Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Handguns 2 revolvers which one to get?

Yeah, if you ALREADY own those components!

Tough choice. An honest 475 or a poser 42.9 claiming to be a 44.

42.9" gun?

Even this one was only about 36": https://interestingengineering.com/schwerer-gustav-the-biggest-cannon-during-wwii

I’ve been caught by the decimal point police.

Based on your experience and purported uses, I'd get the BFR 475.

Shooting the 475 Linebaugh requires a great deal of skill/ability. It would be a real asset if hunting very large game or for protection from large predators pushing a 410 HC at close to 1,400 fps. You could also back down to a more manageable 480 Ruger shooting same bullet at close to 1,200 fps for same use. Still very potent.

44 Rem Mag is a pussycat compared to the 475. Much more dedicated to everyday use with a much wider range of bullet weights for a wider range of purposes. It can produce big punch on game with 300 gr-340 gr HC. It can also be loaded down with 180 gr - 280 gr with JHP and HC.

Pretty much depends on your intended use. The 475 Linebaugh is so specialized loaded to higher pressures compared to the 480 Ruger, which is kinda like a 416 Rigby philosophy, lower pressures and lower recoil with big punch. I see the 475 Linebaugh being more of a conversation piece, it’s not a lot of fun to shoot.

BTW as someone else stated the rubber grip was used on the BFR for standard non Bisley. You can obviously tell the difference between a standard vs a Bisley grip BFR or any Bisley grip revolver in one quick glance of the firearm.

If thinking of retaining value and wanting that, skip both and buy a Freedom Arms. There are quite a few used ones out there in 454 Casull in the $1,700 plus or minus range. Folks who bought em shot em once or twice and found out what recoil was all about. Great for killing anything massive, but how often do you really do that with a revolver.

Second the FA comment. Just bought my first and was ok spending that kind of money because of the relative value retention.

And regarding the bolded text, this brings out the importance of handloading. You can make perfectly nice plinking loads with a ~280gr cast, take deer with mid-range loads and shoot a mean-nasty with full loads.

You can load a 475 down to 45 Colt power levels, but you need a 475 to get 475 power.

I like my FA M83 in .454. It can shoot low-recoiling .45 Colt rounds, but FA strongly recommends sending in the revolver to have a second custom-fitted .45C cylinder made for the gun. They say something along the lines that, because of the tight tolerances, shooting a 45C out of your FA .454 cylinder can lead to fouling that can make the pressures rise to an unsafe level. Some say it’s BS, some say it isn’t. Don’t know who is correct.

But, in any event, even with .454 loads, you can shooting anything from the equivalent of a modestly-loaded .44 Mag (https://www.midwayusa.com/product/2900213587?pid=213587) to full-bore antitank rounds: https://www.midwayusa.com/product/1021047880?pid=566326

Beautiful gun too:

For OPs understanding, Marine’s FA 454 Casull is sporting a Bisley grip. That grip is undoubtedly the best for heavy recoiling wheel-guns.

Firing 45 Colt soft lead through the 454 will leave a distinguishable lead ring in the cylinder. Build up and without proper cleaning prior to shooting a JHP, JSP or harder HC 454 will damage the cylinders. The advice of interchangeable cylinder is a good one.

BTW nice looking revolver. Nothing like a Freedom Arms wheel-gun. Actually they are quite a bargain compared to paying for a Linebaugh custom revolver as they run plus or minus $5K. Bowen Classic Arms run in the same neighborhood as Linebaugh, awesome revolvers.

44

I tend to agree. My DA Ruger Toklat is a lot more punishing when shooting the same loads.

BFR because I refuse to buy Smiths with the Clinton lock