I just shot one again this morning with Remington 300-grain factory load. Recoil did not seem to be an issue at all. Of course, factory 45-70 loads are on the mild side. I would love to try some of my rifle custom loads. I have shot it once before but this time I had the opportunity to examine it closely.

The BFR gun itself looks to be in excellent quality and it seems to be much better than a typical factory Ruger single action. Actually, the BFR did feel like my Freedom Arms due to its precise fitting and finishing. I would rate it in the middle between a Ruger and a FA. It has a freewheeling cylinder and the lock up seems to be tight. The cylinder has case head recesses just like my FA and the cylinder had the tight fitting feeling when it spins. The frame, the barrel, and the cylinder look very beefy with plenty of meat everywhere. The front sight blade is silver/gray with a color insert. The color looks a little weird but I did not have any problems getting a good sight picture. The rear sight looks very similar to a Ruger unit. The gun looks heavy and it did not feel heavy when pulling the hammer. Overall, it is a very impressive piece for the money. It would be nicer if it had a Bisley grip frame. If it is really compatible with a Ruger Super Blackhawk then a Bisley grip frame should be able to fit it nicely. Now I need to find an excuse to buy one. Does anyone have the same impression as my about this big revolver? Thanks. Ming

I held one at a gunshow in Melbourne recently and I loved it. It looked like a quality gun but I know nothing about handguns.

They have a whole bunch of them at my local watering hole, in every caliber except the caliber I would like to look at, .475 Linebaugh. They sure look nice, and the dealer says that over the last two years that they have been distributers for them they have had only a very few complaints, and that was at the beginning. No complaints at all in the last 18 months. I may have to take my FA up there and compare the two side by side and see if I still want to hold out for the FA .475 or just go ahead and let the dealer order one of the BFRs.

Big Bore:

I was very impressed with the quality of the BFR 45-70 but I don't believe that it is up to the FA level of quality yet. The guy told me that he waited 8 months to get his gun and he paid close to $900 for it. Of course, this is a much bigger gun than a regular BFR 475 Linebaugh. If the BFR 475 is at the same price as the 45-70 then we are talking about a $450 difference in price between a BFR 475 and a FA 475 Field Grade. A new FA 475 Field Grade usually sells for around $1350. For me the BFR is worth it but at the same time I am a big fan of FA revolvers so it would be a toss up for me between these two revolvers.

I forgot to mention from the previous post that the BFR also has a beefy cylinder base pin with a recess lock very similar to a FA. The brush stainless finish looks like the finish on a FA Premiere Grade. The action was very smooth with a very light trigger let off. It just seems like an excellent production gun with a lot of custom touches. My FA 475 Linebaugh Premiere Grade does not even have a transfer bar safety system and a freewheeling action. I still cannot get over the good time I had with it this morning. Oh well, I hope to have a chance soon to play with it some more. Later. Cheers! Ming

ming,

This is the first time that I see a happy owner of BFR.

All topics on it that I have seen, and my BFR 10" in .444 Marlin ordered but not purchased (God Bless). I have handle it because my gun dealer had kept the order coming, it looks like a bad Ruger Factory gun, very heavy with Maxine cylinder and large Ruger frame, but with a little play in the cylinder, finition something between mat and ????....

I wonder if we are talking about the same revolver , what you describe is completely different with I have seen in Belgium (one year ago). In any points I can compare the BFR with my FA. May be I have had a bad production for the Export

I prefer my Ruger New Blackhawk in .357 Mag Stainless Steel than the BFR that I have seen.

From my experience with this gun,
1) BFR
2)all Ruger SA
3)custom revolvers
4) FA

I'm happy for you with your BFR.

maybe I got a bad one but the grip frame was fit terribly the sights sucked all the edges were sharp and looked unfinished and it was just to big and heavy. The grips were cheap pacmayrs which i hate! This .480 is thankfully sitting at someone elses house right now! IMO buy a ruger get an action job done on it and a belt mountain pin and you have a much better gun for half the price. In there defense I have a friend with one of the first .410s and it is a much better gun. I think when they came out with the smaller framed gun production started comming ahead of quality.

It sounds to me like they have improved the quality of their latest BFR products. I did hear a couple of bad things about them from the their very first production run. Again, the BFR 45-70 that I saw and shot yesterday was a very quality piece but I don't believe that it is up to the level of a FA yet as I stated earlier. Cheers! Ming

I would like to point out that the BFR 45-70 that I saw had an Uncle Mike rubber grip and not Pachmayr Decelerator grip. I think the Pachmayr Delecelrator grip is a much better one. I just got 2 of them for my Super Redhawks and they feel awesome. Cheers. Ming

I have an early BFR w/10" Bbl. in 45-70. I bought it in 1999 and so far have shot 40 factory rounds & about 1500 - 2000 hot handloads thru it. I love it! My cylinder does not have recesses for the cartridge heads but I haven't found this to be a problem. I don't expect FA quality for the price I paid ($860.00) but I am quite happy with what I got. I took a look at the bore yesterday and it's still has a mirror finish.(Douglas Premium Bbl.)
Just my .02 worth!

RU Kidding,

Welcome on board!

It sounds like you got one of the very early models. You may want to check out their latest models as the quality seems to have been improved and more features added. The BFR 45-70 that I saw had full case head recessed chambers. This pistol has a lot of class and I just keep thinking about it. I might own one one of these days. Have fun. Cheers! Ming

ming,

Could you tell us more about the load that your have used in your BFR?

And if you have had unburnt powders?

I'll be very interrested to know more about it?

Thanks.

BER007,

Sorry for not being able to answer your questions because I do not own the gun. I hope someone else here who owns one can answer your questions. Cheers! Ming

Question... Doesn't this BFR have Ruger made parts, sold under contract? Isn't it a SBH frame, and parts? I thought I had read this somewhere the orher year, when it came out. ~~~Suluuq