I've been getting a hankering for a new barrel (funny how that happens once or twice a year!). I shot a friends Freedom Arms .454 and was quite impressed. I can't afford an FA, but I thought that the .454 should gain a little velocity in a 12-inch encore. Does anyone out there have a 12-inch encore barrel in .454? If so what do you think of it and what kind of velocities are you getting? Are these chronographed or book velocities? Does such a setup need a muzzle brake? I noticed that there is one for sale in the classifieds.

EW, the 454 in a 12" Encore with no scope & no break is the most brutal thing I've ever shot. I was using the Winchester Partition Gold that I chrono'd at 2000+ fps. I didn't like it and got rid of it... The 454 has a very sharp recoil anyway and it just wasn't any fun to shoot. A FA gun doesn't feel like it kicks nearly as hard.

I gotta go with Gary on this one...as I shot his barrel with the same loads he is speaking of. It was one brutal bugger...and I have some big hammer handguns to compare to!! I've got .444's, 45/70's, big JDJ's, and several big bore revolvers but nothing hurt like that tapered 12" .454 Encore barrel!! The addition of optics and if you could find a 15" or 12" full bull would really tame her down but it was a handful.

To date...that is still the only handgun I would not shoot more than three rounds from.

I just got a 12" 454 that is mag-na-ported will give report as soon as I get to shoot it.

i wonder if it's as brutal as my 300 win mag shootin 180gr win factory loads? the first shot was fun! hehehe. after a few more my hand was bruised, and it hurt for a week. no way i coulda even shot a handghun till i healed.

at the time, it was cut/crowned at 16.5" from a heavy 26" factory 300. it was pretty dang hard to hold onto, if'n ya didn't have a good grip.
after the OTT muzzle brake has been added, i think it's gonna be a long time favorite.

hmmmmmmmm maybe thats why a local shop had a $150 price tag on a good lookin ss 12" 454 barrel. i'd say someone else out there had the same results.

I've always found the straight walled cases to be more punishing in the Contenders and Encores than the Bottle necked cases. Not really sure why that is maybe it's the heavy bullets flying at a higher velocity than in the pistol. I keep thinking about getting a 475 Linebaugh someday and then remember the pain factor.

Kyode, I don't think I've ever shot a gun that bruised my hand what were you thunking boy. Actualy I'm thinking about turning my 30-06 into a 300WM but that baby will have a brake.

I think that it also has a lot to do with the physical weight of the barrel...straight walled rounds are typically a bigger bore...meaning the barrel is physically lighter and does less to curb muzzle whip. My Super 14 .44 Magnum and .357 Herrett both shoot a 180gr bullet at 2000fps...both have the same scope base, rings, and even optics but that darn .44 has a sharper recoil than the .357 which is a little sweetheart. That extra meat in the bore adds a little weight that has to help.

I had a 454 12" with a scope .... brutal is not going far anuff to describe the recoil.had it magna-ported recoil went from a wrist twister to a straight slam back into the palm ,numbed the hand . installed a 2x burris blew it up after 22 rounds ,tried leupold 2x blew it up after 54 rounds ,sent it in the fix it but sent it back with a letter asking that i NOT install it on the 454

I have a pair of Super Redhawk 454's and I just got a 12" Encore barrel,All wear 4x Leupold scopes. I do not find the 454 "brutal" at all. None of these guns are ported or braked either and my preferred load of a 325gr RNFP from a Lyman mold over 30grs of WW 296 is hardly a snoozer. In fact on my first 454 I destroyed a Tasco in short order,the recoil actually bent the scope,I replaced that with a Swift 4x scope that lasted just over 250 rounds only to have the reticule disappear. I then went to the 4x Leupold scopes and have been trouble free for about 1k rounds and counting.
The 454 is powerful and the unscoped SRH will get your attention but with the addition of same it can be controlled easily.
Now recoil in my soon to be delivered OTT 458 Win Mag will be tamed a bit with an OTT brake,though I still expect some the grin from watching targets being obliterated will help a bit.
45nut