I've decided that I "need" a 475 Linebaugh.

Here's my dilemma - I've always admired the fit and finish of the Freedom Arms, but am also considering some of the better customs (built on Ruger frames).

Aside from aesthetics/styling preferences, am I going to get any "more" gun in a custom (fit, finish, quality) than I would with the FA?

Thanks for your opinions.

I would go with a Custom in a heart beat. A best quality from a Jack Huntington, or a Hamilton Bowen is the best IMHO without a dought.

I think you can get a custom shop BFR for less than the asking price of a premier grade FA. I have a custom Ruger SRH in .475 that was built by Jack Huntington, and I am exceedingly happy with it. I personally would go the custom route........

Thats a better question than any answear to it will be.
I have both a freedom arms mod 83 and a custom Ruger bisley.
I like them both and it's hard to say. The fit and finish on the FA is hard to argue with and they are very accurate what else is there in a high quality revolver.
Still there are other questions and I'm approching this question from a .45 cal viewpoint. The twist rate on a .454 in a mod 84 is very slow made to handle light jacketed bullets at high velocity. This is not good for the hard cast shooters and in my .454 mod 83 I just resign myself to accepting that the revolver shoots a 300 gr. XTP mag and go from there. It dose the job well and I have no complants. It is what it is.
This may be mute in the .475 ( depending on twist rate) or you may not care about shooting hard cast. In this case I don't think you will get a better gun for the money.
I personally would perfer a custom Blackhawk built to my spesifications but like any custom gun for every item you check off the price go'es up. and by the time you get what you want it may well cost far more than a FA mod 83.
You might PM N.E. 450 #2. He has a F.A. .475 and see what he says.

I prefer the FA .475's. If you absolutely have to have a blued and /or cch revolver, or the Bisley grip, then you're left with the custom option...but it won't be any stronger, more accurate, or better fitted than the stainless FA .475.

If I was in the market for a new gun and given the option, I would go with a custom, no doubt about it.

if you would have asked about a 45 colt or 454 id have said it was a toss up but for a 475 id go with a custom ruger. The cylinders on the fa 475s are on the short side and to many of the good bullet designs i have wont fit in the cylinders. Other then that there a great gun and id take one hands down over a bfr.

Great replies. Thanks for your time.

quote:

Originally posted by Lloyd Smale:
The cylinders on the fa 475s are on the short side and to many of the good bullet designs i have wont fit in the cylinders.

So the FA 83 475 cylinder is actually shorter than say a Linebaugh-made 475 cylinder would be in a Ruger?

Given the larger frame size of the 83, one would think just the opposite would be true, but I guess that's the latitude a "custom" provides.

I've shot N.E. 450 #2's FA, and we had discused the 454 and 475 last weekend. We did not get into custom vs FA.

The FA seems like a good buy and also a brand that tends to hold its value.

I wonder if a custom revolver is like a custom rifle; you're spending money that you rarely get back. Like custom bolt guns, I'm sure it depends on who made the firearm.

If I went custom, I would go with Dustin Linebaugh. His styling comes closest to my likes.

This gun of his seems near perfect for what I want.

You can get a Precision Center .475 for $1599.00 from Magnum Research that won't leave you wanting. A custom doesn't have to break the bank either. If you want a DA revolver -- the route that I went, it won't be that costly. I would recommend contacting Jack Huntington -- he won't force you to buy a "package" custom like some of the others -- you can have it your way (like the old Burger King ads ), and he is priced the most reasonably compared to the others and, the quality is up there with the biggest names.

Does Jack Huntington have a webpage?

new_guy, just sent you a PM......

It is best to call him and talk to him directly. He can be reached at 530/268-6877. His website is going through some changes.......

If you know precisely what you want, and it is not available from Freedom Arms, that's that. But without the calm confidence of a Christian holding four aces, you open a whole bag of cats.

What I seldom see addressed is servicing. If you use the revolver, sooner or later it will require servicing. Suppose you acquire a custom smithed Ruger and the smith offers lifetime service. No problem? When he retires your Ruger will not be serviceable by Ruger. You cannot buy many Ruger parts -- gun must be returned to the factory, but the factory won't touch it.

Freedom Arms revolvers' serviceability depends upon the health of the company rather than one talented individual.

Just some thoughts.

Naphtali, what I have heard is that Freedom is not in the best of financial shape, so what if -- and this is hypothetical -- the company goes belly-up? Certainly any competant smith would be able to service it, right? It's not a Ferrari!

quote:

Originally posted by Whitworth:
Naphtali, what I have heard is that Freedom is not in the best of financial shape, so what if -- and this is hypothetical -- the company goes belly-up? Certainly any competant smith would be able to service it, right? It's not a Ferrari!

An owner would be in a similar situation as had he owned a custom smithed revolver -- with perhaps the difference being a large inventory of parts. Think of the Miroku-manufactured M1886s and M71s. Limited production for short time. But Midwest Arms bought Browning's entire parts inventory for these rifles. So difficult to manufacture or expensive to manufacture parts are available 20+ years after production ceased. Not a wonderful scenario, but much better than a "John Smith custom job."

I have faith in Freedom Arms' longevity. A limited production product that is made as well as it can be made, with little regard to cost, is unlikely to fail in the marketplace -- unless government interferes.

And I have INFINITE faith in my Huntington SRH! With these custom guns you often end up with a stronger piece than a factory revolver. I just really don't think it is all that relevent. Naphtali, have you shot/hunted with a high-end custom revolver like a Bowen? It's hard to go back!

Whitworth, I just got back from a week at Raton NM at the NRA Center and Bob Baker ( owner of Freedom Arms ) and I spend several days shooting new prototypes of revolvers and cartridges, rumors of their demise are greatly exaggerated, trust me. There several things on the board that will take FA in a totally new direction. One being a necked down 327 Federal in a scoped revolver shooting bullets really fast. They will be around for a long time. Bob knows his client base, and caters to them and the order list is long and healthy.................JJ

I was using FA as an example to emphasize that even if a manufacturer goes belly up that this doesn't automatically make the guns obsolete and unserviceable. Also, I don't doubt that FA is still financially viable, but would Bob Baker share that with anyone if FA wasn't? Food for thought.........

FA makes some fine guns, I had a nice Model 83 Premier Grade 454 Casull. But sold it and got the 500 Mag.
I think FA owners rub people the wrong way, it is the snob factor. For whatever reason, some think if you don't own a FA, you just don't fit in. That is my perception and you know they say, perception is reality.

Just came back from the FA website they look like fine Revolvers.

How would you compare the FA to the S&W?

.........Redhawk1, I don't mean to start a pissing match....But if you could see Bob in his 5 year old ball cap and Dickie work pants, scruffy beard and warm personality, and talk to his lovely wife who is the picture of a southern lady.......snob factor would not come to life. I admit I cannot speak for his customers, I'm not sure Bob would put up with a snob. I think people are so amazed to use a quality revolver for the first time thay may brag and that would account for the attitude.

I had 3 of Bowens revolvers there and Bob was very complementary of his work.

But the idea of snobs shooting Bobs guns is just too funny, if they ever met him ...................JJ

When I wanted a dedicated hunting handgun, and a step up in power over a 44 Mag. I chose the 475 Linebaugh. I think it superior to the 454 Casull for the BIGGEST of the big game, to include cape buff and elephant.

I consider the 454 superior to the 475, IF I planed to shoot game at a distance ansd was going to use a scope.

I also chose a 6" over a longer bbl as I wanted to be able to carry it while hunting with a rifle as well.

I chose the Freedom Arms because they have a reputation of making a fine handgun.

Several years ago at the SHOT Show I spoke with them and John Taffin. They were very nice and friendly, and answered all of my questions.

I have been very happy with my FA.

The custom pistolsmiths mentioned here have a very good reputation.
The best advise I could give is to handle and if possible, shoot the revolvers that feel good to your hand.

I have shot 454 FA's side by side with my 475 FA, and can say, if you can handle the recoil of one, you can handle the recoil of the other.

quote:

Originally posted by JJ_Miller:
.........Redhawk1, I don't mean to start a pissing match....But if you could see Bob in his 5 year old ball cap and Dickie work pants, scruffy beard and warm personality, and talk to his lovely wife who is the picture of a southern lady.......snob factor would not come to life. I admit I cannot speak for his customers, I'm not sure Bob would put up with a snob. I think people are so amazed to use a quality revolver for the first time thay may brag and that would account for the attitude.

I had 3 of Bowens revolvers there and Bob was very complementary of his work.

But the idea of snobs shooting Bobs guns is just too funny, if they ever met him ...................JJ

No I am not trying to get in a pissing contest either.

Yes the people at FA are great people, it is the customers that I was referring to.

Like I said, FA makes some fine handguns.

I own 6 Freedom Arms revolvers 4 in 454 1 in 475 and 1 in 500 JRH built by Jack Huntington.
I also own 2 Custon 475s on the Ruger Bisley built by Jack Huntington, 1 500 Linebaugh built on a Ruger Bisley also by Jack Huntington.
The 475 is suppirior to the 454 at any and all distances, when shooting at long rang 500 or so yards it acctualy takes less correction with the 475, believe it or not but that is the facts from my experience.
The Ruger conversions are IMHO a better way to go when the work is performed by a top smith. The cylenders are longer in the Rugers and a bullet that jumps crimp has to move farther to prevent the cylender from rotating. Depending on how one holds the revolver will have definate effect on whether or not you have a bullet jump crimp. The 475 and the 500s are a major step up over the 45s (454 or heavy loaded 45 Colt).
A bullet cast from pure wheel wieghts (old style) and water quenched as well as the Cast Performance bullets are excellent on any size game in North America. I am sure that other brands of Hard Cast bullets are also good but I have not used any others on large game to know for sure of thier hardness.

I've been fortunate to shoot many examples of both FA's, and customs from John Linebaugh, Jack Huntington and Hamilton Bowen. As much as I like the custom ruger bisleys, the FA 83 grip fits my hand better, especially after round butting.

My choice would be an FA 83 premier, roundbutted, 6" octagon barrel and both 475 and 480 cylinders.

But if your hands prefer the Bisley grip, then by all means go that route. I've shot many customs from Jack Huntington and have had many conversations about various project guns. Based on that I'd choose him to do the work, but wouldn't hesitate to have Linebaugh or Bowen build me a gun.

Hello New Guy,
When I saw your ad looking for a SS Ruger I knew you were in trouble. I have a Freedom arms, Linebaugh and one from David Clements. All are great. The only real difference I can tell is although the Freedom arms is art work you can buy twenty of the same gun if you had the cash. The ruger based guns can truly feel one off.

The last time I heard this much name dropping was at a Democratic Party fund raiser. I love the finer things in life and I gave up my H&R when I got a real job, but I'm always reminded of that fat guy who shoots a Bear Whitetail bow against Bill Jordan on Realtree Outdoors. A reliable pistol in the hands of an expert will outshoot the best pistol ever made in the hands of someone who can't shoot. Personally, I wouldn't touch the trigger of any pistol on the market with an elephant or Cape Buffalo ON PURPOSE.

George, what in God's name were you doing at a Democratic Party fundraiser????

Of course the jerk behind the trigger is the most important thing. Jeff Gordon behind the wheel of a Hundai will beat my grandmother wheelin' a Ferrari any day of the week -- of course she's no longer with us.......

As mentioned above, I prefer the Ruger conversions for the .475 due the to the larger ruger frame and cylinder and Bisley grip. Though there are no flies on any FA gun. And your hand may prefer one over the other.

I can only vouch for revolver work from Hamilton Bowen but have handled guns done by Clements, Gallagher(sp?), and Stroh and all where executed very well.

Go to the projects page on Bowen's web site and check out the Fancy .475 Vaquero as it is similar to the Linbaugh revolver you posted.

I know John and even when he retires he wont retire totaly and will stand behind his guns better then about anyone and even if he died his son dustin will stand behind his dads work. In this day of companys going under id say youd have more to worry about buying a stock ruger and counting on them being around 20 years from now to service your gun then you would buying a linebaugh.

quote:

Originally posted by Naphtali:
If you know precisely what you want, and it is not available from Freedom Arms, that's that. But without the calm confidence of a Christian holding four aces, you open a whole bag of cats.

What I seldom see addressed is servicing. If you use the revolver, sooner or later it will require servicing. Suppose you acquire a custom smithed Ruger and the smith offers lifetime service. No problem? When he retires your Ruger will not be serviceable by Ruger. You cannot buy many Ruger parts -- gun must be returned to the factory, but the factory won't touch it.

Freedom Arms revolvers' serviceability depends upon the health of the company rather than one talented individual.

Just some thoughts.

LMAO Whitworth. You see what I do for a living and their money spends as well as anyone elses. (So when is Gordon going to START winning???) And I still ain't huntin' buffs nor elephants with a pistol.

New Guy,
You my want to try Alan Harton. I think he is in Texas. Think about a gun similar to Dustin's but with a sight ramp, sight blade and barrel one piece. A number 5 cylinder latch with maybe the top strap welded up and a rear drift sight. I will need a couple of your great photo's once it is done.

New_Guy-

Here's the website
http://www.jrhgunmaker.com/

If I were in your position I'd definitely give Huntington a call.
I have a Ruger I've thought of having built and he's the guy I'll have do the work if/when I get around to it.
Not only does he do beautiful work that holds up to serious hunting and field work, he also lives quite near me.

Have you had much conversation with Safarikid here on AR?
He's recently had some revolvers built by Mr Huntington.
You might want to ping him and get his buyer's impression.


--Tinker

quote:

Originally posted by new_guy:
Does Jack Huntington have a webpage?

its a big decission to make as to who you buy your gun from or who builds it. The internet may make it even a tougher decission. You have to weed through post from guys that are passing on info they read somewhere else. From guys that have just handled guns made by a builder. From guys that have just had one or two customs made by the same smith and as you know just like with an automobile guys brag what they have and some would never admit to not having the best and a good portion of them wouldnt know a good gun if it smacked them in the face. Look for advice from guys that have had a few differnt builders build guns and have taken those guns and shot a minimum of 10000 rounds through them. All the eye candy in the world doesnt make up for a gun that isnt mechanicaly right. believe me ive had a few like that built. Anyone can make nice grips or nice sights or other doo dads but to me the mechanics of the work is what puts one smith in a different league then another and ive seen some real trash come out of shops that have alot of people on these boards bragging on.

quote:

Originally posted by Lloyd Smale:
its a big decission to make as to who you buy your gun from or who builds it. The internet may make it even a tougher decission. You have to weed through post from guys that are passing on info they read somewhere else. From guys that have just handled guns made by a builder. From guys that have just had one or two customs made by the same smith and as you know just like with an automobile guys brag what they have and some would never admit to not having the best and a good portion of them wouldnt know a good gun if it smacked them in the face. Look for advice from guys that have had a few differnt builders build guns and have taken those guns and shot a minimum of 10000 rounds through them. All the eye candy in the world doesnt make up for a gun that isnt mechanicaly right. believe me ive had a few like that built. Anyone can make nice grips or nice sights or other doo dads but to me the mechanics of the work is what puts one smith in a different league then another and ive seen some real trash come out of shops that have alot of people on these boards bragging on.

Hence the suggestion he contact Jack Huntington. He's not just a gunsmith, but a serious machinist who is one of only a couple in the business who builds his own cylinders. On top of that, he stands by his products and he is an experienced hunter. Yes, everyone should be weary of information they receive on websites and the internet in general.

JWP what gun is that you posted??


Whitworth, I have to agree with you. Jack Huntington is a great pistol smith. My Super JRH Streethawk 454 Casull is a great revolver, both in looks and function ability. It perform flawlessly and has for over 6 years now.
The accuracy is outstanding. He did a cylinder conversion to accept moon clips, so the gun shoot 454 Casull's , 45 Colt's, 45 Win Mags with moon clips as well as 45 ACP's. The accuracy with the 454, 45 Colts and 45 Win mag are extremely accurate. The 45 ACP's are good to 10 to 20 yards then accuracy goes away, but that was expected due to the longer travel the bullet in the cylinder. The was a lot more work done to this gun, and to look at it you can see all the attention to detail he did to make the gun look very appealing.

quote:

Originally posted by jwp475:

Enough said!

quote:

Originally posted by Redhawk1:
JWP what gun is that you posted??

475 Linebaugh by Jack Huntington. Jack made the grips also. Jack also conterbores the cylinders, with this done you do not need to have cases in the cylinder chambers to support the loading gate under recoil.

quote:

Originally posted by jwp475:

quote:

Originally posted by Redhawk1:
JWP what gun is that you posted??

475 Linebaugh by Jack Huntington. Jack made the grips also. Jack also conterbores the cylinders, with this done you do not need to have cases in the cylinder chambers to support the loading gate under recoil.

Why would one hunt or shoot with a less than full cylinder?