this round also makes for a great close-range varmint number. On the other side of the spectrum, the .450 Marlin was designed for lever action carbines for big game. Today the T/C Encore, which can safely handle high pressure cartridges, is also chambered for the .450, and it is a handful. Then we have other cartridges as the .45 Winchester Magnum, which most would think of as a competition cartridge but which is a great cartridge for game such as whitetail. (Unfortunately it’s slowly slipping into oblivion.)
The following is a summary of some popular – and some not-quite-so-popular – big bore cartridges that are found in revolvers and single shot handguns. All are effective for the jobs they were designed to perform.
(Note: For some bullets, two sizes are listed, an apparent ambiguity which is due to which make of bullet is available for a specific cartridge. This is an example of why it is important to use the loading data developed for a specific make of bullet and follow such guidelines closely. Variations also occur in bullets from the same company, depending on whether they’re lead or jacketed.)
.44 REMINGTON MAGNUM
(0.429" or 0.430”) This revolver cartridge, which was introduced in 1955-56 as a joint venture by Smith & Wesson and Remington, is likely one of the most well-known revolver cartridges of all time. Even those who know nothing about guns have heard about this cartridge and the S&W Model 29 because of the popular Dirty Harry movies of the 1960s. The positive aspect of the publicity was that the name got out there; the bad, at least for me at that time, was that to purchase a Model 29 for hunting, if a store had one at all you could expect to pay $100 or more than the list price. The other “bad” aspect was that the .44 Magnum had a reputation of being Mr. Punishment, especially when it came to recoil. What that did was scare people away from using this fine cartridge and revolvers for hunting.
Yet by the standards we have today, this is a middle-of-the-road cartridge when it comes to power and recoil. But when introduced, it was the most powerful handgun cartridge of all time. In reality, in a single action or double action handgun, the recoil is not that bad. What’s bad is the blast! This I feel is what causes one to flinch and close one’s eyes when the trigger is pulled, not the recoil. I have dispatched many whitetail with it and it was quite effective. But then, with a 2X scope or an electronic dot sight and most all shots within 20 to 70 yards, what a nice handgun and cartridge to use! My experience is with 180- to 300-grain bullets with a preference being a 200- or 240-grain. Shot capsules are also available which if used within 10 or so feet, drop a snake with a head shot.
.444 MARLIN
(0.429" or 0.430") This “rifle” cartridge is kind of like a .44 Magnum case that took vitamins and got taller. In a joint venture with Remington in 1964, Marlin introduced a new big bore lever action rifle appropriate for short to moderate ranges, and the .444 Marlin hit the market. In 1965, I bought one and used it until 1989, when JD Jones at SSK Industries made me a Thompson/Center Contender barrel so chambered. On introduction, the .444 cartridge lacked an effective bullet, since the thinner jacketed 240-grain .44 Magnum bullets were all we had available, and they couldn’t stand up to the .444’s increased velocity. Then Hornady in 1967 introduced a 265-grain bullet specifically for this cartridge, one that generated higher velocities than the .44 Magnum. I have used 240- and 300-grain bullets but in my handloads back then and with factory ammunition today, the 265-grain is what I prefer for deer and black bear. If your T/C Contender or Encore is ported or has a special brake, this cartridge’s recoil is in the 44 Magnum class.
Cartridges reviewed, from left: the .500 S&W, the .460 S&W Magnum, the .454 Casull, the .45 Colt, the .45 Winchester Magnum, the .45 ACP, the .480 Ruger and the .44 Magnum.
To interchange cartridges, as long as the bullets’ diameter is the same, Freedom Arms makes accessory cylinders available that can be switched in less than a minute. For the .454 Casull, for example, extra cylinders are available for the .45 ACP, .45 Colt and .45 Winchester Magnum, the latter of which is popular in Europe.
.45 ACP
(0.451" or 0.452") This 45-caliber is likely the most popular semiauto pistol cartridge of all time. With a 230-grain bullet, it found its place in the Model 1911 pistol as adopted by the military. A fine military, police and target round, I started to use it for small game in an S&W revolver years ago since in my state, semis are not permitted for hunting. Recoil is tolerable but as the handgun so chambered is reduced in size and weight, recoil begins to climb. In a revolver it is a pleasant cartridge to shoot. Yet even though a great military round, it is not recommended for game as large as or larger than deer. It will do the job, but I am afraid that more game will be wounded since it does not have the velocity, or really suitable bullets, for use at hunting ranges. Shot capsules are also available for this cartridge, again for snakes up close.
.45 WINCHESTER MAGNUM
(0.451") Around 1979 this rimless case, with bullets comparable in weight to those of the .45 ACP, was introduced by Winchester. Designed originally for silhouette shooting, my first experience with it was in a Wildey gas-operated handgun owned by a friend who was serious about knocking over steel targets. What it did for the semiauto was to give it .44 Magnum ballistics. My next experience was in a Freedom Arms revolver chambered for the .454 Casull for which a special cylinder had to be fitted by Freedom. (If you want to fire the .45 ACP round in the Freedom Arms .454, buy an extra cylinder from the company and you are ready to go.)
Unfortunately, today it is even hard to factory loaded ammunition for what the .45 WM, one of the most powerful semiauto cartridges. Due to the lack of ammunition, if you want a revolver with low recoil, then get a .44 Magnum or semiauto. A plus for this cartridge was that it was easy to fire due to its moderate recoil in the stout Thompson/Center Contender, the Wildey semiauto or the Freedom Arms revolver. When gathering data for this review, I called my friend to borrow his firearms so chambered but with silhouette on the decline I found he had quit the sport and then sold all but his revolver, which he now seldom fires. This goes to show that even if one has the handgun, the next hurdle is the ammunition if you do not handload.
.45 COLT
(0.451", 0.452" or 0.454") Back when I was a kid in the 1960s when few had .44 Magnum handguns, the .45 Colt was popular with handgun hunters. Adopted by the army in 1873 for their Colt Single Action Army revolver, the original black powder load was both accurate and effective with its 255-grain lead bullet. Today this cartridge is gaining in popularity due to Cowboy Action competitions, though I have seen a few hunters using it for deer with hand-loaded ammunition. For hunting, there are good bullets available but not much in factory loaded ammunition. Again, the new magnums and other cartridges such as the .454 made this cartridge less popular than it used to be. You can fire a .45 Colt in a .454 Casull cylinder BUT if you do that, make sure you thoroughly clean the cylinder’s chambers, especially the shoulders. This is critical since fouling can result in a tight chamber for the longer .454 round, with a hazardous increase in pressure. According to Bob Baker at Freedom Arms, this is one reason why they recommend an extra cylinder chambered in .45 Colt if you plan on firing a lot of .45 Colt ammunition in your .454.
.454 CASULL
(0.451" or 0.452") Note: When loading this cartridge and you desire maximum loads, you must use a bullet with a thick jacket, so check your manual’s recommendations carefully.
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