458 Win mag BFR

[Amon458]

I saw a video recently of a guy shooting a custom BFR chambered in 458 Win mag and it got me thinking as to what else you could stuff into the cylinder here I would love to see a revolver in something much bigger like 577NE.

 

[Austinkroe]

Ask and you shall receive.

You need to look up the,
Pfeifer Zeliska .600 Nitro Express revolver!!!

 

[Amon458]

I have seen this revolver before and it is very neat but the converted BFR I mentioned above weights less than 5lbs so it is more practical in my opinion.

 

[ChrisG]

I have seen this revolver before and it is very neat but the converted BFR I mentioned above weights less than 5lbs so it is more practical in my opinion.

I don't know if "practical" is a good word to describe it. Honestly, the BFR is kind of a marketing gimmick. It's like the Alaskan Survival Derringer in .45-70, The bullet for which literally sits about a half inch from the end of the barrel with a little smidgen of rifling. The BFR in .45-70 doesn't really do anything that a .454 Casull can't do with the exception of throwing heavier bullets. There is however a point of diminishing returns where a heavier bullet doesn't necessarily mean better performance or penetration because you cannot push it fast enough from an 8 or even a 10 inch barrel. After all, a cannon ball rolling slowly on the floor isn't going to kill you (might hurt your toes though).

In my opinion, the .45-70 BFR or a potentially modified one in .458 WM,isn't going to have time to get a big heavy bullet up to the speed it needs to be moving to make it any more useful than a .454 Casull out of the same length barrel.

And we aren't even talking about .577 yet.

I don't even think there is enough steel in that cylinder to fit 4 let alone 5 of those cartridges in there.

Now WANT.... That's another conversation all together. If you WANT to show up at the range and start dropping cigar sized cartridges into your revolver, you're definitely going to get some inquisitive looks and you will more than likely be the talk of the range while you are there. If you WANT a gun that will throw a fireball the size of the state of Rhode Island down range and require a broom in your kit bag to dust off all the unburned power from the bench, well... that's your call and I can't say it wouldn't be fun... BUT... It's not really practical.

.458 is impractical. .577 NE is outrageously impractical. It periodically has penetration issue when fired from a 26" tube.

Not to mention the absurd amount of muzzle flip you're going to get from throwing 750 grains of lead and another 120 grains of powder from the end of that flamethrower at 45,000 PSI.

From what I have seen, a .577 NE in a RIFLE is not a walk in the park. Considering those rifles usually weigh in the neighborhood of 12 to 15 pounds. A five pound revolver is gonna require a visit to the doctor to remove the front sight from the middle of your forehead.

Just my $.02.

 

[Saul]

I would buy a .577 NE or even larger bore in a revolver if the cartridges were shortened to .500 S&W length or maybe even .44 Mag length. There is something oddly appealing about a big-bore revolver that throws huge chunks of lead at slow speeds. ME WANT!!!

 

[ChrisG]

I would buy a .577 NE or even larger bore in a revolver if the cartridges were shortened to .500 S&W length or maybe even .44 Mag length. There is something oddly appealing about a big-bore revolver that throws huge chunks of lead at slow speeds. ME WANT!!!

I know exactly what you mean.. The problem in America is that the ATF in all their wisdom would most likey dub such a revolver a "destructive device"

But I am right there with you! I wish that Ruger would come out with a GP100 and an SP101 in .44 Special. I think a .50 or .55 caliber revolver that could chuck a 450-500 grain slug at between 650 and 850 fps would be the bees knees. I just don't see it happening unfortunately...

 

[Amon458]

I don't know if "practical" is a good word to describe it. Honestly, the BFR is kind of a marketing gimmick. It's like the Alaskan Survival Derringer in .45-70, The bullet for which literally sits about a half inch from the end of the barrel with a little smidgen of rifling. The BFR in .45-70 doesn't really do anything that a .454 Casull can't do with the exception of throwing heavier bullets. There is however a point of diminishing returns where a heavier bullet doesn't necessarily mean better performance or penetration because you cannot push it fast enough from an 8 or even a 10 inch barrel. After all, a cannon ball rolling slowly on the floor isn't going to kill you (might hurt your toes though).

In my opinion, the .45-70 BFR or a potentially modified one in .458 WM,isn't going to have time to get a big heavy bullet up to the speed it needs to be moving to make it any more useful than a .454 Casull out of the same length barrel.

And we aren't even talking about .577 yet.

I don't even think there is enough steel in that cylinder to fit 4 let alone 5 of those cartridges in there.

Now WANT.... That's another conversation all together. If you WANT to show up at the range and start dropping cigar sized cartridges into your revolver, you're definitely going to get some inquisitive looks and you will more than likely be the talk of the range while you are there. If you WANT a gun that will throw a fireball the size of the state of Rhode Island down range and require a broom in your kit bag to dust off all the unburned power from the bench, well... that's your call and I can't say it wouldn't be fun... BUT... It's not really practical.

.458 is impractical. .577 NE is outrageously impractical. It periodically has penetration issue when fired from a 26" tube.

Not to mention the absurd amount of muzzle flip you're going to get from throwing 750 grains of lead and another 120 grains of powder from the end of that flamethrower at 45,000 PSI.

From what I have seen, a .577 NE in a RIFLE is not a walk in the park. Considering those rifles usually weigh in the neighborhood of 12 to 15 pounds. A five pound revolver is gonna require a visit to the doctor to remove the front sight from the middle of your forehead.

Just my $.02.

Actually the 458WM BFR got a 500gr slug over 1600FPS so I would say that is more than your 454 comparison. And I would argue that if the .577NE had problems with penitration it would most likely be for poor bullets used but I could be wrong.

 

[AZDAVE]

ChrisG you might want to look at a model 69 SW, 5 shot 44 MAG on a L frame (GP100 size). To plink I use trail boss and just load the 44Mag to 44 Special velocity.

I figure that anything I need in a pistol that a custom Ruger super blackhawk in 500 Linebaugh isn't big enough for I really need arifle

The BFR in is not my cup of tea but to those that want one go for it.

 

[Amon458]

I will say I don't care for the way the BFR looks stock but I am fasinated by the posibilities of the platform.

 

[ChrisG]

Actually the 458WM BFR got a 500gr slug over 1600FPS so I would say that is more than your 454 comparison. And I would argue that if the .577NE had problems with penitration it would most likely be for poor bullets used but I could be wrong.

I just watched the video... I am pretty sure its the same one. It's done by 1tufgun on youtube and this guy is TOTALLY a recoil junkie. You watch him shoot a .600 Overkill like its a .458 lott. Anyway, He stated just under 1600fps from the .458 African... Which I can only assume is the Win mag. This is not great and signifies a huge loss of ballistics (almost 550 fps) from that little short barrel. Second, this guy is a great shot with big guns that few people have even shot and even fewer actually master. I submit that you would get one good shot with this pistol in the event that you needed it and hope you don't flinch. .454 Casull is enough to make me flinch after about 20 full power rounds.

So all that said... Practicality is out the window. To go bigger would simply result in a larger loss of ballistics and even more recoil (the gun already almost goes over his shoulder.) Also... a .500 S&W magnum will come close to that in a caliber that recoils less and will launch up to 700 grain bullets at over 1100 fps with a shorter overall length.

This revolver is just a gimmick to me.... A really COOL gimmick... but a gimmick nonetheless.

Now... don't get me wrong. I think it might be fun to try... but personally I would not own one as I have rifles that will do anything this revolver can do, only they do it better and I will be able to hear after shooting them.

But to each his own... If you want one... then all the power to you... If somehow you manage to get someone crazy enough to chamber it in .577 just do me a favor.. post a video of you shooting it. I wanna see the muzzleflash that outshines the Sun.

 

[Amon458]

The video is by that same guy but he does a comparison between a 458wm bfr and a 458wm rugar #1 and the chrono said it was over 1600fps in the bfr.

 

[sestoppelman]

The BFR in standard type calibers is hardly a gimmick, they are fine reasonably priced revolvers. I have one in .480 Ruger and it is very accurate. I have no desire to own one in oversized rounds though.

 

[Saul]

The BFR in standard type calibers is hardly a gimmick, they are fine reasonably priced revolvers. I have one in .480 Ruger and it is very accurate. I have no desire to own one in oversized rounds though.

How do you like the .480 Ruger? I bought a .454 casull a while back and looked a little at the .480 first, but sort of wish I had looked at it a little more.

 

[sestoppelman]

I like it fine. I shortened the bbl a couple of inches as I didn't like the nearly 8 inches it came with, but other than that its a great gun. I had a Freedom .454 for a while, then got rid of it. Fine gun but kicked like hell, no fun to shoot with anything like a full load. The .480 is a pussycat by comparison and while the rubber grips that come standard are not pretty, they soak up recoil quite well, so I use them. The .480 will do anything I ever need a handgun to do.

 

[ChrisG]

The BFR in standard type calibers is hardly a gimmick, they are fine reasonably priced revolvers. I have one in .480 Ruger and it is very accurate. I have no desire to own one in oversized rounds though.

I can't argue with you there. I just meant, in the rifle calibers, burning slow powders and trying to push heavy bullets they are mostly a gimmick. Having said that, I still wouldn't want to go downrange and catch a .45-70 that was thrown with it.

 

[IronCowboy]

I've had two BFR's, I won't ever revisit that again. One was a 45-70, the other was a "long cylinder" 480Ruger that I reamed out to 475 Linebaugh. Long, heavy, and absolutely TERRIBLY balanced. Loading rather hot "near 458win mag" type charges in 45-70 - that would almost replicate the WM in a 24" rifle - the 45-70 BFR did absolutely amazing and painful things. The 458win mag version wouldn't be so much unlike those results, in my estimation.

I'll admit, however, that I'd rather have a 475Line, 454C, or 460S&W (in that order) over the 45-70 or 458. Which, minus the 460, that's what I have.

 

[Amon458]

I have a six shooter 45-70 and I love it. It is super fun to shoot IMO. I have never shot a BFR but I do believe it is lighter than mine so I would think it should balance better. I will most likely just stick with my 45-70 and 500S&W revolvers but I can dream.

 

[Tradmark]

Interesting in that out of the bfr you can get the 500 smith to shoot 400 grain bullets over 1800 fps. To get faster ya look for the 50 alaskan Conversion bit doesnt gain much except recoil. Personally id take a 400 at 1800 50 cal over 45 cal 500 gr at 1600. You can also load 500 gr pills out of the bfr over 1500 fps with less recoil and best of all no costly conversion

 

[Amon458]

I can shoot 700gr pills out of my S&W at aroung 1300fps always fun