.475 draws blood

[CB900F]

Coyote;

OK, this load was worked up in an FA, so if I were you, I'd approach it with a fair amount of caution.

Cast Performance 425 gr LFNGC, Hornady brass, CCI lg pistol magnum primer and 18.5 grains of Blue Dot.

This will accelerate that bullet to 1250 fps from the six inch barrel over an Oehler 35P.

Now I'm not a large man, and I don't want to search for any stiffer loads, but I'd have to say that in an FA you'd have to be a real 98 lb weakling to have it come up & smack ya between the eyes. I'll also say that when your up to your elbows in elk guts, and your rifle is resting against a tree 10 feet away, it's real comforting to have it on the hip. We know that ole Mr. Griz sometimes regards the sound of a shot as a dinner bell.

900F

 

[Confederate]

The loads were 300s @1850 fps. Just an average load from the 10 1/2'' barrel.






So you both are saying it is the fault of the gun and/or the caliber it is chambered for that resulted in the head knockkin'? I guess I can understand it a bit since I too prefer the grip angle and recoil from DAs as opposed to SAs when shooting the big boomers. But I still ain't blamin' the gun, sorry, but, the shooter was a wuss, not just to hit himself in the head, but then to drop and damage a firearm that didn't belong to him. IMHO, Man cards are not a given....they are earned.

Accidents can happen to anyone, and I think it's a bit harsh to criticize the fellow without having been there. (After all, he wouldn't be the first guy to clobber himself in the head with a high-recoiling pistol, nor will he be the last.) The nick on the gun gives it character and there will forever be a story behind it. Had the piece been stainless steel it could have been easily removed.

I don't have an up-to-date man card, nor will I shoot anything more than a .44 mag. In fact, I sold my beautiful 629-0 without its ever having been shot. The .357 is about tops for me.

 

[Walkalong]

Sorry to hear about the scratch on the revolver, but with that kind of power it can happen, especially if the shooter doesn't really understand what it will do.

No one has ever threatened to take away my "man card" because I have no desire to shoot that kind of power in that kind of package. I'll leave that for folks who really like recoil. My cutoff in handguns is .44 Mag in a Redhawk. In rifles I have no desire to shoot a .300 Win Mag, but the .458 Win Mag in a heavy rifle is fun.

 

[Manny]

I have a .475 Freedom Arms, but at risk of having my man card yanked, 480 Ruger loads are much more to my liking. Shooting them in the FA is fun, much more more would not be.

http://www.handloads.com/articles/?id=6

Found a lot of wisdom in the above article, sometimes less is more.

 

[hseII]

Main reason I always figured the .454 never caught on like other hand cannons in different platforms.....they are just brutal to shoot.

^^^^ is it crazy that I now own a model 83 Field Grade, and actually liked the Magnum Research BFR .454 that I traded better than the FA of same barrel length, caliber, etc. I can't tell any dif in accuracy but the BFR to me was just as good of gun....

 

[sleepyone]

Getting knocked in the head is nothing to being ashamed of... if you learn from it and it never happens again. Now dropping the gun, unless you were knocked unconscious, that is a grievous sin.

Some bozos get a kick out seeing their guy friend, wife or girlfriend getting knocked silly from a hand cannon. Just search You Tube. Not saying the OP was guilty of this, but simply telling someone to use a tight grip when they fire one of these beasts for the first time is pure negligence on the gun owner's part. It really helps to see one fired and gripped properly before attempting it yourself. There is more to it than having a tight grip. They need to understand that your wrist, arm and even shoulder should all become an extension of the gun and help absorb the recoil. That is asking a lot of someone to control that amount of recoil with grip only. If someone did that to me, he would be the next person to have a gash on his forehead!

Personally, due to carpal tunnel and shoulder issues, I don't shoot anything larger than my 686 Plus. I've shot a few full-power .44 Mags loads and did not care for them. The .30-06 is the largest rifle caliber I shoot.

 

[Satasaurus]

That really sucks, sorry to hear that. I'm sure others have already said, but I would never let anyone shoot my guns, let alone a gun with that kind of recoil ... Sorry, I'm probably not making you feel any better, but what's done is done. You were just trying to be nice. I wish people let me shoot their guns, but I never ask because I wouldn't let them shoot mine. People have let me shoot their Sig and 1911 though, which was really cool because I can't afford either for a while.

 

[bergmen]

This is my buddy Richard shooting my Freedom Arms Model 83 in .454 Casull:



I had counceled him to grip tightly and not let his wrist take the recoil but transfer the recoil to his arm and shoulder. It looks to me that he let his wrist take too much but still hung onto it pretty well.

BTW, these are my top loads with 35 grains of W296 over 250 grain Hornady XTP-MAG bullets.

Turn your speakers on...

Dan

 

[Jaymo]

I've seen a FA Casull smack a guy in the head, and he was far from a "90 pound weakling".
.454 Casull has a violent recoil. I have no doubt that it's handy in bear country.
It's a helluva round, no doubt. My Redhawk .44 Mag feels like a .44 Spl, by comparison.

 

[Hammerdown77]

This is my buddy Richard shooting my Freedom Arms Model 83 in .454 Casull:



I had counceled him to grip tightly and not let his wrist take the recoil but transfer the recoil to his arm and shoulder. It looks to me that he let his wrist take too much but still hung onto it pretty well.

BTW, these are my top loads with 35 grains of W296 over 250 grain Hornady XTP-MAG bullets.

Turn your speakers on...

Dan

Elbows locked, isosceles stance, NEVER a good combination with a heavy recoiling sixgun....

 

[bergmen]

I'm always hesitant to post videos of me, my sons or my friends shooting because I always seem to get critical posts about them doing something wrong.

Some time ago I posted a proud video of my son shooting his CMP Garand for the first time and what did I get? He doesn't have a good cheek weld, he is holding it wrong, shouldn't support the rifle that way, yada, yada, yada. No comments about his birthday present or how fantastic it is that he selected this rifle because of it's historical value.

I am NOT attempting to show an ideal stance or technique. Richard and I are having fun and I wanted to share it, that's all.

Dan

 

[Hammerdown77]

Sorry, I wasn't meaning to be critical, just pointing out an issue I see sometimes with shooters who are new to heavy recoiling revolvers. You see this a lot with guys who are used to shooting semi-autos, especially the ones who compete in IDPA/IPSC. The square to the target, arms fully extended stance doesn't do a good job of using your elbows and shoulders and body mass to absorb the recoil of something like a 454, 475, or 500. All that recoil is going to go straight into your wrists.

Here's a good example. Here we're shooting a 500 Linebaugh. I'm using a modified Weaver, angled slightly to the target, elbows bent, and using a little isometric tension by pushing slightly with my strong arm, and pulling with my support arm. In contrast, my buddy is using the typical competition shooter stance (he shoots IDPA). Notice the difference in how the gun recoils, and how his wrist is violently wrenched back (also why he's shaking his head, 'cause it hurt...)

 

[bergmen]

I appreciate your response and I agree with you all the way. In retrospect I think I should have spoken more of proper technique rather than just "hang on to it like you are choking your favorite poilitical enemy hard enough to make their eyes pop out" method.

I hadn't really thought of it but the isosceles stance really contributes to massive muzzle flip as seen on your video.

This will give me an excellent excuse to take Richard out again and burn up copious amounts of W296 while rattling the shingles.

Sorry I took it wrong and thanks for the tips!

Dan

 

[silvermane_1]

I have a .475 Freedom Arms, but at risk of having my man card yanked, 480 Ruger loads are much more to my liking. Shooting them in the FA is fun, much more more would not be.

http://www.handloads.com/articles/?id=6

Found a lot of wisdom in the above article, sometimes less is more.

nothing unmanly about a .480 Ruger, in fact it has the advantage of being able to fit in a 6 shot DA SRH.

 

[Lloyd Smale]

Lost track of how many times the front blade has kissed the top of my head shooting the 475 and 500. I happens even to us who shoot them alot when we dont pay attention to what were doing. I watched a guy at the linebaugh seminar one year shoot my 475 with full power loads and were it right in the face. he broke his glasses and put a nasty gash on his face. It was a two day deal and the funny thing was the second day he was no where to be found. He snuck off home. I have though seem some idiots with heavy recoiling guns try to set up guys and get a laugh out of it. thats sure not cool! you can seriously hurt yourself with one if you dont respect it. I still remember hearing a story years ago about a guy who let his son shoot his big gun (i believe it was a 500 smith) and it came back on him cracked his skull and killed him on the spot. by the way i too had a guy drop my 500 shooting it once and wasnt very happy! I specificaly told him to keep his fingers off the trigger until he was ready to shoot and he didnt listen and the gun went off as soon as he cocked it and went flying.

 

[TennJed]

So is this "man card" stuff another ploy by the antis? Will this govtermnet be able to track my testicular fortitude with this card? And worst of all is a picture required? No thanks. I rather big brother know less about me

 

[gastong30]

Lloyd I saw something similar at one of John's seminars. The recoil caused the hammer to put a hole in a guys cowboy hat.