If you could talk me into a BFR, my wife would appreciate it.

Its just a little more about what you want. Advantages of fa 83 is its just tight. Not necessarily an advantage when its gets dirty for sure. The freedom arms front sight is an advantage as well to a degree. I have 5 freedom arms, 4 bfrs, and 7 super redhawks. They each have their advantages and each company has its less than guns and they run according to price. I listed the freedom arms advantages. Versus a bfr precision shop the bfr advantages are a possibly better trigger, larger cylinder which allows use of longer bullets and bullets that are almost at the edge of the fa cylinder still have a ways to go in the bfr before they back out and tie up the cylinder. The bfr has a free spinning pawl which allows counter rotation of the cylinder so u can back up and unload a pulled bullet that would necessitate taking the cylinder out of the freedom arms to clear. The bfr has a transfer bar safety which allows the gun to be carried safely with all chambers loaded. The bfr is heavier and stronger but not so much that you cant use the fa holsters for the bfr. I use fa holsters for all my small cylinder bfr?s. The bfr is definitely a stronger gun. For the price of a precision center gun you can send it to jack huntington and have a front sight base placed that will accept fa sight blades and the action tuned to a level the fa guns wont ever be coming from freedom arms and still be 1000 bucks under the fa price. Also, the bfr bisley grip hamdles recoil better than the fa grip and produces much less knuckle rapping than the fa though both are good, the bfr is excellent. The bfr has been improved on a regular basis so dont take reviews of one from 15 years ago as gospel now. Much has been improved even in the last 2 years. Its your money but have a bunch of all of em and if i were doing it over again now id have a bunch of bfrs and srh guns.

For a size comparison, BFR top, FA 83 bottom:

FA is carried with the hammer on an empty chamber?

Mine sure is !!!! First off an excellent choice in the 454. You can get ammo nearly anywhere. I do like the 454 and wanted to say that the Barnes performs well, and has taken several animals.
It is lighter than the Swift, and therefore a little less recoil. Swift that I use is the 300gr.
I never actually owned a Super Redhawk. But, I shot a few and I have to admit that there is Less FELT recoil with Rugers new choice in Rubber grip.

The BFR and its odd looking grip WORKS !!! I did not feel the recoil much when shooting a 500JRH. You will be getting a short cylinder with the 454, so a long jump will not be happening.
I have not had problems handloading for the 454. I have started with new components. Also, When Budsgunshop has the Federal 300gr on sale and free shipping,,
I don't worry too much about rolling my own.

Charles

Thanks charles. Thats a good deal on the aframes. Wow. Good price

I carry with all five chambers filled, guess I?m a rebel that way.

Does the FA have a hammer-mounted firing pin?

I don't know. The FA is prettier. Pretty matters to me in guns, bows, knives, and motorcycles.

THE FIRING PINS ON MY FA REVOLVERS ARE MOUNTED IN THE FRAME. I HAVE READ, AND REREAD THE FA MANUAL, AND I DO NOT FEEL CONFIDENT ENUFF TO CARRY FULLY LOADED SO I ALWAYS LOAD 4 AND HAVE THE HAMMER DOWN ON AN EMPTY CHAMBER. NEVER NEEDED THE 5th ROUND, EITHER FINISHED IT WITH 4 OR LESS, OR ALWAYS HAD TIME TO RELOAD.

My initial reaction was to write-off the FA when I heard it should be carried with 4 rounds. But then, this isn't my Home D pistol. I feel like the FA is the prettiest girl in school, but the BFR is the smart girl in glasses and overalls who could be Prom Queen if I'd only give her the chance.

My choice would be the BFR.

As are mine, but I have no qualms about carrying a fully loaded cylinder in my FAs.

What about buying a 6.5" Ruger Super Blackhawk in .454 Casull and sending it to one of the famous revolver smiths to tune?

I think I posted this earlier, but I tested these guns for Ruger and they won't hold up to a lot heavy loads. They make for a better .45 Colt +P gun than a .454.

Got it. Sorry, I thought before you were only referring to Rugers converted from 45 Colt to 454.

I'm leaning towards the FA 83 with a 6" barrel.

I have one, great gun. Took a capebuff with it and put it down with one shot. You will like it.

TheSavageRabbit, I shoot a FA83 in 454 Casull and do not reload either. I contacted Reeds ammo and they worked up a special load for me for the 454. Hornady XTP 250gr at 1250fps. I can comfortably shoot a box of 50 without any issues. Cost, the same as their regular 454. Very nice and clean shooting. I have them make me custom 45 Colt +P as well. So, though it is cheaper hand loading and you have more flexibility, you can also have custom factory loads as well.

Great revolver, like Tradmark, I believe you?ll enjoy it.

In general, I prefer customs because I can get whatever I want. I get to choose the material, configuration, barrel length and profile, grip frame and grips, sights, finishes, everything. The possibilities are endless. Options are limited with the FA and BFR and the only material available is stainless steel. I'm pretty much over stainless. The drawback is that the heavy duty five-shot conversions cost more than either of your other two options and there is usually a long wait involved.




That said, both the FA and BFR are very well made guns. The BFR's are certainly better made than Rugers and they are a fantastic value. The FA's are better made than that but it comes at a price. Both are brutally strong. However, there are things I don't like about the BFR and I don't see any overcoming that. To me, the FA is a much better looking and more comfortable to shoot sixgun. Great deals can be found on used guns, especially the Field Grade. All of which is why I have one in .454/.45Colt and no BFR's.




With all that in mind, the .454 throws in a caveat or two. I really don't think a Ruger single action frame should be run at 65,000psi. So if that is the goal, BFR or FA are a better choice. Most factory loads and much handloading data is in the 50,000psi range and that should be fine for the Ruger if you're not shooting an excessive amount of full pressure loads. Personally, I'd keep the Ruger Bisley .454 with five-shot .45Colt loads and consider it settled.

One suggestion I would make is the Super Redhawk. They're not the prettiest girl to invite to the prom but their beauty lies in their utility. I prefer the optic mounted over the frame, rather than the barrel and the SRH allows you to keep your iron sights in place. For a pure hunting sixgun, I see none better.

Srh is undoubtedly the most versatile hinting sixgun that exists. I got the action tuned by jack huntington and now its the one i cant live without.

I can't get on board with the SRH. The aesthetic is too ? "unique." "Beauty in utility" is how I justify Glocks. But living with the looks of the SRH is a bridge too far for me.

I woke-up this morning thinking about the 475 Linebaugh. The .454 makes more sense for a non-handloader, I think. But there is just something about the .475 that is attractive. Maybe it just seems more wild and intriguing.

I had the Ruger bisley as well as the super red in .454. I didn't care for either, or the caliber that much. It's a good round, but just not my cup of tea.

Bought a BFR in .475 Linebaugh, and it is one gun I will never part with. Recoil is about the same as the 454, just not as jumpy ( to me ).

Personally, I wouldn't pay the money for a FA. The BFR will do the same thing just as well as the FA for less $. I'm sure FA is a well made weapon, not knocking them.

Total 180 today. Since finding ammo is going to be a chore either way and because I already have the 460XVR to handle 460 and 454, maybe I should be adventurous and buy my next revolver in 475. That introduces me to the 475 Linebaugh and the 480 Ruger. Maybe I just need to accept that living in CA means that finding ammo is a never-ending scavenger hunt.

If bullet choice is a challenge stick to 454 or 500 jrh. You will thank me later.

I'd have to agree. Not a lot of choices out there for .475. Plenty of .500

I'm just a .475 fan boy. I can't help myself.

Have a matched pair of 6? FAs in .475 Linebaugh. Believe one will go with me for bear this coming December.

The .475 and .500 Linebaugh are great cartridges but compared to our other choices, they're rather limited. I have to look at bullet selection as a major factor and there are just a lot more choices for .44's, .45's and .501's.



I used to think the same thing, then I got over it. Now I have a "set".

Glocks are just ugly and there are lots of guns that do the same thing.

I have many sets of srh?s. Just great guns. If you go 475 you will want the slightly longer cylinder of the bfr bs the fa gun.

Also, bullet weights you will be lucky to load to 1400fps in the 475 can run into 1600fps territory fairly easily. When jack made that cartridge he took all things into account and made the best of the best out of a ?normal? large frame revolver. Freedom arms shoulda stuck with that cartridge as their 50 cal rather than their wyoming express.

Max,

In your opinion are the 480 Ruger Bisleys over powered?

When I endurance tested the .480 Bisley, it held up a lot better than the .454 version.

I am a supporter of the 480 Ruger because it has a lower pressure threshold than a 475 Linebaugh and the recoil is more of a strong push than a sharp wrenching and fast recoil sensation. And just 100 fps less velocity means terminal results are identical. Dead animal laying out.

And I believe Magnum Research Biggest Finest Revolvers are great because of their Bisley grip option,heavier frame and that they listen to what customers request. I like that new hammer you showed as coming from BFR Whitworth. A 500 JRH with a 5.5 inch barrel and Bisley grip sounds like a plan. With that wider spur hammer of course.