Shooting 45 Colt in 454 Casull?

[Arceagle]

Noticed there are lots of Rossi owners on this forum and I have been thinking about getting one. Does anyone have a 454 Casull and shoot 45 Colt thru it? Does this cause leading in the chamber throat? Do the 45 colt rounds shoot as accurately as the Casull rounds? It looks like Rossi gives a lot more finish options in 45 Colt. I have been shooting some pretty stout loads thru my Ruger Blackhawk, is there any thing to be gained shooting the casull in a rifle? It would need to be a substantial difference to justify tooling up and buying brass for a new caliber. I already have 45-70s and 444 Marlins and 45 Colt in Ruger Blackhawks.

[Four Fingers of Death]

The 454 Casull won't do anything that the 45/70 will do at less pressure, but the Rossi will give you a tiny, light, very powerful rifle that is easy to carry, but make sure your hat is pulled down firmy on your head, because it sure will kick!

I can't tell you if the 45Colt brass will work and jumped on the band wagon to find out (future posts will come up on my user CP). At the worst, 454 cases will last a long time with mild loads I'm thinking.

[Ed Barrett]

I have been shooting a Rossi 454 for a few years now. I have used 45 LC's in it and never had a problem with leading. Consider it the same as using 38 Specials in a .357 mag chamber. In pistols 454 is really pushing it. If you look at the amount of metal between the chamber and the rest of the world in a revolver, and consider the pressure of the 454. it makes you a little more careful. In a 92 clone there is a lot more metal all the way around.

[Four Fingers of Death]

I don't need one of those Rossi 454s, but I sureeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee would like one, lol.

[Boerrancher]

I don't own the 454, simply because I can load my Black hawk and Rossi 45LC to loads that will wear out a piece of brass in about 2 loadings, and out of that Rossi wear out your shoulder with one round. With the 45LC loaded with 10 grains of Unique and a 255 grain RNFP cast boolit, the 45LC will bring down anything rather quickly that you will find here in North America. I have seen full grown buffalo in videos just piled up after being shot with a 45LC behind the shoulder. I guess there is always some justification for bigger, but the whole purpose of the 92 was a light, short to medium range rifle, that you could carry all day, and shoot, and feel like doing it again the next day. If you are going to get away from that line of thinking, you might as well pack and use a 45-70.

Best wishes,

Joe

[A pause for the COZ]

I don't own the 454, simply because I can load my Black hawk and Rossi 45LC to loads that will wear out a piece of brass in about 2 loadings, and out of that Rossi wear out your shoulder with one round. With the 45LC loaded with 10 grains of Unique and a 255 grain RNFP cast boolit, the 45LC will bring down anything rather quickly that you will find here in North America. I have seen full grown buffalo in videos just piled up after being shot with a 45LC behind the shoulder. I guess there is always some justification for bigger, but the whole purpose of the 92 was a light, short to medium range rifle, that you could carry all day, and shoot, and feel like doing it again the next day. If you are going to get away from that line of thinking, you might as well pack and use a 45-70.

Best wishes,

Joe

I think the whole point and the reason I want one. Is to shoot mild 45lc loads 90% of the time but can bump up the volume when the need arises.
If you can have only one.... get this. Oh heck even if you can have all you want get this and a 45-70 :-)

[GARCIA]

Not a Rossi owner but I do have a 1894 Marlin in 45 Colt.
With the group buy "Ruger Only" mold in the HP configuration I am getting over 1500fps.
This is with a handgun load.
This is closing in on some of the published 45-70 Trapdoor loads.
More than I will need for a Georgia deer!

Tom

[garym1a2]

What I like about the Rossi 454 is the tube loading option. You can Load and unload them like the tube feed 22s and not have to cycle the rounds thru the action to unload them.

[Boerrancher]

I think the whole point and the reason I want one. Is to shoot mild 45lc loads 90% of the time but can bump up the volume when the need arises.
If you can have only one.... get this. Oh heck even if you can have all you want get this and a 45-70 :-)

I honestly believe that once you pull the trigger on a full house 45LC load out of that light little rifle, you will find yourself wanting for the med to mild loads. Until I realized that I could knock a large white tail flat at 150 yards with 10grs of Unique and the Lee 255 RNFP, I was seriously considering boring out the butt stock and putting lead in it to lessen the recoil of the full power loads. Then I discovered what the 10gr unique load would do and have not loaded anything heavier since. It is still a punisher if you sit down and shoot a box of 50 rounds in one setting, but not as bad as the 12 gr of Unique on a 245 gr boolit.

Best wishes,

Joe

[missionary5155]

Greetings
I will also say being a Rossi 45 Colt owner of many years a 265 grainer with 19 grains of 2400 will convince most anyone that it is one hum-dinger of a thumper capable of nucker-pluncking most any critter out there. Move up to a 300 grainer and you do have an equal PLUS to the 45-70 express loads (BP) which were noted as good critter mashers.
If I need more than that I happily pull out a 1886 (jap) lightweight 45-70 and start chunking 350 and heavier slugs at 1600 fps+.
Now if I had to have a lever gun to match caliber with a revolver in 454 I would go that way. Have a BFR in 454 and maybe one day I will "need" a Rossi to go with it.
Mike in Peru

[Arceagle]

Lots of good responses here. I think after looking them all over the 45 colt sounds like the best bet for now. After the money spent getting up and running to cast my owm I'm not ready to start up again on a new caliber, especialy if the 45 colt will do everything I want it to do.

I have loaded 45 colt in a blackhawk with bullets as heavy as 360 gr. and they are all any critter would need. My every day load behind a 300 gr cast boolit is even pretty stiff. I'm getting were I like the 255 gr with lighter powder charges are all I want sometimes, but that's what the smaller guns are for.

A local gun dealer who wasn't one of my favorites used to tell me "you don't need one of those you need one of these". Collecting and shooting guns has never been about what I need, it's about what I want.

One thing for sure about the 45 colt is it's about as versatile a round as any ever invented and is definately one of my favorites.

[Four Fingers of Death]

I just checked at the big gunshop in Sydney, the 45Colt and 454 are the same price! Temptations!!!!! I have a 357, a 44, maybe I 'need' a 45 Cal one, lol!

[Ed Barrett]

Get the 454. All the ones in 454 in the states have a recoil pad. You can always shoot 45LC's in it. I like 3 395 grain custom lead over Lil' gun, out of a 20 inch barrel it gives me 45-70 ballistics in a very handy package. I got it to go after wild pigs. So far I have not had it with me when I have been pig hunting, but I've take 3 deer with it so far. It and a .357 Rossi are my favorite "walking around" guns.

[Lee]

A 454 Casull loaded down in any firearm WILL be a heck of a "thumper" and fun to shoot.
Full loads WILL get your attention!!
Trust me I know. I LOVE the downloaded .454 Casull. It's fun, cartridges last a long time...:bigsmyl2:

[Four Fingers of Death]

If I do buy on eit will be in 454. I don't need a 454 and the 45 Colt will do all I need, butttttttt, I fancy letting rip occasionally with the thumper!

I alos like the look of a Trapper length in 45Colt with the colour case hardened finished and the saddle ring. I could probably pass on the big lever loop though. Be good for winter hunting I suppose!

[Ed Barrett]

That large lever ring was for spinning to reload and shoot one handed ala John Wayne. Don't think it would be politicly correct today. Never tried it myself but "the Duke" made it look cool. I was a kid when I saw him do it in the movie "stagecoach".

[Four Fingers of Death]

That large lever ring was for spinning to reload and shoot one handed ala John Wayne. Don't think it would be politicly correct today. Never tried it myself but "the Duke" made it look cool. I was a kid when I saw him do it in the movie "stagecoach".

I was always interested in mastering that skill until someone pointed out that you are twirling a carbeen while you are jacking a round into the chamber and are at risk of shooting yourself somewhere in the trunk, which contains all vitals from memory. OK for big Ol' Marion with blanks, but if I ever end up with a big looped lever, I will try it with snap caps and see how dangerous it really is.

Sort of thing that imbeds itself into a boy's brain though! Also good in Rooster Cogburn, 'Fill your hand you son of a Beetch!' I must have been 50+ when that came out but it still got my attention!

[trapper9260]

That large lever ring was for spinning to reload and shoot one handed ala John Wayne. Don't think it would be politicly correct today. Never tried it myself but "the Duke" made it look cool. I was a kid when I saw him do it in the movie "stagecoach". Chuck Conners dose it in the TV Series of the Riflemen . They say he can do it with a rifle in each hand at once. I seen a photo of him have it in both. I had read the write up about it and he had practice it till he got it how he wanted. But the rifle did not fit the time that the series was to be of the time. It was a Win 92 .

[rbuck351]

I got my Rossi 454 when I lived in AK and used it mostly as a camp gun when hunting moose. I load a Lee 300gr ( actually 312) with a case full of lilgun for 1950 fps. I also load a 230 gr to about 1200 fps for the wife to play with. I load all in 454 cases so I don't know if shooting a lot of 45colt brass rounds would be a problem. The gun is much easier to load and unload through the loading tube slot than the rear loading port. For unloading it's easier to just pull the inner tube out and dump all the rounds at once.

I don't think spinning a loaded rifle where it is at some point pointed at your shoulder joint is a good idea.

[Sam Sackett]

Another thing about the 454 is that the magazine tube is screwed into the receiver. 45 Colt and lighter calibers just have the mag tube slid into the receiver. There have been reports of the mag tube sliding out when using hot loads.
I would buy the 454, even if I only intended to use 45 Colt rounds in it. Plus the recoil pad on the 454 would be kinda nice.

Sam Sackett

[AlaskaMike]

I've got a 20" blued Rossi .454 Casull, and I shoot .45 Colt through it all the time. I don't get any leading in mine whatsoever. I do clean it very well after every range session though. I think the issue isn't leading, but carbon buildup. Also, I think if it's an issue at all, it's with very tight (min SAAMI spec) chambers in high end revolvers such as the Freedom Arms model 83. Regardless, I've never had a problem with my Rossi. Maybe if I run through 200 rounds of .45 Colt and then try some full power .454 rounds without cleaning it could be a problem, I don't know.

With regard to accuracy, I notice no difference at all between .45 Colt and .454 Casull loads in mine.

Sam Sackett is 100% correct about the mag tube being threaded into the receiver on the .454 carbines (and the .480 Ruger carbines too). I wish they'd have done that for the .44 mag carbines. I've had the mag tube on my .44 carbine walk out on me during one range session. Once it happens, it will be easier for it to happen again, because the screw at the front of the mag tube which presses up against the underside of the barrel near the muzzle creates a big gouge as the tube walks out a little bit on each shot. I've tried various things which have helped to a small degree, but if it happens again on mine I may be forced to have a gunsmith weld up the underside of the barrel to build the material up again that the mag tube screw gouged out. Regardless, I can't emphasize enough what a great improvement it is to have the mag tube thread into the receiver.

If the two carbines are priced similarly, I wouldn't hesitate to grab the .454.

And several folks have pointed out that if you need more power than .45 Colt, just get a .45-70 Marlin. For me, the .454 was a much better choice than a .45-70. For one thing, I wanted something light and handy. The 1895 Marlin or an 1886 Winchester are booth a good bit beefier and heavier than the Rossi 92. Secondly, I've already got a pretty sizable investment in .45 Colt components and bullet casting gear--molds, sizing die, etc. The .45-70 is a completely new caliber I'd have to gear up for.

Anyway, just my $0.02.

[jstanfield103]

Really do not have much to add, but my 454 Casull Rossi 92 does not have the inner magazine tube to remove. Mine is the standard magazine tube design, Rossi makes them both way's. The magazine tube is definitely screwed into the receiver. I just took the forearm off and stripped the factory finish off of mine and redid it. I had to take the sight off because the magazine tube was screwed into the receiver (so I could remove all the barrel bands)just to get the forend off. They also have a flat top butt stock which I did not care for so I rounded mine off. They are definitely a thumper and happy that I bought mine. They will definitely punish you. I have never loaded for454 Casull and when loading for other calibers I have never had leading problems. Being my first time with 454 I loaded cast bullets non gas checked like I do on everything else. I can shoot 10 rounds and get just a little bit of leading and have to scrub the rifling good. Next time I load for it I will use gas checked bullets. Live and learn. Those things are definitely zinging.

[rbuck351]

My Rossi 92 in 454 is different than any others I have seen or heard of. I don't know if the mag tube screws into the receiver or not but it doesn't matter as the end cap of my inner mag tube has a tab sticking out that fits snuggly in a slot in the bottom of the barrel. After loading the mag tube you push in the inner tube and then turn the end cap tab into the barrel slot. Short of breaking off the very strong tab, there is no way for the inner or outer tube to move forward during recoil. It surprises me they aren't all built this way.

I have a friend that bought one after I got mine and his had the screw in outer mag tube. He shot it some and the screw in outer tube pulled out stripping the threads on the tube. Rossi sent him a new tube which is still working as far as I know.

[blackhawk44]

On the big loop twirl: Note that Duke never fired a shot immediately after a twirl simply because the next round on the carrier fell out during the twirl, even the 5n1. Either he delivered a speech or threat or the film cut to another pose so that he could load it during the cut.
As for Chuck Connors, he could twirl and fire. Rod Reddwing, the shows armorer and Connor's gun coach, installed a sping loaded plunger above the chamber to hold the next round on the lifter during the twirl. Reddwing wrote a complete article about Connor's training and the modifications in GUNS magazine at the time. Other interesting notes. Connors was completely ambidextrous, no trick camera work. The intro was shot with no trigger mods. The producers insurance company went nuts with nightmares of Connors driving the trigger through his finger and production being held up weeks while he healed. Thus the set screw to trip the trigger rapidfire was added. Finally, on a firing range with live ammo, Reddwing said that, from the shoulder, Connors could empty the magazine into a 4" post at 50 yards very quickly.

[trapper9260]

On the big loop twirl: Note that Duke never fired a shot immediately after a twirl simply because the next round on the carrier fell out during the twirl, even the 5n1. Either he delivered a speech or threat or the film cut to another pose so that he could load it during the cut.
As for Chuck Connors, he could twirl and fire. Rod Reddwing, the shows armorer and Connor's gun coach, installed a sping loaded plunger above the chamber to hold the next round on the lifter during the twirl. Reddwing wrote a complete article about Connor's training and the modifications in GUNS magazine at the time. Other interesting notes. Connors was completely ambidextrous, no trick camera work. The intro was shot with no trigger mods. The producers insurance company went nuts with nightmares of Connors driving the trigger through his finger and production being held up weeks while he healed. Thus the set screw to trip the trigger rapidfire was added. Finally, on a firing range with live ammo, Reddwing said that, from the shoulder, Connors could empty the magazine into a 4" post at 50 yards very quickly.

Thanks for all you wrote . Most of what you wrote I did not know about. I known that Conners was into guns but did not know the details that you wrote . Thanks .