Two of the revolvers presently available in .454 Casull are the Ruger Super Redhawk (back) and the Freedom Arms Model 83 (front).

Anyone who stays in the shooting game long enough will usually get around to favoring certain cartridges. I am no exception.

When it comes to full-size revolvers, I enjoy shooting the .357 Magnum, I am saddened by the lack of success of the .41 Magnum, I am impressed by the power of the .460 Magnum, and I have taken more game with the .44 Magnum than any other. Still, if I could own only one revolver for hunting deer, black bear, and even larger game, it would be chambered for none of those cartridges.

My pick of the bunch has long been the .454 Casull. I favor it because of its performance as well as my fondness for the revolver long chambered for it: the Freedom Arms Model 83.

The Model 83 revolver in .454 Casull celebrated its 25th birthday last year, and while I cannot describe it with authority as the world's finest revolver, I will say it is the finest and most accurate centerfire revolver I have ever held in my hands. As far as I know, no other builder of big-bore revolvers of any type has managed to duplicate its precision, its quality, and its ability to shoot a handful of bullets as close together on a distant target.

The Model 83 is capable of averaging 3 to 4 inches at 100 yards with full-power loads, and it is not uncommon for individual groups to measure even smaller. This is about what we expect from top-of-the-line revolvers of other makes at half that distance. Of course, such accuracy comes at a price; the last time I looked, the Premiere Grade was priced at $2,100 and the Field Grade would set you back $1,600.

There was a time when it was common to see horror stories written about .454 Casull recoil, but editors stopped buying those tales of woe with the introduction of other cartridges such as the .475 Linebaugh and .500 S&W Magnum. Truth of the matter is, while the .454 does churn up plenty of recoil, it has never been as difficult to shoot as some might have us believe. Here's an example.

A few years back, Tom, a quail-hunting friend of mine who is a pathologist at a local hospital, read an article on the .454 Casull and shortly thereafter mentioned that he would like to do some long-range shooting with that cartridge. One of the best all-around athletes I have ever known, Tom excels at about anything he tries, including shotgunning, but he had practically no experience with handguns. So one day, he and I headed to the gun club with my Freedom Arms single-action in .454 Casull equipped with a Bausch & Lomb 3X scope. At the time, bowling-pin competition was all the rage among action pistol shooters in our club, so after zeroing the gun at 300 yards, I set up bowling pins at that distance. Shooting from a sandbag rest, my friend fired 50 rounds of full-power handloads and missed exactly three bowling pins. Like I said, he's a natural at about anything he tries.

Another great thing about owning a revolver in .454 Casull is the option of reducing recoil by shooting .45 Colt ammo. This is especially important to those who shoot factory ammunition. Options there range from mild loads from Remington, Federal, and Winchester intended for use in Colt single-actions and other guns chambered specifically for the cartridge to a couple of CorBon loads that pretty much duplicate the performance of the .44 Magnum.

There isn't a scarcity of full-power .454 Casull ammunition either because CorBon, Hornady, Federal, Winchester, and Buffalo Bore now load the cartridge. The latter offers loads with extremely hard cast bullets.