Published in “Shooting Illustrated” February 2007
W hen the .454 Casull was introduced in 1983, it instantly won the title for most powerful revolver cartridge. With operating pressures a good 50 percent higher than the magnums on the market, it generated energy levels not previously seen in wheel-guns and became the caliber for hunting really big game with handguns.
Above: Polishing and jeweling dress up the Ruger Super Redhawk customized by Mog-na-port's Ken Kelly, but "Bodacious" is still a serious hunting handgun. A tuned action and trigger, along with a Mag-na-brake and Weigand scope base, are modifications that complement the power of the revolver's .454 Casull chambering.
The cartridge was housed in the new, single-action Freedom Arms Model 83 revolver that had been specially designed and built with a five-shot cylinder and extremely close manufacturing tolerances to contain the 60,000-plus pounds per square inch pressure. I recall some early articles on Dick Casull, the .454′s inventor, stating he was trying to achieve a muzzle velocity of 2,000 feet per second with .45-caliber bullets fired from a 77;-inch barrel.
The Ruger Super Redhawk's cylinder can hold six rounds ot .454 Casull, and a transfer bar lets hunters safely carry a round beneath the double-action's hammer. To make practice sessions a little easier on the hand, the revolver will also fire .45 Colt ammunition.
Using some exotic triplex loads—three different powders carefully stacked in the case—Mr. Casull did achieve his target velocity, but the hazards and liabilities associated with triplex loads far outweighed the extra feet per second gained, and commercial ammo makers went to more conventional loads featuring heavy doses of slow-burning powders. Even with the less-exotic loads, the cartridge still produced some sizzling velocities with lighter-weight bullets, making it not only suitable for big game, but a prime candidate for long-range handgun hunting of medium-sized game. This is a long-winded way of explaining my selection of the .454 for an antelope hunt.
The hunt was scheduled with Hunter Ross of Desert Safaris and held on several ranches located near Fort Davis, TX. I had just received a Ruger .454 Super Redhawk customized by Ken Kelly, of Mag-na-port fame, and knowing that Hornady makes a high-velocity .454 round with a 240-grain jacketed hollow point, I couldn’t resist the opportunity to test the gun and lightweight bullets on a long-range, medium-game hunt. Given the lack of preparation time with the gun and ammo, my definition of long range for this hunt was 100 yards or less.
The Super Redhawk originally arrived with a standard 7’7/-inch barrel and integral scallops in the topstrap for mounting the factory-furnished rings. For those who may not know it, the .454 Casull generates lots of energy on both ends of the gun. It kicks big-time. Most of my other big-bore handguns wear muzzle brakes or feature porting systems installed by Mag-na-port to help manage the recoil. As I get older and heal more slowly, I see no reason to discontinue this policy. Besides, last year at the White Oak Plantation Handgun Hunt in Alabama, I got a look Kelly’s latest Super Redhawk creation, and fell in love with both the gun and the name he had given it—”Bodacious.” Like earlier Mag-na-port handgun names, “Predator” and “Stalker,” it was a perfect choice.
Kelly shortened the Super Red Hawk’s barrel to 5 3/4 inches, gave the muzzle an inverted crown and installed an oversized muzzle brake he calls a Mag-na-brake. Compared to some of the slender brakes he uses on single-action revolvers, this one seemed quite bulky, but somehow it was right for this rather massive handgun. He also added two custom pinstripe bands on the Mag-na-brake and another two bands on the cylinder. I rarely give Kelly instructions regarding the decorative touches on his guns, rather letting him express himself and surprise me. You, of course, can decide what goes on your gun. Other barrel-related work included removing the lengthy Ruger liability warning, something many Ruger buyers would like to see done at the factory.
Ports In the Mag-no-brake direct gases away from the shooter while alleviating the .454 Casull's Infamous recoil. The ports ore angled forward so gases travel to the front, and they form a twist pattern opposite to the Mag-na-brake s threading to ensure It stays tight on the muzzle.
Rather than use the factory rings, Kelly installed a Weigand scope base, mounting it into the existing scallop cuts in the topstrap. This Weaver-style base does two things: First it raises the height of the scope, providing more room for the thumb when cocking the revolver, and second, it allows more flexibility in mounting the scope either closer to the muzzle or more toward the shooter.
To say Kelly performed a trigger job would be inadequate. He completely tuned the action, polished and jeweled the hammer and trigger, and applied his glass-bead, velvet-hone finish. The result was a super-slick, double-action magnum revolver. Finally, he added his standard Mag-na-port custom logo and the brand new title, “Bodacious.”
I debated changing the factory Ruger grips since they are rather thin and can focus the .454′s punishing recoil into the web of the hand on a non-ported gun. But the factory stocks with rubber around the edges fit me pretty well, permitting an easier reach to, and good control of, the trigger with my rather short fingers. Combined with Kelly’s Mag-na-brake, the grips did their part in softening the .454′s felt recoil. The last touch was installing scope rings and a 2X Nikon handgun scope. Much as I like iron-sighted handguns, antelope and wide-open spaces were on my agenda, and I wanted an optic to take full advantage of the .454′s flat trajectory.
There was time for one trip to the range before the hunt, so I did some homework and “hit the books” as we used to say in school. Specifically, I dug out Volume 2 of Hornady’s Handbook of Cartridge Reloading and opened it to the handgun bullet ballistics tables that give distances in yards. Since the chronograph showed the 240-grain Hornady .454′s produced a muzzle velocity of 1,709 feet per second, I looked at the tables for the 240-grain XTP bullet traveling at 1,700 feet per second. With a 100-yard zero, the bullet would strike 1 1/2 inches high at 50 yards, 1.3 inches high at 75 yards, and 6 1/2 inches low at 150 yards. This seemed perfect given my self-imposed limit of 100 yards with the 2X scope. My concern was that on previous antelope hunts, some of my range estimations had been grossly inaccurate. Admittedly, I would have a Nikon rangefinder, but there was no assurance I would have access to it or time to use it when the time came to shoot.
Given the kill zone on an antelope is about 8 inches in diameter, I wanted to be less than 4 inches high at mid-range and less than 4 inches low out past 100 yards. Checking the tables for the performance of my load, a zero of 150 yards showed the bullet would be a bit less than 4 inches high at 50 yards and about 4 1/2 inches high at 75 and 100 yards. Since these numbers could result in a hit above my arbitrary 8-inch circle, I compromised and sighted in Bodacious roughly 3 inches high at 100 yards. I thought this should keep me in the kill zone all the way out to 150 yards, just in case I really screwed up range estimation. Shooting off a sandbag, the load produced 3-shot groups that measured 2 1/2 to3 1/2 inches at 100 yards. I was ready.
On the hunt though, I made a mistake. I was riding in the Yamaha Rhino with another outdoor writer who had taken a nice buck earlier and was now prepared to do the range-finding honors for me. When our guide, Troy Calaway, spotted another nice buck and the other writer announced quietly the Nikon showed we were within 87 yards of the animal, it was time to shoot. The buck was slightly quartering away from me, and thinking the shot would be no more than 3 inches high, I held the crosshair slightly low in the body and fired. The buck dropped in its tracks, an unusual event for an animal like antelope, which can cover many miles of prairie even when severely wounded. We learned shortly the shot was several inches high and, luckily for me, broke the buck’s back. The crosshair had been exactly where I wanted it when the hammer fell, and I didn’t immediately realize why the impact point had been so high. Thinking back to the range, I realized the problem. On the range, I had been shooting with Bodacious buried solidly into a sandbag, while my shot at the antelope, like most hunting scenarios, involved nothing more than my forearms resting across an available surface. Even with the Mag-na-brake’s taming influence, the .454′s recoil caused the barrel to rise more than it had when resting solidly on a sandbag and range bench.
One might say that given my rookie mistake. Bodacious and the Hornady ammo performed above and beyond the call of duty. Certainly the results were more than I deserved, but then I’ve become accustomed to outstanding performance from Ken Kelly’s Rugers and Hornady’s handgun hunting ammunition loaded with XTP bullets.
