bfr hardware

[bobke]

need some help from the bfr owners here, as i've never had one apart in my hands, actually only held one once, but need to assemble some accessories while waiting for 475 bfr to be sent down from the bullshop.

been told by magnum research and seen here that grips suitable for ruger super blackhawk can be made to fit bfr. would this be the round trigger guard model or squareback model? know it comes with pach's, but want to try either a decelerator gripper on same or standard durometer rubber gripper, just want to get the correct model.

what is front sight height on standard 475-high or extra high, per the bfr website? looking at sticking a weigand front base and interchangeable sights on, but also not certain which to go with-the silver solder version or one that requires some machining but has a countersunk mounting hole. i like patridge front sight for clarity and magnum doesn't have anything that would work. weigand looks like an excellent option.

is the action similar to super blackhawk? are there any spring kits available for bfr or is some stonework in order? or is the poor man's action job of slipping a leg off the spring peg an option? also going to stick a bowen rough country on the rear, as it's std ruger replacement. how about base pins? is belt mountain a fit or way too short? do they make a pin suitable for same?

any feedback appreciated, as always. really been looking forward to this project and will finally have a 475 in house in relatively short order, if all goes acc'd to hoyle.

[dubber123]

The action is standard Ruger, I'm not a fan of softening the mainsprings. With the big hammer, you can eat a sandwich waiting for it to fall as it is. Reducing/polishing the hammer sear, and tweaking the trigger return spring is easy. My brothers .475 BFR came down to 2.0# pretty quick. The hammers aren't hard, if you need to reduce the notch alot, (not likely), a standard file cuts them quickly. You might just try tweaking the return spring first.

A Rough Country rear sight for a Ruger fit fine on my brothers gun, (good choice BTW). My soldering skill suck, so I would go with the screw on base for the front. We have one milled to fit his bbl, but haven't finished it. Once you get a gander at the front sight, you will most likely be keen to change it. The Weigand interchangeable front is a neat looking set up. I can't remember the diameter, (3/4")? ball end mill matched the bbl. contour if the base needs machining.

I made the grips for my brothers to get rid of the factory plastic deals, so I'm not sure about aftermarket, but it is the larger Super Blackhawk frame size. http://i254.photobucket.com/albums/hh83/dubber123/IMG_2539.jpg You will like your new toy, lots of power and super accurate.

[c.r.]

I have asked a similar question on another forum. So this is second hand info, but i have no reason to question the information that was provided to me.

Ruger's SBH grips fit the pre-JT BFRs pretty well. Sometimes there is a bit of exposed edges, sometimes not.

My understanding is the JT ser # guns have a grip frame (and a cylinder frame) that are a bit different (larger maybe?) thant the earlier guns.

However,,,, as you can tell Dubber123's grips look great on his revolver and the fit appears to be great.

Dubber123.......Is your BFR a JT ser# gun?

~c.r.

[44man]

Dubber is right.
My BFR's came with Pachmeyer grips and they are great. Look at my avitar. Even the factory sights worked for me but I can't hunt in dim light with open sights anymore. The front sight ramp screws on so you can put whatever you like on the gun.
I use Wolfe over power, variable mainsprings, do not put a weaker spring in the gun.
The BFR is an overgrown Ruger and triggers are easy to fix. Just never change any angles.
The big BFR .475 is actually pleasant to shoot.
It is best you wait for the gun and shoot it with your loads so you know what the front sight height is before you buy another.
The gun really needs nothing but a trigger job to shoot better then you can imagine. You will soon be in hog heaven, enjoy.

[bobke]

and planning to send a few hogs to heaven, i am!

i'm this way with motorcycles and bicycles, hell, almost everything-shop, research, do the diligence and then simply make the purchase after months of reading, listening, diving through the details. i just need a gun to work with and will wait somewhat patiently. again, never having had one in my hand for more than two minutes, i'm anxious to get it here and apart to see how it works and how it can be made better, without going backwards in any manner. will cut a 79d
crown on it, fix the trigger, figure out the grips and sights and move forward. just like to have what i need, when i need it and there are some fairly straightforward items that will make me feel and little more connected to the gun, short of shooting the hell out of it.

appreciate the feedback, keep it coming.

[dubber123]

I have asked a similar question on another forum. So this is second hand info, but i have no reason to question the information that was provided to me.

Ruger's SBH grips fit the pre-JT BFRs pretty well. Sometimes there is a bit of exposed edges, sometimes not.

My understanding is the JT ser # guns have a grip frame (and a cylinder frame) that are a bit different (larger maybe?) thant the earlier guns.

However,,,, as you can tell Dubber123's grips look great on his revolver and the fit appears to be great.

Dubber123.......Is your BFR a JT ser# gun?

~c.r.


It's actually my brothers gun, but that prefix does ring a bell. He bought a set of grips for a Super Blackhawk, and they fit so-so, not good enough to keep, so he conned me into whittling the wood grips out. The BFR's are very comfortable to shoot, even with the wood grips. His is much more pleasant than my F/A. I think too much is made of the Bisley frame. The extra "roll" in his takes out much of the sting. You can definately tell it's not a .38 when it goes off though... ;)