Freedom Arms & the .454 Casull

[model 70]

anyone have one, shoot one or hunt with one? how much a bear is it? i'm talking the one with the 5-6" barrell.

[TreeDoc]

Almost bought one a few months back but I couldn't live with the fact that the barrel had the original owners name inscribed on it. It was a totally custom gun and was beautiful and spendy to boot. I do know they build a very high quality piece.

[Rocky Raab]

M70, if you're not going to encounter anything larger than black bear, you really don't need that much gun.

For deer, black bear, elk, hogs and such, a 44 Mag or heavy-loaded 45 Colt are more than plenty. With a hard-cast bullet, a 44 Mag will shot through a deer - lengthwise.

Find yourself a decent used Ruger Blackhawk in either caliber and be confident. If you think recoil will be a problem, find a Bisley model. They seem to shoot a bit softer due to the grip design.

More isn't always better. Sometimes it's just more.

[HPBTMTCH]

The freedom arms is a very accurate revolver, but really expensive. IMO, if you only shoot factory rounds it`s great, but had problems handloading. The tolerences were so tight with the couple i worked with, that compressed loads apparently swelled the cases and would not allow the rounds to be rechambered, however, they would drop into my ruger, even though they would come out of the F A.

[model 70]

thanks for the advice. is SA or DA better for hunting revolvers? how will that blackhawk handle in comparisson to my new GP100? is it much heavier? also, recoil. will the blackhawk in .44mag have ALOT more felt recoil than some stiff .357mag loads? what's the best length barrel for hunting with the .44mag?

[TreeDoc]

Generally you will find the SA to have a more refined trigger which is desireable with a hunting firearm. The Blackhawk will feel different from an ergonomic standpoint than your GP100 because it is fitted with a frame and handle of different geometry. Recoil with a .44 will be noticeably different than your .357 but not excessive in a way that it would be uncomfortable. Now shooting a .454 would be a different story. Regarding barrel length, you would be best suited with the Ruger 7.5" barrel but a 5.5" would do.

[HANDGUNNER]

I had a Ruger SB 5.5 inch barrel .44 mag. Nice gun, bought it for tree stand hunting, but I ended up trading it in. I was just too use to the double action revolver, (GP 100 & 686,) even though I shoot them single action for hunting. , plus I wanted a longer barrel. I knew I'd lose money on a trade in. I tried to get a 629 or super redhawk, but ended up with a Taurus 44 and I haven't had any complaints.

[HPBTMTCH]

The blackhawk trigger guard hurts my knuckle with heavy recoil loads. The bisley model is my favorite single action ruger, much more comfortable grip. If i were going to have a revolver to hunt with, it would be the super redhawk in .454. You can use .45 colt for practice and hunting, and the if you want full power, it`s there. A couple years ago i found a taurus tracker in .45 colt that was to good to pass up. The cylinder is shorter than most revolvers, so you lose powder capacity, but the grips fit my hand perfect and it is very light to carry. It`s only 5 shot, but it shoots around 2 inch groups at 50 yards. Great gun.

[TreeDoc]

Here's what I'd get.....

This is a really cool Ruger. It's the Super Blackhawk "Hunter" model. I have had the chance to handle one of these. Up until that point I had no real drive to own a SA Revolver. I would love to have one of these!

http://www.gunbroker.com/Auction/ViewItem.asp?Item=36807414

[model 70]

what are the advantages of to the non-handloader to buy a .45 colt over a .44 rem mag?

[TreeDoc]

That's a good question and being a handloader for both cartridges I'm not sure I can give you a favorable answer on the side of the 45 Colt.

The best I can say is buy the 45 Colt and roll your own! ;)

[Rocky Raab]

Most of the "standard" factory loads for the 45 Colt are very mild - they have to be loaded down until they're still safe in revolvers made 130 years ago.

You can buy special hot loads intended for guns made yesterday, but they're probably spendy.

Super-magnum loads like the 454 Casull, 475 Linebaugh, 480 Ruger and the new 500 S&W are massively powerful at both ends. There's simply no way to compare them to even the hottest 357 ammo...unless you can compare a 105 howitzer to a Garand.

M70, if a 357 is the heaviest handgun you've yet owned, may I respectfully suggest that you not even think about a super-magnum for quite some time? I repeat the "respectfully."

A good 44 (as I posted above) is probbaly all the gun you'll ever need, and possibly all you'll ever shoot comfortably. I'd work up to full 44 Mag performance, in fact. Begin with 44 Special loads (which are delightful). The first round of 44 Mag you touch off is gonna be an eye-opener. They recoil about four to six times what a 357 does.

A super mag? They kick several times more than a 44!!

There are gazillions of 44s out there. See if you can borrow one, rent one or just try one the next time you're at the range. Then you'll know.

[model 70]

thanks again.

[Andy L]

I have recently had some experience. The 454 is a brute alright. It is violent, to say the least when it goes off. And that is a Freedom Arms.

I also recently shot a 500SW with a ported 4" bbl, that I took bear hunting. That was nice. I dont know if it is the way the SW is made, the weight or the ports or a combination of all the above, but I have shot some of the older Redhawks in 44mag that kick alot worse than this 500. Nothing like the 454 Freedom Arms. Of course the 454 is a "cowboy" style gun, alot lighter and no ports.

Thats my take. From recent first hand experience too. Not number crunching.

Andy

I wouldnt own a 454 in Freedom Arms. No way. But a 500 SW set up like above, absolutely. It wasnt a problem.

Edit: Almost forgot. As for the tolerences. While I was there, a friend of the guy with the 454 had loaded him up some ammo. He hadnt taken the gun with him and had appearantly used the book as reference. And must not have measured too close. Out of a box of 50, 5 fit. My friend was happy he had enough to load the thing to carry that day. I was planning on being a long ways off if he had to shoot it. No telling what was going to happen. Tolerences are close, no doubt.

[Catfish]

I`m what you might call a big bore fan. I have .44 mags., 2 .454`s and a .500 S&W. For the money spent I don`t think you can beat a Ruger Super Black Hawk. I would replace the trigger spring on it as I like lite triggers, still worth the money. The .454 Red Hawk has some serious recoil, about like the Freedon Arms and both could use a good set of ruber grips. The Rageing Bull is a rageing pussy cat, less recoil that a Black Hawk .44 mag. but it is very heavy. The .500 S&W has very lite recoil for what your pushing, but it also is very heavy. For your first big bore handgun I would recomand the .44 Super Black Hawk. Even with a triger job, which you may not want, it`s the most for the money, and most of them are pretty accurate, probibly alot better than you`ll be able to shot it. The 629 Smith`s are good too, but I prefer the Black Hawk for hunting, and the 629 is my carry gun.

[model 70]

thought i may revisit this with a different twist.

rocky, you say a .44rem mag revolver is all i'll need for what i'm likely to encounter around these parts. can the same be said for a carbine in .44rem mag? will that shoot length-wise through a deer as well?