RUGER VS FREEDOM ARMS

[sc1911cwp]

Well I've done alot of reading. It seems that after the price of the gun to perform the following, it starts to bring it up to a used FA price.

Check and modify throats
Trigger job
Free spin
Base pin
Throat barrel
Recut crown
Check and adjust BC gap
Adjust endshake

Or you could send the pistol to someone like Clemments Custom Guns.
After a package that does the same your out $1200.00
So a FA starts to look more affordable.

 

[Tommy Kelly]

Well I have 2 of the BFR's and they are a lot smoother than my rugers. I own about 15 rugers and they are great guns. My BFR's are in 475 linebaugh and 45-70 2 that ruger doesn't offer at the present time. I paid roughly 2 times the price for my BFR's that ruger sells their blackhawks for are they worth the difference? Idon't know but I like both The BFR's are super smooth and tight lockup a good bit better than ruger's the BFR has the freespin feature with the loading gate open I like that. Even on the 45-70 when you open the gate and tilt the gun up the emptys fall out on their own. I love my BFR's but also my rugers are great guns. I'm not a FA fan. I can't believe that they are worth the price they can't be that much better.

 

[flatgate]

Worth twice the price! I've had one heck of a pile of Ruger "shooters" and, maybe, just maybe, ONE OF THEM shot almost as good as the gun pictured above. Of course, NONE of the aforementioned Rugers could produce ballistics that even came close to the .454 Casull.

JMHO,

flatgate

 

[BearStopper]

Worth twice the price! I've had one heck of a pile of Ruger "shooters" and, maybe, just maybe, ONE OF THEM shot almost as good as the gun pictured above. Of course, NONE of the aforementioned Rugers could produce ballistics that even came close to the .454 Casull.

JMHO,

flatgate

That is indeed a fine piece of sixgun and I want one too, but I am content with fist sized accuracy at 50 yards out of my Rugers at the prices I have paid. I am not sure that even though the FA revolver is better than that, that I would use it in a way to take advantage of it.

 

[quicksdraw]

I shoot and really enjoy my Rugers , I have owned colts and have kept the best of the Smiths i have owned .I do own 2 Freedom arms . They are both model 83s , one is a .357 with a 9.5 inch barrel and the other is a .454 with a 10 inch barrel . They are the most accurate centerfire revolvers i have ever shot .
A few years back a Freind sold 3 of his Rugers to finance his first Freedom arms and after a year of ownership he told me he wished he had three more Rugers he could sell to buy another.

 

[surveyor47]

If you get into 50 yard black powder revolver competition, the difference between line bored with the correct twist, versus Italian guns that are not line bored with a rifle twist, the difference is night and day. It is the difference between winning and losing.

Sounds to me like the new Rugers are somewhere between line bored and non line bored. Given the extreme accuracy of my 1st Year New Model Blackhawk with certain loads, you are talking about a very very accurate gun. For a Ruger price, thats hard to beat!

 

[sc1911cwp]

Does anyone know how the FA 97 size compares to the Ruger Blackhawk? Some other questions. Is the Field Grade that different from the Premier other than finish? How does the accuracy compare? So I guess what I am asking about is the difference in price worth it?

 

[PO2Hammer]

The 97 is a little smaller than a standard Blackhawk. It also has a more Bisley style grip frame which doesn't roll up in the hand as well as a Blackhawk.
In .45 Colt the model 97 has limited OAL for the cartridges, so no long nose SWC's or long, heavy bullets unless you deep seat them.
I have the 97 in .357 and it's a very good gun, but I have broken two different springs even though it doesn't see a lot of range time.
Also there is no where for debris to go with the tight tolerances and recessed cylinders. My throats measure .3575", but my barrel slugs .3585".
I prefer to shoot my Bisley flat top .44 spl. Practical accuracy is equal.

 

[Shadow]

I'm with you PO2Hammer ........... since acquiring my 2 new Lipsey Ruger Bisley .44 Flat-tops, the one I'm keeping stock has replaced the FA 97 as my favorite shooter (for now anyway).

Anyone wanting to improve accuracy without the cost of line boring the cylinder (the most accurate method), should consider sending your wheel gun to Jim Stroh for his Taylor Throating accuracy pkg. to significantly improve accuracy by 40% or more. The barrel throat is lengthened and enlarged to slightly over the groove diameter making the bullet align up more accurately with the bore. He precisely recrowns the barrel, and recuts forcing cone concentric to the barrel bore, so when Taylor Throating is done correctly, it will produce a gun almost as accurate as line bore chambering for considerably less cost. Give Jim a call for more specifics (706) 783-2131

Shadow

 

[JimMarch1]

Taylor Throating (or the related "Maxi-Throat" by somebody else?) can work great on a gun with that came from the factory at a good fundamental starting point. It can't do wonders for a "bad monday gun"...if it's bad enough, only a custom line-bored cylinder will do any real good (and that'll do great as long as the barrel is on straight). I'd recommend doing "the checkout" to see where you're at before dropping coin on anything:

http://tinyurl.com/revocheck

 

[dougader]

Great info, guys. Thanks!

 

[AkRay]

I would just shop around for a used Freedom Arms revolver. They can be had for slightly over or under a thousand dollars and in the Model 83 there are several choices of barrel length and caliber, from 357 magnum up to 500 WE. One complaint I have about FA guns though is that they still need action jobs when they come from the factory. For their price, they should be ready to go out of the box.

 

[roaddog28]

Like others have said a person can't compare a Freedom arms to a Ruger Blackhawk. Its like comparing Apples versus Oranges. As much as I like the look and craftsmanship of the FA I can't afford one and probably would not use it enough to justify the money. So I will continue to own and shoot my Blackhawk.
Regards,
Howard

 

[sc1911cwp]

Do you give up anything between the Premier or Field Grade Model besides finish or warranty? What about accuracy? TNX

 

[Robb Barnes]

The Premiere and the Field grade are built to the exact same tolerances. The two things yo mentioned, finish and warranty are the main differences. You can even order your FG with Premiere sights, grips etc.

 

[ElToro]

... More of a sterile precision instrument. A little too German and not enough Italian, if you know what I mean.

lol. greatest line ive seen all day. yes. i know and it can apply to a lot more than guns!

 

[Axehandle]

While I really like my FAs I can understand how they can be perceived as guns with no soul... With some minimal up grades like custom grips and octagon barrels I think we can make those FAs draw back some of the essence of classic revolver... A point to make is that it has been my experience that the current going price of a top of the line Linebaugh, Bowen, or Clements on the used market can easily match the new retail price of a Premier grade FA.. Check out the FA below trailed by Linebaugh, Bowen, and Clements Customs.. These used customs were priced at more than $1000 more than the used octagon Barreled, micarta gripped FA.

 

[sc1911cwp]

Beautiful. Your a lucky man.

 

[Axehandle]

All it takes is 60 years, a good job, a love for fine mechanical things, and a willingness to spend a few bucks.. Did I do a decent job of making the point that octagon barrels and custom grips do wonders for stainless revolvers? It works for Rugers too!

 

[sc1911cwp]

Yes you did. Who did the work on the Ruger? What did you have done? TNX