I know it's not a Ruger, but I'm considering the purchase of a Magnum Research BFR short frame revolver. Would like to handle one first hand, but they seem difficult to find on the shelves here. I'm sure someone here has experience with these. Can you share your opinions please?
Wondering about the BFR
- Thread starter TRanger
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I have two BFR's, a .44 (4.5" bbl) and .454 (5" five shot only for .45 Colt) and there's not much to say other than they're pretty much a scaled up Ruger, can handle brutal loads if you can and fit / finish on mine are impeccable.
That said if you're familiar with the Blackhawk, my 5" BFR is about the same ~3.5 pound weight as a 7 1/2" Super Blackhawk Hunter, but balance far better than the Ruger as it has more weight near the hand and less up front and felt recoil is about the same. If you prefer short barrels with your boomers the BFR is a great choice, if not the Ruger is a more svelte and nimble revolver.
Accuracy is equal to the Ruger and you have a choice of the Micarta grips and rubber and choice of Bisley or plow handle. I like the rubber and it's a good thing because the rubber are less expensive by ~$300 to $400 if you have it built.
Speaking of having it built (mine are plain Jane) if you go to: https://www.magnumresearchcustoms.com/customize-your-gun/configure/8946/ you'll see it is one of if not the most buyer customizable handguns you can order at a very fair price.
One thing though, if you do decide on getting one I'd go the extra $75 for the wide spur (WS) hammer, I think it's well worth it. One of mine came with the WS and the other did not and I upgraded mine after my first range trip with it. So you know, I prefer the WS hammer on my Ruger revolvers also. The thin straight sided hammers need serious de-horning for me to be happy with them so I generally change them.
Where in Fla are you? I'm in the southeast between WPB and Lauderdale if you're in driving range bring ammo and I'll let you have a go with either (or both) of mine with a comparable Ruger caliber.
That said if you're familiar with the Blackhawk, my 5" BFR is about the same ~3.5 pound weight as a 7 1/2" Super Blackhawk Hunter, but balance far better than the Ruger as it has more weight near the hand and less up front and felt recoil is about the same. If you prefer short barrels with your boomers the BFR is a great choice, if not the Ruger is a more svelte and nimble revolver.
Accuracy is equal to the Ruger and you have a choice of the Micarta grips and rubber and choice of Bisley or plow handle. I like the rubber and it's a good thing because the rubber are less expensive by ~$300 to $400 if you have it built.
Speaking of having it built (mine are plain Jane) if you go to: https://www.magnumresearchcustoms.com/customize-your-gun/configure/8946/ you'll see it is one of if not the most buyer customizable handguns you can order at a very fair price.
One thing though, if you do decide on getting one I'd go the extra $75 for the wide spur (WS) hammer, I think it's well worth it. One of mine came with the WS and the other did not and I upgraded mine after my first range trip with it. So you know, I prefer the WS hammer on my Ruger revolvers also. The thin straight sided hammers need serious de-horning for me to be happy with them so I generally change them.
Where in Fla are you? I'm in the southeast between WPB and Lauderdale if you're in driving range bring ammo and I'll let you have a go with either (or both) of mine with a comparable Ruger caliber.
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thor's daddy
Bearcat
They are a bit bulky, but considering the cartridges they are chambered in, the extra ounces do help to mitigate the pounding you take with full house loads. That bulk also provides an excess of strength as the guns are very stout. Edges are sharp from the factory and are prone to bite, so some folks find a little time dehoring the offending areas is time well spent. General fitness is tight and right and finish from the factory seems to fall somewhere between Ruger and Freedom Arms. Some have noted finish blemishes in certain areas upon delivery, but again, a bit of time with some basic finishing tools and you can have it looking perfect.
As for accuracy, they are fully as accurate as any Freedom Arms M83. I'm no hotshot behind the trigger but my BFR 475L will easily stay inside 4 inches at 100 yards, with many 5-shot groups clustering significantly smaller.
When Magnum Research designed these, I personally think they had stand/blind hunters in mind, as for that they are perfect. Optics mounting with the supplied rail is straightforward and secure. On the hip the extra ounces show the design's weakness, but they're right at home in a chest rig.
Lightly loaded, the big bore variants (475/500 cals.) are giggly fun. An extended range session chucking 400+grain bullets across the prairie at 950fps is a very satisfying experience, with the attendant BOOM..... whap! Especially since such loads are fully capable of toppling any Whitetail you may run across.
As for accuracy, they are fully as accurate as any Freedom Arms M83. I'm no hotshot behind the trigger but my BFR 475L will easily stay inside 4 inches at 100 yards, with many 5-shot groups clustering significantly smaller.
When Magnum Research designed these, I personally think they had stand/blind hunters in mind, as for that they are perfect. Optics mounting with the supplied rail is straightforward and secure. On the hip the extra ounces show the design's weakness, but they're right at home in a chest rig.
Lightly loaded, the big bore variants (475/500 cals.) are giggly fun. An extended range session chucking 400+grain bullets across the prairie at 950fps is a very satisfying experience, with the attendant BOOM..... whap! Especially since such loads are fully capable of toppling any Whitetail you may run across.
thor's daddy
Bearcat
One thing of note. The (earlier vintage) JT serial-numbered guns wear Badger barrels and are known for chatter marks on the rifling about a half-inch from the muzzle. This... feature... was well-noted and heavily discussed on the Castboolits forum years ago and seems to show no adverse effects whatsoever. Be that leading, copper fouling, or degraded accuracy. To the contrary, the JT series guns are the ones that set the standard of accuracy for which the BFR's are known. All in all, I actually prefer the earlier guns with their swept back Super hammer.
Magnum Research BFRs are solid revolvers! I've handled a few, and they're built like tanks—great for heavier calibers. The short frame models are a bit more compact but still pack that punch. If you're into big-bore revolvers, it's definitely worth the buy, but yeah, they can be tough to find in stores. You might want to call around to a few shops or hit up a gun show if you can.
thor's daddy
Bearcat
Depending on what caliber/configuration you're looking for, another option is to buy a standard offering and send it off to a smith for a bit of work. Jack Huntington has a wonderful grip mod for the standard Blackhawk grip frame that works wonders at reducing felt recoil and is quite handsome to boot (something I can't say for the BFR Bisley grip). Add in action tuning, barrel shortening, get rid of the nasty barrel billboard and maybe add an express front sight base that takes FA blades and you'd have a heck of a sidearm that probably wouldn't cost any more than going the Custom Shop route with MR. Heck, it might even cost less.
Here's an example of the Huntington grip mod on a BFR. Front sight base appears to be from Jim Stroh -
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Thank you. I decided to go ahead and order a standard 7 1/2-inch model. It should be here Friday. I'll spend some time shooting it and then make a decision regarding any custom work. All who responded gave a vote of confidence in this model as a very solid revolver. Thank you for the input.
trapperon
Blackhawk
Awesome! What caliber did you go with?
Bigbore5
Single-Sixer
They will not fit a Ruger
thor's daddy
Bearcat
Seems like another case of something working for one guy that absolutely doesn't work for the next. I've been wanting to get a set of those rubber grips because the Uncle Mike's rubbers on mine are like holding onto an angry cheese grater. Meanwhile , I know guys who think the Uncle Mike's are the best set of grips to ever created for the single action sixgun...
And so it goes...
xtratoy
Buckeye
One in 30-30 or 444 Marlin with 10" barrel is on my bucket list.
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