Recommend me a big revolver caliber

[Pnwbrrt]

45-70, 460 s&w and 600 nitro express are all great options.

 

[dangerranger60]

Has the OP even been back to this thread? Or just asked and forgotten? Enquiring Minds Need To Know. DR

 

[OldBroad44]

Has the OP even been back to this thread? Or just asked and forgotten? Enquiring Minds Need To Know. DR

@moroza hasn't been back since page 2.

 

[Bobbygun]

Has the OP even been back to this thread? Or just asked and forgotten? Enquiring Minds Need To Know. DR

Hovering over his handle indicates he hasn't been on the site since Monday.

 

[Mono1]

@moroza hasn't been back since page 2.

No matter. Lots of good info posted that is beneficial to lots of others as well.

 

[moroza]

No matter. Lots of good info posted that is beneficial to lots of others as well.

Indeed.

Thanks all for the anecdotes, arguments, and other information and perspectives. A priori, the case for the 44 Magnum is convincing for the reasons mentioned, as well as my reevaluation of the matter of flinching. To wit, while I've mostly trained myself out of it, I'm aware that wasn't quick or easy to do, so flattening the learning curve - t.i, ramping up the firepower rather than skipping ahead to something like a 500SW - seems wiser. That said, extra thanks to whomever mentioned a place in Camas where I can try out a 44 Mag (as big as they offer, unfortunately). I've been traveling - hence the silence - and will visit SafeFire when I return. I may well ignore the sensible advice and look for the biggest, nastiest brute I can afford, If it's anything like the time I borrowed a... huh. My memory says "458 H & H (ouch and ouch)" but I guess it was either a 375 H&H or a 458 Win Mag. Whatever it was, though, with it I was not only accurate but apparently had a wide grin plastered on my face for the rest of the day. Good thing I don't bruise easily, though.

600 Nitro Express? Isn't anything over a half-inch a whole 'nother level of bureacratic headache, on top of the expense?

Does anyone know of a place between approximately Centralia and Ashland that rents anything greater than 44 Mag?

 

[TTSX]

600 Nitro Express? Isn't anything over a half-inch a whole 'nother level of bureacratic headache, on top of the expense?

Not if it's a recognized sporting use cartridge. There aren't a whole lot of them, though they exist. Note that a 12ga shotgun slug is somewhere around the 70 caliber mark if I remember correctly.

Even so, there are very, very few man portable cartridges that match a .50 BMG in foot pounds of energy despite having bigger bullets. Bigger doesn't always mean more powerful.

 

[Tlock]

Indeed.

Thanks all for the anecdotes, arguments, and other information and perspectives. A priori, the case for the 44 Magnum is convincing for the reasons mentioned, as well as my reevaluation of the matter of flinching. To wit, while I've mostly trained myself out of it, I'm aware that wasn't quick or easy to do, so flattening the learning curve - t.i, ramping up the firepower rather than skipping ahead to something like a 500SW - seems wiser. That said, extra thanks to whomever mentioned a place in Camas where I can try out a 44 Mag (as big as they offer, unfortunately). I've been traveling - hence the silence - and will visit SafeFire when I return. I may well ignore the sensible advice and look for the biggest, nastiest brute I can afford, If it's anything like the time I borrowed a... huh. My memory says "458 H & H (ouch and ouch)" but I guess it was either a 375 H&H or a 458 Win Mag. Whatever it was, though, with it I was not only accurate but apparently had a wide grin plastered on my face for the rest of the day. Good thing I don't bruise easily, though.

600 Nitro Express? Isn't anything over a half-inch a whole 'nother level of bureacratic headache, on top of the expense?

Does anyone know of a place between approximately Centralia and Ashland that rents anything greater than 44 Mag?

I have a 460 and 454 casull and 44 mag I'd be willing to let you shoot at my home range

 

[Certaindeaf]

I'm somewhere between a novice and intermediate shooter, finding as I try new guns a clear preference for heavy and powerful ones. With rifles, I've bought, tried, and sold a few, ending up with a Mosin and a milled-receiver RPK that clocks in some 15lb without ammo. With shotguns, I don't own any but regularly borrow from a relative's collection, particularly favoring a 10ga Benelli. With handguns, I recently amassed four CZ derivatives - a 9mm Jericho 941, 40SW Baby Eagle, 45ACP Baby Eagle, and a 10mm EAA Witness Hunter - and recently put the 45 up for sale or trade, specifically for a 357 or bigger revolver. I've gotten a few offers and am looking for some advice to guide my choice.

I'm aware of the most popular bigger calibers for wheelguns - 357mag, 45LC, 44mag - and also of what's theoretically out there in the Hand Cannon class - 454 Casull, 500 SW, 460 SW mag....What I don't know much about is how common the bigger ones are, and whether there's any meaningful difference between them other than a steady scale of increasing power, noise, and cost. Are they all rare and expensive exotics, or is there some big revolver caliber that's particularly common, affordable, or otherwise a better choice over the others?

It's actually impossible to recommend a big revolver caliber.
Good talk.

 

[OldBroad44]

@OldBroad44 , For me, that comes under the heading of "Be careful what you wish for". More than one time I was certain what I wanted/needed for a gun, car or motorcycle would be the key to happiness, but it turned out to be the worst thing I could have done.
Fortunately most of those mistakes were reversible, unlike the Magna-porting.

Right. That was before the era of internet. These days I'd simply hop onto NWFA and ask people here about it.

 

[Nick Burkhardt]

For some reason I want to get a Taurus Raging Judge Magnum 45LC|410 Gauge|454 Casull just in case I ever get the urge.

 

[JCMILLER58]

I love my Freedom Arms 454. Haven't shot it in a few years but as I am getting older I am not sure I can handle the recoil anymore. The pistol is built like a tank and the finest revolver I have ever owned.

 

[OldBroad44]

I love my Freedom Arms 454. Haven't shot it in a few years but as I am getting older I am not sure I can handle the recoil anymore. The pistol is built like a tank and the finest revolver I have ever owned.

View attachment 1421335

Nice. The FAs come up often when people are talking fine hunting revolvers.

You can always back down to .45 +P, which, in suitable loads, still gives .44mag power levels with a somewhat fatter bullet.

 

[Boboclown]

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.

I thought about .480 ruger tbh, but ended up with .454 casull since I can always use the same bullets with the .45 Colt.

Though with a 2.5" barrel I'm not sure what I'm doing with it, maybe burn the animal that's attacking my truck?

 

[OldBroad44]

I thought about .480 ruger tbh, but ended up with .454 casull since I can always use the same bullets with the .45 Colt.

Though with a 2.5" barrel I'm not sure what I'm doing with it, maybe burn the animal that's attacking my truck?

Presumably use a fast powder to get the most out of a short barrel. Note that Buffalo Bore says they load .454 Casull only to medium allowable power, as when loaded to max power, the unshot bullets tend to jump crimp, jamming the revolver. I don't know of any other cartridge that BB does not load to full power. I would use .45 +P in a short barreled .454 Casull if I had one, as that would give me .44 mag power in a .45 caliber round. For SD that would allow faster followup shots than the Casull ammo.

 

[Boboclown]

Presumably use a fast powder to get the most out of a short barrel. Note that Buffalo Bore says they load .454 Casull only to medium allowable power, as when loaded to max power, the unshot bullets tend to jump crimp, jamming the revolver. I don't know of any other cartridge that BB does not load to full power. I would use .45 +P in a short barreled .454 Casull if I had one, as that would give me .44 mag power in a .45 caliber round. For SD that would allow faster followup shots than the Casull ammo.

I don't mind the recoil much, but I'm usually also the only one shooting it. My hollow points aren't much more than .45 +P in regards to recoil, the ammo for wild boar and such is a different story altogether.

I leave the .45 +P for my 4.2" redhawk tbh.

 

[gddgunsngear]

For some reason I want to get a Taurus Raging Judge Magnum 45LC|410 Gauge|454 Casull just in case I ever get the urge.

If i could find one locally id get one too.. Trouble finding one anywhere even online..

 

[Tlock]

Last time I was in guncrafters in salem Ron and Doug had one on the shelf. Might give them a call

 

[Croat]

I love my Freedom Arms 454. Haven't shot it in a few years but as I am getting older I am not sure I can handle the recoil anymore. The pistol is built like a tank and the finest revolver I have ever owned.

View attachment 1421335

I certainly concur. Freedom Arms makes the best in my experience as well. Nobody is perfect, of course, but they get pretty close.

 

[echo1]

I'll be the odd guy... .41 Magnum. It can be had in both single and double action revolvers and also in a few lever guns. More oomph than the .357, not quite as much as the .44. Ammo isn't ridiculously hard to come by and the recoil is manageable.

Second the .41 Magnum. Recoil isn't excessive, hits hard enough with 210gr bullets and not too expensive to reload.

Third for the .41 mag. Had/have 6.5" Ruger Blackhawks, 3 screw (better trigger) 2 screw. I'm short. plenty gun for me, quite accurate, got a big loop Henry to go with. I've hoarded a ton of ammo for it. PAX