44 mag or 454 casull

**JGCIII** · December 31st, 2009, 10:49 PM

I am looking for a new Christmas gun. I have several pistols and am thinking of getting a revolver. I want something with real stopping power for when I am out in the woods. I was going to get a Ruger Alaskan in a 454 Casull but my friend told me it hurts to shoot it. I have checked with several forums and know I could get a 44 Mag and heavier cartridges but if I get the 454 I could still shoot 45 Cal as an option. What are your thoughts?

**bripro** · December 31st, 2009, 11:18 PM

There is nothing in the woods in Pa that cant be stopped with a 44. Ammo is also more readily available and a little cheaper. Every shop I can think of has at least 2 or 3 nice used 44s in stock. You can find a great deal on one.

**Maquis** · December 31st, 2009, 11:32 PM

^^ What he said; maybe you can find someone that has a Casull~might not be as bad as ya think, as long as you can reasonably get ammo.

**GRIZ** · December 31st, 2009, 11:37 PM

I agree with bripro. You can get 44 mag ammo and components a lot more places than 454. While all these big calibers have a place I think that most people who look for more power than a 44 mag should just get a rifle

**kpw** · January 1st, 2010, 03:11 AM

If you don't have any experience with big bore revolvers, you might want to try the .44 first. If your dead set on a .454, check the used cases at your local shops. They often have like new .454s for sale.

**normanvin** · January 1st, 2010, 07:30 AM

It has been a while since I picked up ammo for either caliber But I believe the 44 mag ammo is much cheaper.

**wellcraft** · January 1st, 2010, 09:46 AM

your friend wasn't lying to you when he said it's painful to shoot the alaskan in 454 casull, i briefly owned a super redhawk in 454 and after 5 shots i was done with it. i own a taurus raging bull in 454 and the ported barrel makes all the difference in the world making the gun pain free to shoot. if you go with the 454 go with the taurus gun or if you buy a ruger then plan on getting the barrel ported or add a compensator to offset felt recoil. as others have said 454 ammo is expensive and while it's not hard to find it's not as readily available as 44 mag. with all that said you might want to consider the SW 460. the 460 comes with a comp from the factory and also shoots 454 and 45 lc.