.38 Special vs .454 Casull Ammo Comparison - Ballistics Info & Chart – Foundry Outdoors

.38 Special vs .454 Casull Ammo Comparison - Ballistics Info & Chart

The following ammunition cartridge ballistics information and chart can be used to approximately compare .38 Special vs .454 Casull ammo rounds. Please note, the following information reflects the estimated average ballistics for each caliber and does not pertain to a particular manufacturer, bullet weight, or jacketing type. As such, the following is for comparative information purposes only and should not be used to make precise predictions of the trajectory, performance, or true ballistics of any particular .38 Special or .454 Casull rounds for hunting, target shooting, plinking, or any other usage. The decision for which round is better for a given application should be made with complete information, and this article simply serves as a comparative guide, not the final say.

For more detailed ballistics information please refer to the exact round in question or contact the manufacturer for the pertinent information. True .38 Special and .454 Casull ballistics information can vary widely from the displayed information, and it is important to understand that the particular characteristics of a given round can make a substantive difference in its true performance.


Caliber Type Velocity
(fps)
Energy
(ft-lb)
.38 Special Handgun 880 240
.454 Casull Handgun 1600 1700






Velocity


As illustrated in the chart, .38 Special rounds - on average - achieve a velocity of about 880 feet per second (fps) while .454 Casull rounds travel at a velocity of 1600 fps. To put this into perspective, a Boeing 737 commercial airliner travels at a cruising speed of 600 mph, or 880 fps. That is to say, .38 Special bullets travel 1 times the speed of a 737 airplane at cruising speed, while .454 Casull bullets travel 1.8 times that same speed.

Various calibers



Energy



Furthermore, the muzzle energy of a .38 Special round averages out to 240 ft-lb, while a .454 Casull round averages out to about 1700 ft-lb. One way to think about this is as such: a foot-pound is a unit of energy equal to the amount of energy required to raise a weight of one pound a distance of one foot. So a .38 Special round exits the barrel with kinetic energy equal to the energy required for linear vertical displacement of 240 pounds through a one foot distance, while a .454 Casull round exiting the barrel has energy equal to the amount required to displace 1700 pounds over the same one foot distance. As a rule of thumb, when it comes to hunting, muzzle energy is what many hunters look at when deciding on what caliber of firearm / ammunition to select. Generally speaking, the higher the muzzle energy, the higher the stopping power.

Again, the above is for comparative information purposes only, and you should consult the exact ballistics for the particular .38 Special or .454 Casull cartridge you're looking at purchasing.








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