Broke down & bought a BFR...

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g_gunter

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I held a used BFR .454 with a 4 5/8th inch barrel ($599.00) the other day at a pawn shop and was impressed at the heft and tightness of the lockwork. I'm not interested in a .454 in any way but have been waiting for the opportunity to get a solid .45 Colt platform that is built to tight tolerances and is accurate out of the box without sending it off to a gunsmith AND that I could shoot the heavy .45 Colt loads (Buffalo Bore, Corbon, etc.).

Well, I broke down and called CDNN and purchased the BFR .45 Colt with 6.5" barrel for $499.00 (approx. half retail price). I called Magnum Research to confirm that this gun was no longer being made by them. CDNN had 9 more in stock so I thought I could do a lot worse so I got it. I should have it in tomorrow. Can't wait.

Now I've got to tell my wife. :uhoh:

Any BFR owners out there?

Greg
 
Fellow owner here - reporting in! :)

Wow - sounds like a nice deal you got ... I got my 45-70 BFR earlier this year .. way more costly! Mind you - even that does not diminish the grin on face when using said beast! :D

I expect you'll find that once you have cooked up some pretty hot .45LC loads you won't be far short of .454 results. I'll all but guarantee that your grin factor will be predictably generous!!

I added a Hollosight to mine - and whilst I do not much like what it does for the gun's looks .. do find that ergonomically it is excellent.


bfr02-s.jpg

ENJOY!!!! :)
 
Nice scope mount!

Hey P95Carry,

What kind of scope mount is that? What do I need to do to mount one like it to my gun? Can I mount about any kind of handgun scope to it (like a Burris)?

Greg
 
Greg ..... I think because my gun was new ... meaning not produced too long ago - in the box was included the Weaver rail and fitting stuff. I am not totally sure otherwise what is available to you if you do not have one with the gun - but a call to Magnum Research might yield a solution if needed. Might be a B-Square available too but not sure if that would be tough enough as they are usually made out of aluminum.

You can fit about anything to this rail, per any Weaver rail ... EER scope, red dot ... whatever. Choice would be yours.

Handful?? Not in fact as brutal as my SRH in .454. The interesting thing here is .. on the one hand the .454 Casull round is SAAMI rated around 65,000! ......

OTOH . the 45-70 is way lower pressure. For instance, the wuss loads you can buy from Rem, are pretty soft and safe in a trapdoor .. maybe around 25,000. In the mid range - approx where my current load stands, we are about 30,000. Top end would be for something like for a Ruger #1 with pressures approaching max at 35,000. I believe the BFR will take full power loads but - in my case, with about 1500 ft lbs from the 405 grain Lasercast bullet ... it is both ''effective'' and yet not too punishing.

I run 40 grains of reloader 7 right now .. top loads would be IIRC up around 49 grains. I intend to try and tighten my currently rather sloppy groups by upping my charge to 40.5, 41 and 41.5 ... and see where they go.
 
Congrats on your purchase! I did a little research some time back and nearly bought one of the CDNN BFR's as well. My dealer actually has a new one like it, I think he also buys from CDNN, in his display case - I have fondled it on several occasions. His price is $530.

From what I have found, MR dropped the .45 Colt 6.5" version in '99. It was an original D-Max production, in their smaller 'Maxine' frame (The .45-70 and .45 Colt/.410 are in the 'Max' frame.)... actually a Ruger SBH frame modified by them - with their grip, 5 hole cylinder, and barrel. The current .454 BFR fills the .45 Colt 'void' in the smaller frame, while the .45/.410 still exists in the larger frame.

I have had a 5.5" .45 Colt Bisley SS Blackhawk (Special production still available from AccuSport.) for several years. My 4" S&W 625 Mountain Gun in .45 Colt groups better. I love it's look, though - from a distance. Up close, despite the ugo rubber grips, that MR/D-Max .45 BFR you are getting is far better... no gaps/misfits, etc. It is as good as any 'hand made' custom guns I have seen. I may have to get one yet... let us know how you like it.

Again, congratulations!

Stainz
 
Original D-Max manufactured by....

Stainz,

Thanks for the input. I'm feeling better and better about this purchase. I am always a bit nervous about gun purchases when I don't get to inspect the gun first.

As far as you know, was the BFR .45 Colt 6.5" that was discontinued in 99' manufactured by Ruger for MR or was it manufactured by someone else? I spoke to the customer service guy at MR before I bought the gun and he implied that they had a couple of manufacturers of that particular gun over a period of time but he didn't specify.

Greg
 
MR acquired D-Max, the manufacturers of the 6.5" .45 Colt. The tests of the .45 Colt version in 'American Rifleman' were of a D-Max, I think. Some have told me that the QC of D-Max was not up to the newer MR BFR's, but I certainly cannot agree with that. The chief RO at the range where I work part-time got a new .45-70 BFR last year as a gift from his wife - it did not include the standard spare front sights. A call to MR resulted in a charge for said 'standard' parts! The .45 Colt my dealer has is even nicer, if possible, than his .45-70. I think you will find your .45 to be the closest thing to a 'custom' gun you will find - certainly for less than twice what you paid. I predict you will be elated. Please let us know... especially me. I may just have to relieve my dealer of that .45 Colt...

Stainz
 
.450 Marlin, anyone?

Congratulations on your shrewd purchase, g-gunter!

I just picked up a BFR 7.5" .45-70. MR says you can get 'em to fit a 450 Marlin cylinder for a nominal charge if your serial # begins with JT. Mine does, so I am considering it.

Shooting the .45-70 loads has not been unpleasant, (actually, a LOT of FUN!), but the .450's got a chunk more punch, doesn't it?

Anybody shot a BFR chambered in .450 Marlin?
 
Hey, Denver -
A buddy of mine has a BFR in .450 Marlin with a 10" barrrel. Beauty!

It's definitely a two handed revolver, but I didn't find it particularly abusive to shoot. People definitely stop what they're doing to see what all the noise is about (or maybe it was the concussion). I only put 15 rounds through, but I thoroughly enjoyed it. Very nice trigger, quite accurate, a real hoot to shoot. The weight of the thing really helps soak up the recoil. Tyr it, you'll like it:D
 
I got it in today!!!

Well, it came in today. I went to the gun store where I had it shipped and everyone at the counter wanted to 'fondle' it. They've got a BFR in 50 S&W but they've never handled a 'Little Max' like my .45 LC +P (that's what it says on the box and warranty info). When they found out how much I paid for it one of the managers said "we got to get a few of them." They could tell right off the bat how nice a gun it is...and it is!

I can't seem to find any imperfections, no machine marks, nothing at this point. It is solid as can be and when you look at this 5-shot cylinder you know it screams for the heavy stuff.

I'll give it some more looking over and then will clean and lube it and get ready to start sighting it in with the light stuff first then work up to the bigger loads. I now can't wait to get my loading press and start working up some loads.

Awesome!

Greg
 
Bfr 450

I'm new to THR, and found this thread via a Google search. I bought a BFR in 450 Marlin (10 inch barrel) new sight unseen. I already owned and shot a Marlin 1985M in 450 Marlin killing several hogs with ease. I also have shot a few deer with a Ruger Super Blackhawk 44Mag and thought the BFR 450 would be fun. I was right...not only is it fun, it also turns heads at the range when the trigger is pulled resulting in big smiles!

I'm looking to top it with a scope or other sight that will be condusive to deer and hog hunting. I see the holo sight in this thread, but I have never used one. What is the pro/con of a holo vs traditional scope (2.5 power)? I don't expect to shoot anything over 75 yards.

Any insights would be much appreciated!
 
Welcome to THR.

I have EER scopes on two large handguns (Raging Bull and Contender) and also Millet red dots on couple more (SRHs). Overall I prefer the red dot approach for much faster target aquisition - the EER scopes can make for a lot of nuisance finding the target - altho once found, they probably have an accuracy edge.

The holosight tho is red dot and better - much as anything because of field of view so - that is my ideal choice altho I do find that site a bit ugly! Each time I shoot the BFR it hits steel at 100 yds - every time! So - that IMO is way to go.
 
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