Mr. Clapp,

My next purchase is likely to be a scoped, hunting handgun. Can you give a rundown of the cartridges and handguns currently available above .44 Magnum?

I’m asking about cartridges from the .454 Casull to the .500 S&W. I have heard that some cartridges, or the handguns for them, have been discontinued. If the topic is too broad, please limit your answer to guns and cartridges currently in production. Is there a cartridge in this category that is taking the lead in popularity? Which has the biggest variety of bullets available for reloading?

Richard Hayward

Thanks for taking the time to direct your excellent question to me. I would be happy to provide you with my feeling on the matter.

Above .44 Magnum? There’s more than there used to be - .45 Colt (loaded hot), .454 Cassull, .460 S&W Magnum and .500 S&W Magnum. Others, such as the .480 Ruger, .475 Linebaugh and some wildcats, have never become sufficiently popular to be included in a broad discussion. Ruger has even discontinued the .480, probably because of limited sales.

You didn’t give me a lot of parameters for the survey, but I will assume that you accept the inevitability of gun size and weight. I will further assume that versatility has some importance in your consideration. I would discount the first two (Colt and Casull) as lacking versatility. Both of them are great and versatile cartridges for the handloader, but there is limited availability of a variety of factory ammo.

To me, one of the more useful cartridges for guys who can handle a big gun is the .460 S&W Magnum. My friend Jon Maxwell has several of them and uses almost everything with a .45-inch bullet in them. This includes .460 ammo in several bullet weights, .454 Casull, .45 Colt and even those stubby little .45 Schofield rounds. They are great to start youngsters with, and we all need to start a new shooter once in a while. You can’t make the .45 ACP or Autorim work, but that’s the breaks. If I was serious about a hunting handgun that would be a go-anywhere, do-anything arm, I believe this would be my choice. And there are enough loads on dealer’s shelves that handloading isn’t required. The .500 is a magnificent accomplishment, but it has limited versatility.

Of course, there is also much to be said for the plain old .44 Mag., but I digress. Thanks for writing. Consider upgrading your membership.

Wiley Clapp