My late father had a Henry rifle and Colt SAA in .45 (long) Colt. They are now in my family’s private collection. I have always liked the versatility of this setup but I wanted something with more power.

I have fired both the 6.5-inch 500 S&W Magnum and the Big Horn Armory Model 89 in the same caliber that both belong to the grandson of a long-time friend. While I am not discounting the sheer horsepower of the .500 Magnum, carrying that revolver even for just a few hours makes for no less than WORK. I understand that the revolver needs to be that large in order to handle the recoil of the mighty .500.

Even the 460 S&W Magnum is a behemoth. No thanks.

My next step was to search for a caliber that is a significant increase in power over the .44 Magnum and a revolver that is not so unwieldy as the largest S&W offerings.

Enter the .454 Casull. The double-action Ruger 5-inch Super Redhawk Model Toklat still feels as large as the 460 and 500.

I chose the Freedom Arms 7.5-inch Field Grade Model 83 5-shot .454 Casull.

I was so impressed with the quality of the Big Horn product that I chose the 18-inch Model 90A also in .454 Casull.

The Remington .44 Magnum is no slouch as a hunting cartridge. Cartridge creator Elmer Keith would be proud of the development and evolution of this product. I just wanted something more power for when in big game country. The .454 Casull has also developed into what I consider to be a revolver cartridge powerful enough to take large game but not have the extremely high pressures of the of novelty products such as the .460 & .500.

What’s your combo?