New Toy - BFR 475 Linebaugh

[MGySgt]

A few weeks ago while wondering around a local gun show, I spotted a Magnum Research BFR in 480 ruger/475 Linebaugh.

I have dreamed about Ruger bringing out a 5 shot SBH since they announced the 480 Ruger. But all I have seen is their Super Redhawk.

Well - I thought the price was right on it so I brought it home with me. I ordered some dies, sizer die (RCBS), a Lee 400 gr PB, 100 Hornady 400 gr J bullets and a few other items from Midsouth and ordered 475 brass from star line. I also ordered 200 each of the LBT 400 gr GC and PB from Daniel at The Bull Shop.

My intent with this hand cannon is to launch a 400gr cast bullet at 1150 - 1200 FPS, right in the 480 Ruger range.

While waiting on my order I started looking for load data for the 475 - limited information. Found some for the 480 but not what I was looking for in terms of the 475.

The Midsouth and Star line orders came in and after some measuements of the J' and brass I fired up Quick Load.

I have H110 and 2400 on hand, I really don't like H110 as it is so fine it gums up my powder measures and trickler and makes them hard to use. I use a LOT of 2400 in reduced 45/70 loads and of course my 44 mags.

I started with 19.0 of 2400 and the 400 gr Hornady. It shot ok, but nothing to write home about, 19.5 shot better and I could ring my steel plate (10X10) on a regular basis at 109 yards. Velocity about 1200 and recoil heavy but not as bad as my 280gr 44's out of my 4 5/8's SBH.

Started working with the cast from Bull Shop yesterday.

Quick Load again, 18.5 decent enough at about 1150 (according to quick load).

Today I shot 19.0 and 19.5.

19.0 beats the 19.5 J bullet load with less recoil. However the 19.5 load which is just under 1200 can shoot just one ragged hole if my old eyes could see better.

Just for S and G I will load 20.0 and 20.5 next weekend to see what they do.

No more this weekend after about 20 of them I have to put it up for awhile.

After I get done with these, I am going to try the plain base. I know I will order an LBT 400 WFN, but I want to see what the PB does before I commit to the Gas Checks - They are expensive for the 475!

More to follow!

Drew

[Bass Ackward]

Well, you must be feelin better Drew if you can put yourself through that. Glad to see it.

Now you will have a frog and snake load. I tried one of those BFR's in a holster rig and I couldn't keep my pants up. I kept pullin on that belt so hard, I suddenly caught myself saying, "Never fear, Underdog is here!"

Need a set of LCE for that rig. Might be better if it came with it's own pull behind wagon. :grin:

Glad you out and about. :grin:

[44man]

It is a great gun! Buy the Lee 400 gr mold, use 26.5 gr's of 296 or 15 gr's of HS-6 and a LP mag primer. The LBT should be great too.

[MGySgt]

BA - Yes, I am feeling better - went back to work 1 Jan, should have stayed out the 2 more months my doc wanted. Even shot the T/C Encore in 45/70 with some of the new LeverRelvolition rounds today - 1.5 inch. Not too bad and they bark more then the Rem 405 factories.

Holster - or a way to carry it - yes if I ever hunt with it. I don't know if I want to spend all the money to go to CO for Elk and use it as a primary gun. I guess I could take my 1895 GG in 45/70 as a back up. :)

But I was thinking of one of those that go over the shoulder and is a semi cross draw. Problem - I am left handed - not too many of them out there. Might just have to get some leather and make my own rig - been there - done that before.

By the way we call the LCE an H harness and I use one for my 4 5/8's SBH gun belt - I don't want my pants falling down while I am on the side of a mountain - if you know what I mean!.

44 Man - I have the Lee mould (400 PB) - casts a nice looking boolit only thing is it comes out at .478-9 out of my alloy and when I size/lube it most of the small Lee grease grooves go away! I also have a problem of the bullet being lopsided when I size it, I need a better top punch to hold it straight. Rght now some (as in a lot) will tilt.

I haven't tried to shoot it unsized. I have been thinking that I might be able to lube it by rolling it between 2 steel plates with lube on the plate (like I do when I make my fire lap bullets up). The rolling action will nock off any fining that might be there. Worth a try any way.

More to come as I play with this new toy - It is a hoot to shoot something that is the equivalent of the original 45/70 BP loads in the power and velocity range!

Dit I ever tell you guys I LOVE big bullets!

Drew

[44man]

Why are you sizing them anyway? I shoot all of my boolits at .478. Just rub Felix lube in the grooves with your fingers. You can pan lube them too.
Stay away from that lube-sizer!
Lee will make you a push through sizer any size you want. Anything from .476 to .477 won't hurt the boolit.

[MGySgt]

44man - I have just been in the habit of sizing my cast to throat diameter. Maybe not the best way to go, but old habits are hard to break.

I am going to try to hand lube some up and shoot them as cast this weekend.

Later -

Drew

[44man]

I do it a lot too when I use a boolit that has to enter the throat a little but for the truncated one's, as long as the round chambers, they shoot good.

[doghawg]

MGySgt

I had good luck with 17 gr. of Blue Dot fired by a WinLP under a 375 gr. Montana WLN GC, good for 1200 fps and mild recoil. Carried this for Wisc. deer season but never fired a shot........wolves ate all the deer! :) It'll shoot 1" to 1 1/2" at 50 yards if I flinch just right!

[Dale53]

Sgt;
Just pan lube those bullets. If you use the right lube and nine inch cake pans, you can lube LOTS of bullets in a short period of time. Our very own Goatlips has a nice site with illustrated instructions. Use his first method. You don't need any tools to punch out the bullets. They will come out perfectly lubed.

http://goatlipstips.cas-town.com/panlubing.html

Good luck!

Dale53

[44man]

Doghawg, don't you just love that Ultra Dot?
Time to use it on wolves!

[Scrounger]

Sgt;
Just pan lube those bullets. If you use the right lube and nine inch cake pans, you can lube LOTS of bullets in a short period of time. Our very own Goatlips has a nice site with illustrated instructions. Use his first method. You don't need any tools to punch out the bullets. They will come out perfectly lubed.

http://goatlipstips.cas-town.com/panlubing.html

Good luck!

Dale53

This would be a good addition to Castpics if it isn't there already.

[doghawg]

Doghawg, don't you just love that Ultra Dot?
Time to use it on wolves!

44man

I bought it over a year ago based largely on YOUR recommendation. I've got two so far and just ordered another one for a chums .500. I'm sure it'll hold up just fine.

[doghawg]

MGySgt

A few of the gun writers, Brian Pearce in particular, have quoted .475 loads with HS6 so I finally tried some. Two loads were standouts........A 375 gr. WLN GC over 16 gr. of HS6 with WLP spark gave an average velocity of 1193 and ES of 14!

Also the 420 gr. WFN GC over 15 gr of HS6 clocked at 1168 fps ave. with an ES of 18. Both loads shot very well, the powder meters well, burns clean and I plan to use a lot more of it.

For my purposes, this is the power level I've settled on for most shooting. Lots of power and more pleasant to shoot than many .44's. The novelty of 420's at 1350 wore off quickly.

[44man]

Yes, I use 15 gr's of HS-6 with my boolits and accuracy is top notch. I think it is the best of the faster powders in the .475. I stay with 296 for hunting and long range, but for just fun shooting, HS-6 is great.
I have tested every powder I have and those two will do it all.

[Lloyd Smale]

the lopsided bullets are no doubt from a lyman sizer. Try sizing them nose first without lubeing them and then base first and lube. Alot of larger bullets will do that in a lyman sizer if your not real carefull.

[MGySgt]

Lloyd - this is on a RCBS with an RCBS sizer die (I have Lyman's also). I don't have a good nose punch for it - yet - I am going to fix that this weekend by modifying one that is for the Lyman 45 225 round nose. Just takes some time on the drill press.

Doghawg - Don't have any HS6 - yet that is. I have plenty of 2400 and have always had good luck with it when I wanted to 'Try anther cast' in my 44's. I am getting about the same velocity 1200 or so and good accuracy out to 109 yds where my steel plates are.

Those 2400 loads are for some 400 (actually 428) WFN GC I bought from Bull shop. I have since ordered an LBT 400 GC WFN for it. just have to wait untill it comes in.

I am going to try those Lee 400 PB hopefully this weekend if the weather holds. Right after I modify a top punch for it.

More interest in the 475 here then I thought there would be.

Drew

[dubber123]

I just wondered if you have measured the Lees before sizing. My first was .003" out of round, the second was .004" out, and the third, finally, was .0005". This one sizes well and shoots great. The Lee person I spoke to about it basically told me I was doing something wrong, and that it wasn't possible for them to be out of round, as they are made with a lathe. Well, I have used a lathe, (poorly), and can attest to the fact you can make oval holes on one. Just wondering if maybe your bullets aren't round to begin with.

[MGySgt]

Dubber123 - I just measured 3 that I took out of the box - They are but oh so little, especially for a Lee mold. Largest on the mold line .480, smallest - .478+. This is close to the same on all bands - That makes it less then .002 as cast.

They can get that much out just by dropping them out of the mold hot.

Now I might not be as picky as 44man - but I think that is pretty dog gone good!

Drew

[44man]

That is pretty good for a Lee. It is very hard if not impossible to cast a perfectly round boolit. I have a few custom molds and they are not much better in that respect then any other mold I have bought or made. I have never worried about it unless it gets too far out.
If I have a boolit that sizes more on one side then the other, I just don't size it. Then I don't see it--HEE, HEE. Shoots better if I don't see it.

[dubber123]

Thanks for checking, the only molds I have used thus far that I count on being pretty near perfect are LBT's. I have a couple that are perfectly round, as near as I can measure, and the rest are within 1/4 thousandths of round. Comparing a 140$ mold to a 16$ Lee isn't really fair though. I had to size the Lee's for my 475, because the chambers on my gun are so tight, that they chamber very hard if over .476. Let me know how that BFR shoots, I've been trying to talk a few people into buying them.

[44man]

I just took a Lee boolit and pushed it through my BFR throats. There was a little resistance. It measures .4772" on the shiny spots.
The nose shape lets me chamber just fine because there is no drive band going into the throats. That is also the case with my other .478" boolits. Using a longer boolit that has to enter deeper, then sizing would be needed if the boolit is over .4772".
The Freedom has tighter throats but the Lee boolit chambers OK. The problem is that it is exactly at the end of the cylinder so a longer boolit will not work unless seated deeper. The deeper you seat, the more you have to reduce the charge and the closer you get to having a .480.
My friends Freedom will not work with my heavier boolits unless he uses .480 brass.
We found with the rate of twist on the Freedom (1 in 18) the gun will not group with boolits much over 350 gr's nor will most even fit.
The BFR will take any boolit you can find and the 1 in 15 twist makes anything from 400 to 460 gr's group very well, but 400 to 430 groups the tightest.
This seems to be the only caliber that Freedom messed up on but I don't know about the .500. If they would lengthen the frame and cylinder and speed up the twist on the .475, I would buy one. As it is right now, I don't like it. It is a .480 in sheeps clothing. To get the full benefit of the .475, you need a BFR or a custom gun.