I am looking for a good sixgun for hunting but can't decide on a good caliber or model. I have really been considering the ruger bisley in 45LC, but there is a store here that has a new Magnum research in 454 for 軅. I don't know if I need the extra power, but it seems like a good price. Do you think I should stick with the bisley? Seems to me the 45LC loads are close enough to the 454.
thanks,
Mark
I'm quite partial to the Bisley and the 45 Colt will do any job you ask it. For the price I don't think there's a better hunting gun than the Ruger. It may not be the most fancy piece but it works.
I still think the 454 is most at home in a Freedom Arms revolver. I know everyone and they're brother make a 454 now but if I planned on touching off a full house 454 I'd want Freedom Arms steel in my hands. This is just my opinion.
I haven't shot a BFR yet. I haven't even seen that many. I know Ruger is casting the frames for this gun. Ruger supplies a number of of the gun companies with their cast products. The BFR should be a good gun. Maybe you'll be able to get some feedback from someone who's shot one of these big boys.
The answer to your question really depends on how much power you want. The Ruger bisley is a 6 shot gun and is not going to have the same strength in the cylinder as the BFR. Here you're comparing apples to oranges. According to HP White laboratories the Ruger .45 Colt destroys itself at about 65,000 CUP. Only about 1500 above the Saami absolute maximum for the .454 Casull. This means you can load the Ruger to about 32,000 CUP with a 100% safety factor. That's way below .454 performance. Now if you were comparing two identical 5 shot guns then the only advantage the .454 would have is if you weren't a handloader. .454 ammo is available factory loaded at very high performance levels. In strong 5 shot guns such as those made by John Linebaugh and Hamilton Bowen the .45 Colt can be loaded to equal .454 power levels. The only advantage the longer .454 case has then is in launching standard weight bullets at outrageous velocities. When using heavy bullets of, say, 350 grs or more in normal length cylinders the difference is negligible. The case capacity is about the same when both rounds are loaded to the proper length to fit in a standard cylinder. I agree with MT about not wanting to fire full power .454 rounds in anything besides a FA revolver, even though I have a Super Redhawk .454 Casull. I prefer to keep my loads in the 50,000 to 55,000 CUP range. This is where John Linebaugh loads his 6 shot .45 Colts with oversized cylinders and they last forever. I'm probably overcautious because I talked to a Ruger guy who said they fired one 350,000 full power rounds and could find no wear under a microscope but John Linebaugh told me another lab could see the cylinder swell when fired using microscopic photography. I'll download just a hair and eliminate the what ifs.
Hope this helps
Dave
I'm no expert, but I just purchased a BFR and I have some observations that may help. The BFR is stout & heavy!! My cyl measures .452 at the throats & .479 chambers. Cyl diameter is 1.780. Only trouble is - the cyl is a little shorter than my P&R 454, but about the same length as the FA. For the money, the BFR 454 is an excellent buy, the finish on mine is nothing fancy & the interior of the barrel is rough (machine marks & slight restriction at the frame). I'm about to fire lap it (in accordance with my Beartooth Tech manual, of course). Buy the BFR .454 & shoot .45 5 shot loads. Good luck. Pat
I'm no expert, but I just purchased a BFR and I have some observations that may help. The BFR is stout & heavy!! My cyl measures .452 at the throats & .479 chambers. Cyl diameter is 1.780. Only trouble is - the cyl is a little shorter than my P&R 454, but about the same length as the FA. For the money, the BFR 454 is an excellent buy, the finish on mine is nothing fancy & the interior of the barrel is rough (machine marks & slight restriction at the frame). I'm about to fire lap it (in accordance with my Beartooth Tech manual, of course). Buy the BFR .454 & shoot .45 5 shot loads. Good luck. Pat
When did you find a BFR barrel rough. It is a premium Badger barrel with no restrictions at the frame. I have measured many, many with nothing but perfection.
I have shot about 100 1/2" groups at 100 yards with all of mine.
Thanks for all the suggestions. I will definitely have to think over the decision. I handload, so the 45 LC will do everything I ask of it safely. If I ever find I need a little more punch in the future I'll go bigger.
MDF
BFR in .454! A local dealer has one in stock, and he and I have traded for years back and forth. I don't know what I have that deserves to be disinherited, but something is going on the trading block... soon! After taking some careful measurements of the critical dimensions in these BFR revolvers, they are pretty dog-gone impressive, especially for the money.... we'll see what happens, but I anticipate you folks seeing a Tech Report on a new .454 BFR!
How would you compare the the BFR to a Super Blackhawk?
I just visited the Magnum Research web site and their "Little Max" looks like a 5 shot .454 casull stainless Super Blackhawk. They list a 6 1/2" bbl. I'm not sure if this is the same gun you've seen but I'd be interested in your thoughts. I know their .45-70 guns are huge, how does the .454 look?
I don't know nothing about top load for .454 Casull BFR, but when I contacted Magnum Research about
their 45-70 BFR, they told me, that I can load this one max. to 30 000 PSI. So I think that full loaded 475 linebaugh will give you better performance than 30 000 PSI 45-70 load from revolver . . .
I've been shooting the little Max for a couple of weeks.
It's pretty stout. It has a very heavy barrel. The finish is rough and it really needs a locking basepin, better sights and an action job. All of which are easy to acquire/install. The front sight is screwed on and the rear will accept the Bowen or Millett. Pretty much the same as a Super Blackhawk. Accuracy has been around 1 &1/2 " at 25 and 2 &1/2 at 50 shooting 300 grain over 31/H110 or 29/WC820. It's not a FA, but it'll do for 辎. Replacement parts (screws, etc) are pretty cheap from MRI. All their screws are hex head. One thing I really didn't like and didn't find out until I got it home was the ejector housing was "glued" on. Yep, some kind of epoxy. Got rid of that in a hurry. I guess they thought you would never have to take the pin out for cleaning, etc. Overall not bad, but it's a bit of a small project. Good luck.
I just checked out what this revoler looks like at their website. Pretty good looking gun. I'll have to see if a dealer has one to look at here.
The long cylinder guns are really something. The 444 Marlin chambering must be incredible!
I had a Contender bbl in this chambering a couple years back and it was a handfull to say the least! I could imagine it in an unported revolver. I don't think this round would be very efficient in anything under a 14" barrel though. That's a lot of powder to burn in such a short tube.
I have had my redhawk .454 for a couple months now and I love it. If you don't mind the weight (53 oz) it is a greatgun and being a six shot with .45 colt and .454 using the same cylinder it is not only very acurate but versitle as well. I get basically the same groups with the.45 and.454 shells and if you handload you can have everything from .22 cal knock down power to a 45-70 in one gun.
Godbless: Braden Lang
I have a good friend that picked up a 45-70 in the BFR last year. He really likes it, no match for his 475 Long though. He shot every bullet weight in it clear up to 500 + grain bullets. It shoots high for him, rear sight screwed all the way down he is still 7" high at 100 yards. However he is shooting 7" groups at 200 yards with it.
This one is the 10" barrel, still has unburnt powder out the barrel. He seems to think that the 454 would be a great gun in the BFR. And this from a guy who almost doesn't own anything but a custom handgun.
He even has a Phelps 444 handgun, man is that thing big.
Now that Stainless Bisley Ruger grip would drop right on to that frame wouldn't it???
God Bless
I have a good friend that picked up a 45-70 in the BFR last year. He really likes it, no match for his 475 Long though. He shot every bullet weight in it clear up to 500 + grain bullets. It shoots high for him, rear sight screwed all the way down he is still 7" high at 100 yards. However he is shooting 7" groups at 200 yards with it.
This one is the 10" barrel, still has unburnt powder out the barrel. He seems to think that the 454 would be a great gun in the BFR. And this from a guy who almost doesn't own anything but a custom handgun.
He even has a Phelps 444 handgun, man is that thing big.
Now that Stainless Bisley Ruger grip would drop right on to that frame wouldn't it???
God Bless
Wrong powder in a short 45-70 barrel. He should use SR 4759. I use the Fed 155, LP mag primer and Dacron filler. CLEAN and fast, not even carbon in primer pockets.
I have BFRs in 460SW, 30/30 Winchester, 45/70 Govt and 500SW. All are 10 inch barrels and I handload for all. I have fired 454s and 45ACPs and neither can compare to the BFRS. At 100 yards I am grouping 4 inches on all but the 500 it is a little bigger.
This thread is over 12 years old so imagine the OP has already decided on what to buy. By the way the OP hasn't been around here since about that time either.
I have a BFR in 500 SW,7.5, very accurate, well made. Equal to my 8 3/8, 4" SW 500. Next will be to get the BFR in 45-70, a true Big bore that is gentle with 305 rems or load it as Nasty as you like. I have not seen a bad one, yet I am sure you could find one just like any brand. Be Safe,
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