BFR vs. Freedom Arms

[2ndAmendmentNut]

If this has already been asked my apologies. Which one is tougher? Which one has a reputation for better accuracy? Seeing as the FA have a suggested retail value quite a bit higher than the BFR my guess is the FA is a better gun. Is an FA worth the extra $?

[chevyiron420]

I cant realy answer your questions but ill tell you my personal experience with FA. Back quit a few years ago some friends and i had a steel silowet(sp) thing going on and i was realy thinking of buying a FA gun. Before i did i bought a little mini revolver from them. The first time i fired it, just to prove it would fire, the front sight flew off and hit me in the forhead. I called them and asked how to handle the repair and they didnt care and had no intensions of standing behind there product. Every year or so i contact them to see if there attitude has changed and it has not! They still dont care! I bought my redhawk instead of the FA and some other guns too. Thank god it didnt cost me alot of money to find out what kind of people they are.

[Lloyd Smale]

My dealings with FA have been just the opposite. Ive allways been treated more then fairly and kindly. My one dealing with magnum research was just the opposite. It was the rudest i ever was delt with on any gun related product. As for toughness there both strong enough that it would take a real idiot to hurt one. The Fa has a better fit and finish but its much more expensive.

[dubber123]

I'm guessing they are both about as strong. My brothers BFR and my F/A both max out within 1/2 grain of each other. The BFR is a bargain, and well worth the money. Using the only 2 examples available, the F/A is fit better, but it should be. My biggest gripes with BFR are the cheesy sights, and fugly grips, both of which are easily replaced.

[ebner glocken]

I don't own a F/A so I really have no opinion about their product. I do own a BFR in .500 S&W and haven't been anything but impressed. Was surprised of the fit and finish of the product for $650 and still will shoot 2" @ 100yd as long as I can get the scope to stay in the same spot, that would be the fault of the rings and not the gun. If I was in the market for another in .475 or .454 I don't think I would look any futher than BFR especially since it's 1/3 the price of the F/A.

Ebner

[softpoint]

I own 2 FA revolvers. A friend owns a BFR, The BFR is a pretty good buy for the money, most folks are happy with that choice. I put the Freedom in a little different class,as the fit is better, accuracy is generally better, no one else uses the steel they use, and I've heard the ultimate strength of the Freedom is unequalled. They cost a LOT more money. Only you can decide if they are worth it.

[odis]

I own 2 FA revolvers. A friend owns a BFR, The BFR is a pretty good buy for the money, most folks are happy with that choice. I put the Freedom in a little different class,as the fit is better, accuracy is generally better, no one else uses the steel they use, and I've heard the ultimate strength of the Freedom is unequalled. They cost a LOT more money. Only you can decide if they are worth it.I believe the cylinder on the BFR is the same as the FA but the frame is made of the same alloy as the Ruger, except its much thicker. Mine was not cheap at $1600.00 because it is in a custom caliber. The people that I dealt with at the Precision Center were extremely polite and gracious. I have no idea what there like at Magnum Research in MPLS. I doubt there is any .45 Colt in the world more accurate than mine except for a custom TC Contender.

[odis]

By the way I'm not trying to pick a fight with FA loyalists even though I've never shot one before I'm guessing there worth every penny FA charges for them.

[peter nap]

That's a tough question. I've owned both and still own a BFR. I love my BFR and it is one of the guns that is OFF... the get rid of, list.

That said, the FA does have a better fit...almost custom. But the price for the small difference is not worth it IMO.

I doubt there is any noticable difference in strength.

[ktw]

I have an FA. Used to have a Ruger. Never had a BFR.

I was looking for a smaller framed gun than the Ruger. FA offered that in the Model 97. BFR did not.

I have been very satisfied with FA's after purchase service. The revolver has a fantastic trigger as delivered from the factory. It's everything I ever wanted in a revolver, except blue. May have to get one of the USFA SAA's someday to fix that.

-ktw

[Frank]

softpoint said
I put the Freedom in a little different class,as the fit is better, accuracy is generally better, no one else uses the steel they use, and I've heard the ultimate strength of the Freedom is unequalled.
How come nobody with a Freedom ever shows their target?

[dubber123]

http://i254.photobucket.com/albums/hh83/dubber123/IMG_0011.jpg Just cuz you are such a nice fella Frank, I'll post it again.... Notice no carbine barrel length, and no Hubbel telescope on the top. Both groups fired with the crappy 4# trigger, and the little group was a 440 gr. boolit at 1,325 fps. from the short tube.

[Frank]

I wasn't here back then, but nice group. Keep'em coming.:redneck:

[44man]

http://i254.photobucket.com/albums/hh83/dubber123/IMG_0011.jpg Just cuz you are such a nice fella Frank, I'll post it again.... Notice no carbine barrel length, and no Hubbel telescope on the top. Both groups fired with the crappy 4# trigger, and the little group was a 440 gr. boolit at 1,325 fps. from the short tube.
HEY DUBBER, your paper work shows a 400 gr Hornady bullet, not a 440 gr boolit. A FACTORY load to boot. Now come clean!
I have to pull your chain! I know darn well we load better then the factory and I know it is a different target.
That is a nice group and so is the factory stuff.

[dubber123]

Wow, now I see why you need the scope! You don't see 440 gr. LBT written next to the SMALL group? (reverse chain yankin' here). The orange dot group was fired right after I got the gun, when all I had was factory Hornady loads. I had 3 go arounds trying to get someone to make a .476" sizer. The throats are so tight, .4765" would not chamber. I finally gave up and honed a .474" one out. Worked OK, I just honed one of the others to .477+" for my brothers gun when he got it.

Also notice the little group used that nasty Lyman Moly lube everyone hates.....

[JesterGrin_1]

Wow, now I see why you need the scope! You don't see 440 gr. LBT written next to the SMALL group? (reverse chain yankin' here). The orange dot group was fired right after I got the gun, when all I had was factory Hornady loads. I had 3 go arounds trying to get someone to make a .476" sizer. The throats are so tight, .4765" would not chamber. I finally gave up and honed a .474" one out. Worked OK, I just honed one of the others to .477+" for my brothers gun when he got it.

Also notice the little group used that nasty Lyman Moly lube everyone hates.....

Ummm .44Man does not have a Scope. It is an Ultra Dot. When I think of a scope I think of magnification. Where as the UltraDot has none.

Just like my Ruger has the Ultra Dot Match Dot. :)
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v453/SHAKERATTLEROLL/IMAG0069.jpg


Well to be fair they are two separate targets lol.

One with the plain paper with the Black Dot shows it is a .475 caliber with 25.0Gr of H-110 and the 440Gr LBT Bullet and Lyman Lube with a .822 Group.

Where as the Big Target with the paper weight on it shows that it is also a .475 with the Hornady 400Gr HP Factory Load.

[dubber123]

Tomato, Toe-mot-O, it's still a bunch easier to shoot than irons.. Besides, he needs all the chain yankin' he can get... Paper weight, or boat anchor, I'm glad we have choices!

[JesterGrin_1]

It all depends on your eye site. Years ago I would have taken a set of peep sites or even the factory sights over anything else. But darn it not now. And I have to say that was darn HARD to accept.

But again to be honest I have not had much shooting with my Match Dot as of yet. I did put 41 rounds through her Sunday but I would get a 2 in group at 100 yards then it would be 6 inches away lol. I made a Boo Boo lol. I guess I did not tighten the rings enough as my Match Dot moved. No it did not move it tried to make a short trip lol.

But if all goes well I am going to try Tuesday to put some more rounds through it for this next weekend HOG hunt. :)

Paper Weight since I do not have a floating bath tub lol. :)

But also I think .44Man is being very very nice talking about the FA. To say he does not like them would be an understatement lol.

[dubber123]

It all depends on your eye site. Years ago I would have taken a set of peep sites or even the factory sights over anything else. But darn it not now. And I have to say that was darn HARD to accept.

But again to be honest I have not had much shooting with my Match Dot as of yet. I did put 41 rounds through her Sunday but I would get a 2 in group at 100 yards then it would be 6 inches away lol. I made a Boo Boo lol. I guess I did not tighten the rings enough as my Match Dot moved. No it did not move it tried to make a short trip lol.

But if all goes well I am going to try Tuesday to put some more rounds through it for this next weekend HOG hunt. :)

Good luck on the hunt. I have only ever shot 1 Dot sight, a cheap BSA with a pie plate sized dot. On a .50 Desert Eagle no less! I shot a sub 2" 80 yd. group with it. The dots really do work well. What load for the hog hunt?

[JesterGrin_1]

The load I am working with right now is the GB 44/444 mold with a bit shallower of an HP which makes it 297Gr with 21.OGr of H-110 in a Remington Case with a CCI-300 Primer.

The next loads I am going to try is the Ranch Dog 432-265 Gr RNFP GC with 22.0Gr of H-110.

And an Old Ideal 431244 255Gr SWC GC with 22.O Gr of H-110

And the Lee 310Gr RNFP GC with 21.0Gr of H-110. :)

[dubber123]

The load I am working with right now is the GB 44/444 mold with a bit shallower of an HP which makes it 297Gr with 21.OGr of H-110 in a Remington Case with a CCI-300 Primer.

Should work just fine. In the 1,300 fps. range? BTW, I think a little more of BFR's than 44man does of F/A's....:lol:

[JesterGrin_1]

I do not have a Chrono so I have no idea how fast they are going. But they do make it to the target in short order. ;)

And the HP does make a good WHAP when it hits the target at 100 yards lol. As people will turn and look lol. As most you hear are cracks but then my little .44 Mag Goes off with a Boom and a WHAP lol. It was odd when the Range officer came up and asked okay what are you shooting down range lol.

I had to be nice with my reply as I have learned at times humor is not a good thing lol.

Like years ago I drove an 18 Wheeler and well coming back from El Paso the Boarder Patrol stop asked me like anyone else if I was hauling anything illegal and my joke reply was no sir unless you count the 100 Hitch hikers I was nice enough to give a ride to in the trailer lol. That did not go over well lol.

[dubber123]

I do not have a Chrono so I have no idea how fast they are going. But they do make it to the target in short order. ;)

And the HP does make a good WHAP when it hits the target at 100 yards lol. As people will turn and look lol. As most you hear are cracks but then my little .44 Mag Goes off with a Boom and a WHAP lol. It was odd when the Range officer came up and asked okay what are you shooting down range lol.

My brother shoots a 300 gr. WFN with the same charge, and gets high 1,200's with his 5.5" bbl. You should be a bit higher.

[JesterGrin_1]

Well it should work. As I do not think loading it hotter would help all that much. Yep I was thinking 1300 or so. :) and it is no mild load by a LOOOOOOOOOOOOOOONG shot lol.

[Lloyd Smale]

you guys are pretty amazing. I shoot probably as much as anyone and if i shot a under one inch group at 50 yards with any handgun id tape it to my truck and ride around till it was a tatered mess! Thats some pretty impressive trigger work with a reddot and flat amazing with irons! Some guys reading these post might not comprehend what your accomplishing. to most just keeping something like a 475 at full tilt even on a barn door at 50 yards would be an accomplishment! For me to do it id have to go back in time 10 years when the eyes worked better and even then all the stars would need to align!!!!

[softpoint]

Lloyd, you are right on, One inch groups are not particularly easy to come by at 50 yards, even with scoped handguns. I once said I might have as high a round count as anyone alive in .44 Magnum, simply because I've lived here on the homeplace all my life, can just walk outside and shoot, and shoot nearly every day. I once shot a 3 shot group with my Freedom arms .44 mag at 100 meters that was slightly less than one inch, center to center. And with a BF silhouette pistol, a 10 inch 7mm Supermag once put 5 into 5/8 inch, centers.At 100 meters. Once, offhand, 5 into about 9/16 inch at 25 yards with my best 1911 custom build. And you know why I remember these occasions so well! They are so rare you never forget 'em! We'll talk about my WORST groups with those pistols at a later date!:bigsmyl2:

Need I say those 100 meter groups were with Leupold scopes, too

[Frank]

They're both made in the U.S. Now THAT'S something to cheer about. :redneck:

[JesterGrin_1]

What will scare me is if I can shoot a better group with my Ruger than my Marlin and that is a RIFLE lol. And that is just sooooo wrong on many levels lol.

[dubber123]

you guys are pretty amazing. I shoot probably as much as anyone and if i shot a under one inch group at 50 yards with any handgun id tape it to my truck and ride around till it was a tatered mess! Thats some pretty impressive trigger work with a reddot and flat amazing with irons! Some guys reading these post might not comprehend what your accomplishing. to most just keeping something like a 475 at full tilt even on a barn door at 50 yards would be an accomplishment! For me to do it id have to go back in time 10 years when the eyes worked better and even then all the stars would need to align!!!!

Lloyd, there is a reason that .822" group is laminated with tape, it's so it won't get tattered. :-D It also came at somewheres between 1,500 and 2,000 rounds through that gun. Towards the end, 1.25" was pretty common, once in a while 4 under an inch with one S.O.B. that would sneak out a little... :roll: I finally strung together a good group.

I'm sure the gun is capable of better, but certainly not me. I shot this gun EVERY day for months after I got it. Now, I'd prolly be tickled to shoot a 2" group. You are right about the recoil. In a small, lightish gun, it's interesting. From the bench, this one whacks my left earmuff almost every time.

[Four Fingers of Death]

Need I say those 100 meter groups were with Leupold scopes, too

Do folks use any other kind??

[odis]

Was out today with my BFR and shot up 70 rd.s of different reloads. I would love to shoot a FA so I could see why they could be worth even 10 cents more than my BFR. My shooting over the years has been with S&Ws Colts Rugers and Contenders, this BFR like nothing I've ever shot before. The FA would have to make me 19 again and able to throw 100 mile an hour fast balls before I'd choose it over my BFR.

[bobthenailer]

ive shot revolvers that would shoot cast bullets a inch or better at 50 yards with a 2x7 scope. in single shot pistols 1/2 inch at 50 yards and a inch at 100 yards with cast and a scope, and my best 1/2 inch at 200 yards with a brown xp 100 in 7 isma 2x8 leupold & nosler jacketed bullets. so its not impossible ! just hard to repeat on a regular basis

[Frank]

Yeah. Only accurate guns are interesting. And BFR makes accurate guns.

I also like hearing about guns like bob the nailer talks about.

[bearcove]

Dot sight may work but, butt ugly. No offense just my opinion.

[snowwolfe]

If this has already been asked my apologies. Which one is tougher? Which one has a reputation for better accuracy? Seeing as the FA have a suggested retail value quite a bit higher than the BFR my guess is the FA is a better gun. Is an FA worth the extra $?


They are absolutely worth the money. Handling and cocking a FA revolver is like no piece of machinery I ever held.
When the NRA Dopebag tested there 97 .22 revolver a long time ago they said it was the most accurate .22 they EVER tested, including Olympic Free style match auto's. Tougher? Can't answer that one as I never had anything go wrong with mine.
Personally owned two in 454 Casull before and regret selling both even though my big bores are now S&W 500's.

Kind of like arguing that Savages are great rifles. They are wonderfully accurate but not a lot of fun to use. As usual, just my opinion and not worth 2 cents.

[softpoint]

I have to agree with you snowwolf. I didn't think I could ever afford a Freedom when they first came out. Quite a few years later, I managed one, a .44 magnum 7.5 inch. I was impressed. Now there are 2, a .454 in a 6 inch came along. Ilike my Smith's and my Rugers, and have some of those Iwouldn't want to part with., the Freedoms are in a class by themselves. IMHO.:-o

[softpoint]

Here's mine.

[Four Fingers of Death]

They are a right handsome pair of guns softpoint. I'm not fussed on those ones with the goofy big sights. Hows the 454 go with 45Colt loads?

[Frank]

snowwolfe writes
Kind of like arguing that Savages are great rifles. They are wonderfully accurate but not a lot of fun to use. As usual, just my opinion and not worth 2 cents.
What kind of "use" are you talking about? Here's what my 45-70 BFR did last time at 100 yds.
http://castboolits.gunloads.com/picture.php?albumid=123&pictureid=1573

[snowwolfe]

The comment was about Savage rifles. They are wonderfully accurate but not as refined as nicer rifles. No one said the BFR was not accurate.

[Four Fingers of Death]

snowwolfe writes
What kind of "use" are you talking about? Here's what my 45-70 BFR did last time at 100 yds.
http://castboolits.gunloads.com/picture.php?albumid=123&pictureid=1477

Man oh Man, yer taking a big chance sticking that can on top of the hood when yer do yer shootin' I'd be sticking it on a fence post or similar. :D

[44man]

What will scare me is if I can shoot a better group with my Ruger than my Marlin and that is a RIFLE lol. And that is just sooooo wrong on many levels lol.
:bigsmyl2::bigsmyl2: Come over and I will show you how to beat the Marlin every tick of the clock!

[JesterGrin_1]

44Man I sure have been trying to figure out how to make it happen.

But I also have to be honest I have never really been a Pistol Person. I guess it was just beat into me by a General in the Army of which was my Grand Father that if you have to use a pistol you have made too many mistakes to get to that point lol.

So I have used a pistol for close stuff such as snakes or other critters that are just too close. Or just to carry while working down near mexico where we hunt in the middle of nowhere lol.

But I am trying. Just at this point I am not comfortable with shooting at game with a pistol. I know I have just started but I have put about 500 rounds down range in my Ruger Super Blackhawk Bisley Hunter in .44 Mag. But I just need to learn to keep the same grip all of the time. I can get about a 2 to 2 1/2 in group at 100 yards but not all of the time. I do something wrong and throw one out of the group. So that is the main reason at least for this year I will use my Marlin 1895GS in 45-70 as I just feel more confident in shooting the rifle and a clean kill which is very important to me. And I know the 45-70 works lol.

I did have one group of which I just threw out as TOTAL LUCK lol. Shot the Bisley on a very windy day with ever changing winds and put 6 shots into the size of a quarter at 100 yards lol. Myself and the Range Officer was with me and just starting laughing together. I guess I shook and swayed just right each time I pulled the trigger to be off enough for things to hit in the same place lol. It was one of those targets you look at and know it was Pure luck and would never happen again and with enough thinking to know it lol.

One more thing 44Man I feel it is Odd that you are so QUIET about the FA lol.

[44man]

Yeah, I am quiet, don't like to argue about them anymore. There are too many good ones out there but some awful bad too.
I would say you are shooting the revolver very well.
As far as the Marlin 45-70, it is an accurate gun. The one I hate is the .44! :mad::mad: When working loads I will find something decent so I load a bunch more. Next time down I can't find the paper at 100. Then I find a load that clover leafs at 50 only to see it scatter all over at 100.

[Frank]

Four Fingers of Death says
Originally Posted by Frank
snowwolfe writes
What kind of "use" are you talking about? Here's what my 45-70 BFR did last time at 100 yds.

But that's my can, not snowwolfe's. [smilie=l:

[Frank]

Here's another can I did. Sighting in at 100 yds, 5 shots to the right, 1 flier -me. Clicked it over and fired two shots into the can. .475 Linebaugh, 100 yds. Magnum Research says 1 1/2" with iron sights" at 50 yds. I think it has a lot of potential and I expect to see imrprovement.
http://castboolits.gunloads.com/picture.php?albumid=123&pictureid=1574

[Bucks Owin]

The FA is gunmakers art as far as I can see and I long for one in .500 WE. Great silhouette gun, see some show up there. Have never had much to do with BFR other than to admire a couple. The high end USFA are very nice, I'd love a .45 "Buntline" but I'd rather spend the money (if I had it!) on a used FA. There are a lot of nice ones for sale, mainly in .454 Casull....Dennis

[Frank]

Here's another 100-yd can. .475 Linebaugh. Top right shot is part of the sighter group. Clicked it over and fired 5 at the bottom right edge of the can. The flier hit the can in front.
http://castboolits.gunloads.com/picture.php?albumid=123&pictureid=1569