Poll: what's the ideal big bore revolver cartridge?

Ideal big bore handgun cartridge

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Obturation said:
I've considered getting a 480 ruger for years as the heavier bullets and larger diameter are very effective . my hang up has been components, they're not very common and what you can find is what you'll get.
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Here you go my friend, here are a few links of what’s in stock that I use for my .475 Linebaugh which are interchangeable with the .475 Linebaugh that I currently have. I think the .480 Ruger would be a great choice. Powerful, easy to reload for, not as punishing as a .454 yet can certainly touch .475 Linebaugh territory.

https://www.titanreloading.com/product/lee-dc-mold-476-400-rf/ These cast wonderful bullets and the main ones I use.
http://arsenalmolds.com/index.php?route=product/product&product_id=152 The other mold I use, it cast outstanding semi wad cutters for the .480/475

https://www.starlinebrass.com/480-ruger-brass This brass is available for backorder which will be to your front door within a couple of weeks.

https://www.titanreloading.com/product/480-ruger475-linbaugh-3-die-set-carbide/ Here is the die set that I use with the addition of a Redding .475 profile crimp die (The .480 Ruger factory crimp die does not work for .475 Linebaugh). On that note, I have a Lee factory crimp .480 Ruger die that is taking up space in one of my drawers that I would be happy to mail you on the house if you decided to go with the .480.
 
Styx said:
Well they don't worry about 44spc because most who shoot 44spc do so out of a 44mag revolver.
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Yes, but a ton of shooters are always
asking about the .44 Special much
like the .41ers. They are very, very
vocal.

But if you think I'm referring to a lot
of gents, I'm not. A ton is 2,000
pounds, so given an average weight
of 200 pounds, I'm only talking about
10 gents. Allowing for some lighter
folks, maybe make that 15. ;)
 
UncleEd said:
Yes, but a ton of shooters are always
asking about the .44 Special much
like the .41ers. They are very, very
vocal.

But if you think I'm referring to a lot
of gents, I'm not. A ton is 2,000
pounds, so given an average weight
of 200 pounds, I'm only talking about
10 gents. Allowing for some lighter
folks, maybe make that 15. ;)
Click to expand...
IDK... Seems like most who shoot, carry, and like 44mag practice primarily with 44spc. I reckon on average they fire more 44spc through their revolvers than 44mag but I might be wrong...
 
Styx said:
IDK... Seems like most who shoot, carry, and like 44mag practice primarily with 44spc. I reckon on average they fire more 44spc through their revolvers than 44mag but I might be wrong...
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That’s kinda the point. Think about the .44 Special/.44 Mag as the same as the .38/.357 relationship. Mostly shot with Specials or light magnums with the ability to kick it into fifth gear.
 
I have used both the .44 Magnum and .45 Colt to a considerable degree. My vote went to the .44 Magnum. Both the .45 Colt and .44 Magnum seem deadlocked as to ability. But in the area of light bullets, 180~185 gr. or so, I found the .44 outperformed the .45. I had a 180 gr. JHP clocked at 1715 f.p.s (book said 1900 f.p.s. So much for book data.) that was very accurate and a near-perfect varmint load. And I shot some of J.D. Jones' 325 gr. bullets and those pretty well duplicated anything the .45 did. But, having a supply of .44 caliber bullets eases stocks while I load .44 Special.
And, the .44 comes in the Super Blackhawk.

Bob Wright
 
Styx said:
Well they don't worry about 44spc because most who shoot 44spc do so out of a 44mag revolver.
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And one could also speculate that most shooting 38 Special do it with a gun chambered as .357 Magnum. We don't actually know and couldn't.
 
I voted for 45 Colt, because it and along with my 44 Special are the only two I would carry or care to endure without hearing protection. For fun at the range, I will take my 41 Special, 41 Magnum, and 44 Magnum, while the best shooter in a caliber starting with a 4 is my 44 Special Flat Top. To me there is no question that "large caliber' is anything in the 4 family or above.
 
aaaaa said:
Thanks for pointing that out. I will put the .45 on my "do not buy" list. I only want a revolver with real revolver cartridges that have a proper rim. I may have to go in the 44 camp on this, but have not voted yet. Hard to do since the biggest handgun I have shot is a 38, I just got my .357 and have not gotten to the range with it yet. But I saw the pressure for .357 is 35,000 psi and for a .44 is only 36,000 psi, so I wonder do I need anything bigger than my .357. Not going after big game or fending off bears, wild hogs, or pumas, so....
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I shoot 45 Colt in both SA revolvers and a Marlin rifle and have never had any issues with rims except some being too large for my shell holder while reloading. I segregate head stamps, since that appears to be the connection.
 
wcwhitey said:
That’s kinda the point. Think about the .44 Special/.44 Mag as the same as the .38/.357 relationship. Mostly shot with Specials or light magnums with the ability to kick it into fifth gear.
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Yes, I know it's the point which is why I was trying to convey to UncleEd that's why most manufacturers and gun owners aren't asking for 44 special only revolvers.

Also, IMHO if the poll had "44 magnum" listed as "44 magnum / 44 special" option instead of 44mag by itself, it would be leading in votes. Not sure why it wasn't.
 
According to this site (http://www.ballistics101.com/handgun_calibers_list.php) all the poll choices are rimmed cartridges. However, further online searches indicate that some are semi-rimmed. I found online that the 500 s&w magnum is semi rimmed (https://firearmshistory.blogspot.com/2015/10/cartridges-rims-rimmed-vs-semi-rimmed_26.html). I believe that a previous post identtified the 45 as semi-rimmed. What others in this list are semi-rimmed?
  1. 44 magnum
  2. 45 colt/ 454 casull [SEMI-RIMMED]
  3. 475 linebaugh/480 ruger
  4. 460 s&w magnum
  5. 500 jrh / 500 linebaugh
  6. 500 s&w magnum [SEMI-RIMMED]
  7. Something else
  8. 41 magnum
The next factor I would consider is which of these is the more abundant ammo availability and which are the lower in cost. If anyone can fill out any other Semi-Rimmed in the list and then give me a clue to availability and cost factors, I might be ready to vote, but for now I still lean towards the 44.
 
Since you were kind enough to add the .41Magnum to the list of choices, I changed my vote from "other" to .41Magnum.

I handload for the .41Magnum for several different revolvers with cast bullets and jacketed bullet loads as well.

To be fair, I hand load for multiple revolvers in .44Magnum, .45Colt, and .44Spl as well, so I do have some small experience(multiple tens of thousands of rounds down range) with those calibers also.
 
Styx said:
Yes, I know it's the point which is why I was trying to convey to UncleEd that's why most manufacturers and gun owners aren't asking for 44 special only revolvers.

Also, IMHO if the poll had "44 magnum" listed as "44 magnum / 44 special" option instead of 44mag by itself, it would be leading in votes. Not sure why it wasn't.
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I was backing you up not disagreeing!
 
My favorite is .41 Mag.
I have .41M, .44M, and .45C. All are virtually identical, when reloaded. The .44 has a slight advantage, at increased recoil.

When heading out, i find myself grabbing the .41M, 2-1 over the others.

IF I could a get a lever action and Super Blackhawk in .460 S&W, able to shoot .454 Casull and .45 C, all bases would be covered.
 
RealGun said:
And one could also speculate that most shooting 38 Special do it with a gun chambered as .357 Magnum. We don't actually know and couldn't.
Click to expand...

I have a .357 Magnum S&W revolver and will mostly shoot 38 Special out of it since that ammo is somewhat cheaper. For self defense, .357 Magnum ammo is a great choice, but I do need to spend some time at the range with the .357 so I am familiar with the added recoil. I would think one would not want the first time they shoot .357 to be in a critical situation.
 
Obturation said:
i added 41 magnum to the choices, it's more popular than I expected.
Also, I should have grouped 44 special with 44 mag as I did with the 45/454.
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Obturation,
Thank you for adding the .41magnum for those of us that are lovers of the caliber. To say I am in that group would be true. Here are my 3 revolvers
41mags.jpg
and my Henry Lever action carbine.
Henry_.41mag_Carbine.jpg
 
Like so many things firearm related they're all going to be a compromise, ideal compromise is kinda an oxymoron. I could make due with 44 Mag Redhawk, 45 Colt Bisley Blackhawk or my 475 BFR for most anything.
 
My favorite for years was the 44 magnum. I've had my grandpa's Super Blackhawk for close to 20 years now, and it's very sentimental to me, and a model 29.

But.... I've been looking at a 460 s&w for the last few years, and finally got one this year. It's my new favorite. I love the versatility. 45 long colts are a dream to shoot out of it, and the range of the full strength 460 is just amazing to me. Also I can't tell a lot of difference between 44 mag out of my 4" model 29 and my 8 3/8" 460.
 
When I voted for 45 Colt, I did not mean "Ruger only" 45 Colt. I see now that "big bore" was referring to the hand cannons, judging from the other choices. I used to live there too, but my favorite 45s are my cowboy guns, shot well within SAAMI spec.
 
RDWalker said:
My favorite for years was the 44 magnum. I've had my grandpa's Super Blackhawk for close to 20 years now, and it's very sentimental to me, and a model 29.

But.... I've been looking at a 460 s&w for the last few years, and finally got one this year. It's my new favorite. I love the versatility. 45 long colts are a dream to shoot out of it, and the range of the full strength 460 is just amazing to me. Also I can't tell a lot of difference between 44 mag out of my 4" model 29 and my 8 3/8" 460.
Click to expand...

I know that my 44 mag Mountain Revolver kicks harder than my 460.
 
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