A few years ago, I shot a plow handle Linebaugh .475 Ruger conversion that another member brought to the range. It was loaded with 400gr JSPs that according to the latest Speer Manual should have clocked between 1,250 and 1,300 fps. I had a good grip on the gun and I don�t remember it rolling in my hand (at least it didn�t� slam into the web of my hand which I would have remembered). It was however painful, hammering both my middle knuckle and the bottom of my trigger finger.

In comparison, My FA83 (6�) shooting 420gr WFNGCs at a chronoed 1,300 fps doesn�t touch my middle knuckle or the bottom of my trigger finger, however it does impact my palm with some authority (not painful, but noticeable). Shooting the .475 with loads at this power level requires a great deal of concentration and fatigue sets in fairly quickly with the grip required to keep from goose egging your noggin. (at least for this 60 yr old). Comfort wise (not fatigue wise), I would rather shoot the FA 475 with the 420gr/1,300fps than a Ruger Super Blackhawk with 250gr/1,400fps � the square back trigger guard on the SBH hammers my middle knuckle unmercifully.

The M97 is quite a bit smaller and weighs about a pound less than the M83 in similar calibers (the 6� M83 .44 Mag weighs 52 oz and the 5 �� M97 .44 Special weighs 38 oz.). The M97 grip frame is a downsized version of the M83 and from my perspective handles recoil extremely well. I can�t think of a better packin� pistol than a 4 �� or 5 �� M97 in .41 Mag, .44 Special or .45 Colt � compact, light weight, finely crafted, fun to shoot and can be loaded to handle anything commonly hunted in the Lower 48. To some the short cylinder is a drawback (max OAL is 1.600�) � I�ve not found this to be a problem, and have loaded bullets up to 335gr in the .45 Colt. Bullet weight might be limited in the .41 Mag (not having one, I don�t know) but in .44 Special (300gr) and .45 Colt (335gr) this is not the case.

Here�s a picture (not real good) of the Linebaugh .475 with the standard grip (notice that this gun also has a flat top frame) � interesting variation of the Linebaugh conversions.

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Here's one of my favorite packin' pistols -- FA M97 4 1/4" .45 Colt. If I could have only one gun, this would probably be it.

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Paul