
The heavy-duty .454 Casull revolver cartridge was introduced to the general public in 1959. It was developed by Utah gunsmiths Dick Casull and Jack Fulmer. These gentlemen set out to make a revolver cartridge with a shot power approximately equal to a smoothbore shotgun. Two years of experiments made it possible to create, based on the cartridge case of the .45 Long Colt cartridge (model 1873), widely used in America, a revolver cartridge that is about five times more powerful than its “ancestor”. In fact, only the dimensions remained from the vintage .45 Long Colt cartridge: the case was made of stronger material, the bullet was made heavier, and the wide pistol primer was replaced with a narrow rifle primer. Only such a capsule, due to its small area, could withstand the enormous pressure inside the sleeve.
The cartridge was received coldly by specialists. “Why do you need a pistol cartridge that injures your hand when fired? Its power is clearly excessive. It’s impractical, the consumer doesn’t need it...” For almost twenty years, the founding fathers of the .454 Casull cartridge offered to launch mass production of the cartridge and weapons to arms companies. Having failed to achieve what they wanted, they founded their own armory in 1978, which began producing weapons and small batches of .454 Casull cartridges. And only then did it become clear that there are people in the world who really need a super-powerful, super-expensive and super-dangerous “gun”. And even if shooting from this “gun” will be dangerous not only for those who are shot at, but also for those who shoot from this weapon...
Yes, there are few of them, but they exist. And the .454 Casull cartridge, as they say, “went to the people.” Famous arms corporations began to issue weapons chambered for this cartridge, and the production of the cartridge itself was put on an industrial basis.
The modern .454 Casull cartridge has a cylindrical case with a groove, but this was not always the case. Most likely, the shape of the cartridge case was changed so that this cartridge could be used in self-loading or automatic weapons. And such weapons already exist...
Specifications:
Cartridge length, mm: 45. Bullet diameter, mm: 11.5 (0.454 inches). Bullet weight, grams: 14.5−19. Sleeve length, mm: 35.1. Initial bullet speed, m/s: approximately 500. Bullet energy, J: from 1900.
The maximum energy of the cartridge for which a weapon of this caliber is designed is 3000 J. Let me remind you that the power of the most common cartridge in the world for pistols and submachine guns 9x19 mm Parabellum standard (non-armor-piercing) sample is only 350 J.
Advantages
"Big, beautiful gun." Weapons of this caliber are rare and expensive, emphasizing the status of its owner.
Enormous energy and a heavy, blunt-nosed bullet have a powerful stopping effect. With such a weapon you can hunt any animal on planet Earth. The Internet is full of photographs of elephants, African buffaloes and huge grizzly bears, next to which happy hunters with .454 Casull caliber revolvers pose.
This gun can also fire the older, "low power" .45 Long Colt cartridge.
This cartridge can accurately shoot up to 300 rounds (approximately 270 meters). The distance is clearly not pistol range anymore.
Flaws
Weapons chambered for this cartridge are heavy and bulky.
Strongest return! It is simply dangerous to shoot from such a weapon! Yes, of course, weapon designers do everything to reduce recoil, make the grip area heavier, install a muzzle brake-compensator... And yet you must be able to shoot from this weapon.
A loud, deafening sound and a bright, blinding flash when fired.
Status is expensive. This applies to both the weapon itself and the ammunition. However, that doesn't stop fans of the big guns.
In European gun catalogs, the .454 Cassul cartridge may be designated as 11.5×35 R or XCR 11 035 CBC 020.
Before the introduction of the .460 S&W Magnum cartridge, the most powerful revolver cartridge in the world was the .454 Cassul. It is still more powerful than the most powerful cartridge for automatic pistols, the .50 Action Express. Currently, only exotic calibers are more powerful than this cartridge: .460 Smith & Wesson, .475 Linebaugh, .480 Ruger and .500 Smith & Wesson, .500 Wyoming Express…
There are few weapons chambered for this cartridge, but they are like bright stars in the sky. Memorable.
Freedom Arms Model 83.
A complete replica of the famous late 19th century Colt M1873 Single Action Army .45 caliber revolver. A revolver with a single-action trigger made of heavy-duty materials that can withstand the hellish pressure of an “atomic magnum” shot. The first and most famous revolver from Freedom Arms. The price of this revolver on the American arms market starts at $2,000. Since this weapon is legal for use in "cowboy shooting" competitions, along with clones of the Colt M1873 Single Action Army revolver, the Freedom Arms Model 83, despite its high price, is selling like hotcakes. There is, however, a cheaper weapon from this company - the Freedom Arms Model 97, but they say it sells worse than the more expensive model.
Ruger Super Redhawk .454 Casull.
The revolver is an almost complete copy of the six-shot Ruger Blackhawk revolver in .44 Magnum caliber, only to increase strength the cylinder is made to hold not six, but five rounds. The revolver has a standard mount for an optical sight. By the way, the Ruger Redhawk model later appeared in .44 Magnum caliber, but in the 44 caliber the 6-shot Ruger Blackhawk is still more popular. And then the Ruger Blackhawk was released in .454 Casull.
Limited, gift batches of revolvers of this caliber are regularly produced by Colt.
Taurus Model 454.
Revolver of the Brazilian arms concern Taurus.
A replaceable barrel of this caliber, drum and recoil spring can be installed on the Italian Mateba Model 6 Unica automatic revolver.
Hellsing 454 Casull Auto
- so far the only self-loading pistol in the world in .454 Casull caliber. Made “based on” the legendary Colt 1911 and the anime “Hellsing”.
Long-barreled weapons of this caliber are represented by a clone of the lever-action “devil's rifle” from Oliver Winchester Winchester model 1892 and are called Puma M-92
(Legacy Sports International).
The .454 Casull cartridges are currently produced by Magtech, CorBon, Hornady, Federal and Winchester.
Neither filmmakers nor computer game developers could pass by this unique weapon. According to Wikipedia, weapons of .454 Casull caliber appeared in the film “Harley Davidson and the Marlboro Man,” the anime “Hellsing” and “Black Lagoon,” and in the computer game “Fallout Tactics: Brotherhood of Steel.”
By the way, many Western experts say that this cartridge is in its “prime of life” and new types of weapons chambered for this cartridge will regularly appear on the arms market. I think that's how it will be. After all, there are more and more fans of “big guns” in America every day.
Tags: revolver, history of weapons, shooting, weapons, technology, inventions
Links[edit]
- "Hornady". Archived from the original on July 8, 2022. Retrieved July 29, 2009.
- "Double Tap Ammo". Archived from the original on 2009-04-20. Retrieved July 29, 2009.
- "Casull pronunciation in German". Retrieved July 20, 2019.
- ^ abcde e Barnes, Frank S.; Skinner, Stan (20 October 2009). Cartridges of the World, 12th Edition: A Complete Illustrated Guide to Over 1,500 Cartridges
. Krause Publications. p. 568. ISBN 978-0-89689-936-0. - ^ a b Chuck Hawks. ".454 Casull". Retrieved November 14, 2007.
- ".454 Casull". Archived from the original on 2007-11-06. Retrieved November 14, 2007.
- Buffalo Bore Ammo - .454 Casull pistol and pistol Ammo
| Wikimedia Commons has media related to .454 Casull . |
