Tell me about your big-bore choices.

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Pond James Pond

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I've been following various threads on big-bore handguns and I've decided I want some more personal experiences to digest. Your .44s, .460s, .480, .475s, .500 etc

Basically, I'd like to know what you've chosen, and why. Even if you haven't bought it yet.

Me first.

I went for lil' ol' .44Mag. It boils down the RH .44 was the only revolver in the shop that I could afford, thanks to a complicated twist of events. A good thing too as it got me into reloading and big-bore shooting appreciation!!

It was bought to act as my woods gun but I've come to really appreciate what you can do with the round even if I've just begun to scratch the surface of its potential. It suits my requirements for woods protection.

Other calibres intrigue me, so what of the other big bores?
What do they bring to the table?
 
45 Long Colt

There are loads from cowboy powder puff thru near elephant medicine on the books.

My Ruger can shoot them all!

My current load of choice is a ~260 gr bullet at about 1350, if I remember right. It's great fun!

Sure, 480 Ruger would be fun, but I want an SA gun. 44 mag is pretty good. 454 Casull offers a bit more than the LC, but at a price. 475 Linebaugh will be in my stable someday, but not soon.

Oh yea, and handguns really need to be shootable with a 7.5" or shorter barrel!
 
The largest bore handgun I've ever had was the .44 Mag, too.
Never saw a reason to go bigger, especially with all the loading and bullet choices available.
Haven't had one for a long time, but I'm thinking about it.
 
475 Linebaugh will be in my stable someday, but not soon.
Click to expand...

Why? What is it about the Linebaugh that interests you and why not the .480 Ruger: said to almost match performance but is less punishing? (Less recoil than the .44, I understand) Tempted?

Never saw a reason to go bigger, especially with all the loading and bullet choices available.
Click to expand...

What combinations have you gone for and why?
 
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I have a variety of S&W revolvers in .44 Mag....both model 29's and
629's....in 3", 4", 6" and 8 3/8"....and I like them all...

( the 3" is a 629 Trail Boss...its an RSR gun, and its ported )...its fun to shoot, a little bit, but a box of 50 rds is enough for one day / because it jumps a little.

In the 6" or 8 3/8" barrels ...the .44 mag is easy to shoot / in 4" follow up shots are still difficult - or slower than a gun chambered in .357 Mag as an example.

The only round I shoot in .44 Mag is a full power 240gr JSP ( Montana Gold bullet that I reload ) but the load specs are similar to Mag Tech ammo. I don't go to velocities beyond the published tables for reloading.
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I am contemplating another Freedom Arms single action ...large frame, 5 shot ( I have one that I had made in .357 Mag that I shoot a lot -- its a 4 3/4" Octagonal barrel at about 55 oz .).../ but if I order another one made in .454 Casull or .475 Linebaugh...I will go with a 6" or maybe 7 1/2" barrel...

The Freedom Arms revolvers are pretty heavy ...not easy to carry ...but for me, they'll just be range guns ...vs hunting for big game / I'll use a rifle, if I want to hunt big game ( but I did a lot of that when I was younger..Elk, Deer, Black bear, Antelope....) and I've lost the urge to kill anymore..
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In the north woods, in Grizzly country, a .44 Mag is pretty light ...and a handgun is not what I'd want against a Grizzly ( not even the smaller Grizzly in Montana / vs the bigger Brown bears in Alaska )...so I don't consider a .44 mag really a practical woods gun / but a 3" or 4" are pretty easy to carry, if I wanted to ( any N frame holster would work ) - and it would be better than nothing...but not better than a slug out of a shotgun or a good rifle.

Outside of Grizzly country ...a .44 Mag or even a .357 mag is plenty for a woods gun in my view. A 4" .357 Mag is a very quick gun - and easy to shoot / easy to carry hiking, fishing, etc...

I like the ballistics of the .475 Linebaugh a little over the .454 Casull...and it is less snappy than the .454 Casull in general ...for the few rounds I've fired in friends guns. While I understand the attraction to large bore handguns....I know my limitations with some arthritis in my hands and wrist...and I won't shoot any caliber bigger than the .44 Mag too much...and $ 4,000 for another Freedom Arms, when I already have one I love in .357 Mag, doesn't really make any sense...and I sure wouldn't carry a big single action weighing 60+ ounces anywhere....

I only know one guy that has the S&W 460....and he says it is not very accurate with .45 Colt or .454 Casull ....so he only shoots it in .460 which is punishing...and he only puts a box or maybe 2 thru it a year...
 
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What combinations have you gone for and why?
Click to expand...

I've only ever used the good old standby ~240 grain semi wad cutter.
But there's plenty of others, up to 330 grain loads for serious hunting, either home made or from Garrett and Double Tap.
 
Another nomination for .45 Colt

Give me the 270 gr, cast lead, SAA bullet at 1,000 fps (plus or minus) and that's all I will ever need.
 
I've used the 44 Mag and 45 Colt quite a lot and have killed game with both. They are both excellent cartridges and in the right guns are up for about anything in the lower 48. If you want a DA revolver, there are more choices in the 44 and you're a lot more likely to find a deal on a DA in that caliber. But I eventually settled on the 45 Colt and was quite satisfied with it in a heavy-frame Ruger SA revolver.

Time changes our priorities and I now find myself with a Glock 30 as my main bigbore handgun. I will probably, at some point, set it up for 45 Super or maybe a 460 kit. I used the 45 Colt with Sierra's 240 JHC at about 1300 fps and it was a killing machine. These ballistics are easily attained by the 460, so I probably don't need another handgun to hunt with. Biggest thing we have here is black bears, which have finally migrated to my area.

I have shot the 480 Ruger just enough to be thoroughly impressed with it. Impressed enough that if a bargain on a 480 SRH crosses my path, I'll probably buy it, cut it down to about 5" and remount the front sight.
 
I've got a BFR 454 7.5" and a Blackhawk 45 Colt, short 4.62" bbl.

I love the .45 Colt, and although I didn't need the BFR, I like the 454 too and it can be loaded from any way you want, from fairly tame to wrist breaking. So, while not needed, I love it's versatility. A 255-270gr hardcast at 1000 fps is enough to kill almost anything, but sometimes it's just plain fun to let off a some of the big boomers.

I will say, that for the price ($800) the BFR is a superb deal. It's got a hand lapped barrel, recessed chambers, locking base pin, and it's SOLID. It's essentially a nicer finished Ruger Blackhawk. They're also super accurate.

I've got a big bore Glock too, a Gen4 G21 with a KKM comped barrel. Messing around with .45 Super I've got 250's running 1300 fps, which is stout. It's not a Colt or Casull, but it's no joke either.
 
I've shot the really big hand cannons, don't need them. I'd rather carry a light, shorter barreled carbine in a true rifle caliber than one of the truly big handguns. A 3" to 4" Smith 29 or 629 is as big as I want to carry in a handgun. I actually end up carrying the Glock 20 more. If those won't suffice a short rifle will.
 
I'm a 45 guy,45auto,45Colt,454Casull Love them all.My choices go from mild to wild to a down right BEAST.havent ever found anything I wanted to do with a handgun that one of these 45's would'nt do in grand fashion.Just old school if You can't do it with a 45 I dont want to do it.:D:
 
Just this past spring I aquired a Springfield Armory Champion. 45ACP 4" barrel. Use this for my carry pistol.

My big boy is a reproduction Colt Walker.
Shoot 44 cal round lead ball over 40 grains of Pyrodex RS. (same as FF black powder).
 
I first chose a 10-inch barrel for my single shot T/C Contender in .44 Magnum. It was horrendous to shoot, the entire rig is simply too light. I still have the barrel, it's been years since I've shot it.

Just about two years ago, I bought a lightly used vintage Ruger Redhawk with a 7.5-inch barrel and the original wood stocks. It's far heavier, but still quite punchy. I removed those wood stocks and put a Pachmayr decelerator on it, and that helped. But far more helpful was the four-port job that Mag-Na-Port did on the revolver for me. It's so much more pleasant to shoot even the warmest handloads I build for it now. 1,385fps with a 240-grain LSWC does not beat me up too much and I enjoy shooting that load, but I put more of my light load through it... 870fps with a 240-grain LSWC. The light load is more friendly to the steel plates at my club.

I had a very nice Smith & Wesson 657, a 6-inch stainless .41 Magnum, but even with a Pachmayr decelerator on it, it pounded my hands far more than I enjoyed. Kept it more than a year and tried to love it but couldn't. It went away. I miss that revolver in and of itself, but I don't miss shooting it at all, for sure.

I've shot a handful of .460 and .500 Magnum from the big X-frame Smith & Wesson revolvers and it blows my mind how well they designed those big rigs to handle recoil. I believe it must be the compensator on them, I find them a hoot to shoot and perhaps it's because simple economics prevent you from sending 50 rounds down range in one session, but they're just more enjoyable to shoot than most "regular" .44 Magnum guns.

I had a Desert Eagle .50 AE for a bit, it was mostly just to give it a twirl because I got a good deal on one, and I found that it wasn't all that bad to shoot, but I find the gun cartoonish and the ammo frightfully expensive, so I couldn't keep the gun.

I'm not much for big bores, and I believe I'm covered with my .44 Mag Redhawk. But I can say that if I were to get some other big bore (or bigger bore), it would be the .460 Smith & Wesson, mostly because I find that appropriate .452" bullets are less costly and easier to find. Nothing else really interests me, and I doubt I'll even get the .460.
 
my choice for 44

for me its a matter of convenience that I chose the 44.I have 2 44 mags a 44 spl and a Uberti 7.5in Remington outlaw with both a 44-40 and 44 spl cylinders.I cast my own using a Lee 200 gr rnfp so I can use the same mold for all of them.The mold drops a little heavy at 212 grs with my alloy of wheel weights and monotype but it is a very accurate bullet in all of them.
 
Being a long time fan and shooter of big bore guns I still love the 44mag the most.
To me the 44mag does what I need in a large bore hand gun.
Larger, more powerful guns have their uses if attacked or hunting bear or elephant. But for the average threat or use the 44mag has it covered.
Not to mention the lower cost of re-loading and less recoil.
 
recoil

about the .460 vs the .44 Rem mag....
(Less recoil that the .44,
Click to expand...

Recoil is a function of numbers; if the .460 has a larger powder capacity, throws a heavier bullet faster than the .44 does, it is going to have more recoil unless the gun itself is heavy enough to absorb the difference....there is no way around it.
 
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44 Mag here as well. Where I live there isn't anything much larger than a mountain lion. The larger more powerful rounds require handguns that weigh about as much as a rifle, (or so it seems at least).

If I was to take a trip to where something really big and mean was available to cause me harm, I think I would buy some slugs for my shotgun and save myself about $1,000.
 
I have a 500 (4 inch) and 460es (2.5 inch) but they're really more range toys (the 460es shreds dropped ceiling tiles at the indoor range). Also have a Desert Eagle in .44 that's a lot of fun but weighs a ton. All 3 as "fun guns" are wonderfully entertaining :)

Over the years also picked up a S&W 629 PC (snub .44 mag) and a Ruger Alaskan .454. Those are "somewhat more practical" (they don't weigh nearly as much) but not nearly as much fun to shoot.

I think my regular 629 and Ruger SBH (especially the hunter model) are the most "fun" to shoot without getting worn out. They'd make good hunting guns I think as well from what I've read (if I were ever inclined to take up handgun hunting). Otherwise, while not really a big bore a Ruger BH .30 Carbine gives you the "feel" of a big bore without the recoil.

On a different note, also found a Ruger Old Army (.44 Black Powder) that's pretty neat as well. I'd recommend it if you were tempted by BP.
 
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Big Bores, Basically, I'd like to know what you've chosen, and why

My fascination with big bores began back in the early 1970s, thanks to Guns&Ammo magazine, assisted by Shooting Times, and, of course, The American Rifleman.

These were always around the house, my father was a sportsman, conservationist (before the wackjobs discovered ecology), and was an NRA certified Rifle & Pistol instructor, who gave Hunter Safety courses every fall. Elmer Keith, Skeeter Skelton, Charles Askins, Bill Jordan, and a host of others I knew well, from their writings. I think I might even have learned a thing or two from them...

Dad had several handguns, but no "big bore" other than a Colt Govt model .45ACP. The "cannon" in the house was a S&W Highway Patrolman .357 (6").

Besides reading all about them, I think the thing that really set me on the path of big bores was an ad in the early 70s in G&A, for the new .44 Auto Mag.

The ad was full page, and on cardstock (thick) paper, with a life size picture of the gun, perforated, so you could punch it out and hold it. The ad claimed a 240gr bullet at 1600fps from the 6.5" barrel. And the header said "Strap a Rifle on your Hip!"

Although I was still a few years to young to buy my own handgun, I wanted one. Even found one in a sporting goods store some 40 miles away. Never could convince my Dad to buy it (probably because of the expense, we never had much money). At the time, a S&W M29 cost $283.50 MSRP, and the Auto Mag was over $100 more! I watched that gun sit on the shelf, for years, and watched the price go up, and up. It was still sitting there, with a tag of $695 when I went into the Army. And, naturally, when I got out, it was gone.

1983 was the year I became a true big bore owner. I had gotten a .45acp in 1980, and in 83, I got a Ruger Blackhawk (7.5") .45 convertible. I got it with the idea of shooting the .45acp, and not having to hunt for the brass to reload.

But I made one small mistake. I shot it with .45 Colt ammo, first. WOW! I was hooked! And so it began. I did experiment with the heavy "Ruger only" loads, and then settled on one load, 250gr swc at 1100fps (actually just a hair under).

That same year, I found, and after getting a personal loan (it cost more than the car I was driving at the time), was able to buy a .44 Auto Mag. The .44AMP taught me a lot of things, and since then, I have gone on with other big bores Desert Eagle .44Mag, S&W M29-2, Ruger SUperBlachawk, T/C Contender, Ruger Vaquero, all in .44 Mag.

Also more Rugers (Vaquero, Bisley) in .45 Colt. And the .45 Win Mag, in the Wildey, and LAR GRIZZLY pistols. I deliberately avoided getting any of the larger calibers, as they came on the market. I passed on the .454, .460, .480, and the .50s. There was nothing I do (or CAN do) with a handgun where the higher power of these rounds gave me any benefit over the .44s and .45s that I already had. Also saved the expense of tooling up for the other calibers.

I found magnum power autopistols to be an interesting breed. Very different from magnum revolvers, and a much different feel, even when shooting the same ammo.

Also, by personal choice, I never bothered with the uber heavy for caliber bullets that are so popular with some folks these days. 240/250gr slugs, cast or jacketed always did everything I ever asked them to do, and more besides.

So I don't bother with the 270, 300, or heavier, and get a small smile from the internet experts who recommend them. Not the people who use them for some applications, but the people who recommend them for everything (on the net) and imply that anything less is mouse pharts, that amuses me.

.44Magnum
.44AMP (Auto Mag Pistol)
.45 Colt
.45 Win Mag

These are my big bores in the magnum power class, in autopistols, revolvers, and Contender barrels. I'm also fond of various .357 calibers, but they aren't "big bores" even if they have the .44 size case (.357AMP).

So, I've spent 30+years collecting them, and shooting them (some much more than others), its been more than enough to keep me both busy and satisfied, and I haven't gone on to the new rounds I think of as "monster magnums". If you've got a .454, .460, .50AE, .500S&W or what have you, that's fine, enjoy it. They just aren't for me.

Oh, yes, I almost forgot my other "big bore", the .45-70, in a 14" Contender. That is a handful with some loads, too!
 
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