By some measures, high performance revolvers appeared with the 1873 Single Action Army Colt. Its .45 Long Colt cartridge carried more punch than some rifles could muster just a few years earlier. However, it wasn't until the .357 Magnum's debut in 1935 that handgun velocities blasted through the 1,400 fps ceiling, courtesy of Phil Sharpe, Winchester and Smith & Wesson.

The first .357s listed at $60. A brief decade later, a short cowboy in a tall Stetson rode out of the wilds of Idaho to champion big-bore revolvers. Elmer Keith soon convinced Remington to match his hot .44 Special handloads. In 1954 Remington brought to Smith & Wesson the .44 Magnum. About the same time, Dick Casull was busy boosting horsepower in Colt's iconic 1873, loading the .45 Long Colt to pressures higher than were safe in early SAs. From his shop came the .454 Casull, hailed by P.O. Ackley in 1959.

It's a stout case, .1 inch longer than the .45 Colt (like the .357 and .44 Magnum are stretched versions of the .38 and .44 Specials).

Ruger announced its Super Blackhawk in .44 Magnum and the Blackhawk in .45 Long Colt, both in '59. The Blackhawk proved perfect for the .454 Casull. Dick replaced its six-shot cylinder with a five-hole version to thicken chamber walls. In 1983 this cartridge helped define a new, finely crafted revolver from Freedom Arms.

Suitable Application

The .357 Magnum set a new standard as a police round--just a few decades after the .32 Colt New Police sufficed. It also offered hunters a 100-yard whitetail cartridge. The .44 Magnum promptly trumped the .357 in the woods, but even in Clint Eastwood's paw it seemed more artillery than needed for crooks. The .454 is a consummate hunting cartridge.

"The first time I used it afield, I killed an elk at 200 yards," says Freedom Arms president Bob Baker, conceding that was a longer shot than he likes to take. Accomplished marksmen like Bob have since proven it deadly on game as tough as Africa's Big Five.

Ballistics

Available with bullets as heavy as 300 grains, the .454 carries twice the muzzle thump of the .44 Magnum and yields only half the bullet drop at 100 yards. A 260-grain bullet at 1,750 fps from a 7 1/2-inch Freedom Arms 83 matches the energy of a .30-30 rifle. The Casull remains the most potent commercially loaded cartridge for single-actions--excepting the .475 Linebaugh, now offered by Hornady.