An obective look at BFRs...

[subsonic]

BFRs are a great value. They are a production gun that offers many features that could otherwise only be had in a full custom gun or in a production gun costing twice to three times as much.

These features would include:
Better cylinder alignment and throat diameters
5 shot cylinders
Unique calibers
Overall a higher level of machinework than you will find on any other gun in this price range
Accuracy is TOP NOTCH!

And that is the jist of the positives from my perspective.

Now onto the other side of the coin.

If you purchase a BFR for a third of the price, do not expect the same gun you would get if you payed 3 times as much. These are production guns. Anyone that has followed my posts on my .475 can see that they are not perfect. Mine is on the 4th barrel now. The first barrel was fine, but was replaced when I had a timing issue (pawl too short) that was causing leading on one side of the bore. It was replaced as "going the extra mile". Problem was, they screwed on a barrel that had serious toolmarks in it near the muzzle. Then repeated the same issue after HEAVILY lapping the replacement near the muzzle. The 4th barrel is fine. MR did number the chambers on the cylinder free of charge to help make it up to me.

The .500JRH I just bought was listed wrong in the catalog and so the dealers all are advertisin them wrong. They show a a .500 S&W with a 5.5" barrel. The gun arrived as a 7.5"(really 8.25") .500JRH. This gun had a burr on the pawl right out of the box that wa making it nearly impossible to cock. It looks as though they ground the pawl to length then never knocked the burrs off. The loading gate opens with a big crunch at the bottom of it's travel where the detent spring also has a rough spot an the finish is more Ruger-esque than my .475 was.

The trigger pull on these out of the box is pure Ruger Blackhawk.

The metal FINISH is closer to Ruger than a custom or FA.

The ejector rod housing is stuck to the barrel with glue to help prevent shearing the retaining screw. Most custom SAs are dowelled or a step on the barrel reinforces them.

There are a lot of folks on here that love the BFRs and will sing the praises. I like mine and just bought another. Because, even with these issues, where else will you find a gun for this price ($815 to my FFL) that will do what they do?

[tek4260]

For me it was price and caliber. They are definitely a step above a Ruger when you look at end shake, b/c gap, and lock up. Now if they would do away with the Goodyear grips, and OFFER IT IN BLUED!!! No matter how hard I try, I can't warm up to stainless. I appreciate the revolver for what it is, but I don't like it just because it is stainless. I am considering having it coated.

And Sub, I think you have my luck when it comes to that 475. Sounds just like something that will happen to this 329 I am picking up tomorrow. Waited 2 years to get one and am sure some little something will be wrong..... :)

[subsonic]

If there is abad gun out there, I'm high bidder every time!

Looks like a good deal on a .475 BFR on GB now.

[Whitworth]

Well, there is always the off chance that one gets a lemmon -- very unfortunate, but it does happen. $816.00 is roughly 1/3 the cost of a new FA83 Premier Grade in .475 -- perhaps it's not fair to draw that comparison, but it is often made. I have never had the expectation that the BFR will match the fit and finish of the FA, but that's okay with me, particularly for a revolver that in my case will spend its days in the field. But generally speaking, BFRs tend to be very accurate out of the box. Are they perfect? Nope, not even close, but for the money, what are your expectations? I personally don't like the grip frame, the rubber grips "fix" the grip angle quite a bit, but they are as ugly as sin. The front sight is cheap aluminum. Again, all things I can overlook when it shoots tiny groups. The trigger needs work (so do many FAs I have shot and generally speaking nearly all revolvers need a trigger job in my opinion). As a foundation, they are a hard revolver to beat. I think they are considerably better out of the box than a Ruger. Accuraacy, for me, trumps nearly all flaws.

[subsonic]

Tek, would you be happy with black coated SS? Seems like an easy enough fix.

[doghawg]

Two years ago I had three BFR's.....A 7 1/2" .500 S&W, a 6 1/2" .475, and a 10" .45/70. The .45/70 gave me occasional low velocity squib loads. I intended to experiment with different primers/powders/hammer springs, etc. but lost interest and sold it. The .500 had major forcing cone leading issues and I'm convinced expecting the bullet to jump that far before encountering rifling was part of the problem. Again, I lost interest and sold it. The novelty of the long framed guns wore off for me.
BUT....the 6 1/2" .475 BFR is one of the last guns I'd want to part with. IMO it's close to being a perfect hunting revolver.

[44man]

I love the looks of blue and case hardened frames as much as anyone. But they wear, get scratched, etc. Bores need more upkeep, rust is always in there somewhere to rear up.
Stainless will get marks too but a piece of Scotch Brite will return it to new.
I am rough on finish when hunting, all kinds of weather or the gun touching something.
Grips mean nothing to me if they work even though I love nice wood. I love fine wood on rifles and shotguns too. It is too easy to change the grips with the gun in the house and then put on shooting grips for the field.
Yes, fine Scotch Brite can turn a BFR into a Freedom look. But is the gun for shooting or to take to bed?
Nothing hurts so much as getting a scratch on a super blue gun. You can't fix it and you will always stare at it. You can fix stainless in a few minutes.
Some hate rubber grips but just why? Do you shoot better with grips you kiss and polish? Do you REALLY use the gun?
This barrel has rub marks that would wear blue. I took Scotch Brite to a section in the middle and in 30 seconds it is a fine polish, better then new. If you have a bead blast finish, you can't do this, you need to bead blast again.

[subsonic]

Are you using scotchbrite green or red?

I like the slightly matte finish they come with. What puts that back?

[subsonic]

Oh yeah, and that one screw that's too short in the front of the grip frame, in front of the trigger guard.

But I'm working on a source for those..... McMaster Carr

[44man]

Are you using scotchbrite green or red?

I like the slightly matte finish they come with. What puts that back?
Green works but I used gray. Red is not too course either.
Just follow the original polish direction.
Bead blast is different.
Course Scotch Brite like red is closer to matte.
Blue on steel is harder then stainless because it is iron oxide---RUST!
It also holds lube good but if it wears off, rust is a problem. The surface will be softer too.
Bead blast a BFR and you can have a Freedom finish but if you scratch it, you need a bead blaster to fix it. The finish on a Freedom is NOT harder then any stainless gun.

[tek4260]

Funny you ask about the coating. When I picked up the 329PD, the dealer/gunsmith was showing me a new finish he had went to. Looked great and cured without baking, or to make it extremely tough, bake it at 175 for 45 minutes. I'll have to look into that tonight. May even consider it on the 480 Vaquero, but I might get tarred and feathered by Whitworth :)

[Whitworth]

Funny you ask about the coating. When I picked up the 329PD, the dealer/gunsmith was showing me a new finish he had went to. Looked great and cured without baking, or to make it extremely tough, bake it at 175 for 45 minutes. I'll have to look into that tonight. May even consider it on the 480 Vaquero, but I might get tarred and feathered by Whitworth :)

Now why in the world would I tar and feather you?? :bigsmyl2:

Don't forget that I am one of four people in the United States who actually liked the Target Gray finish on the SRH!

You could always use barbeque paint.....

[subsonic]

I guess I'm one of the other 4....

There's a Clement's custom .45 Bisley on the sixgun forum that Axehandle keeps posting pictures of.

http://i189.photobucket.com/albums/z110/agb1368/Clements%20Customs/45%20Colt/Clements451a.jpg

That looks so dang sinister...

Hope he doesn't mind me stealing his picture! :bigsmyl2:[smilie=s:

[warf73]

Now why in the world would I tar and feather you?? :bigsmyl2:

Don't forget that I am one of four people in the United States who actually liked the Target Gray finish on the SRH!

You could always use barbeque paint.....

I like the Gray also on my SRH.

[tek4260]

I would actually still own my BFR 480 if dad hadn't wanted it. Of course I would have shortened it to around 4-5". I'll jump on the bandwagon too as I like the target grey much better than stainless.

I will end up coating my BFR like Axe's revolver. The only difference will be that I will leave the hammer and trigger stainless. I need to research it a bit as the grip maker just PM'd me last night saying he was nearly finished. I hope he programmed the frame into his duplicator and can offer grips for sale to the general public.

[44man]

It is amazing how they get a tough finish on stainless. That is better then bluing.
All is nice looking but a target is more important to me. A deer does not know what the gun looks like either. :roll:

[subsonic]

Hey, someone could engine turn (jewel) one!

[Whitworth]

Hey, someone could engine turn (jewel) one!

Please don't!

[tek4260]

Might not be a bad investment......

Look at selling price....

http://www.gunbroker.com/Auction/ViewItem.aspx?Item=272721417

[Whitworth]

That poor thing was beaten with the ugly stick.

[tek4260]

And, BFR's aren't rollmarked on the side of the barrel causing constriction. Guess I am slow to actually notice it on the side of the barrel :)