Guns for big boy loads

[Enzo_Guy]

An interesting topic was brought up today: if you're planning a purchase based on the knowledge that you are going to seriously hotload your own magnum caliber rounds, what gun would you trust the most to handle these sorts of loads?

Now obviously it is different in every caliber, the ones being discussed today were .357 magnum, .44 magnum, and .45LC but I'm sure we could extend this to others such as .454 Casull. Basically either whatever calibers you do hotload in or wish to hotload, I think when we're talking about the potential of blowing our hands off more information is always better!

In the discussion of .357 most people sided with Smith but couldn't agree on which one: 627 for larger frame but 8 rounds cuts into cylinder strength, whereas a 686 is smaller but the cylinder walls are pretty thick, and then somebody threw in the Ruger GP100 and Blackhawk. It turned into Smith vs Ruger from there. Where it got interesting was the .45LC as almost every person agreed they would want a Ruger Redhawk/Blackhawk with only one person opting for the S&W Model 25.

So, if you're hotloading a magnum, what would you trust most to not have to be picked piece by piece out of your arm at the hospital (please specify caliber where applicable too)?

 

[Yoshi]

Ruger! Have you not seen the thickness of the backstrap?

 

[Enzo_Guy]

Ruger! Have you not seen the thickness of the backstrap?

I've only shot Smiths myself. I'm not familiar enough to give my personal opinion on the issue other than the .45LC thing as I have heard of there being "Ruger only" loads from the factory so I'd imagine if I was hotloading beyond that I wouldn't want anything else!

I'd like to get into handloading myself, if I ever did I'd really like to start with .45LC since there is such a wide variety of things that I've seen with that cartridge. It can be loaded pretty soft or even with blackpowder for CAS and plinking, but there were factory 300 grain loads going 100fps faster than a 300 grain .44 magnum! Sounds like all kinds of fun could be had there, as long as I had a gun strong enough for those big boomers. It would be a bit entertaining to put in a .45LC cowboy load then a +P+ right behind it, look at you buddy and say, "Hey man, try this." He fires a round then tell him to shoot it again and watch potentially epic facial expression (I'm just kidding I wouldn't actually do that to anybody because that could be pretty dangerous, but could be rather funny).

 

[guthook]

I know for my particular 686 .357mag, 158gr HP over 10gr of Titegroup will lock up my cylinder tight as a drum but wouldn't KB it.

DO NOT try this at home! Took a lot of prying to loosen the stretched out case from the cylinder.

PSA: Do not reload when tired. Double charges are easily missed in Magnum cases when fatigue sets in. Lucky to have all ten after that bit of stupidity.

 

[Lou45]

The old T/C Contender.

 

[Yoshi]

You've got some "brass ones". I am just getting into reloading, but I am too skeered to load anything other than regular loads.

 

[jimbobborg]

Ruger revolvers if you're hotrodding .357, .44 Mag, and .45 Colt. Smiths are known for weird stuff happening in all of the variations of the Model 29/629 with heavy loads.

 

[Deep Creek Rock]

T/C Encore -

If the thing can handle firing high powered rifle rounds -in pistol form -including 30-06, 300 Win Mag - it can handle the high powered magnum pistol rounds with ease!

 

[smokey]

+1 for encore in a single-shot. +1 for ruger revolvers for revolvers. The strength of their guns essentially allowed for the creation and acceptance of the 454 from the 45 lc. Heavy and ugly, but they're built like a brick sh!thouse.

 

[Jimbob2.0]

Ill stick with .45LC hotloaded myself. Can easily run in my two rugers or my 94.

 

[ohen cepel]

Freedom Arms and of course the already mentioned Ruger and Thompsons.

 

[BeltBuckle]

ohen cepel beat me to it -- Freedom Arms. Built like a brick sh*thouse. But be prepared to pay.

 

[pop-gunner]

For the more commonly found revolvers out there I would have to go with Ruger.
I have more than a hand full of .44s and a handful of .357s by both both Smith and Ruger.
I shoot the Smiths more often but do so with mild to medium loads.
When I want to shoot heavy loads I use a Ruger because they will stand up to much more punishment than the Smiths.

 

[trbon8r]

Vintage S&W. If it shoots loose, I'll get it retimed.

The Ruger is like a fat chick. They may be sturdy, but you still have to be seen with it.

 

[pop-gunner]

Vintage S&W. If it shoots loose, I'll get it retimed.

The Ruger is like a fat chick. They may be sturdy, but you still have to be seen with it.

I have many vintage Smiths and can assure you they WILL shoot loose.
You cannot have them retimed when the frame stretches and the cylinder rotates backward.
The Ruger may not be the prettier of the two but it will always be there.
Even with the post 29-5 Endurance Package the Smith will not hold up as well as a Ruger or even a Dan Wesson to a regular diet of heavy loads.

 

[Deep Creek Rock]

I also hope by hotloads - you mean loads that are within the specified load data in a manual, and not purposely overloading.

No gun is really safe from overloads - and reloading beyond max, is just asking for trouble. Not worth losing your eye sight or even your life.

That being said , in some reloading manuals -there are usally another set of load data for strong action pistols, in some calibers. T/C contender/ Encore, and heavy framed revolvers like Ruger Blackhawk get mentioned in the data, as the guns that can handle those rounds.

 

[Enzo_Guy]

Something else I was thinking about today: how does the Magnum Research BFR stack up against the Ruger Blackhawk/Redhawk? I understand the lore of the BFR is more for the uncommon calibers such as 45-70 and .500S&W, but let's say in terms of .44 magnum or .454 Casull/.45LC. It seems to kind of be the middle ground in price between a Ruger Blackhawk and a Freedom Arms (speaking of strictly SA revolvers at the moment).

I've heard the BFR is a prettier and more accurate piece (never seen one myself but it ain't hard to be prettier than a Ruger Redhawk), but in terms of the "Ruger only" loads in the manuals is it as strong as the Rugers? Some people on the internet say the construction appears stronger but in the short cylinder version is there really much of a difference?

 

[hvymax]

This is my old Dan Wesson 44mag. Besides the interchangable barrels the cylinder is longer than the traditional S&W 44mag allowing it to chamber the 330gr Buffalo Bores as well as their proprietary 445 ultra mag. By swapping barrels and optics I could shoot multiple IHMSA classes as well as being my IPSC/IDPA when nobody else was shooting revolver.

 

[pop-gunner]

Dan Wesson made some of the strongest revolvers available.
There is a reason most of the silhouette shooters preferred the DW over the Smiths.

 

[WSM]

Redhawk in .454 will handle just about an .45 load you put into it.