This is my first time to post this forum. Every 5-6 years I get crazy and find a Freedom Arms 454 at a decent price in a gun show and I buy the damn thing. I have small hands and I usually get the field model. At Dallas this year I met and talked with the Owner and asked him if there was a secret to shooting the big gun. He said that if I replaced the rubber grips with wood that the recoil would be less. Wood allows the gun to rotate and slide in the hand instead of the rubber grabbing the flesh of the hand. Is there any truth to this?
While there I handled the Model 97 in 45LC with 4.5" barrel. This gun fits my hand well and seemed to be easier to handle. The question I have is this: will I be able to load the rounds up to come close to the 454 to be a useful tool as a backup and hunting pistol? Will the 4.5"barrel be enough? I prefer it to pack. I have a Ruger Vaquero, Sheriffs model but by the time you trick it up you have almost as much in it as a Freedom Arms. Can someone give me some serious advice on this matter??

Sorry, no. The smaller 97 won't handel the super duper loads, It's for "standard" 45 colt loads.

Will it not handle the loads that are for the New Ruger pistol????

The model 83 in 454 Casull and rubber grips really tears up my wrist and gives me tenosynovitis in the elbow. Will changing to Micarta grips reduce the hammering to my wrist and elbow? Would the 97 in 45LC with loads designed for the Ruger framed guns be as bad? I really like that feel of the 4.5" 97 in 45LC with the express sights. Is that barrel length a compromise and will I gain a significant amount in velocity with 1.5" more barrel?
lb404

If you're asking can you load a 45 Colt up to the power of a 454 just because it's a Freedom Arms the answer is NO. You don't say what you would be hunting with it but the 44 Mag & 45 Colt can handle some pretty big animals if you place the bullet properly from a reaonable distance and use the right bullet. Personally I would prefer the wood or micarta grips over the Pachmayr on either the 97 or 83. I wear a pair of thin insulated (thinsulate) leather gloves (like mens dress gloves) when I'm shooting which I prefer over any padded glove.

Squeeze harder?

Rubber grips on a heavy recoiling single action are a bad idea! The most comfortable 454 I ever shot was a limited run FA w/ 5 1/2" barrel and roundbutted laminated grips. The gun simply roles in your hand. As I recall I was shooting 300 gr @ 1500 fps loads, certainly plenty for most situations.

Paul H,
Rubber grips on a heavy recoiling single action are a bad idea! The most comfortable 454 I ever shot was a limited run FA w/ 5 1/2" barrel and roundbutted laminated grips. The gun simply roles in your hand. As I recall I was shooting 300 gr @ 1500 fps loads, certainly plenty for most situations.[/QUOTE]

I agree with you in all the cases. Most of FA's Field Grade owners, change the standard rubber grip in to a rosewood grip (standard on Premier grade).

The roundbutted grip is great for gun with a barrel lenght under 6".

I too have small hands and shot a field grade 454 with a 4 3/4" barrel. I replaced the rubber grips with a set of wood grrips and can now shot the thing all day long. With the rubber grips about two or three shots and I was done for a month until my hand quit hurting. The wood rolls in your hand so make sure you don't drop it if you shot it with only one hand.

TWCracker