.454 Casull or .475 Linebaugh...That is the question!

[Sundance]

I am interested in a high end major power big bore single action revolver. I have narrowed the caliber choice down to the .454 Casull and the .475 Linebaugh. My choices appear to be either a Freedom Arms or a converted Ruger by Hamilton Bowen, John Linebaugh, or equivalent. Either will run me $1500 to $2000 so I want to get all my ducks in a row before I fork out the dough. Which caliber in which gun would you choose and why? Please be specific! Also, any other suggestions other than what I mentioned above would be welcomed if you think I need to go a different route.

P.S. I don't want a double action so that rules out the Taurus Raging Bull and the Ruger Super Redhawk. If only Ruger would chamber the Super Blackhawk in one of these calibers with a 5 shot cylinder and a Bisley grip frame.

P.S.S. I am an experienced shooter and have fired .357 and .44 Magnums and .45 Colts extensively. I am not typically recoil shy.

[tex_n_cal]

Magnum Research has a gun they call the BFR (Biggest Finest Revolver) that will handle the .475 Linebaugh. Five shots, stainless, Lists for $999. I have seen one, and it seemed well made. The action was a little quirky, though. Use your own judgement.

The BFR is also available in .45-70 (no, that's not a typo), in which case I would call it Bloody Flaming Ridiculous

[Steve Smith]

Sundance, I have spoken with John Linebaugh at great length several times. I have no doubt at all that if I were in your shoes, I'd have him to build the gun for me...either him, or Hamilton Bowen. John speaks of Hamilton with great respect. John doesn't put much stock in a pretty gun, but he knows how Hamilton BUILDS the gun before the pretties it up, and he likes his work. Both men make revolvers that are stone reliable, and will take the hottest loads for a lifetime and not loosen up. There is a science there that most cannot comprehend, and very very few will take the time to master. John and Hamilton are masters. I almost went with another very well known revolver smith for some custom work...after talking with John, I knew what was really important for what I wanted. The other smith (VERY well known, BTW) told me that if I wanted a gun built that well I should have John to build it. That told me enough.

One note about John that is ultra-cool...he doesn't own a TV. He owns one phone. He doesn't even WANT to know anything about the internet. The man is all about one thing...sixguns.

Do what you want. If you want the absolute best, a gun from John or Hamilton will take almost a year to receive. You will NEVER want to sell it.

I think if I could drop the cash for either a Hamilton or a Linebaugh gun, I'd probably get one in .475 Linebaugh. .500 would also be a tempting gun, but probably only if I could find an old Ruger .357 Maximum frame so John could make a .500 Maximum. However, brass would REALLY be an issue then.

[hksigwalther]

Slightly more factory loads for .454C and also slightly cheaper, although I'm sure you'll reload your own.

The BFR, IMO, is grip/frame disproportionately ugly. IMO.

[Pigshooter]

An FA in 454 would be easy enough to locate, even used, and they really are nice; several levels of appearance and functionality.

The 475 would put you on a waiting list. Brass would be harder to come by. Even bullets. And I don't think you can shoot the ultra-lites from a 475 like you can from a 454. But then again, you may want only the biggest and bestest, and the wait may be worth it, so as long as you are aware of these issues, your choice is pretty straightforward.

[mobias]

I say, go with the 454 Casull. With proper load selection and shot placement you will be able to harvest any critter in North America. And it won't be near as painful to shoot as the 475.

[valkyrie.rider]

I am a big bore fanatic. I have a 454 and a 475 from FA , a 50 AE Desert Eagle and a 500 Max from Gary Reeder. They are all great fun. If I were to pick one, it would be the FA 454. PLENTY of power, PLENTY of recoil to impress your friends and components are readily accessible. If you decide on the FA, I would suggest the premier grade, 6 in octagonal barrel. Looks great!

[VictorLouis]

describes the .475 as a quantum leap in felt-recoil above the .454. Since the latter is so well-established now, I would tend to lean in that direction.

[WESHOOT2]

Let me ask my shooting hand's wrist...........454.
A 250-260g LSWC at 950fps, with neligible recoil, is still nothing to sneer at.

Unless you hunt grizzlies, of course.

[tex_n_cal]

Having shot a Super Redhawk in .454 Casull, with full tilt loads(300 gr at 1620 fps on the chrono). The thought of a quantum leap is making me slightly ill.

Despite all that, I think a .480 Ruger in the SRH is sounding pretty interesting.

[DE50]

I think that it depends on the barrel length of the gun and what you intend to do with it. For example, I use a RSH 454 with a 3.5" barrel for backpacking and it recoils less than my FA 454 with a 7.5" barrel. The Reeder 500 Linebaugh with a 10" barrel (using Buaffalo Bore ammunition) is fun and challenging to say the least. I believe that the 500 Linebaugh can be loaded from light plinking rounds to 535gr+ hard cast rounds that should be good for just about anything on this planet.


valkyrie.rider, are you loading your own 500 max ammo?

[Preacherman]

Hi, Sundance. Firstly - what do you want to use the revolver for??? If it's just to make a noise and have fun, either round is fine. If it's for defense against dangerous game, another set of criteria comes into play; if it's for general purpose handgun hunting, yet another; and so on.

If the weapon is primarily intended for defense against dangerous game, I'd strongly recommend the .475 as the way to go. It fires heavier bullets, giving deeper penetration than the .454, and has a greater frontal area. (I'm sure you know that mass has a greater effect on penetration than does velocity, and in solid bullets - which is what one would carry for preference against dangerous game in a handgun - the greater frontal area does more damage.) For more information on this, see the penetration tests from the latest Linebaugh seminar: http://www.sixgunner.com/linebaugh/penetration_test.htm

If the weapon is for general purpose handgun hunting, the .454 makes more sense. It's powerful enough for defense against large animals, if needed; there is a wider range of bullet weights and styles available; .45 Colt rounds can be fired for fun, practice or self-defense applications; etc.

In barrel length, again, the application decides the length. For defensive purposes, a shorter, easier-packing barrel is more useful. For hunting, a longer barrel is more useful, given its longer sight radius, greater velocity to aid expansion of soft- and hollow-point ammunition, and easier fitting of a scope (if desired).

A quick question for those reading this thread. One can fire .44 Special loads in a .44 Magnum sixgun, and .45 Colt in a .454. Does the same apply to the .480 Ruger and the .475 Linebaugh? After all, the .480 is basically a ".475 Short". Does this mean that the .480 rounds could be fired in a .475 revolver? This would make the .475 revolvers much more flexible.

Facing the same big-bore issues, I decided not to worry about more powerful rounds, but to stick with my Redhawk in .44 Magnum. I carry the Garrett Hammerhead loads, which provide outstanding penetration and "killing power" for either hunting or defense, and have one heck of a track record (see www.garrettcartridges.com). They are in the same power range as the heavier cartridges (on both ends of the gun!), but I don't have to buy a heavier and very expensive sixgun to load them. Just my $0.02 worth, you understand...

In closing, remember the immortal words of Clint Smith (of Thunder Ranch) on big-bore sixguns: "...He asked, ‘Did you hit him?’ Hey, I don’t know, but he was smokin’ when he ran outta here!"

Good luck and good shooting!

[tex_n_cal]

Yes, you can fire .480 Rugers in a .475. The Magnum Research BFR is in fact marked, ".475 Linebaugh/.480 Ruger"

Of course, Hodgdon says you can drive a 370 grain bullets 1500 fps out of a .480 so I'm unconvinced of the need for one!