https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5F71SPRFr_Y

I wonder if those were full tilt loads.

One cylinder full of the hard kickers, without gloves, and I'm ready for a stiff drink...

I like the guys shooting in ties.


Classy.

Watch #3.

A couple of those jaspers about let it get away from them. Interesting that they didn't bother to put up a clean target for each of them.

Also interesting how many of them got the first round in the black.

Yes, full-tilt. We used Federal 300 grain loads.

My apologies for wearing a suit, but I was working when I was asked to participate and bring my .454 down.

Actually, Whit, I was dead serious on the suit.

You give an official look to the whole "bout to drop a case a whoopass on a Griz" motif.

Haha! Thanks! I did get a sub 2.9 second time a couple of cylinders later, but it wasn't captured on film.

I loaded up some H110 loads and 300gr XTP's for my 7.5" RBH 45 colt, and it didn't take me long to convince myself that if the deer were dying with 50gr Blitz's from a 222 rem, they sure as hell didn't need whole house colt loads....

Good grief those things leave a vibration in the hands...

Done like a boss!

Okay, I'm impressed. Bryce is damn fast with that cannon, and that's well under 10" and all centered.

nice video and wow!

I'd rather be beaten with a stick.


RS

It should be noted that Mr Townsley's 454 has a ported barrel that aids considerably in controlling muzzle flip. The FA-83 that the NRA guys are shooting is not ported. I am most impressed with Max Prassac's time of 3.1 seconds without a ported barrel. If fact Max shot for time one more time after filming was complete and posted a 2.9 second time without the aid of a ported barrel.

Agreed.

Great shooting Whitworth1 !

I am not certain that in a bear attack, one has 3 seconds to get rounds off, but drilling like that will sure make a guy better than if he/she did not.

More realistic drill might be shooting one handed, while on your back, with one's off hand being ground up in a limb chopper that is resting on your chest

As respects to recoil and getting back on target, I loaded some 325gr heavy loads for a Ruger Blackhawk and took them on my first Brown Bear hunt in AK. Pretty severe recoil and I did not like how I had to re establish my grip in between shots. So, I bought some finger groove grips. New problem, 100% of the recoil now being transferred direct ly to the hands and wrists. I can shoot them OK, but not as fast as the guys in that video.

My new bear country gun is my 329PD with the lock system removed and plugged, all of the various screws - especially the cylinder thumb release screw (I have lost a cylinder release at the range before learning the need for this)- all dabbed with some loc-tite, and Hogue gripper grips from an X Frame S&W. These grips cover the backstrap of the grip and make the gun significantlly more comfortable to shoot.

I CAN get 6 heavy 44 Magnum rounds off quickly now, but it just plain HURTS. 300gr loads from a 23 ounce gun is just a nasty combo. I still consider this to be an ideal set up for me though as if my left hand is inside the fur covered limb shredder, or of said limb shredder is fast approaching, I am pretty sure my adrenaline will be high enough that I will not notice or care about the beating my right hand is taking.

In black bear country, 260gr SWC's backed by 10.0gr of Unique are, IMO, quite sufficient and not only shootable from my 23 ounce gun, but not damaging to it or my hands. Also not overly damaging on small game.

Thanks for posting the video link, it was fun watching OTHER peoples hands take the pounding for a change!

That Max guy is one steely eyed feller...nice job!!

I admire the heck out of Freedom Arms revos, but anything above a .480 Ruger gets to be non-fun, in a hurry. In fact I'd probably load the .480 down some, to say 1200 fps or so, with the big hard casts, when shooting my Super Redhawk

Which is why I settled on the 480, big push but not the sting of the 454.

It would be interesting to see how fast a cylinder full of 400 gr @ 1200 fps 480's could be unloaded from the SRH in the same test.

Buddy of mine has a Ruger Super Blackhawk that Hamilton Bowen converted to a 5- shot .475. Limbaugh. With max loads, it can be quite a handful. With light .480 Ruger loads, it is pretty easy to handle, and quite fun to shoot.

I've been shooting my .454. Casull Freedom Arms 5" Revolver for a lot of years, so I don't think it's all that bad, even with full loads. Mine is not ported.

And you get six of them, not five

I've done speed drills with my .480 Alaskan, and I can still rattle off five .454s from the FA83 faster.

I will have to try a heavy load speed drill with my 329PD sometime. While I still have some extra Oxycodone's and Fentanyl patches laying around!

Seriously, the speed drills with real bear loads IS a good idea.

Is it against the rules to use a recoil glove in the drills? Can't see where that would change how a gun was handled in a trail emergency all that much.

You know, I just realized that there is a very big flaw in that drill. It's supposed to be 4 for the bear and one for you.

Never one for me. Suicide is not my style, ill take my chances fighting to survive.

Great shooting Whit! Awesome video. Thanks for posting JWP!

Alot of people bag on the recoil of the 454, but I one of the rare few who dont find it that abusive. I would rather shoot it than the 475 linebaughs I've owned. I know I'm in the minority here though.

No, I think the .475 loaded to spec is more abusive than the .454, so you're definitely not in the minority. However, 300 grain bullets zipping out the barrel at 1,600 fps are no walk in the park either, particularly if you shoot them in volume.

At one time one of the large local shops had about a dozen used Freedom Arms .454's for sale. The consensus was - owned by people who had wanted big bad revolvers, but didn't handload and didn't care for the recoil any longer.

I shot one of the SRH's in .454 about 10 years ago - I had my chrono handy and the factory loads were 300gr at 1620 fps. One cylinder was plenty!

If we're talking about the popular, hard cast WFN's and similar bullets that don't expand, I think I'd just as soon have a bigger bullet going slower.

Nope, I've shot enough 454's, 475's and 500's to know that I can handle the 454, but can't handle the 475 and 500. It's surprising how with 400 gr and heavier bullets adding a few grains more powder and increasing the velocity 100-200 fps turns big recoil into brutal recoil.

Great video. One of those guys looked like the barrel was going full vertical during recoil.

That made my wrists hurt just watching.

I'm a concert pianist by trade. I shudder to think what a cylinder full of those block busters would do to my ability to tickle the ivories....