.500jrh beautiful revolvers
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The reason I was up there was to pick up MY FA 83's: the short barreled lil girl
is the .500 JRH, the 7.5" is a 454 converted to .475 Linebaugh by JRH Advanced Gunsmithing:
When I pick them up, it's real hard to believe that something so small can hit like a rifle...
is the .500 JRH, the 7.5" is a 454 converted to .475 Linebaugh by JRH Advanced Gunsmithing:
When I pick them up, it's real hard to believe that something so small can hit like a rifle...
goodtime
Member
That JRH is one of the baddest guns I've ever seen! I think I'd actually take it over a Freedom Arms. What is the cost of one of those?
Hi
Jason's phone number is 530-268-6877, call and ask for him.
I know it's not cheap. He was making another octagon barrel at the time, and the mill was running the entire time I was there, and, he couldn't leave it. They take a LOT of time...
As I'm sure that gun did.
Jason's phone number is 530-268-6877, call and ask for him.
I know it's not cheap. He was making another octagon barrel at the time, and the mill was running the entire time I was there, and, he couldn't leave it. They take a LOT of time...
As I'm sure that gun did.
FLAvalanche
Member
Didn't Hellboy carry of those? 
Buck Snort
Member
Why would anybody pay that kind of money to have a "Field Grade" money converted?
"Why would anybody pay that kind of money to have a "Field Grade" money converted?"
Please explain your reasoning for this remark?
You think a "Field Grade" FA 83 is a poor place to start a conversion from?
Hamilton Bowen once told me he would convert a Ruger, but, at the end of the day, it was still going to be a Ruger, with Ruger parts, and tolerances, and, it was never going to be as strong, or well built as the Freedom Arms guns.
The Premier Grades value is in it's lifetime warranty, which you void the minute you convert it.
I now have what I want:
A FA 83, with a 2-3 pound trigger, custom trigger job. Unlike the 5 pound or more, trigger that comes on the stock guns.
Match grade .500" barrel
Custom grips made to my hands
For about 1000 dollars less then a new bone stock Premier Grade that I wouldn't be able to modify much anyway, and I don't like shiny anyway.
I have even less in the 7.5" 475 Linebaugh, since someone else did a conversion prior, and all I did was buy it, put custom grips on it, and have the barrel cut.
By the way, JRH Advanced Gunsmithing warranties their guns for life, as well.
Please explain your reasoning for this remark?
You think a "Field Grade" FA 83 is a poor place to start a conversion from?
Hamilton Bowen once told me he would convert a Ruger, but, at the end of the day, it was still going to be a Ruger, with Ruger parts, and tolerances, and, it was never going to be as strong, or well built as the Freedom Arms guns.
The Premier Grades value is in it's lifetime warranty, which you void the minute you convert it.
I now have what I want:
A FA 83, with a 2-3 pound trigger, custom trigger job. Unlike the 5 pound or more, trigger that comes on the stock guns.
Match grade .500" barrel
Custom grips made to my hands
For about 1000 dollars less then a new bone stock Premier Grade that I wouldn't be able to modify much anyway, and I don't like shiny anyway.
I have even less in the 7.5" 475 Linebaugh, since someone else did a conversion prior, and all I did was buy it, put custom grips on it, and have the barrel cut.
By the way, JRH Advanced Gunsmithing warranties their guns for life, as well.
BCRider
Member
The answer to the question is simple. Because it can be done and someone has the wherewithall to spare and is willing to pay for the joy of having something that if finely made and unique. After all, we can't take it with us.
I'm not convinced we NEED a new round of this sort but there's no doubt at all that those are some beautiful guns and some excellent work. And thank you for sharing them via this thread.
I'm not convinced we NEED a new round of this sort but there's no doubt at all that those are some beautiful guns and some excellent work. And thank you for sharing them via this thread.
bluetopper
Member
Awesome revolvers! Congrats.
CraigC
Sixgun Nut
IIRC, the .500JRH (a .501") was developed by Huntington to fit into an FA 83, where the .500Linebaugh (actually .510") is too large to fit its cylinder. It's basically a .500S&W cut to 1.4". FA went another route with their belted .500Wyoming Express, also a .501". The good thing about those two is that they can utilize the plethora of commercial bullets available for the .500S&W, while commercial bullet selection for the .500Linebaugh is somewhat limited. This is the only reason why when I have my .500 built, it will be the JRH. Because while I love my heavy sixguns, I have no plans to start casting bullets. It just doesn't interest me at this point in time. I can buy .501's from a local caster, not so with the Linebaugh. Although I'd love to have John build me one.
CraigC:
Exactly. Jack actually developed the round and showed it to some of the guys who work at FA, then Baker put a belt on it, and called it his WE.
I have .475, .500, and .500 Max Linebaughs. It's VERY difficult to find decent prices on .510" bullets. Jacketed bullets are at least a dollar each, and, cast are usually around .75 cents.
I was spoiled for awhile, thanks to some intresting circumstances.
Jack also took the .475 Linebaugh case, turned the rim down enough so it would fit in the FA, and made that work. There was a lawsuit between Hornady, Linebaugh, and Jack testified. That, and the .500 S&W being a .500, when Hornady thought it was going to be a .475, created a situation where for awhile there, .475 Linebaugh ammo was the same, or less then .44 Special/magnum was in the 80's. It's now gone up about 50%, but, it's still the economy big bore round.
I shop for bullet deals, and, I picked up 600 rounds of .475 Jacketed blems for 25 dollars for 100. Don't see deals like that in the .510's.
Closest is CPE does the .510 GNR for 58 dollars for 50, which is a shortened
.500 Linebaugh. 1.2".
The advantage of the smaller cases is they are easier to load for.
With the .500 Linebaugh, .500 S&W, and the .500 Maximum, I find you have to be real careful loading for it.
Right primer, right powder, full case, etc. Doing reduced loads you have to be careful, or you end up with a big fluctuation in velocity, and lost accuracy.
The .500JRH gives you .475 Linebaugh loading data, and flexibility, with a .500 Linebaugh weight bullet, the 440-445's.
I used to think the .480 Ruger, and .510 GNR were like tits on a bull. The more I get into it, the move value I find in being able to use both less powder, and lighter bullets in the smaller case. Same with the .500JRH.
With the big case, if you load lighter bullets, which I just had 500 loaded with 350 grain bullets, you end up with a pretty wide variation in velocity. The lighter bullet just doesn't stay in place long enough to get consistent ignition with all that slow powder. In the smaller cases, it does.
Gary Reeder and his group thinks 350 grains, at between 950-1350 fps is adequate for anything, and, it's been used to take elephant, bears, etc.
It's hard to load in the big cases, since even minimum loads are going 1350-1600 fps. The smaller cases allow you to go slower, with less velocity variation.
Weird, but, it works...
Exactly. Jack actually developed the round and showed it to some of the guys who work at FA, then Baker put a belt on it, and called it his WE.
I have .475, .500, and .500 Max Linebaughs. It's VERY difficult to find decent prices on .510" bullets. Jacketed bullets are at least a dollar each, and, cast are usually around .75 cents.
I was spoiled for awhile, thanks to some intresting circumstances.
Jack also took the .475 Linebaugh case, turned the rim down enough so it would fit in the FA, and made that work. There was a lawsuit between Hornady, Linebaugh, and Jack testified. That, and the .500 S&W being a .500, when Hornady thought it was going to be a .475, created a situation where for awhile there, .475 Linebaugh ammo was the same, or less then .44 Special/magnum was in the 80's. It's now gone up about 50%, but, it's still the economy big bore round.
I shop for bullet deals, and, I picked up 600 rounds of .475 Jacketed blems for 25 dollars for 100. Don't see deals like that in the .510's.
Closest is CPE does the .510 GNR for 58 dollars for 50, which is a shortened
.500 Linebaugh. 1.2".
The advantage of the smaller cases is they are easier to load for.
With the .500 Linebaugh, .500 S&W, and the .500 Maximum, I find you have to be real careful loading for it.
Right primer, right powder, full case, etc. Doing reduced loads you have to be careful, or you end up with a big fluctuation in velocity, and lost accuracy.
The .500JRH gives you .475 Linebaugh loading data, and flexibility, with a .500 Linebaugh weight bullet, the 440-445's.
I used to think the .480 Ruger, and .510 GNR were like tits on a bull. The more I get into it, the move value I find in being able to use both less powder, and lighter bullets in the smaller case. Same with the .500JRH.
With the big case, if you load lighter bullets, which I just had 500 loaded with 350 grain bullets, you end up with a pretty wide variation in velocity. The lighter bullet just doesn't stay in place long enough to get consistent ignition with all that slow powder. In the smaller cases, it does.
Gary Reeder and his group thinks 350 grains, at between 950-1350 fps is adequate for anything, and, it's been used to take elephant, bears, etc.
It's hard to load in the big cases, since even minimum loads are going 1350-1600 fps. The smaller cases allow you to go slower, with less velocity variation.
Weird, but, it works...
CraigC
Sixgun Nut
Yep, I remember the lawsuit.
Didn't take much to sell me on the .480 and then I bought one. It's the only way I could live with the Super Redhawk's ugliness. I figure that if I can get 1200fps out of a 425gr then what more does a feller need? Any more than that and you are only flattening trajectory and I don't need to be shooting a sixgun at critters beyond 50yds anyway. Which is why Clements' budget .500 package also interests me. I'd much rather go up in weight than velocity and I'd much rather shoot 355's at 1200fps out of my .44's than 240's at 1500fps. So 1200fps is plenty for me, regardless of what it is.
JRH reduced the rim size on the .475 Linebaugh. It became, thanks to Hornady, the industry standard sized rim.
My reasoning has been big case, low pressure, still get ballistics.
Problem is, even with minimum load, the bigger cases are giving a LOT of velocity. Last chronograph session looked like this(actual results are in bold, the rest is reloading information, and recoil calculations, or info taken from
AA reloading data. :
.475 recoil
275 grain bullet
1560 fps
28 grains of AA 9
Recoil Energy of 25 foot pounds, and Recoil Velocity of 23 fps.
Standard Loads
No. 9 325 HDY XTP 27.0 1,430 30.0 1,589 49,340 1.739
Recoil Energy of 29 foot pounds, and Recoil Velocity of 24 fps.
.500 recoil
500 Linebaugh
Barrel: 7.87" ■ Twist: 1-18" ■ Primer: CCI 350 ■ Bullet Dia: 0.511"
No. 9 350 CP WFNGC 26.6 1,337 29.5 1,485 34,120 1.737
Recoil Energy of 25 foot pounds, and Recoil Velocity of 21 fps.
Hi Andy
Results are as follows:
7-2-2010
Ammo velocity testing
500 Linebaugh
Barrel: 7.87" ■ Twist: 1-18" ■ Primer: CCI 350 ■ Bullet Dia: 0.511"
No. 9 350 CP WFNGC 26.6 1,337 29.5 1,485 34,120 1.737
Recoil Energy of 25 foot pounds, and Recoil Velocity of 21 fps.
350 grain AA9 .510"
1040
1071
1477
1242
1121
Rifle primers?
Need a wider sample, and more time to establish anything on this.
.475 Linebaugh
No. 9 325 HDY XTP 27.0 1,430 30.0 1,589 49,340 1.739
Recoil Energy of 29 foot pounds, and Recoil Velocity of 24 fps.
325’s
1544
1492
1492
1482
1519
325’ Are considerably quieter then the 275’s.
The 325's seem to burn the No.9 consistently, and in the 7.5" barrel I have. Hit of the three.
275 grain bullet
1560 fps
28 grains of AA 9?
Recoil Energy of 25 foot pounds, and Recoil Velocity of 23 fps.
275’s
1441
1534
1596
Ejector blew off gun, ending session...
Brand new chrony new battery
All that said, there is merit to fast and light. The 275's open up to the size of a two bore rifle bullet:
You want a one shot, 100% stopper? I think at 1596 fps, that bullet is it.
As for 1200 fps:
Hunting guys seem to like 1350 fps, with hard cast. Fackler's favorite anti-person round was a 18th century Swiss rifle round: .41 caliber, pure lead, 1300 fps. Ballistic gelatin showed it was more devastating then a .223 rifle.
What I'm finding is with lower pressure, bigger bullets are more consistent, and, a 425-445 grain cast or HP at 950-1200 fps isn't going to bounce off bears, or whatever, unless they start wearing Kevlar, and carrying chronographs.
Also, the heavier bullets recoil, in a 3-3.6 pound revolver starts getting REAL bad, real fast as velocity is increased.
My next batch of at least 300 .500 Linebaugh is going to be a 435 grain LFN, with 28 grains of 4227, which should move about 1100 fps. out of my max, that should recoil about like a heavy 44 magnum load, yet the hunting guys SWEAR that load hits like a .375 H&H, or heavier rifle, on big game, bison, beefalo, even;-)
My reasoning has been big case, low pressure, still get ballistics.
Problem is, even with minimum load, the bigger cases are giving a LOT of velocity. Last chronograph session looked like this(actual results are in bold, the rest is reloading information, and recoil calculations, or info taken from
AA reloading data. :
.475 recoil
275 grain bullet
1560 fps
28 grains of AA 9
Recoil Energy of 25 foot pounds, and Recoil Velocity of 23 fps.
Standard Loads
No. 9 325 HDY XTP 27.0 1,430 30.0 1,589 49,340 1.739
Recoil Energy of 29 foot pounds, and Recoil Velocity of 24 fps.
.500 recoil
500 Linebaugh
Barrel: 7.87" ■ Twist: 1-18" ■ Primer: CCI 350 ■ Bullet Dia: 0.511"
No. 9 350 CP WFNGC 26.6 1,337 29.5 1,485 34,120 1.737
Recoil Energy of 25 foot pounds, and Recoil Velocity of 21 fps.
Hi Andy
Results are as follows:
7-2-2010
Ammo velocity testing
500 Linebaugh
Barrel: 7.87" ■ Twist: 1-18" ■ Primer: CCI 350 ■ Bullet Dia: 0.511"
No. 9 350 CP WFNGC 26.6 1,337 29.5 1,485 34,120 1.737
Recoil Energy of 25 foot pounds, and Recoil Velocity of 21 fps.
350 grain AA9 .510"
1040
1071
1477
1242
1121
Rifle primers?
Need a wider sample, and more time to establish anything on this.
.475 Linebaugh
No. 9 325 HDY XTP 27.0 1,430 30.0 1,589 49,340 1.739
Recoil Energy of 29 foot pounds, and Recoil Velocity of 24 fps.
325’s
1544
1492
1492
1482
1519
325’ Are considerably quieter then the 275’s.
The 325's seem to burn the No.9 consistently, and in the 7.5" barrel I have. Hit of the three.
275 grain bullet
1560 fps
28 grains of AA 9?
Recoil Energy of 25 foot pounds, and Recoil Velocity of 23 fps.
275’s
1441
1534
1596
Ejector blew off gun, ending session...
Brand new chrony new battery
All that said, there is merit to fast and light. The 275's open up to the size of a two bore rifle bullet:
You want a one shot, 100% stopper? I think at 1596 fps, that bullet is it.
As for 1200 fps:
Hunting guys seem to like 1350 fps, with hard cast. Fackler's favorite anti-person round was a 18th century Swiss rifle round: .41 caliber, pure lead, 1300 fps. Ballistic gelatin showed it was more devastating then a .223 rifle.
What I'm finding is with lower pressure, bigger bullets are more consistent, and, a 425-445 grain cast or HP at 950-1200 fps isn't going to bounce off bears, or whatever, unless they start wearing Kevlar, and carrying chronographs.
Also, the heavier bullets recoil, in a 3-3.6 pound revolver starts getting REAL bad, real fast as velocity is increased.
My next batch of at least 300 .500 Linebaugh is going to be a 435 grain LFN, with 28 grains of 4227, which should move about 1100 fps. out of my max, that should recoil about like a heavy 44 magnum load, yet the hunting guys SWEAR that load hits like a .375 H&H, or heavier rifle, on big game, bison, beefalo, even;-)
Last edited:
BCRider
Member
Prosser, you raise a lot of excellent points. From reading your information I see now that this is more about the option of moving a big bullet at a moderate speed with consistency than it is about just creating yet another big bore powerhouse. And unlike a lot of the other handgun and rifle cartridges where there seems to be a LOT of overlap and hair splitting differences in this case it does seem like there's a proper void to be filled between the .44Mag and .45Colt calibers and the truly big bore stuff where the emphasis seems to be on big cases full pushing big bullets at almost rifle like speeds.
But this has me wondering now about the idea of loading some .500 S&W full size cases up with something like black powder or Pyrodex to try out. The lower power desity of the black powder and substitutes combined with the large cases might just make for some interesting experiments. I'll have to figure out what the volume is in the 500 case behind a slightly lighter bullet and compare it with the old classic BP rounds to see what manner of similar rounds there were and what they were used for.
But this has me wondering now about the idea of loading some .500 S&W full size cases up with something like black powder or Pyrodex to try out. The lower power desity of the black powder and substitutes combined with the large cases might just make for some interesting experiments. I'll have to figure out what the volume is in the 500 case behind a slightly lighter bullet and compare it with the old classic BP rounds to see what manner of similar rounds there were and what they were used for.
BCRider:
Intresting idea. Problems with the .500 Linebaugh, and the .500 Max is you need to use CCI 350 Magnum priors, only. Rifle primers stick out too much, might lock the gun up, and, they require a pretty stiff whack to get them to go. Hurts the trigger on a pistol.
I'd like to hear what your research turns up.
By the way, the article by John Taffin was what really showed the points I'm talking about, and, it's only after trying a bunch of lighter bullets, did I go back and read it.
http://www.sixguns.com/tests/Tt500.htm
I compared his velocity variation to mine, and concluded I needed heavier bullets,and 4227, which I knew already, but, Andy wanted to try AA 9, and that sounded like it was worth trying.
In his table he shows velocity variation in the last column. That pretty much tells it all.
The heavier bullets have less velocity variation.
Gary Reeder uses a smaller case, 1.2", the .510 GNR, and likes the 350 grain bullets.
He also has a heavy load, 435's at 1350 fps, loaded by Andy Rowe @ CPE.
Reeder says the 350's are plenty for everything, including culling elephants.
His idea of the shorter Linebaugh case, has merit. He can use lighter bullets and get more consistent velocity.
By the way, CPE charges 58 dollars for FIFTY .510 GNR, in 4 different loadings, IIRC.
http://www.cartridgeperformance.com/our_cartridges.htm
http://www.cartridgeperformance.com/
You can't beat that price with a stick.
Intresting idea. Problems with the .500 Linebaugh, and the .500 Max is you need to use CCI 350 Magnum priors, only. Rifle primers stick out too much, might lock the gun up, and, they require a pretty stiff whack to get them to go. Hurts the trigger on a pistol.
I'd like to hear what your research turns up.
By the way, the article by John Taffin was what really showed the points I'm talking about, and, it's only after trying a bunch of lighter bullets, did I go back and read it.
http://www.sixguns.com/tests/Tt500.htm
I compared his velocity variation to mine, and concluded I needed heavier bullets,and 4227, which I knew already, but, Andy wanted to try AA 9, and that sounded like it was worth trying.
In his table he shows velocity variation in the last column. That pretty much tells it all.
The heavier bullets have less velocity variation.
Gary Reeder uses a smaller case, 1.2", the .510 GNR, and likes the 350 grain bullets.
He also has a heavy load, 435's at 1350 fps, loaded by Andy Rowe @ CPE.
Reeder says the 350's are plenty for everything, including culling elephants.
His idea of the shorter Linebaugh case, has merit. He can use lighter bullets and get more consistent velocity.
By the way, CPE charges 58 dollars for FIFTY .510 GNR, in 4 different loadings, IIRC.
http://www.cartridgeperformance.com/our_cartridges.htm
http://www.cartridgeperformance.com/
You can't beat that price with a stick.
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