.454 Vs. 12 Gauge...Not what I expected!

[alaskabushman]

This it hot of the Youtube press...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H2KhI7aHLqU

I was totally on the side on the 12 Gauge, and not expecting these results! Thankfully I dont live in a place where I have a need for a .454, but if I did it would certainly be a more compact option than a full out shotgun. Its nice to see the massive damage that the 12Ga actually pulled off. While you can color me shocked at the performance of the handgun round, I'll stick with my 12 gauge, and maybe be a little more confident with it. Well done test I thought.

[hunter63]

Well, a bear isn't 42" thick so I guess I don't see where the extra penetration is any advantage.

I agree that a .400 gr hard cast is badazz.....as shown, and impressive damage.
But when you consider that there aren't too many people that can shoot a large handgun more that one shot accurately, my choice for HP and bears sized targets is still the 12 ga....and would be for most people, I believe.

Funny thing is..... I haven't seen a gel block running at you at 30 miles an hour. (joke)

[kyratshooter]

Another jack-leg gun test done for viral effect.

If they want dramatic effect why not use a Contender in .35 Remington or one of the African game calibers they were doing back in the 1980s?

400gn hard cast is NOT a standard factory load in the .454. Most folks can not stand the recoil of the 240-260gn standard load but for a couple of shots, as has been stated, and I could not find their 400gn/.454 load for sale anywhere on the internet.

If the velocity equals the 12ga, and the weight of the slug equals a 12ga then the recoil is also going to equal a 12ga, only in a pistol sized package !!

But one could say they are looking at this backwards.

It is nice to know that my $150 12 gauge, or anyone else's 12gauge, using ammo I can get at any Wallmart, will equal the performance of a custom loaded bullet from an $800-$1000 specialty pistol that only a few own, or want to own.

And on the weekends we can shoot pheasants and still have enough left to eat, without developing a flinch, tremors, carpal tunnel or the need to have a front sight removed from our foreheads.

[hunter63]

There has been a .454 Bigazz revolver I'm thinking a Ruger Super Redhawk....that has come and gone from our local Gander Mountain several times.....Some one buys it then returns it....Though about it a couple of times.....but never bit.

My .44 mag does have a recoil.... and is about all I want to spend any time actually shooting for accuracy, rather than just closing my eyes, turning my head, pulling the trigger and saying, "Yeah I do it all the time......"

Now then there is the Mag Research 45-70 out there if you truly want to get the adrenalin pumping.

[sjj]

edited.....

[alaskabushman]

Another jack-leg gun test done for viral effect.

I dont think so. If you watch some of his other movies they all approach ballistic testing the same way, with LOTS of other rounds. I'll admit its a limited application testing, but ballistic gel is a standard that you can get repeated results with.

If they want dramatic effect why not use a Contender in .35 Remington or one of the African game calibers they were doing back in the 1980s?

I doubt he was going for dramatic effect, he was just curious what would happen based on some numbers printed on a box. I can respect the "what would happen if..." way of thinking.

400gn hard cast is NOT a standard factory load in the .454. Most folks can not stand the recoil of the 240-260gn standard load but for a couple of shots, as has been stated, and I could not find their 400gn/.454 load for sale anywhere on the internet.

I would agree that the .454 has some pretty nasty recoil, the one time I shot one I didnt even get through a full cylinder before laying it back down. Thats why I've never felt the need to pick one up, and have been very content with my .357 for so many years. I'm guessing you didnt check Double Taps website...cause its there.
http://www.doubletapammo.net/index.p...product_id=148

It is nice to know that my $150 12 gauge, or anyone else's 12gauge, using ammo I can get at any Wallmart, will equal the performance of a custom loaded bullet from an $800-$1000 specialty pistol that only a few own, or want to own.

Thats what I took home from the video, I am very happy to continue packing my 12ga loaded with slugs knowing it performs so well. There is a reason that the 1oz slug is a gold standard, because its just about the biggest chunk of lead you can throw out of a gun! I was very impressed with the performance of both pistol rounds, they both did very well, but as you pointed out, a box of these is not cheap at almost $40. If I were a pistol hunter for elk, moose or bear I would really like the 400 gr. hardcast, that is some serious penetration! I have no use for such a gun however, and stick with what I know works for me.

[hunter63]

abm....I think most people would agree with your assessment....12 or even 20 ga w/-3/4 oz would still be my choice.

Like I said, did lust after the "communal" Bigazz pistola a few times, in between trips home with various people...I think it's back again....but not to the point of actually paying for it.

[Grizz123]

I wonder how a 410 slug compares to a 454?

I like my ruger SRH in .454, I got it when I moved to AK because its easier to carry than a 12 gauge while out in the woods. Her bark is as bad as her bite but I still enjoy shooting her

[alaskabushman]

if I lived on the mainland where grizzlies prowl, I might consider the same thing.

[kyratshooter]

I am aways suspect of a review of a product placed on You-tube by the company that makes that product.

It's not a review,

It's ADVERTISING !!!

Where were all you guys when I was trying to make a living in sales?

[kyratshooter]

I wonder how a 410 slug compares to a 454?

A .410 slug is only 80 grains and .38 caliber.

A stiff 9mm load has more power, and a 12gauge 000 buckshot load has almost 9 times more power.

[COWBOYSURVIVAL]

I have never been impressed with a .410 slug (round). Not very accurate for me. Now a 12 ga. Sabot is the shizzles in my rifled barrel! Out shoots any rifle I own with iron sights.

[alaskabushman]

I am aways suspect of a review of a product placed on You-tube by the company that makes that product.

He tests all different kinds of ammo, from different manufacturers, not all of which is a good review.

[ElevenBravo]

A Mavrick88 is a whole lot cheaper than a 454 handgun, even Taurus... AND its faster to get back on target for follow up.. Maybe more klunky to carry, but it works!

EB

[kyratshooter]

He tests all different kinds of ammo, from different manufacturers, not all of which is a good review.

This is getting a bit strange.

Come on Bushman, wake up and smell the gunpowder!

Of course the Double-Tap man bad mouths many different brands of ammo!

Now let me ask,

Are his BAD reviews ever the Double-Tap brand?

Ever heard him say "Our load in this caliber is crap, buy the Federal at half the price!" ????

These are not reviews, they are a sales pitch for Double-Tap.

[alaskabushman]

This is getting a bit strange.

Come on Bushman, wake up and smell the gunpowder!

Of course the Double-Tap man bad mouths many different brands of ammo!

Now let me ask,

Are his BAD reviews ever the Double-Tap brand?

Ever heard him say "Our load in this caliber is crap, buy the Federal at half the price!" ????

These are not reviews, they are a sales pitch for Double-Tap.

If you had checked the shootingthebull410 channel you would see only a handful of DoubleTap reviews out of the hundred or more videos pertaining to ammo. In fact I see way more Hornady, Winchester and Federal reviews than anything else. He IS a proponent of the Tuarus Judge, which he uses to test some of the ammo. A good reviewer lists the good as well as the bad. This is why I got turned off to gun magazines, they only ever praise a product and never list the downfalls. Thats why I still subscribe to Gun Tests magazine, they have a more unbiased approach and I feel that the final conclusion is more realistic. Regarding the .454 Casull ammo that was tested I dont see anything wrong with it. Its a specialty ammo with limited uses, but obviously there is a market for such things. I was impressed with the penetration of the hardcast load and the reliable (in ballistic gel) expansion of the hollowpoint. Even you have to admit that is some pretty serious damage from a pistol. Some folks want that.

What puzzles me is why this offends you so much. He did a test that is fairly standard in the industry, made a comparison and never once said that the pistol ammo was "better" than a shotgun. I would submit that in certain situations the .454 might actually be better, just not for me or you apparently.
I try to share things I think other people will find interesting, I guess I'll just keep it to myself next time.

[Old Professor]

As has been said by others, I would go with the shotgun and slug in most cases. However, There may be situations where lugging around a shotgun is not practical and a handgun is a more practical option (but not for me!!) I once bought a used .454 Ruger Red Hawk - less that one cylinder full cured me of that desire for a .454 !!! I did find the test to provide a valuable measure of the extreme penetration of the hard cast flat nose slug. That slug design is what I carry in my Taurus Tracker 44 for Black Bear protection. I am also shooting the Barnes all copper hollow point as a hunting bullet for deer and possibly black bear. I consider self protection from bear to be a very close range situation, hence the need for deep penetration to the vital areas for a quick stop but if I am hunting a bear, the distance will be greater and the shot not hurried and more deliberately delivered to the vitals.

[crashdive123]

I don't know guys.....I think the 454 is great! Wish gas prices would come down a bit though.


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[kyratshooter]

I look out the window at a vehicle that has an engine of displacement that will barely fill a coke bottle and struggles to pull myself and a full tank of gas down the road,

And I remember the big 1975 Buick Estate Wagon with the 454 that I once used to pull a 27' RV like it was not even hitched back there....

And the gas mileage was not really all that bad!

[knife nut]

That was back when we had real gas!!!