well guys im in a bit of a predicament, i just turned 18 and i have around 500 bucks in birthday money. I have really been wanting a new handgun to hunt with. now around where I live I only have deer and groundhogs to shoot with the big pistols, but I also do alot of hunting for other animals such as boar,buffalo,and bear. So nothing is to big. I have a new vaquero 45 lc and a ruger super redhawk 9 and some inch 44 magnum. I really dont know what I want tho.

I could get a blackhawk 45 lc and reload my shells to much hotter then i am currently shooting.

I could get a stainless ruger superblackhawk in 44 mag to match the super redhawk.

so those are my 2 choices for mostly just using what I recieved for my birthday. now I have money saved up that I could add to this for something more expensive

I could get a xp-100 in 22-250 that is at the local gun shop. I dont have any long range pistols but I could really only use it for groundhogs for the most part.

I was also looking into the bfr 45-70. this would be a nice gun that I could really handload for alot of differnet things. I could load it low and pop groundhogs or really load it hot for a super knock down pistol for boars and other big game. then if I wanted to go all out I could get a 450 marlin cylinder for it which has much much more power.

my last thing I was looking at was a smith 460 with the 8 and some inch barrel. I have been told these shoot extremely flat and it is nice that you can also shoot both 45 lc and 454 out of it, also making it very versitle.

So I really dont know. most of the time I wouldnt be hunting anything bigger then deer but I guess I never know what I might end up hunting down the road. I just want something fun and accurate but is still plenty powerful if/when I need it to be. sorry for rambling on and on,I just dont know what to go for. thanks for any advice, SS

Out of your choices I would go with the BFR. These guns are really well made and very accurate. I like the 45/70 & 450 Marlin. If you handload you really gain nothing with the 450 Marlin over the 45/70. You also have alot more choices of brass with the 45/70. The 45/70 has been used successfully on elephant & hippo, what more could you want?

a bfr is heads and shoulders imho above a blackhawk of any variety. never seen one of those that didn't need a trigger job bad. if ya spend a touch more, a bfr gives ya more. i'd consider a super redhawk 454 or 44, in a bfr, a 454 or a 475 but i think the 454 gives ya much more options. the options on my 454's is endless, one son is shooting 45 colts +p loads, my daughter is shooting standard cowboy rounds and my oldest is shooting rounds fit for an elephant. all in the same gun.

I think that I might go with a slightly different route.

I do agree that the BFR is a very nice revolver, however I have never been a fan of the extended frame, long cylinder guns. For me they are simply too much of a good thing and IMHO are way too nose heavy.

How about a BFR in 500 JRH. This will give you more than enough "umph" for anything that walks the planet while still keeping a standard length cylinder and frame.

Most definitely. Mine is the most accurate revolver I own.

Let me be the one that throws a monkey wrench in the mix. How about a TC Contender or Encore? With either one of these you can hunt anything in the world.

I agree with the BFR even though Rugers are my living and I love them. If you go Ruger try to find either a nice used gun or one that's been on the shelf for a while. I still don't have all the answers I'm trying to find on what's going on with their quality control. I owned a BFR 7.5" in 45-70 and it was a powerful and accurate revolver.

I have have been looking into the bfr's heavily and i agree this was one of my top choices. so what is the prefered caliber ? 45-70 vs 500 jrh ? what about the bfr in 460 or 500 smith and wesson ?

I just have to ask. You are looking at some seriously BIG revolver rounds that will take down anything on the planet...which is a nice option to have. But there is a LOT of learning and shooting that has to happen before you ever point that revolver at a game animal, even if they are as small as a deer.

The Ruger .45LC will still take down about anything on the planet, cost you much less and allow you to practice MUCH more...which is the most important part of this purchase, can you afford to shoot it.

So, since you are 18 (and I was once also!), I have to ask this...have you evaluated the "nuts vs brain" size equation??

I'm just sayin........

A RBH Hunter in .45LC will launch 350's at 1300+fps. That's a lot of stomp in a small package.

I hunted this last weekend with a BFR in .45/70, and I have to tell you that the long framed BFRs (like the .45/70, .460 and .500 S&W, etc.), is one cumbersome revolver to be hauling around. My only criticism.

Dan raises a good point. You may want to step back and step into something that you can load up incrementally in order to grow accustomed to the recoil these big guns are capable of generating.

Another thing on the 45-70 BFR that I mentioned in another post is if your wanting to handload it the thin brass won't hold jacketed bullets very well. I had alot of problems with bullet jump and settled on a 440gr hardcast because of the deep crimp groove. You can shoot factory jacketed ammo but then you wouldn't be taking full advantage of the cartridge. Like Whitworth said they are cumbersome which is why I sold mine as well as both of my X frames. Of the cartridges you've listed I'd say the 500JRH although the full house 45-70 will give you a little more range if you don't mind the larger size of the gun.

Dan did make a good point though, if your not already comfortable with some of the smaller hard hitters these guns can be intimidating as well as flat out dangerous to the shooter. My BFR was a handfull and I had already been shooting 475's for a while. That brings in another option you could get a 475 and shoot 480's out of it for a while until your used to it and then step up to 475 loads. There is nothing the JRH will do that the 475 won't it just makes a little bigger hole.

Unless you plan on shooting elephant in the very near future, why get an elephant gun just so you can. If the largest game you will hunt is deer, you already have it covered to 100+ yards with the SRH. A flat shooter for deer and/or whistlepigs may be more appropriate for now. That XP in 22-250 would be that, if the price is right. An XP can easily be rebarreled to a larger bore if you feel the need. I would favor a 475/480 revolver over a 460 or 45/70 any day of the week, and it can be had in a more favorably sized package.

You already have the big guns you need so go smaller. Those big ones are expensive to feed if you shoot a lot. A .22- .22mag Ruger pistol would be a really good addition,allowing you to shoot more for less, and still handle groundhogs and other small game at reasonable distances.Learn to hunt close and stalk closer,it adds to the thrill. A 10 to 14in. contender in .22 would be very nice,with an extra 14 in. 223 barrel, and don't forget the ear plugs or muffs. You don't want to be like a lot of us old timers and be deaf.

You already have a good deer gun, your SRH.If you feel the need to get a new gun get a Encore, buy a barrel here and there and you have it covered, from .22 LR to 500 s&w. Good luck with your decision.

hmm..some interesting points. I guess i should share some of my background first. I have been hunting with traditional i muzzleloaders for the last 10 or so years. from this I have learned how to get close and make your one and only shot count. I even managed to kill a 200 pound boar at 12 yards with a 54 caliber flintlock pistol. talk about a thrill !

I love to get close and personal with the game I am hunting.

I have a 22 revolver and a taurus 22 mag revolver which I love to shoot and have done pretty well on squirrels and rabbits with.

My thinking for getting a big pistol was that I dont know when I would be able to do this again. I am going to go to college next fall and after that I dont know where life will take me. So I figured if I am able to I mideswell buy the biggest thing I can handle and something that I wont grow out of quickly. I have been shooting the redhawk for awhile now and I have become very comfortable with it. yes oviously it is only a 44 mag but it is quite a big gun to handle.

the xp 100 was around 700 if I remember correctly. it would be an interesting pistol to have but im afraid i wouldnt use it enough to be worth having. but then again if I did get it I guess i would have an excuse to use it alot for all the groundhogs around. I am a revovler man at heart tho.

my plan if I did get a big revolver was to load it down in the beginning and slowly make my way up. I just want something versitle that is fun to shoot and practice with loaded down but could be loaded up heavy for when i do need it. but another consiteration is exactly how much do I really need ?

So I really dont know. My plan at the beginning was to get a 45 long colt that could handle the heavy loads my new vaquero cant. but I dont want to grow out of it and be looking for something bigger here down the road.

I like the beauty of the 454/45lc and 475/480 for being able to shoot lighter loads and work up to the full power stuff. but sense i handload I could simply load any cartridge down as light as I want to couldnt I ?

I am going to do some more research on the bfr's, go look at the xp 100 again at the gun shop, and go handle some blackhawks. i would like to be absoutly sure of what I want before I buy it

you can have the biggest gun in the world but if you are not accurate with it what good is it .get something you are comfortable with and go from there. go to a shooting range shoot different guns that way you will have a better clue of what u want.

It would be some feat to outgrow a 475 Linebaugh, I am content with it's junior, the 480R. Either will fit on a standard ruger frame, and carry nicely.

Granted, I am not a big bore revolver shooter but just from the reloading supply end of things, the .45LC/.454 option seems to have much better component availability than the .475 guns.

A fully stoked .454 could do about anything from what I hear.

Before I start, let me say, that is a great picture with the flintlock!!! That's awesome! Not many can claim that one!

I am personally a 460 nut. It was my first handgun that I ever hunted ANYTHING with, but do I "need" it? Not at all, and I'll be the first to admit that. Biggest game I hunt is elk. I LIVE to hunt deer, elk, and bear. All three of those can be had using cartridges much less than the 460. If its been said once, its been said a million times -- shot placement is more important that what it was shot with.

I love the big revolvers, and I'm sure lookin at a BFR myself. But bigger doesn't mean its better. You never outgrow any gun in my opinion. I still have a .22 buckmark that is lights out! If it were legal, I'd hunt deer with it inside 50 yards just because I am that confident in where I can place the bullet.

Just remember, guys kill bears and elk all day long with a bow -- some even with a long bow no less!

as far as the 454/45lc, 475/480 thing goes, you won't go wrong with either, the difference will be availability and cost. either one will do what the other does, 475 is a touch bigger, 454 a touch more versatile imho. the loads i listed earlier are all factory loads. hardcast 265's at 950fps, 335's from 1050 to 1600, 360's from 1300 to 1500, 400's at 1400, they are all available in factory loads. then ya got the barn burners, the 240's at 1900-2000fps which are great deer/elk killers and shoot point on to 150 yards. you can't lose.

I'd say the BFR in either 454 or 475, the 454 has taken the big 5 so it's got enough punch. I was shooting nothing but 475's and bigger for a while but three wrist surgeries later with the last resulting in the removal of three bones and half the nerves in my right hand I mellowed out. I still shoot the heavy hitters but not like I used to and now I do most of my hunting with a 454 I built for myself and there is a noticeable difference in recoil between the 454 and my 475's and 500's. There is nothing in North America you would need more than a 300gr bullet for out of the 454 and there is plenty of factory ammo and as was said earlier there are more reloading components. I'm shooting 300gr XTP's and wouldn't hesitate to use it on elk and wouldn't feel undergunned on moose or bear with it although for the two latter animals I'd probably go with the A Frame.

I agree with Rod. My first hunting revolver was a 41 mag. The second was a 454 (still have both of them). I really never needed another one. All of the rest that fill my safe are there because I want them, not because I need them.

You have a 44. A 45 Colt will not give you any consequential improvement over it. A 454 will take you anywhere you need to go -- now or in the future.

The platform is the primary choice. You have stated that you prefer revolvers. Please handle & compare the BFR platform to some of the other alternatives. It is a good one, but not as pleasing to some as other alternatives. If you are happy with the RH, you may be happy with the BFR. IMHO, the platform should be your primary consideration.

yes I havent been able to hold a bfr yet. but I absoutly LOVE the red hawk. So im guessing I will like the bfr. Im young and I dont mind packing around a 5 pound revolver haha

My .500 JRH BFR weighs just under 3 1/2-lbs......

one of the big misconceptions is that all bfr's are the size of the large framed guns. they aren't, they are slightly bigger than a FA.

That's cuz the holes are so big in the cylinder and barrel that not much metal is left.

LOL

Exactly. Never fails.

This photo clearly illustrates that.

FA 83 on top, BFR .500 JRH bottom (with scope mount attached):



LOL -- You're right about that, Gregg!

Silent Sniper-If you buy an Encore frame I could make you a grand deal on a 460 S&W barrel and a 204 Ruger barrel. As I'm sure you know the 460 will also shoot 454 and 45lc. I also have the wood grips for it.

Whitworth-Those are 2 fine looking handguns. I have a BFR in 480/475 layed away and I can't hardly wait to get my hands on it.

well guys,even tho im sure it is probably foolish(young and dumb) I am going to go ahead and get the revovler I have always dreamed of one day having.I would like to buy a bfr in the infamous 500 s&w. I will have to start out loading it with very light target loads to get the feel for it. Then I will slowly build up. Do I need something this big, bulky, and overrated ? absoulty not. but If I am going to spend this much I am gonna buy the most powerful thing I can(again another young and dumb thing) I think I will start out by pushing some 350 or so grain cast bullets at a mear 900 fps or so. just to get to know it and be able to practice alot. im still debating on whether to go with a 7.5 or 10.5 inch barrel. the 10.5 would probably be easier to shoot but would add some weight to it. then again Im used to the 9+ inch super redhawk so it wont be that much more. I have a sense of what I am getting myself into, a very large heavy pistol that will kick like a mule and I wont be able to shoot a heavy load in it accuratly for a long time. But for some reason it is what I really want for whatever reason. some of it is probably because of the "ego" of having this monster,just like my craving to have a huge giant dodge cummins diesel as I drive around in my new diesel smart car( it gets over 70 mpg's which is something I truly do love) So please I ask you guys to help me out when I start asking for light load recommendations or ways to reduce the recoil haha. But that is what I am going with. thank you guys for all the suggestions and help. Im betting it with be a love/hate relationship at times with this revolver but Im sure it will provide lots of enjoyment. thanks again,SS.

Arrestor muzzle brake will help.

You don't ever have to justify wanting a cartain handgun. Several people on here have told me the same thing. I'm in the same boat you are -- my first hunting handgun was a 460, and I don't regret it at all. I didn't NEED it, but I darn sure WANTED it! The first time I saw/heard one of those go off, I KNEW I would have one. And there's nothing wrong with that.

Hunting is supposed to be enjoyable, and that goes all the way down to shooting the gun you WANT to shoot! That being said, its a no-brainer that there should be no hunting with it till you are proficient with it. And that goes without saying for any caliber.

If the 500 is what you've wanted, then I say go get it and enjoy!!! I'd rather see ya having fun with something ya want rather than trying to just "make do".

I agree that you should always defer to what it is that YOU want and nobody else. That said, even the SRH with the 9.5-inch barrel is quite a bit smaller than the big BFR! Now, if you were anywhere nearby, I would let you try some of these calibers out and see what you are getting into. I have shot the .500 Smith BFR and while the recoil is definitely present, it is a really big, and heavy platform that dampens recoil significantly. My only beef, is that it is not the revolver you will be able to quickly draw and shoot offhand if the opportunity presents itself -- yes, it can be done, but to what level of accuracy?

First part true.......second part false!! Recoil, big, heavy....yep! Dampens recoil.....nope! I shot one....was the most miserable thing I ever pulled the trigger on.

Dan, it's all relative and therefore not a falsehood -- for me! LOL! You should pull the trigger on my .50 Alaskan -- that BFR .500 Smith fells like a .357 Magnum! Haha! Seriously.

The point I would like to make is that there are revolvers we have discussed here that kick harder by virtue of their lighter weight. But, they are sized to carry, which is a big consideration for me particularly since I hunt with them. JMHO.

To put the frame size differences in perspective, the BFR on top is a .500 Smith & Wesson, while the revolver below is a BFR in .500 JRH.

That Is why I had my .50 Alaskan built with a heavy barrel.

And you are smart for it!

Yes, but it is just about as easy to carry my .50 Alaskan Marlin 1895.

No doubt! That is another project on my list -- a levergun in .50 AK.

Hank, have you ever weighed your .50 Alaskan? Curious what it weighs. Thanks!!