I can buy the taurus for $266 less and that would pay for a scope and such. I will shoot primarily 45 LC hot loads. What would you do if it were your money?

IMO...with the Taurus you are getting $266 less gun...performance and quality. If you primarily shoot hot .45LC's then find a Ruger Super Blackhawk Hunter.

Gotta say I'm with Dan.
I know a lot of guys that like their Taurus & I have nothing against them, but if I was going to shoot primarily 45 Colt I wouldn't get either. It would be a Super Blackhawk Hunter as dan said, or a Ruger Super Redhawk (if thet aren't available in 45 Colt than a .454)
If you just wang a carry often/shoot occassionaly a regular Super Blackhawk.

I am going to use it for hunting here in Montana, deer, bear, elk, etc. So I'm now thinkin Beasley Blkhwk 7&1/2" with Weigand mount and 3 ring set. I will shoot primarily 250 & 300 gr laser cast bullets over 23 gr of WW296. I was considering a Burris 2X scope to be sufficient but might think about a red dot or halo sight. Any recomendations?

See if you can find a Hunter model before getting any other Blackhawk. They have the best mounting system available IMO that can be had on a revolver.

My 7.5" .45LC Hunter shoots a 340gr Penn bullet at 1300+fps. The only thing a .460 or .454 will do better than that is shoot through the animal a little faster.

As for revolver optics...I'm partial to Weaver 2X and 4X scopes. They handle the recoil of my Hunter's just fine.

I agree with Dan on the gun but favor red dot sights myself. I have an "Ultra-Dot 4" on my Mod. 29 S&W & through 4 yrs of Alaskan weather & bumps & scrapes & never missed a beat. At the distances I shoot I don't really need magnification, but I do like (need) quick sight aqusition. Last year a 10'ish brownie & I came together (season closed) for a minute (lifetime?) at ranges that varied from approx 10-30yds until I could make a graceful exit, & I really liked the red dot at that point. Since I was checking a black bear bait and new any encounter would be close I had the dot set at the 12moa size, which gave me a very quick easy to find & definite sight picture at all times.
Where in Montana are you? I lived in Hamilton for 5 yrs & then came back to Alaska almost 5 yrs ago.

I have had the Raging Bull .454 and I got rid of it. It was destroying my face with all sorts of crap blowing back at me. I now have a .460 Smith. It shoots really well but the forcing cone is catching hell and deteriorating quicker than I would like. With heavier bullets it really does not out do the .454 by much. I also have a Ruger Super Redhawk .454 which I shot today. I really like it. You can shoot .45 LC's in it but you can also stoke up with some .454's if you feel the need. It also has a great scope mounting system. It is pretty darn accurate and portable. It would have my vote.

I have heard that Davidson's is going to order another run of SBH Bisley Hunters in 45 LC. But, you can still find a few out there from the last run. I have one in .41 Mag and will be getting one in .45 LC one of these days. I have also heard of guys reaming the cylinder to .454 specs and shooting t'weener loads in them. Don't think you'd have to go there though. Any one else heard of this? I've also heard a lot of bad things about Taurus, although have never owned one. I'd also opt for the SRH .454 if a double-action is your preference. You can't go wrong with a Ruger Shoot on, Rod.

I will never own a taurus again

The 460 is cool, but the price is up there. I have 2 of the Super Redhawks and like them both. The mono grip is very comfortable with recoil and the scope mounting system is great. The Ruger will come with rings so the only thing you need to buy is the scope. If you want to mount a dot sight and need a weaver rail mount, Weigand makes one for the SRH that fits the Ruger dovetails. Her is a picture.




The SRH is a very rugged gun ,you can shoot 45 Colts in the 454, or just down load the 454 some, then if need be full house 454 loads. All in all the SRH is hard to beat.

Hello all....I am the newest member of your group. This in part thanks to Gunbroker.com.

It has been almost a daily routine for me to visit the auctions and look for deals. Last week I bought a 460 XVR (8 3/8) for $700 bucks!!!

It has 40 rounds through it. The auction included 150 rounds of Hornady 460 ammo, and a nylon holster!!

Discounting the price of the ammo, this gun cost less than $500. I own a taurus wheel gun, and was also considering the large bore "Raging Bull".

I am glad I waited. I think the 460 will be more versital, and a smarter purchase in the long run. Be patient and look for the deals!!

The 460 is worth every cent! The Burris 2x7 with posi lock would be a great choice.It was my choice after a ton of homework. Being able to shoot 45, 454, and 460's is huge. There's a reason it is so expensive, it's the best!

Personally I'd steer clear of the Raging Bull. I had one and hated getting sprayed in the face by lead and powder fouling. The 460 Smith is interesting. But I think that I echo the thoughts of other posters in saying get the SRH in 454. Very nice sturdy gun that will last a lifetime.

"There's a reason it is so expensive, it's the best!".

Well it's good to know that argument (what gun is best) is finally settled!!! That will save a lot of discussion on a lot of message boards & around a lot of campfires
Just giving you a hard time Luckydog!!!
Wouldn't be my choice but I'm glad you enjoy your S&W.

OK Guys here's what I deceided. I ordered a 7.5" Ruger Blackhawk Bisley in 45 LC today. It will be here tomorrow. My cost on this gun is $410 + $30 UPS tarriff for next day shippment.I will do the action work here in my shop and I smooth and reshape the Ruger grips and change the emblems with a case head. Fit a Belt Mountain sheriff model base pin (it has a shorter head to allow better extraction and a locking screw) and be ready to go.I like what was said about the red dot sight. I am not afraid of a blackie but we are getting more griz up here in NW (Libby) Montana. I haven't made a shot over 100yds in years so magnification isn't that important. Any recomendations on a red dot?
Thanks to everyone for the good imput. I'm thinking of a sling or lanyard insted of a holster any comments?

Here's what I have, the Ultradot 4
http://www.discoveryoptics.com/uddfourdot30b.html
There may well be places to get it cheaper, but I found this site quickly.
I like the choice of 4 dot sizes (4, 8, 12, & 16 moa). Small dot for sighting in & more precise stuff, generally I leave it on the 8moa for still hunting, & the 12 or 16 moa when I think there is a good possibility of an up close & personal encounter with something like the brownie I ran into last year. It adjust quickly, easily, & positively.
Between the different dot sizes & brightness settings I have never been in shooting conditions I couldn't be comfortable with.
The 30mm tube makes for quick target aquisition.
It has held up well to torential rain & cold, two drops onto hard-packed ground (don't ask), & several hundred 1350 fps 320gr loads along with lighter stuff. It's not the cheapest, but I'd buy another in a heartbeat.

Good choice And a great price to boot. Have you seen the rear peep sight by One Ragged Hole? It comes up as quick, if not quicker, as a dot. I have them on my SBH Bisley Hunter .41, and Bisley .22. Plenty accurate to 100 yards and allow the use of a regular holster. Just another option Enjoy, Rod.

I'm savin' my pennies for one of these.

$bob$

It's pretty Bob, no doubt, but I must admit I'm more into working guns. Tried collecting Winchester commerative lever guns way back when, but I could never leave them under the bed. Had to take everyone of those brand new guns out & shoot them . Gave up on collecter stuff
The big Smiths seem to be kind of an enigma. You would think they would be all the rage here in Alaska where bigger is better, & folks are always looking for big handguns for bear protection.
But it seems most dealers have a used one or two around. Noticed one in a local shop the other day. It was an "as new" 500 with the 8"(+) barrel. They wanted just over $700. for it. Same guy wants near $600 for used Super Redhawks. Lots of nice used 500s for sale for $700ish up here. Not as many used 460s, but there aren't as many new 460s on the shelves either.
The one that seems to go fairly quick up here is the one I want when I get rich again, the 7.5" Super Redhawk in .480.

Vance,

I was kidding... I can't afford the dang thing but if you pulled one out your friends would sure be impressed huh?

My "bear hunting" handgun is a S&W 500 with 4" barrel and the two compensators but I bet I'd carry my 10mm Glock Model 20 more often because it's just soooo much lighter and in a Bianchi shoulder holster it's easy to forget it's even there.

I wouldn't consider the Glock a brown bear hunting handgun but for bear protection it would likely be there when/if you needed it and 15 rounds of Double Tap bear loads would be some pretty potent medicine.

To be honest with you I just finished reading "Alaska Bear Tales" a book written by Larry Kanuit I'm not sure that even a 500S&W revolver would be enough gun for a wounded brownie. I think I'd be pretty happy to have someone right there with me with a sho nuff Dangerous Game Rifle.

If your first shot doesn't kill a brown bear it appears that you might have your hands full of a huge and lightning quick "big and nasty" with a SERIOUS attitude, and getting chewed on would be a likely outcome.

I've been bluff charged by a 300+/- pound black bear and I can tell you that she moved so fast that I just barely had time to get my rifle on her and unless you're eon's faster than I am you wouldn't have a chance of even getting one round in her from a handgun much less the several you would likely need.

As the old bear hunters say... Be sure to file that front sight off if you intend to use a handgun for grizzly...

Don't get me wrong... I'm hankerin' to try one on for size with a handgun but I fully intend to have some SERIOUS bear medicine along with me as well.

I'm thinking that a proper bear stomper would be a 375H&H when the chips are down and that one last shot would be all you get before you get some free plastic surgery and a looooong stay in a hospital (if you're lucky).

Of course you intend to hunt blackies (if I read right) but if you're going to be around many brown bears it might not hurt to pad your bets.

$bob$