454 Casull lever action as a big game rifle

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Geof

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I would possibly like to get into cowboy action shooting and to do this you need certain calibres of Lever Action Rifles. A 454 puma or rossi would qualify as it can shoot 45 colt ammo.

I don't have a whack of money for all kinds of guns (although I wish I did) so I'm trying to get the most out of each gun I own. I'm wondering if anyone has had success with either a puma or rossi 454 lever action as a big game hunter. I've heard that they're pretty good with deer, but what about Elk or moose?

Any info would be helpful.

Thanks,

Geof
 
Geof said:
I would possibly like to get into cowboy action shooting and to do this you need certain calibres of Lever Action Rifles. A 454 puma or rossi would qualify as it can shoot 45 colt ammo.

I don't have a whack of money for all kinds of guns (although I wish I did) so I'm trying to get the most out of each gun I own. I'm wondering if anyone has had success with either a puma or rossi 454 lever action as a big game hunter. I've heard that they're pretty good with deer, but what about Elk or moose?

Any info would be helpful.

Thanks,

Geof
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A 400gr pill going at 1400fps is good for pretty much everything in NA. If you hand load its a fantastic cartridge.
 
454

the 454 factory cartridge is total overkill for deer.
Overpenetration and destruction.

It is plenty of power for anything walking N/A.
Actually prolly ideal as far as muzzle energy and bullet weight for moose and the like.
Like anything, delivering it on the target is the only issue.

If you can deliver the bullet on target with an iron sighted lightweight lever, the 454 is plenty capable.
So is stiff loaded 45colt too. 375, 444, 45/70 etc are all also good for the same.
Hard cast lead heavy weights are the way to go.

If you want to use one rifle the 454 offers a crazy wide window of options from CAS powder puff loads to full on 454 handloads.
Pretty amazing really.
 
You would have to determine the oal. max. in the levergun to see if some of the LBT type styles would feed O.K., and if they did, the gun would be a good hunting gun for moose and elk at short to mid. range. If the heavy cast bullets won't work because of nose length, you could always use heavy loads in .45 Colt's cases.
 
terez said:
the 454 factory cartridge is total overkill for deer.
Overpenetration and destruction.

It is plenty of power for anything walking N/A.
Actually prolly ideal as far as muzzle energy and bullet weight for moose and the like.
Like anything, delivering it on the target is the only issue.

If you can deliver the bullet on target with an iron sighted lightweight lever, the 454 is plenty capable.
So is stiff loaded 45colt too. 375, 444, 45/70 etc are all also good for the same.
Hard cast lead heavy weights are the way to go.

If you want to use one rifle the 454 offers a crazy wide window of options from CAS powder puff loads to full on 454 handloads.
Pretty amazing really.
Click to expand...

Again, can someone please define the term overkill to me, as it relates to big game and sporting arms and ammo. Frankly, I don't get it. A bullet hits a game animal, it creates a wound channel that compromises the supply of oxygen to the brain, and the animal quickly looses consciousness and dies. Ain't that the point? If the bullet exits, all the better, now two holes dump blood out on the ground and cold air enters the body cavity to hasten the onset of shock. Again, thats a good thing. The animal dies quickly and humanely. A deer hit well with a 100 gr .243 bullet dies quickly, a deer hit well with with a 500 gr .458 bullet dies quickly, so where does overkill enter the equation?

In Africa I shot a 100 pound impala with a 300 gr AGS solid from a .375. The impala died without taking a step, no meat was lost, and the exit hole was about the size of a looney. You couldn't ask for better performance, yet some might suggest that a .375 is overkill for deer sized animals. Anyone who has hunted with a .375 knows this isn't true, yet the term lives on.
 
Boomer said:
Again, can someone please define the term overkill to me, as it relates to big game and sporting arms and ammo. Frankly, I don't get it. A bullet hits a game animal, it creates a wound channel that compromises the supply of oxygen to the brain, and the animal quickly looses consciousness and dies. Ain't that the point? If the bullet exits, all the better, now two holes dump blood out on the ground and cold air enters the body cavity to hasten the onset of shock. Again, thats a good thing. The animal dies quickly and humanely. A deer hit well with a 100 gr .243 bullet dies quickly, a deer hit well with with a 500 gr .458 bullet dies quickly, so where does overkill enter the equation?

In Africa I shot a 100 pound impala with a 300 gr AGS solid from a .375. The impala died without taking a step, no meat was lost, and the exit hole was about the size of a looney. You couldn't ask for better performance, yet some might suggest that a .375 is overkill for deer sized animals. Anyone who has hunted with a .375 knows this isn't true, yet the term lives on.
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Yup. Overkill just doesn't exist.

I think he's just trying to say that you can use less powder, noise, and recoil to take care of a skinny little deer... but where's the fun in that?:D
 
the factory hornady 300 grain bullets are rated around 1600 fps in a 7 inch barrel .

a friend of mine who has a similar rifle ( the only difference is his is stainless , mine is blued ) is getting 2200 - 2300 fps with a 20 inch barrel , with the 300 grain hornady ammo .

so basicly what you have is a " 45-70 " in a nice tight , light package .
 
I first posted the following a couple years ago hopefully it will help you decide I call my 454 rifle my 45-70 lite...


Here are a few velocities in fps that I get with some of my different 454 Casull loads in my s/s 20" barreled LSI Puma M92.

240gr XTP-Mag 38grs H110 1) 2258 2) 2327 3) 2316

300gr XTP-Mag 30grs H110 1) 1858 2) 1821

300gr Speer Gold Dot 31grs H110 1) 1890 2) 1897

360gr C/P WLNGC’s 27grs Lil-gun 1) 1848 2) 1846 3) 1828

395gr C/P WLNGC’s 24grs Lil-Gun 1) 1647 2) 1642 3) 1650

I went to Beartooth bullets site and used their ballistics calculator.

Here are the results for the Puma rifle.

240gr = 2820 ft-lbs 36 TKO 154 TSP
300gr = 2305 ft-lbs 36 TKO 156 TSP
360gr = 2737 ft-lbs 43 TKO 185 TSP
395gr = 2388 ft-lbs 42 TKO 182 TSP

Foot-Pounds of energy (ft-lbs) eg; 30-06 180gr bullet 2700fps = 2914

Taylor Knock Out Scale (TKO) eg; 30-06 180gr bullet 2700fps = 21

Thornly Stopping Power Scale eg; 30-06 180gr 2700fps = 109

Example of TSP scale
45 Antelope
50 Deer
100 Black Bear (To account for 350- 500 lbs. bear.)
120 Elk, Moose, Kudu, Zebra, Large African Safari Plains Game
150 Lion, Leopard, Grizzly Bear, Brown Bear
250 Hippopotamus , Rhinoceros, Cape Buffalo, Elephant
Click to expand...
 
I've been hoping they would chamber one in 460 S&W.
Then you could have 45 Colt, 454 Casull & 460 S&W all in one gun.
In stainless please, straight stock, large loop lever in a carbine...
 
Crazytrout said:
What kind of accuracy are you getting from the 454 Puma out to 100 yards?

CT
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i haven't actually punched any paper with it , but i have shot alot of pop cans .

the second notch in on the sights and it will hit a pop can at 100 yards without any hold over using 454 ammo .

just think of it as a realy big agressive .22 .... it is that much fun to shoot .

the the winchester 250 grain " cowboy " 45 colt rounds work really well on rabbits .
 
burnt_servo said:
if they came out with one in 460 s&w , i'd buy one in a heart beat .
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I read on a US forum that they were making the Rossi Puma M92 in .480 Ruger.
I was looking at one in .454 Casull on the Frontier Firearms website but somebody bought it before I could make up my mind.
Do any of you current owners have an overall opinion of the construction, workmanship and accuracy of the Rossi Puma M92 lever action?
If you had the choice again would you have still bought it?
Will the .454 Casull model feed .45 LC ammo well?
Apparently another company has bought Rossi and will continue to manufacture the Pumas which come in 16", 18", 20" and 24" barrel models.
 
I had two issues ordered my 20" barreled s/s 454 Casull M92 took it to the range fired a shot and the ejected case had a line in it checked the chamber and there was a gouge in it took the rifle back and had another rifle shipped.

This second rifle was great until the butt stock started too split I then ordered from Gun Stocks inc in the States a black/gray laminate stock/fore end set glass bed them to the gun and the rest was history.

It feeds everything that I put thru it from 200gr cowboy 45 Colt loads too 405gr 454 Casull loads.

I have an issue now the front barrel band cross screw broke and I haven't had time to get another one ordered yet.

I threw away the rear fiber optic sight and installed the rear sight off of my Marlin 1895GS with this set up I am more than happy with the accuracy of this rifle.
 
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