Guide

.454 Casull Ammo Guide

By Cole Harlan, EditorUpdated Nov 5, 2026How we verifyEditorial standards

We load-checked seven factory .454 Casull loads on Federal's and Hornady's own product pages on November 5, 2026: three from Federal and four from Hornady. Muzzle velocity and energy below are copied from those maker pages. We don't list prices or use retailer ballistics. Test barrels differ: Federal prints 5.7-V on all three loads, Hornady 9148, 9150 and 9151 list 7.5 in, Hornady 91488 (DGH) lists 4 in, and SAAMI's solid test barrel is 9.300 in (236.22 mm). We do not rank loads across barrels.

Factory loads we checked

Maker	Item	Load	gr	Muzzle fps	Muzzle ft-lb	Test barrel	Source
Federal	P454SA	Swift A-Frame 300 gr Swift A-Frame	300	1,520 fps	1,539 ft-lb	5.7-V	Federal page
Federal	F454FS1	Fusion Handgun 260 gr Fusion Soft Point	260	1,350 fps	1,052 ft-lb	5.7-V	Federal page
Federal	P454XB1	Barnes Expander Handgun 250 gr Barnes Expander	250	1,530 fps	1,299 ft-lb	5.7-V	Federal page
Hornady	9148	Custom 240 gr XTP Mag	240	1,900 fps	1,924 ft-lb	7.5 in	Hornady page
Hornady	9150	Custom 300 gr XTP Mag	300	1,650 fps	1,813 ft-lb	7.5 in	Hornady page
Hornady	9151	Handgun Hunter 200 gr MonoFlex	200	1,950 fps	1,689 ft-lb	7.5 in	Hornady page
Hornady	91488	Backcountry Defense 300 gr DGH	300	1,820 fps	2,206 ft-lb	4 in	Hornady page

Barrels differ across these loads, so they are not ranked against each other. Federal prints its test barrel as 5.7-V.

SAAMI pressure

SAAMI lists a maximum average pressure (MAP) of 65,000 psi for 454 Casull, measured by transducer (printed as 650 psi/100), in ANSI/SAAMI Z299.3-2022 (SAAMI PDF). The test barrel is 9.300 in (236.22 mm) SOLID. SAAMI also prints a vented barrel of 5.696 in (144.68 mm) and a vented reference of 7.500 in (190.50 mm), with a twist of 24.00 in R.H. Crusher is Not Established. Transducer MPLM is 67,100 psi and MPSM is 70,200 psi. See every cartridge on the SAAMI MAP pressure chart.

Hunting and defense lines, by maker name

We group loads only by the maker's own line names. Swift A-Frame, Fusion, Barnes Expander, Custom (XTP Mag) and Handgun Hunter (MonoFlex) are hunting-oriented lines. Backcountry Defense (DGH) is a defense-oriented line. We do not rank these loads or recommend one over another.

Test barrels differ

Federal prints 5.7-V on its three loads, Hornady lists 7.5 in on 9148, 9150 and 9151 and 4 in on the DGH 91488, and SAAMI's solid test barrel is 9.300 in. Maker muzzle velocity and energy are not SAAMI reference velocities. We show maker numbers as printed and do not reconcile or rank them across barrels.

Not yet verified: Remington had no .454 Casull products in its sitemap on our check. Winchester, Speer and CCI were not checked. SAAMI's solid-barrel reference velocities could not be read reliably from the PDF text, so we do not list them. Checked November 5, 2026.

See the SAAMI MAP chart, the .500 S&W Magnum ammo guide, the .460 S&W Magnum ammo guide, the .44 Magnum ammo guide, the .357 Magnum ammo guide, the .41 Magnum ammo guide and all ammo releases.

Frequently asked questions

What is the SAAMI MAP for .454 Casull?

65,000 psi by transducer (printed as 650 psi/100) in ANSI/SAAMI Z299.3-2022, with a 9.300 in (236.22 mm) solid test barrel. Crusher is Not Established.

Which makers are covered in this guide?

Federal (three loads) and Hornady (four loads), checked on their own product pages on Nov. 5, 2026.

Why do the listed test barrels differ?

Federal prints 5.7-V, Hornady 9148, 9150 and 9151 list 7.5 in, Hornady 91488 lists 4 in, and SAAMI's solid test barrel is 9.300 in. We show the numbers as printed and do not rank loads across barrels.

What is not yet verified in this guide?

Remington had no .454 Casull products in its sitemap on our check. Winchester, Speer and CCI were not checked. SAAMI's solid-barrel reference velocities could not be read reliably from the PDF text.

.454 Casull Ammo Guide

Factory loads we checked

SAAMI pressure

Hunting and defense lines, by maker name

Test barrels differ

Frequently asked questions

Sources

Keep exploring

Factory loads we checked

SAAMI pressure

Hunting and defense lines, by maker name

Test barrels differ

Related

Frequently asked questions

Sources

Keep exploring

The Gun Release Report