Personal observations shooting 454 casull vs 500 magnum

[sharpblade7777]

Several months ago I bought this ruger alaskan in 454 casull. Yesterday my nephew came for a visit and brought his smith 500 magnum. I was hesitant to shoot it knowing how painful my 454 was on my hand. But much to my surprise it didn't hurt my hand at all. I could tell it was very powerful but was amazed it didn't hurt. I can't explain why but maybe the weight of the gun, didn't seem as snappy as the 454. The bottom picture is the hornady ammo used, both bullets are 300 grains.

 

[thor's daddy]

It seems reasonable. The Smith is 10 ounces heavier and has a muzzle brake.

As a handloader, I'd choose the Alaskan by a wide margin.

 

[contender]

I have found that in factory ammo,, quite often,, the 454 seems top have what is considered "snappier" recoil than the "pushing" recoil of other calibers. I've figured the way the ammo is loaded has a lot to do with that. I have a 454 that I reload for,,, (A FA) and if I reload ammo for it,, it's quite pleasant for such a big bore. But the factory stuff I have shot,, (purchased to get the brass,) isn't nearly as nice. The few times I've shot a .500 S&W,, it also seemed to be a little easier to shoot.
But a .500 Linebaugh,, using Buffalo Bore ammo,, now that one let us know it was a handful!

 

[GYJ44]

But a .500 Linebaugh,, using Buffalo Bore ammo,, now that one let us know it was a handful!

Yep. Even though the S&W runs at much higher pressure, the weight of the X-frames coupled with the muzzle brake really tames them. A Ruger Bisley .500 is like riding a hardtail, you get to feel everything.

 

[seasterl]

Higher pressure, especially in lighter guns, equals more recoil velocity and that produces the snappy, muzzle-flipping flinch-inducing unpleasant shooting experience. At one time I did a big excel spreadsheet calculating recoil velocity and recoil energy for many different loads. I also preferred the 500 Wyoming Express over the 454 Casull for the same reasons. But make no mistake, a .500” 440gr bullet at 1300-1400fps was NOT fun even in a FA83 7.5” barrel! Keeping speed about 1100fps was more tolerable and kept pressure down.