45-70 or 500 S&W Magnum

So... I am looking to get a big boomer revolver and had my mind set on a 10" BFR in 45-70. That was before I had the opportunity to buy a 10" BFR in 500 S&W Mag for $475. It's in mint condition and has only had 5 round through it. Owners out of work and needs cash now. So do I buy the 500 or wait for the 45-70. Anybody have experience with the BFR??? Caliber comparisons??? This would be my Africa big 5 gun if my dreams come true someday.

PS... The new job at Cabela's is AMAZING!!!

There's a reason for that...that model gun in that caliber was the absolute worst firearm I have ever had the displeasure of shooting!! And there are several of this board that will back me up on that as they were at my range on the same day and shot the same gun. That's all I have to add.....

The 45-70 isn't any better if you stoke it up, I had mine running 440gr cast performance bullets out at 1600+ and it hurt but it was a shooter and very well built. The one thing to consider with the 45-70 is that with hot loads you'll have a problem stopping crimp jump, 45-70 brass is thin by design and won't hold a crimp which is why I finally gave up and only shot hard cast. The two are very similiar ballisticly so if a BFR is what you want and unless your just dying for the 45-70 I'd jump on the 500 for that price. If you do go with the 45 cal either get the extra cylinder in 450 or just buy the 450, the brass is heavier and will help with the crimp problem.

That's a good price for that .500 S&W BFR. I would go for that. I have a .500 S&W BFR 7.5". I like it. It is very accurate. It does get your attention when you squeeze off a shot but it is not that bad. I have lots of big boomers anyway so it fails to intimidate me. Be mindful of your trigger finger and the trigger guard. It used to like to shave some skin off until I moved my hand further down on the grip. I have not had any problems since.

Recoil

I am glad this came up. I would still like to hear something on the 30-30 BFR. I have tossed around getting one for deer but still haven't heard anything on it.

Can't be any worse than the DMAX chambered for .50 Alaskan I shot May before last. If you want it, I say go for it.

Lordy that just oozes testosterone! Good deal too. Better grips could help manage that recoil.

Dan B.,
Was it "...the worst firearm..." because of recoil, or because of accuracy ? Thanks.

The rubber grips on a BFR seem to magnify recoil. I put SBH grip panels on my .454 BFR and it made a huge improvement.

If you like wood grips. Herret used to catalog one called the Single Action Trooper. It fills in behind the trigger guard but will leave the back strap open if you like. It's no longer cataloged but they will still make it for you.

whatever you do unless you have gigantic hands don't buy the wood grips magnum research offers for the BFR, they are way oversized and for me even with fairly large hands I never felt in control of the gun.

The recoil was horrific!! Accuracy....could not determine since the iron signts could not maintain their position between shots. The elevation screw moved w/ EVERY shot.

YUP, I was there that day. I shot 5 rounds thru the gun and thought if this is what the 500 Short & Weak is like I want nothing to do with it. It was short on niceness and weakened my hands. The hard rubber grips tried to tear up my hands and the recoil was sharp and abrupt. I have had lots of experienc with heavy recoil, but this was just abuse. Each time I would pull the trigger the bullet would strike the ground a little further out. The recoil was backing out the rear sight screw.

I was glad Gerry was there with his S&W 500. I shot it and the recoil was nothing like the BFR. I liked it so much I shot 20 rounds thru it. Then eventually got one of my own.

For me hearing Dan B and Tigger complain about recoil scares me!I know if I ever run into one I'll never shoot it.

Cub,

I have a BFR in 500 S&W, 6" barrel, an RSR exclusive. I shoot a Lee cast 440, actual wt. is 465 gr. with my allow and gas check at approx. 1400 fps. The gun and load are very accurate with 5 shot groups @ 50 yds approx 1.5" and 100 yd groups approx 2.5", when I do my part. You know it is goin' off; however, the recoil is tolerable. I have the standard issue rubber grips, no porting, and a 4x Leupold scope. Additionally, I have a BFR in 444 Marlin, 460 S&W, and 30-30. Haven't had time to work extensively with those yet. You know, work gettin' in the way and all.

Doc with a glock, I would like to hear about the 30-30 sometime if you get the chance. I like the idea of a 30-30 revolver for deep woods huntn. I just haven't heard much on them.

Jeremy,

I am in the process of rechambering to 30-30 Ackley. Will let you know in another thread how it goes.

[/quote]I was glad Gerry was there with his S&W 500. I shot it and the recoil was nothing like the BFR.[/quote]

The X Frame guns come with a muzzle brake. It has to be added to the BFR. My 45/70 BFR was customized by MagNaPort, the barrel was ported with dual trapezoid ports and a larger port on the top. Ken Kelley referred to it as their "Linebaugh porting". The gun is very manageable, and as big bores go, is not unpleasant to shoot. Even with 405 gr. bullets. I have not had a problem with either cast or jacketed bullets jumping crimp, but I use the Redding Profile Crimp Die which might be the difference.

Try to understand my next statelment--I will never ever shoot another BFR in 500S&W again! It took me an hour to get over the flinch it left in my brain! My 4" M629 and 285's recoils more than my S$W 500. I am not recoil shy. I shoot a 15" Braked 416 Rigby and a 15" 375H&H. Recoil is not in the same league and performance blows them away--400g Grand Slam at 2450fps from a short gun is no small feat, and it don't hurt nearly as much as that BFR. As far as I'm concerned the M500 is just dog nuts fantastic! They did a fantastic job with the brake! My small hands cannot control the recoil of the BFR 500.

Is the price of ammo even a consideration?

I have shot the .45/70 BFR with a ten-inch barrel quite extensively, stoked with 400 grain bullets at a touch over 1,600 fps and I personally don't find it objectionable. It's a HUGE revolver and the way it's designed seems to negate recoil quite a bit. I find the various .475 Linebaughs I have shot to kick harder -- smaller, lighter guns.

Every BFR I have shot has been very accurate and IMHO, there is no better bang-for-the-buck big-bore revolver available.

That is a smokin' deal for that .500, and if you are a handloader, I say go for it. You don't have to load them so hot -- really, you don't. Remember, at the end of the day, one will put a 1/2-inch hole through an animal, while the other will merely make a .458-caliber hole.......

That's my story, and I'm stickin' to it!

I have a 500 S&W BFR with a 7.5" smoothe holeless tube and it is not for the faint of heart. It had a habit of shaving skin off of my trigger finger which was not very helpful to my concentration. Anyway, I started holding it further down the grip and that problem went away. I like to shoot it with a baseball cap on. That way when it starts to tip my hat I know I need to get more serious with my hold. Darn accurate handgun!

Recoil

Hey
I love my BFR 7 1/2" 500 !
I shoot 460 gr hard cast 34 gr Lil Gun , shoots flat enough to take 200 - 250 yd shots on whitetail , recoil is healthy so I wear a shooting glove at the range and It feels like a 22 when you squeeze the trigger with a deer in the scope !
If the recoil bothers you shoot the light bullets ( 275 - 325 gr ) they don't kick at all !
I personally would not buy the 10", I don't think you gain enough in sight picture or velocity or added weight to worry about.
You can pick a BFR in 500 on Gunbroker for about $550.00

Hey Tony, you have a wonderful imagination!!! Like a 22? maybe a 22 mm anti-tank gun!

I have ben reading the posts you guys have been layng out and I think a lesser man would be intimidated of the New 500 BFR I just purchased. I have not received it yet, so obviously I have not shot it.

I did put new Hogue grips on it at the gun store. I know my FA 454 with stout loads and non magnaport did not phase me. I really am not prone to recoil fear. I believe it's due to the fact that I concentrate so much on my target.

However, I am starting to feel a little hesitant of pulling that trigger for the first time after reading some of these post. Wholly crap, worse than a 416 Rigby and 375 H&H?

I guess I will have to see what she's like and then adapt and innovate if the recoil is that stout. Actually I'm kind of getting "gun horny" just thinking what it will be like.

Mike,

With a "proper" grip, allowing the gun to "roll" back in the hand, the way Col. Colt designed the '73, and most of that gun's progeny, it is no problem. Not a man or women for that matter, on this list, can hold one of 'em down. In fact, don't. If shot properly, even the hot Hornady 500gr. loads are OK. PS: Proper grip doesn't mean "limp wrist." If you do that, the plastics guy will need to remove the front sight and forend of the barrel from your forehead.

Mike...a year after shooting the BFR in .500 I was ripping rounds from BEH's .416 Rigby. The Rigby was a handfun but NOTHING like the BFR. The BFR literally took me back a step w/ each shot...I'm not exactly petite and I know how to shoot big bore revolvers.

I know that I'd never shoot it again.

The rifle is supported by the whole body, and the handgun is wrestled with only your two arms. I have owned (still own some) a .375 H&H, a .416 Rem, a .458 win mag, a .458 Lott, and a .450 Ackley and in my opinion, the big handguns are harder to master than the big rifles. Just be glad no one builds a .500 Smith in a DA revolver! LOL!

The Smith X frames are DA.

I know that, but I meant something a bit lighter, smaller, and without a compensator. I should have clarified!

They do, I don't see it in his current catalog but Reeder builds the 500S&W, 475 Maximum and the big boy of the bunch the 500 Linebaugh Maximum on a stretch frame Ruger Blackhawk. The gun weighs just a little more than a normal big bore conversion and you get the single action recoil. He may have dropped it because of too many emergency room visits for guys with bigger ego's than wrists. John Linebaugh was doing the same on the 357MAX frames but I heard he stopped because of frame failures, Reeder was using a special frame said to be stronger than the Ruger.

for what it is worth I have two bfrs. 500 and 45/70. Both guns are set up identical, except the 500 is 7.5" and the 45/70 is 10". I used the 500 in africa to harvest several animals. If i had to do it over i would have used the 45/70. The velocity i get with it is much better and recoil is half. Not sure why. I get 1700+ with barnes xxx 300's and 1950 with the x 250 in the 45/70. Recoil is not to bad. The Bfr 500 wtih barnes 275 x and xtp 350's kick like hell in comparison at less than 1700 fps. I shoot a 500 linebaugh and 500 WE among other big bores. The 500 bfr is worse than my 4 3/4" WE in recoil. The 45/70 will do anything the 500 can with less recoil. Both of my revolvers will better 2" groups at 100 if i do my part. My vote is 45/70 hands down for power and shootability. Plus bullet selection is much better than the 500. My 3 cents.

Whitworth, my Rigby and H&H are 15" Custom Encore barrels!! .416 Rigby in a rifle with a brake is a pussy cat.

Yikes! What kind of velocity do you get with the .416 with 400 grain pills?

My .416 Rem weighs 8-lbs and has no brake, and it will get your attention off the bench -- but who shoots big-bores off the bench more than they have to?? My .450 Ackley is still doing time in gunsmith prison and it too will weigh in right around 8-lbs. I suspect it won't be too pleasant to shoot either! LOL!

2300fps with 400's, 2450 with 350 TSX!! Real expensive to shoot though. 105gr of pwder and bulet that costs mucho and teh brass is ~$2 each. Such a deal for fun!!

That's smokin'! That's got to get your attention even with the brake!