Ruger, BFR, and Freedom Arms - Single Action Choices!

S

shanewomer

New member
O.K.,
I was going to get a Colt SAA, until everyone here talked me out of it, because the Ruger Vaquero is tougher, and can be shot with fun cowboy action shooting, and will last longer, and has a safe transfer bar, and can handle more powerful cartridges like the .44 mag, etc...

Now that I'm looking at the Ruger, I've taken notice of a few other Single Action Revolvers that strike my fancy, and I'm confused again. I know they're not as cowboy looking, but like I said, they stroke my fancy! For one, I really like guns that have two caliber options, and some of these other ones have that. Like a 454, and .45 Long Colt, in one Single Action revolver. And there are many other combinations available, etc...

I think the BFR .45LC/410 is a cool one too.

What about the Magnum Research BFRs? They come in many different flavors of calibers, (some REALLY big ones), and they look real nice, especially with the custom the black micarta handles that they offer.

What kind of hammer does the BFR have? Is it a fining pin on the hammer, that is weak like the Colt, or is it a trasfer bar, or what?

How about the Freedom Arms? I know they're the most expensive, but how do they compare with the BFRs? What's the differences?

Thanks, Shane
 
Shane,
The firing pin on the hammer, like the Colt, is not a weak one. Colt firing pins are neither weak nor fragile.
Dual-caliber options are frequently of limited practical value, most shooters will tend to pick one caliber/cylinder and stick with it in any given gun. There are exceptions, but if you buy a Freedom Arms, or any other .454, I doubt you'll be swapping back and forth between the two very much, the point of impact relative to the point of aim would require you to change the sight adjustment too much. Those two rounds don't shoot quite exactly to the same point of aim. No offense intended in saying this, either, but if you're fairly new to handgunning, the .454 is a bad choice & I don't think you'd be shooting .454 loads in it much. If that'd be the case, there's no sense in spending that kind of money for a gun you'd only be shooting .45 Colt ammo through.
The .45 Colt/.410 option has relatively limited practicality, too. The rifling spins the .410 shot column out the muzzle, which makes it a fairly close-range proposition, it doesn't have the hunting range or utility of a smoothbore shotgun in .410. Again, pretty expensive for a .45 Colt.
If you've got quite a bit of spare cash and you just want to buy "cool" guns, have at it.
Otherwise, it might be a good idea to sit down and carefully and realistically reason out what you want your next gun to do for you, and then buy it.
Please remember though, that the genuine buffalo thumpers are not cheap to shoot, and they're not fun to shoot. I'd hate to see you waste your money on a "cool" gun that you'd end up not shooting.
Denis
 
Is it safe to keep either a BFR, or a Freedom Arms, fully loaded, like the Ruger Vaquero, or do they both have to keep one chamber empty to be safe, like the Colt SAA?

Thanks, Shane
 
O.K., I've been doing some searching, and I just found this on the magnumresearch website:

The BFR uses a transfer bar that will not allow the gun to fire unless the trigger is pulled back to release the hammer only after it has been fully cocked. There is no need to carry the gun with an empty chamber while hunting. The BFR will not fire if it has been accidentally dropped.

I know the Ruger Vaqueros are like that too.

Does anyone know about the Freedom Arms revolvers? They're not safe to carry fully loaded, are they? To me, that is a nice advantage. Any input?

Thanks, Shane
 
Freedom Arms single-actions use a different type of transfer bar system, they are safe to carry fully loaded.
Denis
 
The only BFR I ever saw actually being shot was a .45-70. It just looked like a monster Super Blackhawk for me. I'd rather have a good carbine.

Fredom Arms are much finer guns. Much more expensive, too, of course. They will sell you dedicated .45 Colt or even .45 ACP cylinders if you can't handle the real thing all the time. I know I can't. I'd rather a FA 97 anyhow. Or a Blackhawk .45 with an action job.

I don't do cool. I shoot.
 
Several issues.
If you want to use the single action revolver for CAS competition, that rules out the Freedom Arms and BFR 5 shot revolvers. Must be 6 shot, load 5. Even with the transfer bar safety mechanisms.
There is a quality difference between them as well. The FA has a well earned rep for very high quality. The BFR is supposed to be pretty good, but not as good as the FA. The Rugers are typically a work in progress and will usually require tuning. On my .45s, I routinely clean up the trigger, change springs, replace the cylinder base pin, recut the barrel forcing cone, and recut the cylinder throats. I am happy to do it because I consider it fun, but some people are put off by it.
 
The Bounty Hunter offered by EAA Corp is a very good buy. This German-made clone has tight tolerances and is a good-looking gun. I have it in .45 LC 4 1/2" barrel and it exhibits little recoil. I had it in .22 and a 6 1/2" barrel and it was extremely accurate. However I had to watch the screws coming loose. Strange for a .22 whereas the .45 never undid a screw. Once I had to send it to EAA as not noticing it, the trigger assembly separated so as to break an internal part. Oddly, EAA sent me an extra .22 mag cylinder back and I already had one plus the .22 LR. Also if you hate trigger creep as I do, stay away from this .22. Excellent trigger in the .45 and in both guns the best sights I have ever seen in a handgun, if you like them close.
 
They will sell you dedicated .45 Colt or even .45 ACP cylinders if you can't handle the real thing all the time. I know I can't.
Click to expand...

Or, if you handload, you can download the .454 cases -- but the brass is still a good bit more expensive.

Read up on what John Linebaugh has to say about the Rugers. They are not the guns that the FA guns are, but they are an outstanding value.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top