Want a Biga** handgun, advice?

[MagKnightX]

I want to get a large-caliber, high-power revolver, and I have narrowed it down to three choices: BFR in .45-70, BFR in .500 SW, and S&W Model 500. Currently I am leaning towards the Smith and Wesson Model 500, but I would like the opinions of THR'ers who own any of these. Or, if someone has a better suggestion, that would also be appreciated. Thanks in advance.

 

[valnar]

Yah, my suggestion is shoot one first. I personally can't handle a .44Mag, so I guess I'm a wimp.


I saw a poster on the S&W forum say he returned it after one shot.

-Robert

 

[Shane]

Yah, my suggestion is shoot one first. I personally can't handle a .44Mag, so I guess I'm a wimp.

Not at all. It just takes practice.

I'm at the point where the .357 magnum feels mild in a medium frame revolver, and a .41 Magnum feels not too bad in a large frame revolver. Most .44 magnum loads I'm okay with, except for some of the massive bruin loads that are hot and carry a big bullet.

It just takes practice, in time, you too will eventually be able to comfortably move up to .44 magnum, IMO.

 

[444]

If it was me, I would get the S&W. I don't like the look of those BFRs. They might be terrific guns, but they just don't turn me on.
Since the S&W .500 came out, I have read a lot about it from various sources. I have yet to hear a negative comment about the S&W gun. I may have to have one myself at come point, but right now, it is low on the priority list.

 

[Nightcrawler]

I don't mind recoil so much, myself. My first and second handguns were .45s, the third a .45 colt (which with cowboy loads is a pussycat anyways). My fourth was a .41 Mag (which I LOVE, though it can hurt my hand if I fire a lot of Georgia Arms stuff).

I'm not saying my follow up shots are very fast though. Even with .45 I'm kid of slow.

Practice practice, hey?

 

[Lloyd Smale]

best advise youll ever get is to spend a couple hundred more and get a field grade Freedom Arms .475

 

[Standing Wolf]

I saw a poster on the S&W forum say he returned it after one shot.

That's a man who should have taken up hand loading. Sad!

 

[schapman43]

Another option is the Ruger Super Redhawk in either .454 or .480.

 

[MagKnightX]

I feel I probably should have mentioned this, I guess: I am fairly inexperienced when it comes to centerfire pistols, having only shot a .32 short, .38 Spl, and a 9mm Luger, as well as a couple of sessions with stronger stuff. I would prefer not to get a .357, so a friend has suggested to me that I get a .44 or a .45 LC. I'm guessing that this probably would be better to practice on before moving to a very large handgun, but again, I would like your advice as to whether or not I should go straight to the big ones, and if not, which model of smaller revolver to buy.

 

[gbran]

Linebaughs/Casulls

I agree with Lloyd Smale....... If you want bigbore power, look at the Freedom Arms SA revolvers. You can get most calibers up to .475 Linebaugh. The BFR and the S&W 500 revolvers are physically too large to be packable. You can even get some custom sixguns in 500 Linebaugh Long, which is equal or comparable to the 500 S&W. You might also consider the .454 Casull in the Taurus Raging Bull or the Ruger SuperRedHawk. These are packable and much cheaper.

 

[hksw]

IMO, going from .38Spec and 9mm to .454C, .475L, .500SW is a HUGE step, more like TWO HUGE steps. I'm a magnum power fan but that may be a bit much in what to expect and learning how to control that much power. I would take it a little easier and not go higher than .44mag or .45LC as you and your friend came up with. Cheaper platforms, cheaper ammo, a lot more practice, a lot easier to concentrate on your shooting and improving it without being distracted by the recoil (as compared to .454 and up).

 

[schapman43]

Ahhh hahh! I've got it! Get a Ruger Super Redhawk in .454 Casull. That way you could start by shooting mild .45 Colt cartridges in it and then when you feel like you are ready for the really big stuff you can shoot some .454 Casull in it. You can have the best of both worlds in the same handgun!

 

[digex]

You should REALLY try before you buy if at all possible. I'm a big-bore fan in handguns and I would say that the step (read: leap) you are looking to take from 9mm to .45 Colt is pretty large. And if you're talking even larger guns, then it may be money wasted. Just at least try these guns before you end up one of those folks who dropped a wad of cash on a gun that they just aren't comfortable with. I personally love my .454 and wouldn't trade it for the world, but I have friends that are terrified of it. It's a personal matter to be sure. Anyway, let us know what you decide and let us know how you like it.

 

[MagKnightX]

Actually, if I'm not getting smacked in the head or having my shoulder bruised, I find that recoil can even be fun. The "Get a Super Redhawk in .454 and use .45 LC in it" idea seems like it would work very well, but I actually find Taurus revolvers more aesthetically pleasing, so I have a couple of questions: 2. Are Taurus revolvers, specifically the Raging Bull, typically well-made? 3. How easy/difficult is it to mount a scope on either one? 3. Doesn't .454 Casull have a relatively high chance of a Big KaBoom?

 

[digex]

1. My Taurus Raging Bull is very well made. Some complain about the dual locks on the cylinder, but it isn't that big of a deal. Great gun, sweet accuracy (8 3/8" bbl)
2. Taurus makes a sweet scope rail for the .454 that works great. I use one and love it.
3. I haven't heard of a higher chance of KB with a .454 although I would imagine that a kb would be fairly unpleasant.

 

[coldshot03/04]

444 Marlin.

 

[Shane]

Ruger Bisley

I feel I probably should have mentioned this, I guess: I am fairly inexperienced when it comes to centerfire pistols, having only shot a .32 short, .38 Spl, and a 9mm Luger, as well as a couple of sessions with stronger stuff. I would prefer not to get a .357, so a friend has suggested to me that I get a .44 or a .45 LC. I'm guessing that this probably would be better to practice on before moving to a very large handgun, but again, I would like your advice as to whether or not I should go straight to the big ones, and if not, which model of smaller revolver to buy.

So, your a little not use to recoil and yet you want a powerful cartridge?

Then, try a Ruger Bisley. The way the grip is shaped tends to make recoil a little more tolerable--even with powerful cartridges. I've tried the .44 Magnum Bisley, and its one of the easiest recoiling .44 magnums I've tried in terms of subjectiveness. It tends to favor medium to large sized hands, so its a gun you need to "try before you buy".

And as far as going from 9mm to .454 Casull or greater, that sounds insane to me. The 9mm typically produces in the rough neighborhood of 4-8 ft-lbs of recoil energy in a typical 9mm pistol: depending on powder, gun weight, bullet weight, and bullet velocity. Even if you moved up to something like a .454 Casull, the recoil would jump up to roughly 30-40 ft-lbs of energy in a typical .454 Casull revolver: depending on powder, gun weight, bullet weight, and bullet velocity. That IMO is too much of an increase for one jump. I'd suggest going up the recoil ladder a little more slowly......

 

[Jim March]

Yes, I was going to mention that: the grip type that seems to soak up monster recoil the best is the Ruger Bisley type (which is really based more on a custom gun called the "#5" than the old Colt Bisley).

Two ways to get there: get a Ruger Bisley in 44Mag or 45LC (similar power level) and either shoot that horsepower level, and/or upgrade it later with a chamber/caliber conversion to something wild, OR you could get a BFR in any caliber, and convert that to Bisley for about $200 - $250 if you do it yourself.

See, the BFRs are based closely enough to the Ruger design that a lot of parts are compatible, including grip frames, hammer and trigger. So you could homebrew a "Bisley BFR" .

Here's a whole thread containing Ruger SA upgrade bits, including a complete "Bisleyize your Ruger/BFR kit":

http://www.thefiringline.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=80872

If you're going to start with a factory Ruger, a VERY good specimen is this variant:

http://www.ruger-firearms.com/Firearms/FAProdView?model=862&return=Y

That's the Ruger "Hunter Model", heavy barrel, scope rings and mounts included, and already "converted to Bisley". In "Bisley flavor", it's brand new this year.

This is the non-Bisley version:

http://www.ruger-firearms.com/Firearms/FAProdView?model=864&return=Y

These are about $600, often discounted less. Very good guns, with the Bisleyoid being the best - I strongly recommend handling a Ruger Bisley and see if it fits your hand though, as the grip is a little weird. Really soaks up the big boomers though!

Caliber conversions are available from several gunsmiths for about $400 for a basic job, more if you want it line-bored for extreme accuracy. With line-boring, you'll be into it for more than you'd pay for a BFR but you're liable to get better accuracy in a caliber like 454Casull or 475Linebaugh.

So, you could start with a 44Mag Bisley Hunter, recoil with a 53oz gun with that superb grip will tame the 44Mag down, you can start with 44Spl or light 44Mags and work your way up to monster hunting loads, and when you really want to go past the 44Mag, off to a gunsmith .

 

[MagKnightX]

After considering my options, I believe that probably the best choice is to get one of These and use .45 LC in it, starting with cowboy loads and moving up, until I get used to that, and then start on .454. The reasons I choose that model are: long barrel and thus greater weight and better, if only slightly, accuracy, and an integrated scope mount and "free" rings. This will probably be my next firearms purchase, unless it is common to have bad experiences with this model. Also, I will probably get a Hogue rubber grip for it. But again, any advice would be appreciated. Also, anybody know of a good scope to put on it?

 

[Shane]

^The Super Redhawk is a good plan.


Start off with light .45 LC loads, then move up to +P loads after you master the light loads. Only after you have mastered the .45 LC +P loads should you try the .454 Casull.

 

[Jim March]

That's a perfectly reasonable concept, and one of the most cost-effective ways to get into that sort of horsepower level.

 

[Baba Louie]

http://www.leupold.com/products/products_highlights.asp

One scope of many, good quality mfg.

From far off in left field, consider the Dan Wesson Large frame 445 which will let you do things like change barrel lengths and shoot from .44 special, .44 magnums and when you've grown tired of that, play with the .445 round, which should/could kill a grizzly (provided you see him/her first and he/she isn't in a grouchy mood).
In fact Dan Wesson makes a model called the Alaskan Hunter for hunters/fishermen etc but that could just be a marketing hype thing.With the ported compensator they claim a 61% reduction in felt recoil with the .445 supermax, which could be a good thing I reckon. Good looking handgun too.
Some people swear by the Dan Wesson line for accuracy, others just swear at Dan Wesson cause it seems to do the business failure thing every so often.

http://www.danwessonfirearms.com/

Check out their Alaskan Hunter under new products... Kinda sexy IMO.

You cannot go wrong with a Ruger SRH in .454/.45 colt, especially if you like ugly guns that fit in funny shoulder/chest holsters... once you scope it up.

The grips are everything. Porting makes for loud and flashy bangs.

Having said all that, I'd probably stick to finding a good used 6" S&W 29 from someone who couldn't handle the felt recoil, change grips as required and shoot specials at first, easing up into the magnum loads as experience grows. But thats just because I like the older pre-lock blued S&W N-Frames (who doesn't?) YMMV

Adios

 

[Ohen Cepel]

Sounds like you're making a LARGE jump up.

I would really suggest a .357 or .44 first. The .357 will be cheaper to shoot and .38's in it are fine. The .44 will also digest specials if you want milder.

I think the recoil and cost of shooting a monster may deter you from getting proficient with it or enjoying it much over the long run.

If you want to go big though I would get the .454. I like the Freedoms or Rugers if you go that way. There are also several custom shops out there if you want something worked up on certain frame. Gary Reeder is one that comes to mind.

As mentioned by others good to shoot some of them first.

Where are you located? I would let you touch off some of mine if you're in my area (MD currently). Other members here may also be willing to do the same.

 

[JDSlack]

Excellent advice from all. But this is a REAL Biga** handgun...

Before anyone gets upset....only funnin'