Largest pistol caliber Leveraction????

[Marlin Hunter]

What is the most powerful pistol caliber available in a Lever action gun?

Is it the 454 Cassul, or is there something bigger like 500 S&W?

Puma no longer has a 454 available, but Rossi has a nice stainless version. Winchester and Marlin do not make one.

I like this Rossi. It says "round barrel", but shows octagon in the picture.
http://www.rossiusa.com/images/imagesMain/R92-68011.jpg

[Four Fingers of Death]

That would hurt in 454! I thought that the 454s came out with an impressive recoil pad. Sure is one nasty lil' smack yer in the chops levergun!

[2ndAmendmentNut]

I think they use to make the Pumas in 480 Ruger.

[Four Fingers of Death]

These guns are fascinating, but as the guys at BFR say, 45/70, same result as a 454, but at a fraction of the pressure. I use a 444 and a 45/70 (and a 416 Rigby Ruger No1 African, sort of a lever) when I want my teeth rattled.

[rob45]

For serious performance in a pistol caliber, I would use a Marlin 1894 redone by Mic McPherson in one of his wildcats based on the 50AE case.

Think about it- a small action carbine chambered for a pistol-sized cartridge with performance eclipsing the 30-30 and even up there with the 45-70s. Serious bucks for serious performance, and probably better accuracy than most of us ever dream of.

Here is a very interesting article:
http://www.levergun.com/Marlin/index.html

All I can say is: WOW

[pietro]

FWIW:

The .500 S&W is advertized as available in rifle & carbine levergun configs from: http://www.bighornarmory.com/products/rifle.php

"Puma" is not, and never was, a maker of Model 92's nor .454's - "Puma" is a model name and an importer's naming of formerly Rossi, and now Chiappa, Model 92's.

As far as website pics, whether they be Rossi's or Buds Gun Shop, or wherever - caveat emptor, since oftentimes, website info is plugged in by non-firearms oriented individuals, who could be entering info about potato chips for all they know (or care).

.

[MT Gianni]

My personal opinion is if a 454 won't do it you would be better off jumping to a 444 or 45/70.

[corvette8n]

I have a 16" Puma carbine in .45 colt and when I touch off one of the doubletap brand +p loads is sure does kick, got really back and blue from that metal buttplate.

[Marlin Hunter]

My personal opinion is if a 454 won't do it you would be better off jumping to a 444 or 45/70.

I already have a 444, 45-70, and 450 Marlin. I just wanted a pistol caliber rifle so I could stuff more rounds into the magazine tube. I would like one in 500 S&W

[jack19512]

I think they use to make the Pumas in 480 Ruger.






Yes and they are still available.

http://www.budsgunshop.com/catalog/product_info.php/cPath/372/products_id/87995

[Four Fingers of Death]

I already have a 444, 45-70, and 450 Marlin. I just wanted a pistol caliber rifle so I could stuff more rounds into the magazine tube. I would like one in 500 S&W


Ain'tja getting yer teeth rattled loose quick enough with rifle length cartridges? :D

[Old Ironsights]

Taurus/Rossi is still selling .454's in their current catalog.

[EMC45]

Looks like the sight elevator is backwards in the pic.

[missionary5155]

Good evening
I have future plans on building a 414 Supermag lever on a 375 Big Bore frame. Already have the rifle and know that it will cycle a similar case as the 414SM.
So when I return in a few years that is top on my list with numerous other projects.. like most of us. But THAT may be close to the top of being a VERY POWERFUL Pistol cartrige levergun. To bad Dan Wesson Revolvers died at the hands of CZ. They really had a Super revolver shooting.

[dubber123]

To bad Dan Wesson Revolvers died at the hands of CZ. They really had a Super revolver shooting.

I don't think I would blame CZ too much. DW had problems a plenty before CZ got ownership. Some guys love theirs, but of the 4 I have experience with, all 4 had problems. Their cr@* shoot reputation killed the brand in my opinion.

[Lloyd Smale]

ive got a 94 marlin in 475 linebaugh but it was custom built. the 454 and the 480 are about the top of the comercialy made guns. Personaly id give the 480 a slight edge in real world killing power but either will take any game animal in the world.

[Marlin Hunter]

I don't think I would blame CZ too much. DW had problems a plenty before CZ got ownership. Some guys love theirs, but of the 4 I have experience with, all 4 had problems. Their cr@* shoot reputation killed the brand in my opinion.


Not to mention that quite a few were nothing more than hand held fragmentation grenades. I have seen far more destroyed Dan Wessons then any other gun. It could be that people who owned them didn't know how to reload.

[Marlin Hunter]

ive got a 94 marlin in 475 linebaugh but it was custom built. the 454 and the 480 are about the top of the comercialy made guns. Personaly id give the 480 a slight edge in real world killing power but either will take any game animal in the world.

I thought the 480 Ruger was a lighter version of the 475. Muzzle energy is higher in the 454 than the 480, but the 475 beats them all, ... except the 500 S&W

[rob45]

I thought the 480 Ruger was a lighter version of the 475. Muzzle energy is higher in the 454 than the 480, but the 475 beats them all, ... except the 500 S&W

Lloyd is probably referring to the greater bullet diameter and increased weight of the 480 over the 454.

Depends on what school of thought one subscribes to as far as killing power is concerned. Velocity vs. weight. Diameter vs. penetration. And on and on.

As far as I'm concerned and have observed, the two most important factors to "killing power" are wound diameter and wound depth (penetration). If other factors such as bullet weight and impact velocity remain the same, then increasing diameter will tend to reduce penetration, and vice versa. They need to be balanced for the task at hand.

The 454 does have more "energy" due to higher velocity, but the 480 has both increased wound diameter (due to possibility for a larger meplat) and also has more penetration potential (due to increased weight). Also remember that when talking penetration, higher velocities tend to decrease it. I'm not saying that slow bullets always kill better, and by no means am I saying that we need to be able to watch our bullets leave the barrel and expect 10 feet of penetration. I'm just saying that using the same bullet in one of my 45-70s vs. my 458 Winmag, I get better penetration with the 45-70 at 1500fps vs. the 458 at 2200fps. Testing in media revealed nearly a foot more penetration for the 45-70, although the 458 made a larger (wider) hole. We take our pick based upon what we need the bullet to do.

I would choose a 480 over the 454, unless I could shoot identical weights of bullets in each caliber and adjust the velocity in the 454. Then the slightly better sectional density on the 45 caliber bullet would help even things out.
But other than that, irregardless of velocity, the wider and heavier .476" bullet will probably leave a wider and deeper hole. Maybe that is the same thing Lloyd has experienced.

I'm not trying to change anyone's way of thinking; just trying to explain mine. And, Lloyd, if this is what you meant, I didn't mean to "steal your thunder".:drinks:

[Four Fingers of Death]

I just had a rush of inspiration! You want more shots, search the net for the guy that converts Garands and the M14 copies to 338WM, 458WM, etc. A converted mag should hold 10-15 rounds of the big boomenkikkencrackers! Now that's serious firepower!!! :D