Puma .44 Mag VS .454 Casual

[longbowhunter]

I have been looking at Puma lever action rifles. And I am torn between the .44mag & .454 Casual. Primary use will be Indiana deer. I like the extended range and power of the .454
I like the ammunition availability and cost of the .44 and I know that I can shoot .45 long colt out of the .454 Anything that I am missing ? Any recommendations either way ?

 

[Bruenor]

I have the .44 magnum Puma, and I love it. I haven't taken it hunting (yet), but I hope to this year. It's a nice piece, and a lot of fun to shoot. The only thing I don't like is the strange safety, so I don't use it.

 

[clt46910]

Cost of ammo would be what I would look at. I rather be a better shot with something I can affort to practice with then a poor shot with a hotter ammo.

.44 mag is overall cheaper to practice with. That is the way I would go.

 

[jy951]

I don't think you can easily scope it, so the added range of the 454 casull will not be as helpfull imho. I'd go with 44 mag for cheaper ammo, less recoil.

 

[fireball168]

No question, .454 for me.

There isn't anything a .429 bullet can do for me that a .452 can't do as good or better - regardless of if it is in a Schofield, Colt or Casull case.


At this moment, it is over $100 cheaper than the 44:

Puma .454 Casull 20 Round Barrel Blue 45 for Sale at Buds Gun Shop $354.00

 

[bigmedicine]

Both cartridges are more than adequate for deer. If you carry a side arm, you also can factor in your choice into your decision. My experience with my .454 is that it shoots very well with stout .45 colt rounds - so well that I primarily hunt with that now. Since I also carry a ruger .45 Colt blackhawk as a sidearm, it just makes your ammo choice all the easier.

Just go with what you can get your hands on and can practice with. If you reload, you have an entirely different situation to work with. Just shoot your gun a LOT to smooth it out and to gain experience. For me, returning to iron sights was a really great experience.
FYI - here is a thread that was running a while back on alternative sights for the Puma.

 

[bigmedicine]

FYI - you guys are 100% correct for price of factory ammo. I strongly suggest you start reloading - you can cut your costs tremendously! Another plus of getting a "plan" together for your weapons is some standardization of components. I now hunt with the same bullet out of my muzzleloader, handgun, and rifle (Hornady XTP) - makes things simple and MUCH less expensive than factory ammo.

 

[Leadeye]

I would stick with the 44, the cost of 454 ammo even if you reload is significantly higher and practicing as much as you can will help your hunting sucess.

 

[teddy12b]

I bought a Puma 92 44mag 2 years ago and haven't looked back. Keep in mind that a 44mag in rifle is a heck of a beast and it's nothing to scoff at in a handgun either. A 44mag is plenty for anything in Indiana. Lets face it, there's no excuses with a 44 rifle, if you shoot and it doesn't go down it wasn't the gun or the caliber. It can also shoot the 44 special also.

These are a you know what to scope, so most people don't unless you buy the scout version. In either case you're not going to get hunting accuracy past 150 yards, maybe 200 if you're really pushing it with either caliber.

Since I bought my Puma 92, I bought another on a great deal. My uncle like it so much he talked me into selling it to him. I like these so much I just found another Puma 92 44mag on an even better deal that I'll buy and keep. I would buy one in every model they make them in 44mag if I had the $$. It's a great rifle.

In either case buy one and you can't go wrong. One thing I'll give the 454 is I think the buttstock has a rubber recoil pad (not that it's gonna matter with a 454) on it and the 44mag is steel, ouch.

 

[triharley]

I agree with BigMedicine, I can reload my 44 mags for half to 2/3's of retail depending on lead or jacket bullets. You might find the ole lever gun alot more fun to shoot than just during deer season.

 

[BigCat]

A lever gun in .44mag or above is on my must buy list, but I must admit I am relatively ignorant about the options. I am not a deer hunter (yet) but I thought whichever rifle I get next it would be nice if it could also be used for deer in Indiana along with whatever else I might want to use it on. What are you gaining ballistically when you go from a .44mag to a .454?

 

[phatgemi]

No question, .454 for me.

There isn't anything a .429 bullet can do for me that a .452 can't do as good or better - regardless of if it is in a Schofield, Colt or Casull case.


At this moment, it is over $100 cheaper than the 44:

Puma .454 Casull 20 Round Barrel Blue 45 for Sale at Buds Gun Shop $354.00

Also OUT OF STOCK for that price.

 

[fireball168]

Check it again on Tuesday - I've seen a lot of things go out of stock on the weekends, only to reappear at the previous price a few days later.

 

[fireball168]

Check it again on Tuesday - I've seen a lot of things go out of stock on the weekends, only to reappear at the previous price a few days later.

Back in stock.

Puma .454 Casull 20 Round Barrel Blue 45 for Sale at Buds Gun Shop $354.00

 

[gglass]

A lever gun in .44mag or above is on my must buy list, but I must admit I am relatively ignorant about the options. I am not a deer hunter (yet) but I thought whichever rifle I get next it would be nice if it could also be used for deer in Indiana along with whatever else I might want to use it on. What are you gaining ballistically when you go from a .44mag to a .454?

Here are the ballistics for the common cartridge types employed by Puma rifles. Note that these are handgun barrel ballistics, but it will give you a comparison between the cartridges.