New BFR .454 Casull

[g_gunter]

Well, I went ahead and purchased a BFR .454 Casull NIB and am really happy with this thing so far. I bought it to shoot really heavy 45 Colt +P loads but had to try out some factory .454 loads (260 gr. at 1800 fps) and can say that, although recoil was sharp, it was not punishing with this particular revolver. The grip frame seems to do a good job of rolling the recoil up and back. As long as you have a good grip (not too tight though) everything works fine. I was really worried about my wrists (small wrists) getting beat up but they feel fine. Of course, I will reserve commentary on heavier bullets (300 gr. plus) for some other time (if ever).

The fit and finish of this revolver is top notch as far as I can tell (I'm pretty picky). The cylinder has recessed chambers so the case heads are sitting inside the cylinder (cool). The clearance for barrel/cylinder gap is .003 inch. The cylinder fills nearly every bit of space in the frame window. The barrel is, like all BFR barrels, heavy and and has a nice crown on it. My only complaint is that the front site is black (not orange) and the rear sights could stand to have a white outline around the notch.

Additionally, it came from the factory drilled and tapped for a scope and has a really tough scope mount included (looks similar to a SSK T'SOB scope mount). I can't wait to scope it out.

Other than that, all I need to do now is test its accuracy and grouping. My .45 LC BFR grouped 300 br. Hornady XTPs over 22 gr. W296 into a 5/8" group at 25 yds. so this one will have some big shoes to fill.

I'll let you know how it does.

I'll get some pictures later.

g_gunter

 

[longhorngunman]

Congrats on the new gun. I have the Ruger SRH .454 and I love it. It's a blast to shoot and pretty accurate too. Been taking it hog hunting as a backup gun but haven't seen any hogs to shoot . Try the Hornady 300gr loads. They seem to have some good kick and are pretty economical as far as .454 loads go. The absolute cheapest .454 loads I have found have been the Magtech 260gr .454's. Not as powerful as the Hornady's but still plenty for anything on this continent. I buy them at Natchezz. I believe the site is www.natchezzss.com , I think. They usually sell them for $11.50/box20, also try their PMC 300gr .45colt+P loads if they have them. These are true Hot 45 loads and the ballistics are higher than most 44 magnums.

 

[g_gunter]

Thanks longhorngunman.

By the way, I was wrong on the barrel/cylinder gap. I was "eyeballing" it by comparing it to my other BFR which is .004" (this was an older BFR .45 Colt made by DMAX in 99'). I got my feeler guage out and found that I could not get the .0015 blade in the gap. That's tight! I have not had any problems with it binding so I guess I'm not going to complain at all.

Well...I got it out today and tried my tried and true load of 310 Leadhead Hardcast over 21.0 gr. Lil' Gun @ approx. 1275 fps and the doggone bullets are tumbling by the time they hit the paper 25 yards away. They're TUMBLING!

I don't understand how a bullet/powder combo that shoots so well in my other BFR is crap in this one? They both have the same barrel twist (1 in 20) so why do they tumble? The Magtech 260 gr. @ 1800 do fine.

Any thoughts?

Greg

 

[longhorngunman]

g gunter, I am by no means an expert, but I thought the .454 guns used a slower rate of twist than revolvers built specifically for the .45colt. I don't know about the BFR but I'm fairly certain my SRH does have a different twist than their .45colt revolvers. I notice a big difference in accuracy from the 454 loads and some "cowboy" .45 colt loads. Maybe someone else can chime in with a better theory.

 

[g_gunter]

g gunter, I am by no means an expert, but I thought the .454 guns used a slower rate of twist than revolvers built specifically for the .45colt. I don't know about the BFR but I'm fairly certain my SRH does have a different twist than their .45colt revolvers. I notice a big difference in accuracy from the 454 loads and some "cowboy" .45 colt loads. Maybe someone else can chime in with a better theory.

What you say is correct in most cases. However, the BFR .45 Colt like mine (made back in 99') is, as they call it on their box, a "+P" revolver with a 1 in 20 barrel twist. This is the same as my .454. That is what's confusing to me. I'm going to load some hotter .45 Colt loads and see it the bullets will stablize at a higher velocity.

Thanks,

Greg

 

[turbonatr]

FWIW, the 260gr. MagTech load doesn't really do 1800fps. It averaged a bit over 1600fps from my 7.5" SRH. The price is right, though. Besides, there isn't a deer or black bear in the lower 48 that could tell the difference between a 260gr. JSP at 1630fps or 1800fps. You will get complete penetration either way.

The PMC 300gr. +P 45 Colt load (my personal favorite affordable +P factory 45 Colt load) averaged 1104fps from my 5.5" Redhawk. Not exactly a "full-power" Ruger-only 45 Colt load, but it will do anything you need a handgun to do. Recoil is amazingly light. I feel this is an ideal load if you want lots of thump on the receiving end, but not on the recoil end. I actually think this load is more comfortable to shoot than a full power 10mm load in a Glock 29. I can shoot several hundred of them in one sitting easliy. Also, like the 454 MagTech load, the price is right.

 

[P95Carry]

Having already got an SRH in .454 I got the BFR in 45-70 - but would like to try the Casull version.

However - the SRH does so well with that round that overall I just enjoy the big ol' 45-70 in the BFR - it is well adequate for grin factor and a very useful round.

I fitted a Holosight to my rail and find it makes a good combination. Love the way this gun shoots.

 

[g_gunter]

P95Carry,

Does that holosight have any magnification? I'm interested in looking at a Red Dot, Holosight, and Optical Scope. Any suggestion?

Greg

 

[P95Carry]

Greg - no magnification - 1:1.

I think tho it is possibly more robust than pure optics tho - I do have a scope on .454 Raging Bull (Bushnell 2-6x30 EER), which seems to survive! I would consider a red dot like a Millet or better - that'd probably take the punishment too.