BFR vs ?

[donjose]

What is the thought on the BFR vs Ruger vs Smith as far as 454 cal and up is concerned?I am wanting to know who makes a better gun and why?I heard smith unlock the cylinders and ruger super redhawk just doesnt look pretty.

Any and all info would be great


Jason

[Frank]

I'd take the BFR because it's probably the best bang for the buck (literally!), has the best twist, hand lapped bore and is a single action. Plus BFR claims 1 1/2" at 50 yds. What other manufacturer does that? It's heavier, you'll appreciate that with the 454 round. BFR's are well fitted and made for shooting, not wall graphics. Just be prepared when someone asks you, "Is that a model 83?" You can tell them to look at your target and ask them what model 83 does that. ;-)

[dubber123]

Of the 3, I would choose the BFR. All are probably equally accurate, meaning very accurate. The Smiths do unlock in the .500 cal, I've seen it happen to several different guns. I have not seen or heard of that complaint with the .460 though. The S&W's are a much larger gun than a BFR.

If you really do appreciate a good looking gun, you may find the sights and grips on the BFR to be wanting...

[RP]

Well I have a BFR and a Ruger Redhawk no smith I dont like the grips on the BFR they are ugly as hell to me but work. The RH grips are nice looking but with the angle of the grips it transfers the kick in not such a nice way. If you go with the BFR get it now since the company just changed hands incase they start changing things like quialty.

[gon2shoot]

I like the BFR's I've shot, but I'm not convinced they are worth the extra $.
I recently bought a new Smiff that had a crooked bbl., and had to do some work on the last Ruger to get it where I wanted it.

The repairs were less than the dollar difference between guns, just depends on what you feel like doing.

[2ndAmendmentNut]

The Freedom Arms 454s are very nice in my opinion, but as others have said the BFR is a good gun period, then the fact that they are almost half the price of an FA makes them look even better.

[tek4260]

http://i292.photobucket.com/albums/mm35/tk3945/101_1764.jpg


Hey the sights on a BFR are easily remedied!!

[Caster Blaster]

not strictly a 454, but the 460 xvr is the cats behind, perfect "glass rod" trigger break, enough weight to counter-act the recoil, and made for a much more potent round, so cylinder lock isn't even an after thought. To be fair, I haven't shot a bfr, but have never heard any complaints, theres a number of guys on this site that swear by them. You also have versatility in that it will fire 45 (long) colt, 454 casull and then the .460

[ole 5 hole group]

The BFR is a lot of revolver for the money. If you shoot hot loads in the BFR’s their grips are just fine – if you don’t shoot full-on loads then Micarta or wood grips can be substituted to satisfy your tastes. Sights are OK, as they come with 2 or 3 different front sight heights but you’ll probably end up using just the xtra tall front for all loads. If you shoot at fast moving small targets you can go with these sights, or better yet a nice small red dot like or similar to the JPoint.


There's normally several FA or BFR's chambered in 454 on gunbroker at decent prices.

[donjose]

I am looking at the 45-70 as well just not sure yet which one I want to have fun shooting not killing my self



Jason

[Whitworth]

I have all three of the aforementioned guns and while they all have their pluses and minuses, you are really hard pressed to any revolver that offers better bang-for-the-buck than the BFR. Every one that I have shot has been accurate and they are tougher than nails.

Yes, SRHs are a little homely, but they are purely functional and that to me at least, is a thing of beauty! :smile:

[donjose]

I was wondering what kinda recoil is mild load 45-70 vs hot loads i was told mild loads are like 44mag hot loads?


Jason

[Whitworth]

I've shot some pretty hot loads in the BFR .45/70 and it still wasn't abusive in my opinion. It's a lot of gun and it soaks up recoil quite well in my opinion.

[bbailey7821]

I really like my model 83, but haven't shot a BFR. I've wondered about them though... How big a deal is it to mount a scople on them? Are they pre-drilled or have enough sight fasteners to mount one securely?

[ole 5 hole group]

All BFR's are pre-drilled and tapped and come with a base that will accomodate any Weaver style rings. No problem at all to mount a scope, as the front sight can be easily removed if you have an extra long 32mm scope.

[Boxhead]

A little blacksmithing and the grip frame can become darn comfortable. Sights can be swapped out too. The added weight of the BFR does make it more pleasant to shoot than my Ruger 500 L. I really like this gun and they were a steal when CDNN was unloading them for $500.

http://img.villagephotos.com/p/2005-7/1055658/M25-2andBFR022.JPG

[dubber123]

I bet that sighting arrangement is a joy to use! Looks good.

[Frank]

Boxhead, nice work! :drinks: How does it shoot?

[frankenfab]

BFR all the way, unless you can afford all Freedom Arms. My choice was to get Freedoms in a few calibers and then BFR's for the rifle cartridges you can't get Freedoms in.
FWIW, I had a .475 BFR and it shot just as well as the Freedom I still have.

[bobke]

have actually handled boxhead's bfr and a couple of comments. pictures don't do it justice. the additional length of gripframe provides a really secure, four fingered grip. his setup is a bit thin for my hand/finger length, but i'm sufficiently convinced of it's viability that i picked up his spare gripframe and am going to take it to dr. harton for a bit of out patient surgery. same length, a little more diameter-closer to a modified set of hogue bisley grips on my 5.5" 45c ruger. i'd expect the end result to be near to ideal setup for my purposes. and i sure wish magnum/kahr would consider offering a similar package on new guns and a retrofit offer for current ownership.

i've had excellent initial results with my 475 bfr. a natural with cast, little work required to tune up, very uniform cylinder throat dimensions, a set of bowen rough country sights, a modified flat patridge for the front and good to go. i've taken a dremel to the uncle mikes that came with it to knock off some of the heel of the grip and reduce diameter with some improvement noted. other than that, the bfr is a helluva VALUE, amongst lots of hype for some other high end product.

[Ed K]

Actually none of these guns are pretty in the traditional S&W DA or Colt SA sense of the word. With that out of the way what about cost, functionality, etc.? As far as cost goes none are extraordinarily cheap or expensive. Particularly the Ruger Super Redhawk and the BFR have been subjected to "dumping" by the manufacturer or distributor as of late. Tales of sub-$500 new-in-box guns surface from time to time. The S&W is a little more expensive but hard shopping or a deal on a "used & unfired" specimen can go a ways to alleviate the difference. Certainly none are priced like a custom or that "other" manufacturer.

All get high marks for performance. I personally know the least about the S&W having no firsthand experience - it's just too big for my taste. I have to admit the other two are also large but somehow they do not go too far for my tastes (short cylinder BFR only). They are all big enough that I would never consider belt carry - rather than a sidearm they are primary hunting arms.

All scope easily enough. Do you want the feature and added complexity of DA? Have fun deciding :-)