Why do huge caliber bullets always come only in revolvers?

[JesseL]

All guns have a maximum horsepower level they can cope with before blowing up. But revolvers have no lower limit to power. Autoloaders have a MINIMUM power floor needed to cycle the action...and it's not that far south of the maximum. If you want to run extra-light ammo in an autoloader you can, but only by swapping to lighter recoil control springs. And then shoot hot stuff with the mild springs and you'll break the gun.

Wouldn't having an adjustable or self regulating gas operated action solve the issue of handling a large spectrum of loads?

The reason: physical impossibility. To make a viable .500 Mag in an autoloading pistol, the grip would have to be so massive that most human beings could not hold it securely.

It's already been pointed out that an autoloader doesn't have to have the magazine in the grip. Many pistols have been made with the magazine in front of the grip.

Hell, I'm trying to imagine what it would be like trying to rack the slide with the springs you'd have to have in place.

How hard is it to operate the charging handle on a 50 Beowulf AR?

Just to prove that it's not impossible to have a big bore autoloader pistol with 500S&W power levels, I give you this:


An AR pistol in 50 Beowulf.

 

[Derek Zeanah]

An AR pistol in 50 Beowulf.

Ahhhhhhh! My eyes! Make it go away!

Man that is one ugly pistol. Blech.

 

[Rev. DeadCorpse]

What about a helical top loading magazine like on the Russian Calico? It'd negate the need for a grip loaded magazine. An efficient muzzle brake would still be a necessity to keep it from destroying itself or killing the shooter.

 

[Jim March]

You know how to seriously improve that AR "handgun"?

Heh. You think it looks bad NOW.

Take a tennis ball. Paint it tactical black. Drill a hole in it 1.5" wide. Fill it with rubber cement. Stick it on the end of the gas tube. Instant padded shoulder stock.



---

The Wildey is finally back in production after a LONG hiatus. Check the company's website: they appear to be betting the future on a new line of import handguns more or less CZ75 based, at Glock level prices, made in *Jordan* of all places.

Ahhh...yeah, good luck with that, because y'know, Arab craftsmanship is SO world famous.



As to the Wildey itself, look at the prices, starting at $1500ish. Anybody know the ballistics on a 45WinMag? I'd be willing to bet the 454C will kick it's butt up one side and down the other...

 

[JesseL]

I think we can pretty well answer the original question at this point.

The answer is aesthetic rather than technical.

Seriously Big Bore rounds are only available in revolvers because Big Bore autoloaders are Baboon-Butt-Ugly.

 

[zoom6zoom]

Take a tennis ball. Paint it tactical black. Drill a hole in it 1.5" wide. Fill it with rubber cement. Stick it on the end of the gas tube. Instant padded shoulder stock.

That's the buffer tube. Gas tube's up front. AR pistols are fugly!

 

[CypherNinja]

LOL at the tennis ball idea. Don't let the Brady Bunch see that.


I dunno about big bore, but I'd REALLY like to see someone import this:

http://world.guns.ru/handguns/hg50-e.htm

and ESPECIALLY this:

http://world.guns.ru/handguns/hg111-e.htm



The whole idea of the monster pressure 9mm rounds is just awesome to me.

EDIT: Totally ignoring the awesomeness of a short-recoil rotating barrel, of course. And yeah, its way cooler than the Cougar. (mostly because I can get a Cougar if I wanted to)

 

[Myself]

I think we can pretty well answer the original question at this point.

The answer is aesthetic rather than technical.

Seriously Big Bore rounds are only available in revolvers because Big Bore autoloaders are Baboon-Butt-Ugly.

I don't think this is ugly.

 

[Tony50ae]

Actually I have to diagree with Jim March that a 50ae is not as potent as a 44 mag. Standard factory loads for the 50ae are more powerful than most factory 44 magnums. I have a Desert eagle in 50ae and I have the barrel for th 44 magnum. I can tell you the 50 recoils more, where the 44 seems tame. Of course there are hot loads for the 44 that can surpass the 50ae.

 

[GrumpyGrizzly]

I'm just trying to figure out why he needs a .500 S&W or a .454 Casull for a CCW weapon? I live up here in Alaska and the biggest pistol I carry is a Super Blackhawk .44 mag and I carry that in a holster on my side when fishing.

Do you really want to lug around a .500 S&W or a .454 Casull for a concealed firearm?? I'm a pretty big dude and I don't think even I could hide one of them inside my pants, let alone find a paddle holster to hold it.

Just stick to using it for IDPA and carry something smaller for personal protection..

 

[Jim March]

Tony: I hadn't looked at 50AE performance specs for some time. When I did, I was impressed...Magnum Research has a 300gr load doing 1475fps from a 6" barrel Desert Eagle:

http://www.magnumresearch.com/Expand.asp?ProductCode=DEP50HP-XTP300

That's 1450ft/lbs energy. Definately hotter than most 44Mag ammo.

But not all:

http://www.buffalobore.com/ammunition/default.htm#44P

This "44Mag+P" is topping the 50AE for energy by a bit. And it can do so in bone-stock fairly strong guns like the Ruger SuperBlackHawk that are WAY cheaper than a "Deagle". But even if max loads like this didn't exist, and we have to run stuff like this in a 44Maggie:

http://www.buffalobore.com/ammunition/default.htm#44

...and run raw power levels below the 50AE, the 44 still holds an advantage: it can run hardcast flatnose ammo of types that the Deagle or any other semi-auto would choke on, hard.

And for dangerous critters, there's nothing better than a heavy flatnose hardcast.

The wheelguns still hold a huge advantage in handcannon-class loads for dangerous critters, and likely will until we abandon gunpowder for railguns or something...

 

[Tony50ae]

Jim,

Yes that stuff from buffalo bore is just awsome! In defense though you can get a bit more energy from the Eagle if you have the ten inch barrel. But the 44 has better sectional density hands down with the heavier grain bullets. Also like you said flat nose bullets are just the thing for great penetration yet good wound tract. I don't hunt here in Hawaii or for that matter ever got to hunt. I got the Eagle strictly for just a fun gun to shoot once in awhile. But we do have plenty of hogs here and thought about hunting on with the eagle.

Like you said though revolvers are better at large bore hunting. The only revolver I have is a S&W 66 in 357 and I love it. Just something about revolvers that I always liked.

 

[Jim March]

Tony,

The 50AE should be perfect hog medicine.

It would be better than nothing at Griz but I'd rather have a good DA 44 (Ruger Redhawk/SuperRedHawk would be perfect) or a 44Mag SA if you're willing to master the type.