.454 Casull question

[greenmntranger]

Thinking on getting a Rossi in 454 Casull. I was wondering if it is possible to shoot .45 Colt through one? Internet guru's seem to disagree, so I thought I would ask here as my level of trust with you guys is incredibly higher.

[osteodoc08]

Yes, just be sure to clean the chamber out well before going back to 454.

[Doc Highwall]

It is no different then shooting 38 specials in a 357 magnum or 44 specials in a 44 magnum, because the cases are shorter then the longer chambered magnum cases, the crud/fouling builds up about 1/8" closer to the beginning of the chamber. This is not a problem UNTIL you insert a longer magnum cartridge into the chamber where the build up of crud/fouling makes the chamber slightly smaller not allowing the longer magnum round to release causing higher pressures.

The same thing happens when shooting 22 longs in a 22Lr chamber.

[RobS]

In addition to what was said above the 45 Colt cases being shorter the boolit will likely have a longer free bore before hitting the rifling which could result in less accuracy. Accuracy is a touch better with 454 casull brass in my Rossi 454 unless I switch to a longer nosed boolit design that only cycles in 45 Colt brass.

[greenmntranger]

So now the quandary. I recently sold my 92 in 45LC, and miss it a bit. Still have brass, dies, rounds for it and now am on the fence over picking up a 454 casull or a 357 mag 92 to go along with the gp100. Always wanted a big bore lever gun and only have funds for 1....let the debate begin

[JohnnyFlake]

I own a Rossi M92 in .454 Casull. It easily handles .45 Colt casings/ammo. Like others have said, you should take a bit more care when cleaning, especially in the chamber area but that's it.

Let me explain my experiences with using .45 Colt reloads. I usually reload my .45 Colt loads with Oregon Trail 250gr RNFP or 255gr FNSWC for handgun use. when I use them in the rifle they cause the lever action to run a bit rough. It's not a real problem but it does not run a smooth as .454 Loads with Jacketed Bullets. However, when I load up my .45 Colt reloads with 240gr, 250gr or 260gr Speer JPHP bullets, the lever action runs as smooth as can be.

The Rossi in .454 is a great rifle, especially considering the fact that it will handle .454 Casull Pressures. The number of loads you have available to you, using either .45 Colt Casings or the .454 Casings is amazing.

.45 Colt Casing are much easier to find than .454 Casings and cheaper.

[Recruit]

In addition to what was said above the 45 Colt cases being shorter the boolit will likely have a longer free bore before hitting the rifling which could result in less accuracy. Accuracy is a touch better with 454 casull brass in my Rossi 454 unless I switch to a longer nosed boolit design that only cycles in 45 Colt brass.

The way around this is to load 454 cases at 45 Colt levels. Same with 357/38 and 44mag/spl. Downside like Johnnyflake said is that 454 cases are harder to find and more expensive.

[RobS]

The way around this is to load 454 cases at 45 Colt levels. Same with 357/38 and 44mag/spl. Downside like Johnnyflake said is that 454 cases are harder to find and more expensive.

Yes, I only reload 454 Casull cases for the Rossi 454 and my SRH 454. I mentioned the use of 45 Colt case loadings for the OP to know that the difference in brass length i.e. 45 colt vs 454 casull may lead to a difference in accuracy unless a longer boolit design is used for the 45 Colt cases.

[Maximilian225]

I have a Rossi 454 and absolutely love it. I run 45 Colt in it ranging from really light cast loads to heavy jacketed Ruger /TC loads. I have never actually fired any 454 in it, but the previous owner did. It is an incredibly fun rifle to shoot, and very versatile.