Author Topic: Magnum Research BFR S/A revolver (Read 3607 times)

Desperado357 · « **on:** June 25, 2003, 11:35:40 AM »

im THINKING bout getting one either in 45/70 gorernment,444 marlin, 410/45long colt enterchangable or 450 marlin. all are 5 shot except 410/45LC (6 shot) weighs 4.36 lbs and barrel lengths are 15-17.5 and run in price range of 1000 dollars. what yall think? any yall ever heard of em? i only read about em in Gun Digest 2003

KN · « **Reply #1 on:** June 25, 2003, 11:53:33 AM »

There have been several posts bouncing around on these. They have been getting mixed reviews. Some good some bad. Personaly I would spend the money on two Encores and get both 45/70 and 444 calibers. Or one full pistol and about 3 more barrels for the same money. They just seem like a very expensive toy. Too big to do any thing with. Just my $.02 KN

Questor · « **Reply #2 on:** June 25, 2003, 01:49:13 PM »

I consider them a novelty. They're big and the 480 Ruger or 454 Casull have better performance than a 45-70 in a handgun.

Paul H · « **Reply #3 on:** June 25, 2003, 02:03:27 PM »

For a $1000, you could get a SRH 454 or 480, AND a 45-70 guide gun.

I also agree that they are novelties, to big and heavy to pack as a handgun, or to be shot offhand, and their short barrels and cylinders burn the majority of the powder outside the barrels. Seems kinda silly to burn twice the powder of a 454, yet get only another 100-200 fps for all that effort.

Desperado357 · « **Reply #4 on:** June 25, 2003, 04:49:10 PM »

i do mean 15-17.5 Inch barrels (never heard of any longer then that for a handgun!)

HoCoMDHunter · « **Reply #5 on:** June 26, 2003, 03:39:45 AM »

If I were looking in the $1000 range I would save a little more and get a Freedom Arms.

RollTide · « **Reply #6 on:** June 26, 2003, 04:15:22 AM »

I would get a Dan Wesson 445 Supermag instead. You can add interchangeable barrels from 4" up to 10" in compensated, uncompenstated, vent heavy or standard configuration, and you can also shoot 44MAG and 44SPL from the same gun.

DAN WESSON 445 SUPERMAG

DAN WESSON AMMO

The ALASKAN GUIDE SPECIAL in 445 SUPERMAG

WW1 · « **Reply #7 on:** June 27, 2003, 07:06:49 PM »

my one regret is I didn't buy the only one I ever saw!!!!.....also I am Ham Radio Operator and used to chat with a guy up above me in Alaska
he was the first I ever heard of a 45-70 revolver...all I could think of was ouch!!!...I made that comment and he said no...he carries lots of different hand guns up ther but prefers the 45-70 to any he had tried...he told me the gun was heavy enough to where the rcoil wasnt as bad as a full house 44mag and the penatration was a whole lot better...take it for what it is worth, I have never fired one, but he hunts where the bears are not nice and that was his choice....Rob

kciH · « **Reply #8 on:** June 27, 2003, 08:58:16 PM »

There is a big-bore deviant, goes by the screen name of Zeppelin, over on beartoothbullets.com that uses a BFR in .450 Marlin that you may want to correspond with. He thinks rather highly of the revolver, perhaps he can enlighten you with some "real world" accuracy and build quality information. He's also been shooting a .500 S&W, so he may be able to give you a comparison of which is the better piece.

Lloyd Smale · « **Reply #9 on:** June 28, 2003, 12:38:03 AM »

Quote from: HoCoMDHunter

If I were looking in the $1000 range I would save a little more and get a Freedom Arms.

Ill second that opinion!

MePlat · « **Reply #10 on:** June 28, 2003, 01:28:35 AM »

If I were going to get a 45/70 I would get an Encore if I were going to go for power. With a 12.5 to a 15 inch barrel you would be alright.
Power would be all you could want not that there aren't more powerful chamberings in an Encore. That is provided you don't mind the single shot feature.

BlkHawk73 · « **Reply #11 on:** July 05, 2003, 04:18:06 AM »

I also see them as more or less a novelty for those that need to have bigger than the next guy, or for bragging rights at the range.
While it may seem impressive, you won't achieve nearly the performance those cartridges are capable of in such a short (ie. pistol) barrel. For the same money you can get a Freedom Arms or a custom Ruger. Personally, I see no need to beat myself up when I can achieve the same results with cartridges that are more "user-friendly". There are some that need to compensate however... :lol:

Rich Jimbo · « **Reply #12 on:** July 06, 2003, 05:06:50 AM »

After reading this & other posts I have established that; Most people that own a BFR really like it---People that don't own them, and are good at blowing smoke, have a negitive opinion of them and like to express it! I have a 454 Casull, a S&W M-29 44Mag, a Contender in 45-70, & 44 Mag, a D.E. in 50 AE, and a few other "big toys"......I enjoy shooting my BFR 444 Marlin & BFR 45-70 the best!

Cabin4 · « **Reply #13 on:** July 06, 2003, 07:44:59 AM »

Whats this $1000 price tag all about ? I see these at a number of local shops in the $750 and less range brand new.

A novelty maybe, but in 45-70 I still think thier is something to be said about being able to put that much lead on a big critter.

daddywpb · « **Reply #14 on:** July 07, 2003, 11:17:56 PM »

I saw one at a gun show this weekend - that's a handfull of steel. I'd love to have one, but I don't really know why.

kciH · « **Reply #15 on:** July 07, 2003, 11:25:58 PM »

daddy,
that's why it's called a novlety.

Cabin4 · « **Reply #16 on:** July 08, 2003, 12:38:15 AM »

Why do so many consider these guns "novelties" ?

If someone can explain to me that the 45-70 from a revolver is a novelty then I may agree. Has anyone researched this from a ballistics standpoint ? How do these guns shoot and how accurate are they ?

If the 45-70 from a BFR is a novelty, then the 45-07 from a Contender must also be , correct ?

I don't know all the answers to the critical questions here. But I am not about to relagate these guns to novelty status unless someone can explain why from a ballistics perspective.

I will say this, those that own them seem to love the these guns. Most those that don't seem to love making fun of them. Very interesting. Not many guns get this type of "wide swing" in opinion.

I know someone who is an avid revolver shooter and this guy owns a number of big bore revolvers. The BFR in 45-70 is his favorite to shoot and he claims great accuracy and ease in shooting as his reasons for liking it so much.

kciH · « **Reply #17 on:** July 08, 2003, 12:54:05 AM »

Cabin,
I don't own one, and i don't consider them a novelty either. I was just being a smart/dumb arse. I do, however, consider a 45/70 Derringer a novelty. I usually spend most of my on-line efforts on www.beartoothbullets.com. There is a deviant, name of Zeppelin, that has a BFR in .450 Marlin, he's seems impressed by it. He is, as stated by himself, a "big bore lead pig". If I where to buy a BFR I'd get a .450, so factory ammo would be the real deal, as opposed to the 45/70 which is terribly "weak" in factory form. The previously mentioned shooter thinks highly of the accuracy and performance of his revolver, and I have no reason to doubt his assessment.

That said, I'd take a .475 Linebaugh and be happy for it. I'd rather have a .475 or .500 in a custom Bisley than a FA, but the FA would do in a pinch.)

Questor · « **Reply #18 on:** July 08, 2003, 02:25:40 AM »

Cabin4:

I've read all the articles on 454 Casull, 480 Ruger, and 45-70 revolvers and the 45-70 doesn't look good in comparison. My personal pick would be the 480, which yields higher velocity from a heavier bullet than the 45-70. The 45-70 starts to shine with a 14" Contender barrel.

myronman3 · « **Reply #19 on:** July 08, 2003, 03:51:27 AM »

i have posted on this subject before, and i stand by my position that when i see someone in the field with one, i will quit calling it a novelty. it's got nothing to do with ballistics. it is just too big to be reasonable to carry. something that big and i am better off with a rifle. i defy someone to hold it unsupported and hit with accuracy. i think it would be a fun gun to shoot (at the range) and would love the opportunity to do so.
AND... i have heard too many negative things from folks who have shot them to spend my pesos on one. not saying they aint good; but like many have said, a bit more $ and you could have a f.a. ( which i have NEVER heard anyone slam ).

Cabin4 · « **Reply #20 on:** July 08, 2003, 09:22:33 AM »

If anyone thinks the 45-70/444marlin BFR is big, wait till you see the new S&W 50 mag !!

Rich Jimbo · « **Reply #21 on:** July 08, 2003, 09:15:43 PM »

CABIN 4, I enjoy reading your posts because, you seem to have lots of credibility, and you know the difference between facts & opinions. I just can't understand why you argue with people that don't have a BFR revolver, but will still spout off about how it isn't worthy. If they start their comments with, "I don't have one BUT" or "I have heard things" or "I have read all the articles", they don't have experience or facts, just opinions. David White has one, get his experience. Or me, I've got two, one of which I "carried into the field" last deer season and was successful, "without using a rest". My next purchase will be my third BFR in the new S&W 500 caliber. My FA83-454, S&W-44, T/C-45-70, Ruger-480, have been spending a lot time in the safe because of Magnum Research's Revolvers!

kciH · « **Reply #22 on:** July 08, 2003, 09:21:00 PM »

How is it that a 10" BFR is "too big" and a 16.5" Encore in 300 Mag isn't? It's all about what people like to use, you can carry anything in your hand or a holster. Is a .444 or a .450 Marlin a novelty in a handgun, you'll never hear that coming from the TC crowd, unless it's a revolver. Personally, I'd rather have something a bit more along "traditional revolver" lines, but that's me. I still stand by the 45-70 derringer as a novelty.

I use and like revolvers and single shot pistols for hunting and target shooting. I like rifles too, is a 30-06 a novelty because it's more than what is needed for the average shot, or produces more recoil in a lightweight rifle than about 75% of casual shooters can tolerate?

Lloyd Smale · « **Reply #23 on:** July 09, 2003, 12:34:56 AM »

I had one in .480 and didnt like it it was to big and I didnt think that fit and finish were up to the price tag. But thats my opinion if everyone had the same taste in guns it would be a boring world.

Questor · « **Reply #24 on:** July 09, 2003, 02:29:03 AM »

I think you may be missing the point. A lot of us have considered it, some seriously (including me), and we rejected it. I handled one, looked at the quality, looked at the price, and decided it was a lousy value compared to other guns in the same niche.

Cabin4 · « **Reply #25 on:** July 09, 2003, 08:02:09 AM »

Rich Jimbo,

Thanks for the vote of confidence in my posts. I try to keep an open mind especially on those things I don't understand yet. I don't always succeed in keeping an open mind, but I do try. Of course, on certain subjects I do have my hardheaded opinions.

I guess I reply, and keep replying to some of these posts only because I am trying to open other people’s minds as well to seperate facts from opinion's . It's not necessarily a debate for me, more it’s a way to extract or force out information from others that do know, so I can learn.

Thanks

myronman3 · « **Reply #26 on:** July 09, 2003, 08:54:41 AM »

rich jimbo- well i guess since i feel that was mostly directed at me, i will state my case. it is true that i have never shot one. got me there. but i did openly put it out there. and i feel i dont need to shoot one to know that i consider it impractical (every bit as impractical as a 300 win mag or a 450 marlin in an encore pistol). you mention dave white has one, and you have one; what about lloyd smale? he had one and and didnt like it. as have many other folks i have talked with.
kcih- i do consider those guns impractcal in those chamberings. and i am a contender owner; two in fact. i love shooting them, but i do consider them more of a rifle than a pistol because they pack like a rifle and have the range of one. ever try to carry one through the woods? pain in the @$$. thats what i mean by impractical.
and cabin 4: i too enjoy conversing with you, even if we dont agree all the time!
i guess lloyd said it best, if everyone liked the same thing, it would sure be boring. but if someone asks what i think of the bfr (or anything else) i will surely tell them what i honestly think of it.

Questor · « **Reply #27 on:** July 09, 2003, 09:05:45 AM »

When is a handgun not a handgun? When it gets too bulky and gets close to five pounds. At that point, I'd rather carry a rifle because it's less cumbersome. That seems to be what separates a lot of handgunners. I suspect that people who like Encores also like BFRs and S&W 500s and late model XP100s. Any "handgun" that requires a sling or a holster the size of an ironing board is just too big to retain the practical advantages of a handgun, yet it assumes all of the disadvantages.

Cabin4 · « **Reply #28 on:** July 09, 2003, 10:09:26 AM »

myronman3,

Very well said. I too like converisng here with you and a whole bunch of folks here.

Believe me when I say this about the BFR's, I really don't know. I only know what I have seen and what people say. Never owned or shot one. They may very well be impractical for some folk and pratical for others. It really dosent matter all that much.

I just like talking and learning about this stuff so much that I'm willing to look like a fool sometimes if it helps me learn and maybe someone else in the end. In the end, not much of the posts like this particular one on the BFR are really all that important. Its not like were debating gun control or anything like that. The fact that thier are wide varying opinions on these BFR's is just the reality of it. The guy that posted the original post will know the truth about what everyone believe's. Posatives & negatives, he knows it now.

After all, it would be boring here if we all agreed all the time.

Good huntin & shootin,

myronman3 · « **Reply #29 on:** July 09, 2003, 04:26:17 PM »

Quote from: Questor

Any "handgun" that requires a sling or a holster the size of an ironing board is just too big to retain the practical advantages of a handgun, yet it assumes all of the disadvantages.

questor hit the nail on the head. this is my exact point; but i had trouble putting it to words. the fact is my 1894 44 mag packs alot easier than any of my contenders.