jwp475
.375 Atomic
Posts: 1,084
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Post by jwp475 on May 13, 2010 12:32:16 GMT -5
Now, does the BFR take Blackhawk grips, or must they be custom made?? Just fine, no problem with putting Super Blackhawk grips on a BFR
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Post by mike454 on May 13, 2010 13:30:46 GMT -5
I always thought if the BFR had the option of a bisley grip they'd sell a bunch more.
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Post by doghawg on May 13, 2010 13:51:39 GMT -5
#9- The FA has a rather small trigger guard opening and those with larger fingers get their trigger finger beat up quite a bit The BFR's are hard to beat and at the price point are a steal Not so. Measuring the distance from the trigger to the front of the trigger guard with the hammer cocked they are almost identical....with the FA being slightly larger. With the hammer forward the BFR opening is much smaller. I hunt in cold weather with both and prefer the FA when wearing gloves. On the subject of trigger guards...It may not be a factor with a .44 mag but the BFR trigger guard is very sharp and WILL take a divot out of the index finger when a 420 gr. bullet is fired at 1300 fps. A few minutes with 400 grit will dull the edge. Comparing the full retail price of a new 83 to the beat up example at Cabelas (It looks like it has rust blemishes on it!) is hardly an accurate appraisal of resale value. I own both FA's and BFR's and like them both. The BFR is a lot of gun for the real world price of $800 or so and the FA is easily worth twice as much or more IMO. Both of them reflect their price levels. The only realistic answer is to get one of each.
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Aggie01
.375 Atomic
max
Posts: 1,770
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Post by Aggie01 on May 13, 2010 14:30:46 GMT -5
SBH grips will install on a BFR - but they don't fit.
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Post by bisleyfan41 on May 13, 2010 14:58:26 GMT -5
A short barrel BFR for iron sight work, and a longer FA with a scope for longer range work. FWIW and to further muddy the waters, You could go with a Ruger Bisley Hunter in 44. This option may not be as sexy or exotic as the others, but you can use the money you saved to have it slicked up and end up with one fine whitetail rig. The bonus, unmatched by any other single action, is the ability to switch between iron sights and optics in the field. With the FA and BFR you can only have either irons or optics at any given time; with the Ruger you can have both. Best feature of the Hunters. I love mine. BTW, I had a 6" PG 44. It was a very heavy gun to carry, only held four rounds, could only have irons OR optics at any given time, and the fact that after cocking the gun to shoot a deer, I decided to not shoot. So I had to let the hammer down to the right notch and index the cylinder back around to where it could then be cocked and let back down on the empty chamber. More fun than I wanted to fool with. Started it on GB @ $500 and sold for a little over $1300. Well built and awesomely accurate, but the wrong gun for my needs. YMMV
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edk
.375 Atomic
Posts: 1,107
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Post by edk on May 13, 2010 15:56:48 GMT -5
As has been pointed out: 50 AE BFRs were blown out cheap and are still to be had. Sending one to Magnum Research for a 50JRH cylinder gets you into the game at around $1000.
I might be inclined to do this myself had I not recently grabbed one of the blowout 475s for the price of a Ruger.
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Post by bigmuddy on May 13, 2010 16:12:36 GMT -5
I wonder if a power custom #5 gripframe might fit the BFR.....hmmmmm. It will have the same problems that a ruger bisley does. Curious what that problem is?
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Post by AxeHandle on May 13, 2010 16:30:07 GMT -5
The angles of the grip grame to cylinder frame mating surfaces are not the same...
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Post by tas6691 on May 13, 2010 18:04:00 GMT -5
FWIW and to further muddy the waters, You could go with a Ruger Bisley Hunter in 44. This option may not be as sexy or exotic as the others, but you can use the money you saved to have it slicked up and end up with one fine whitetail rig. But I already have a Super Blackhawk Bisley Hunter with a 2x Leupold. I just "want" something in addition to! ;D Dont spoil my fun with logic!! LOL I'm really thinking I will get the BFR now and do some horse trading while I watch for a decent deal on a used FA. The 83 I looked at was a far better pistol than the 97 I owned previously, so I'm itching to trey one out. Besides, that Axe guy is buying up all the Ruger 44 specials before they can get to Georgia, so I gotta have something....
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Post by tas6691 on May 13, 2010 18:05:16 GMT -5
SBH grips will install on a BFR - but they don't fit. I am assuming that with some shaping and sanding, they can be made to fit?? Hogue lists a grip for the BFR in their line, but I yet to see any.
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Post by Boge Quinn on May 13, 2010 18:08:25 GMT -5
#8- The BFR uses a transfer bar system and is safe to carry fully loaded, the FA M-83 does not use a transfer bar system and is not safe to carry fully loaded. FA recommends to carry the M-83 with an empty chamder under the hamer The FA M-97 uses the transfer bar system That's all well and good, but let's remember that the only REAL safety is the one beteen the ears.
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shorty500
.327 Meteor
too many dirty harry movies created me!
Posts: 912
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Post by shorty500 on May 15, 2010 18:49:29 GMT -5
own both guns and whuile it dorsnt have the dragoon square back trigger guard i still have a ruger knuckle shooting the bfr with standard type micarta grips they sell. give me the oversize hogue or my model 83s anyday i want to shoot the big stuff
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9x23w
.240 Incinerator
Posts: 33
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Post by 9x23w on May 16, 2010 10:50:53 GMT -5
I'm looking at a 7.5" 454 in either the FA or the BFR. I did notice from the specs that the Field Grade FA weighs 55.5 oz, while the BFR is listed as 3.8 lbs or 60.8 oz. That's a noticeable difference. Can anyone verify these numbers? If so, any idea why the BFR is that much heavier? (Both models should have the same Pachmayr grips).
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bobke
.240 Incinerator
Posts: 54
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Post by bobke on May 16, 2010 11:20:31 GMT -5
don't have a freedom anymore to offer dimensions, but my bfr 7.5" barrel actually measures 8.125", the cylinder is 1.875" long and could check diameter for you, as necessary. bfr also wears uncle mikes grips, not pachmayrs. i think there's a bit more beef everywhere, not that's terribly evident, but it just seems it's there-but again, i don't have a f/a to directly compare.
i just returned from the range, and i've got to say, that if a f/a shoots measurably better than a bfr, you're starting to split hairs. sure the fit and finish are better, but in the actual shooting, they're damn close, if not equal. one thing to keep in mind, the bfr has a 1/15 twist for 475, f/a is 1/18, perhaps allowing a bit more latitude with heavy bullets loaded down some. dimensionally, the throats accept a .476 bullet, very uniformly, with equal pressure req'd to push through. not certain how long a bullet shape a f/a will take, but i have no issues shooting 400gr wfn's or any interference with throats in seating same in crimp groove.
i had a field grade way back when, with two cylinders, all the bells and whistles and moved it off when i had just too many issues with getting it to shoot, throats being about .4515 and barrel .453, but these issues may have been corrected long since then. after reaming it .4535, it shot much better/easier.
all told, either one will work out of the box. the bfr gives you some financial room to refine it exactly to your aesthetic spec-as you don't need to mess with it's dimensions. the f/a is there in both respects already. each has it's preferences. if i shot more cast, i'd go bfr. if jacketed bullets are your druthers, a f/a. and there's the pride of ownership, of course, in owning the best of the breed. but if shooting is your primary concern, either works, with bfr entry fee a bit more reasonable.
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Post by tek4260 on May 16, 2010 15:32:54 GMT -5
SBH grips will install on a BFR - but they don't fit. I am assuming that with some shaping and sanding, they can be made to fit?? Hogue lists a grip for the BFR in their line, but I yet to see any. Here is a set of SBH grips on a BFR for reference to what Aggie01 is talking about
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