Recommend me a big revolver caliber

[Member 34319]

Ah yes, a power gun.

GIVE ME THE POWER!!!

44 mag is extremely popular still.

45/70 is in some revolvers and is a very popular large caliber.

500sw is likely the most common of the "big boys" that is often more available on the shelf at most stores.

Most of the above isn't too hard to buy online, in stores you may only find one once and awhile.

 

[moroza]

i'm not as accurate as I'd like to be, but I've 98% trained myself out of flinching, and am at least as accurate with bigger rounds as smaller; I measured and calculated my groups with the 9 and 40 - otherwise near-identical guns - to be within 2% of each other, the 40 a hair tighter, while the 10 does significantly better and half the time i shoot it one-handed. I reckon my limiting factor is Parkinson's disease, anyhow, which is why I've given up on pursuing long-range tack driving in favor of short- to medium-range tin can shredding, which is good enough for hunting as well.

I'm not looking to set off grenades in my hand, I'm looking to send that energy a couple dozen meters away with a modicum of accuracy. No snub-noses for me, i'm after at least a 5-6" barrel.

Ammo I buy online, so cost matters some but local availability not really.

Thanks for the 45/454 Judge suggestion; I like the idea of a gun that can do multiple calibers.

 

[Joe13]

Ruger GP100 .357 with a 6" barrel personally.

Can shoot .38sp and it's a pussy cat. .357 ain't bad but should work for anything other than Alaska. 3lbs unloaded I believe. Tank of a revolver but I love mine.

If you just want BIG I'd go with the 500s&w. You can find them used all the time and the ads are almost always "500s&w for sale. Like new. 5 shots thru it and cleaned. Will include the rest of the box of ammo I bought."

 

[Bobbygun]

I especially like the idea of sharing ammo with a rifle, though that means further purchases and research.

You say that like it's a bad thing???

Don't let @Spitpatch and @Andy54Hawken confuse you with that all that "accuracy" garbage. With a big bore you can easily overcome that obstacle by moving closer and using a reactive target on the ground in a gravel pit. All you gotta do is be close and the rocks will roll the target for ya. Pro tip: Never miss high - only low.

On a serious note, like many others, I would go with a .44 Magnum.

 

[thorborg]

I vote for 45-70

 

[41mag]

My buddy a decade or so back, was unable to contain his enthusiasm for his S&W 460 Hunter. He did manage to coerce me into taking a few rounds downrange. My experience was neither pleasant nor accurate. He was so excited in record time he purchased a 4" version of same caliber. Oddly, it came with a box of factory ammo with only 2 used.

I stood behind him for his first and only 5 rounds. The mere muzzle blast was physically unpleasant for me, even shielded by his own mortal flesh. I thanked him for the opportunity to refuse his offer for me to take a turn before he determined to make a deal with someone looking for such a package.

 

[Bobbygun]

Oddly, it came with a box of factory ammo with only 2 used.

Slow learner?

 

[bcp]

44 magnum? I thought you wanted a big revolver.

https://www.artstation.com/artwork/3dZvdv

https://www.thefirearmblog.com/blog/2015/07/23/600-nitro-express-from-a-revolver/



Bruce

 

[Tinman357]

@Stomper;

Thank you for that video. I've always been a huge fan of the .357. Prompted me to schedule some range time. I've been focused on my new .45 Wilson XTAC and a P365 XL. I bought a Colt KC that I still need to wring out.

Now, to the reloading bench.

 

[kmk1012]

My son who's 13 and I enjoy shooting my 460 S&W Mag and the 500 S&W Mag. He is a recoil junkie like me. I single load the 500 for him though, have seen instances where it can double tap. He can ring a 6" plate at 100yds very regularly. Recoil can be ignored to a degree with proper practice and training.

 

[titsonritz]

There are lots of choices and I would say more common and easier to find ammo for the 44 Mag and 45 Colt. When you get above those calibers the price, and power goes up while the availability of ammo goes down. One not mentioned before is the 480 Ruger. It shoots a 410gr bullet at about 1200fps out of a 71/2" barrel but in my big and heavy Super Redhawk the recoil is about the same as that of my standard Redhawk 44 Mag shooting 300gr bullets.

May as well get a .475 Linebaugh and be able to shoot both.

Me, I'm good with 44 mag. @Yarome covered it in the first post. OP should probably stick with a .357 and work up even thought I wouldn't consider .357 "big" either.

 

[Tlock]

My son who's 13 and I enjoy shooting my 460 S&W Mag and the 500 S&W Mag. He is a recoil junkie like me. I single load the 500 for him though, have seen instances where it can double tap. He can ring a 6" plate at 100yds very regularly. Recoil can be ignored to a degree with proper practice and training.

I too like the sw 460 performance center! 460, 454 casull or 45lc. 45lc with cowboy loads is really fun for kids to shoot

 

[titsonritz]

My son who's 13 and I enjoy shooting my 460 S&W Mag and the 500 S&W Mag. He is a recoil junkie like me. I single load the 500 for him though, have seen instances where it can double tap. He can ring a 6" plate at 100yds very regularly. Recoil can be ignored to a degree with proper practice and training.

You don't need to single load it, just skip every other chamber.

 

[Hueco]

Well, the "job" in question is little more than sh-ts and giggles, and the general trend so far has been a direct correlation with power; if there's such a thing as "too much", I've yet to find it.

List that in your fetlife profile as well?

 

[Knobgoblin]

That face you make when even the mod got jokes.

 

[Mono1]

I have a friend who says that the reason carries a .45

is because they don't make a .46

 

[BlindedByScience]

When I was much younger, I had a buddy with a Super Blackhawk in .44 Mag.....and a reloading press. Guess what the first gun I bought was.....

Ruger Redhawk in .44 Mag. 7 1/2" barrel. What a great gun. I've shot everything from shot capsule loads, dispatching ground squirrels in a filbert orchard, to JHP's at very full power loadings, to hard cast Lyman 429421's from soft to very not so soft loadings. I can't think of a more accurate, fun, versatile big bore pistol.

One man's biased opinion......

 

[Urban Coyote]

How about the 44 Special?

Certainly you could go 44 Remington Magnum (44 RM) but unless your experienced shooter and are willing to train regularly it can be a difficult to shoot. The 44 RM can digest 44 Special cartridges, also 44 Russian if you want shoot lighter loads. You can also down load the 44 RM.

I stepped into one of the limited edition flattop lRuger Blackhawk 44 Special 4-5/8" several years ago and liked it so much I scooped up a 5-1/2", both these revolvers are phenomenal shooters. I shoot both 44 Special and 44 Russian cartridges, they both do extremely well with the Russian cartridge. I later picked up a couple of S&W Model 624s.

I still own a couple of 44 RM chambered revolvers and there was a time in my life when I shot these enough to respectably harness them with full power loads but it was never really fun. I've also a flattop Ruger Blackhawk 45 Colt with a 45 ACP cylinder which is a peach but the Specials are way more pleasant to shoot. By the way, I also shoot the 45 Schofield in that 45 Colt, three cartridges in one gun and all accurate at the ranges I shoot, 50' to 75'.

You may have a tough time finding a 44 Special but it might just be worth the effort.

 

[eustace_stelio]

There's always the .475 wildey magnum

 

[OldBroad44]

You don't need to single load it, just skip every other chamber.

So the SW 500 is actually not really a 5-shot but a 2-shot?