Popular Big Bore Revolvers, what's a few of the must have's for BBR guys?

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DustyGmt

DustyGmt

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I have probably had a half a dozen or more revolvers in my life but am not really a revolver guy, I have one at the moment and am starting to get interested in them again. I had some nice ones over the years but a while back I went through a period where I sold off what I wasn't shooting or didn't find terribly practical (for me) and the revolvers were easier to get rid of for some reason. A decision I regret. I should have hung onto them, especially the S&W 29.

Anyway, to cut to the chase. I'm thinking I'd like to add a few revolvers to my situation. I'd like to start by getting a big badass overcompensating midlife crisis revolver. Like a .500, .454, .44 or something like that. What are some that I should be looking at? I'd like to stay at 1k or under but don't let that limit the possibilities.

I'm really not likely to hunt with it or try to carry it much if at all, I've got that situation covered. Just a gun for fun really. But ya never know.

Let me know what BBR you guys think is worth a look..... Thanks.
 
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S&W696
 
troy fairweather said:
Magnum research BFR.
Any ruger
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Yeah, I like the BFR. Shot one in .450 marlin last summer. I can't help but gravitate more toward the redhawk, 629 type of frames over the SA BFR but after shooting it I have to give it some respect and consideration. They really are fun. In a painful kind of way
 
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My .2 cents; if you want couple BBR, I would go with Ruger 480 Bisley and S&W 29/629 Classic DX. First one if you want a boomer, second one if like to shoot. DX is factory tested to make 1.5" on 50 yards. In that case, download lead 44 220-250 grains or so on about 900-1000 fps. If you want something snappier, 41 magnum, 210-200 grains at 1100-1200 fps, S&W 57/657.
 
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If I was in your shoes I might consider a less expensive revolver like a ruger and sending it out to a revolver Smith to have them work it over a bit.
 
Big bores are my favorite, they are so versatile in your reloading options. My collection is nothing compared to many others. The first group are my .44’s ( my favorite of them all) Ruger Redhawk, S&W 629, Ruger Super Black Hawk. The second pic is my Ruger SBH .454 Casull and BFR .475 Linebaugh.

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Barbaroja said:
If I was in your shoes I might consider a less expensive revolver like a ruger and sending it out to a revolver Smith to have them work it over a bit.
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Or a BFR and have it tuned if you like single action guns. Realistically probably 95% or better of the DA guns get used in SA anyways, especially on the big bores.
 
I am glad to have gotten big-bore Magnums out of my system in the Eighties. I certainly did plenty of damage to my right thumb and wrist. I sold my S&W 629-2, and kept my Model 58 .41 Mag. The former was actually a duty handgun, for one year, March 1984 to March 1985. The latter was my duty handgun from late 1985 to 1990. In the late Nineties, I started accumulating .45 Colt single-action revolvers, and have mostly fired them with my healthier left hand.

With USFA out of the picture, and the status of the Colt Custom Shop uncertain, I am uncertain what to do, in trying to determine a potential “last best sixgun,” as I approach age 60, and will have to soon start paying much more strict attention to my budget.
 
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Back in the late '70s/early '80s I had several brief but fascinating relationships with .41 Magnum revolvers. If I was so inclined to get back into the BBR game I would most likely look for something chambered for this cartridge.

I also have a .44 Special that's a lot of fun to play with too!
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DustyGmt said:
I'm really not likely to hunt with it or try to carry it much if at all, I've got that situation covered. Just a gun for fun really. But ya never know.
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I'll have to admit, my stainless, 45 Colt Ruger Blackhawk (4 5/8") is my "just a gun for fun really." I could use it for big game hunting, but I'd prefer a longer barrel for that. And I could use it for home protection or self-defense (CCW), but, well it is a single action revolver, and a relatively large and heavy one at that.
Still, I keep it around for fun. I'm not bragging - I'm pretty darned good with it when I'm running regular 45 Colt loads, and I've got more than one, "Holy Crap!" from buddies when I let them run a "Ruger Only" load through it. Don't worry - I warn my buddies ahead of time. I would never let anyone shoot a gun before telling them what to expect. I don't go for those type of "pranks."
At any rate, about all I use my 45 Colt Ruger Blackhawk for is fun. Its muzzle blast is more of a "BOOM" than a "CRACK," it doesn't kick all that hard with regular 45 Colt loads, it's fun lobbing 250 grain SWCs out to 100 yards or more with it, and it makes big holes in tin cans at 15 yards.:)
 
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BFR in 454 Casull. Will also take 45 Colt loads if you don't want to go wild, but 350s at 1450 are doable if you do. Get the 7½" barrel to maximize ballistics and minimize recoil. They also come with a rail to mount an optic. Better quality than any Ruger for just a little more money.
 
DustyGmt said:
Nice, what is that chambered for .44 Mag?
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The 696 is a 5 shot 44 Special on a L frame.

This is mine, one of Lew Hortons special runs. Just wish thay hadnt Mag Na Ported it, but I got it at a good price, so beggars cant be choosy. :)

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I also have a 4" 629, and a 3" Talon Ruger NM Blackhawk, both in 44Mag, but I really dont shoot them a whole lot. The 696, my 625, and my old 1917 are the ones that get shot regularly.

The 625 is the shooter of the lot. :)

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The old girl....

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I think a Ruger Super Blackhawk in .44 mag is a good place to start. I would suggest a Blackhawk in .45 Colt but apparently Ruger has had issues with throat diameter consistency in that chambering over the years (others could tell you more). There's also plenty of reloading data for .44 mag, and (usually) plenty of factory ammo to choose from.

If you find you enjoy that, you can always add to the stable later with something more powerful.
 
DustyGmt said:
Yeah, I like the BFR. Shot one in .450 marlin last summer. I can't help but gravitate more toward the redhawk, 629 type of frames over the SA BFR but after shooting it I have to give it some respect and consideration. They really are fun. In a painful kind of way
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There fun with trapdoor pressure loads, dad had a 45-70 and 500s&w we both liked the 45-70 more.I love close to kahr arms which owns magnum research asked the owner about a bfr in 35 Remington he said they would do that. Now only if I had my pistol permit.
 
IMG_20210201_145322.jpg This guy right here. BFR .450

I think the guy said it was $1200 if memory serves. He was tickled I agreed to shoot it. He said he offers people to shoot it all the time and people seldom do. He was pretty impressed with my accuracy with it too. He meant for me to shoot the targets he had set up at about 20-25ft. I took it out to 50 yards and whacked a 10" steel plate a good few times. It was something else. I'd forgotten how much fun BBR could be.

My daughter was with me and was grinning ear to ear after I snapped my head back to look at her reaction after the first shot. The boom was ear splitting. I went to hand it off to her jokingly, she was 11 yo at this time and she goes to take it from me like she was really expected to shoot it. Lol. I was like nah, I was just kidding, maybe next year. Ha ha. I give her credit for being willing to but I'm quite certain she would have been brained or otherwise hurt. For the next week after one thought just kept popping into my head, "I want one".
 
If .44mag ends up getting the best of you. The Rugers, Super Redhawk, Redhawk and Blackhawk are all rated for some very heavy .44mag loads that not only can the S&W not handle well but might not even fit into their cylinder.
Not at all a knock on the Smiths...I am a S&W fan its just that the Rugers allow you to take the .44magnum to the next level.
 
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Super redhawk is the bad boy of normal sized revolvers. Yeah, you can get an x frame or a bfr in a rifle chambering but they're closer to a novelty than a useable gun. That's the short and sweet answer.

To elaborate a little, there's no reason to get a 44 magnum unless you're already invested in the cartridge. A 454 casull or 480 ruger are more powerful at the top end but there is overlap in the midrange . for me at least , when I got into 454 casull I had no use for the last 44 magnum I still owned (a 9" srh) . I prefer the 454 over the 480 just for components sake, common dies, common bullets. If 480 was more common, I'd likely have one. Same as 500 jrh, just more difficult to source components .

To me that simplifies life and let's me have a big , bad magnum revolver that has all the power I need in a size that isn't too bad to carry around. Then I got a 10" 454 revolver for target shooting, it's not very portable but takes the same ammo as my favorite camping / hiking revolver.

Everyone different, find something you like.

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Someone please do correct me if I'm wrong, but I was under the impression that the Redhawk and Super Redhawk could handle higher pressure .44 mag loads than the Super Blackhawk. Which is not to say the SBH isn't very strong, it's just not in quite the same class (as in +P), and I think that's worth mentioning.

@Obturation how do you like that Toklat? I'm seriously considering one. (Which means, if I'd seen it in a store I'd already have bought it!)
 
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