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Post by wyomingnimrod on Mar 12, 2024 19:00:52 GMT -5
Greetings Noble Enablers,
I’ve been on a bit of an acquisition bender lately, and am feeling the overwhelming urge to add a third Freedom Arms to the collection. The other two are lonely and want company. I have a 97 .45 Colt 5.5” (which I consider a PPP and took all up and down the Teton and Snake River Ranges hunting last season) and an 83 .454 Casull 6” that I intend to hunt with this season, at least a bit.
Is it silly to want to get another 83 .454 Casull with a 4.75” barrel??? Somehow in my mind the slightly different barrel length designates it as an entirely separate entity and therefore is justifiable to me. Or would I be wiser to get a completely different cartridge (say a .475 Linebaugh)? I see the value in keeping with a cartridge that I already have and enjoy shooting and can easily source components for, but I also see the redundancy too…. Intended purposes are: carrying for grizzly bear defense in the mtns I live in, enjoying shooting when possible, joy of ownership and passing down to my son someday, and of course the reliability and power that a FA big boy brings with it.
You guys are probably tired of these kinds of posts from me. But if anyone wants to weigh in with their $.02 I’ll gladly listen and be grateful. Even if your advice is to buy a 97 .44spl (which I don’t have interest in now, but can clearly see from those ahead of me that someday I’ll head in that direction and wonder what took so long). Cheers, guys.
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Post by hunter01 on Mar 12, 2024 19:20:48 GMT -5
Cant imagine 1 1/4" of barrel will make that much difference either way, but if you want it, it's available, and you have the extra funds, why not!
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Post by potatojudge on Mar 12, 2024 19:31:48 GMT -5
My opinion is generally that the shorter the barrel the bigger the bore should be.
Make it a 500 Wyoming, AE, or JRH, or a 475 Linebaugh.
For grizzly defense I'd pick a double action all day long.
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Post by wyomingnimrod on Mar 12, 2024 19:34:57 GMT -5
Cant imagine 1 1/4" of barrel will make that much difference either way, but if you want it, it's available, and you have the extra funds, why not! Agreed on all counts, thanks Hunter.
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Post by wyomingnimrod on Mar 12, 2024 19:36:02 GMT -5
My opinion is generally that the shorter the barrel the bigger the bore should be. Make it a 500 Wyoming, AE, or JRH, or a 475 Linebaugh. For grizzly defense I'd pick a double action all day long. Just curious, why go bigger bore when going shorter with the barrel? Powder burning efficiency or something else? Thanks in advance.
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Post by wyomingnimrod on Mar 12, 2024 19:38:13 GMT -5
Also, I should look up more info on the .500 Wyoming Express here and see what people think of it. I am definitely curious about BIG bores and could easily lean to a .475 or .500 with enough positive feedback and encouragement from you guys.
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Post by rickiesrevenge on Mar 12, 2024 19:46:50 GMT -5
Don't do a 500WE unless you have a good source of brass. 500JRH makes way more sense. You could find a used 454 and send it to JRH to have a new barrel put on and the cylinder rechambered. It would probably still be cheaper than a new 500WE
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Post by potatojudge on Mar 12, 2024 19:46:54 GMT -5
My opinion is generally that the shorter the barrel the bigger the bore should be. Make it a 500 Wyoming, AE, or JRH, or a 475 Linebaugh. For grizzly defense I'd pick a double action all day long. Just curious, why go bigger bore when going shorter with the barrel? Powder burning efficiency or something else? Thanks in advance. They don't rely on max velocity to do their job, so a short barrel isn't really a handicap. A member here makes 500 WE brass, but if anyone goes that route they need to get a lifetime supply when they buy the gun.
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Post by hunter01 on Mar 12, 2024 19:54:32 GMT -5
My opinion is generally that the shorter the barrel the bigger the bore should be. Make it a 500 Wyoming, AE, or JRH, or a 475 Linebaugh. For grizzly defense I'd pick a double action all day long. Just curious, why go bigger bore when going shorter with the barrel? Powder burning efficiency or something else? Thanks in advance. I really wanted to dabble in the BIG bores and i bought a BFR 500JRH because i figured it would be easy to find once fired 500 smith brass and id never be without. I was wrong. I think anything bigger than a .452 bore is risky business on components and a prudent person would invest in a lifetime supply at the first opportunity if they choose to go that route. There is literally nothing that hasnt been done with .429 and .452 bores so why do we need more? Because this is the U, S, of A, thats why! Bigger is always better. 😁
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Post by bigbrowndog on Mar 12, 2024 20:10:45 GMT -5
You might find that the shorter barreled FA83 is just as accurate as the longer barreled one, and might find that the longer barreled one becomes redundant. I’m constantly amazed at the accuracy my little 4.2” FA97 delivers, it negates the “need” for another 41 mag. I would avoid the 500WE actual brass is almost Unobtainium, the 500jrh is a better proposition. Sadly the 475 seems to be languishing in component availability unless you choose to shoot only cast bullets. A FA83 shorty would be a nice gun in 500jrh, and 400-450’s from 900-1300fps would accomplish anything.
Trapr
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Post by wyomingnimrod on Mar 12, 2024 20:16:18 GMT -5
Hmm, thanks, gentlemen. Much to ruminate on. I’m swinging back to getting a shorty .454 Casull. Regarding the .475 Linebaugh or .500 flavors: What approximate quantity of brass/primers/projectiles constitutes a lifetime supply of components ? As someone who just started getting into reloading right before Covid hit, I must say I strongly see the value in established cartridges that have strong industry support. My favorite rifle cartridge is the .30-06. That is the middle child in me. But as an eccentric, I am drawn to the oddballs in life too. Tough stuff.
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Post by hunter01 on Mar 12, 2024 20:26:17 GMT -5
The 45c/454 covers lots of bases just as the 44spl/44m. I shoot the ruger only bullet out of 45c brass in my FA 454 and it fits perfectly. I cant think of a single time a fella should feel undergunned with a good 454. Its no longer the flavor of the month so most wont agree. It will push a bullet in the high 300gr area just as hard as bigger bores and have better sectional density (penetration) doing it.
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Post by bigbore5 on Mar 12, 2024 20:30:58 GMT -5
Realistically, 250-500 brass for the 475 and 500's will probably last a lifetime. I've got some with nearly 20 midrange loads in them. Depends on how heavy you load them.
It's not necessary to load hot for the US. A 400-530gr bullet at 850-1000fps hammers anything in the Western hemisphere.
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Post by Encore64 on Mar 12, 2024 20:51:45 GMT -5
Really sounds like a 6" FA83 475 Linebaugh is about ideal for you.
While you wait, sent your two present guns back for 45 ACP Cylinders...
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Post by wyomingnimrod on Mar 12, 2024 21:39:38 GMT -5
Really sounds like a 6" FA83 475 Linebaugh is about ideal for you. While you wait, sent your two present guns back for 45 ACP Cylinders... That’s pretty much what I want but 4.75” for packin’s sake. I’m just wrestling with the practicality, knowing that it will be a handloading forever and always kind of thing. But I like the history of the .475 Linebaugh cartridge, its Wyoming roots, the sheer size of it, and maybe it would be a good thing to have a gun that has little to no factory loading support; it might be the kick in the pants I need to commit more time to the loading bench. Or maybe that is wishful thinking and I just have scrambled eggs for brains because guns make me weak in the knees and I want more of them and bigger ones at that.
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