User Panel
Posted: 12/9/2001 5:12:31 AM EDT
I'm going to gunshow in medina in about an hour and want to pick up a pistol .Is the 454 casull the worlds most powerful production handgun right now.
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I may be wrong but I believe that the Magnum Research BFR in 45/70 may be the most powerful multiple shot pistol.
Alex |
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Well, before the short barrel laws, the Thompson Contender pistol I believe it was, with the swapable barrels, had chambers from 22LR-12Gauge, and a few custom ones. Using either the 300 Win Mag barrel, or the 12 gauge shotgun barrel with a slug, I'd think would be the most powerful.
You would have to get it on a form 4 now. |
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Check the ballistics on that 480 ruger?.....(don`t know if it beats 45-70 though)......."It`s a 44 magnum...the most powerful handgun in the world".....(ok harry....that`s why you used specials in it...right?).........
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Does BFR stand for Big Friggin Revolver? |
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I don't know if it's "ranked" or not but a buddy of mine has a Magnum Research Desert Eagle in .50A&E and it is one MONSTER of a gun. It doesn't kick all that much because the pistol is soooo damn heavy but the muzzle flash is spectacular and the bullet holes are very impressive! |
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Unless you qualify this question by specifying that "handgun" means a multiple shot, non-bolt action pistol or revolver, You'll get rifle calibers of formidable power listed here.
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You need to put these in two different categories: Handcannons, and Handguns. None of the following are close to calibers such as .308, that you can find in Thompson's, Magnum Research's, and such.
.480ruger is not as powerful as .454. It is in-between .44mag and .454. .475Linbaugh(sp?) is more powerful than .454casull(sp?). I think there is one more that is more powerful than the .475, but I can't remember what the name or caliber is. These two are more of Wildcats though. I'm not sure any big names actually load factory ammo for them. |
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Any of these are sure to give you a "wrist cramp" not to mention trying to hold one up.......here`s my favorite.......t/c...16" bbl.....3-9 scope......in45-70.....geesh you`d need to carry a mount or something in order to aim it.....that`s ok...I`ll lug my shotgun around.....(has more than one shot too)
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There is a Freedom Arms revolver available in .475 and .500 linbaugh...I think it's a Single Action only gun though...
They are pretty hot calibers, but right now, I think they are considered "wildcats" The only producton Double Action "big boy" revolvers I know of are the Taurus "Raging Bull", and the Ruger "Super Redhawk"... These are the only "Factory Prodution" .454 DA revolvers that I know of... I had a Raging Bull in .454, but sold it because the black epoxy finish was too delicate...Shot like a champ though... Right now I have a scoped Super Redhawk in .454, and this thing kicks like a mule... The Taurus was a softer shooter becase of the factory barrel porting... The Taurus only holds 5 shots, while the Ruger holds 6... Good quality and craftsmanship on both guns... I'd recommend either... .454 is the only "big caliber" you will find factory ammo for... BTW... The .454 IS hotter than any .50 AE...Just look in any reloading manual... I think it's even faster than the .475 & .500 Linbaugh... They just throw 400+ grains at .44 Mag velocities... |
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Of what use is a pistol that is so powerful, you are (almost certainly) frightened of it?
In any case, a super-powerful pistol would only be as powerful as an ordinary, medium powered rifle, nevermind the lousy trajectory and lesser accuracy. |
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A super-powerful pistol is not as powerful as a medium powered rifle. It's just more interesting to some. Most people assume they are as powerful as rifle founds; if you ask someone which to defend yourself from a charging grizz, a .454casull handgun or a .270win rifle, many would choose the .454(because its perceived as more POWERFUL), they would be wrong. |
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As availability of uselessly powerful handgun cartridges proliferates, some fools will go to any length to receive their Darwin award.
One guy in my hunting club dropped a full grown White Rhino at point blank range with one shot from a Casull. As I told him after watching the video, that's about the dumbest thing I ever saw. |
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Towelie says, Barrel length only applies to shoulder-fired (stocked) guns. |
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Wouldnt that 50BMG pistol in that one issue of guns or something like that do it.
GG |
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The most powerful multiple-shot handgun that I'm aware of is a custom revolver chambered in .50 Alaskan (basically, a stretched, hotter .500 Linbaugh). A 450gr bullet at 1900 fps! Like the Linbaughs, these are made for folks who operate in bear country but can't always carry a shotgun or rifle, and need very powerful handguns.
As far as semi-auto, mag-fed pistols? The .50AE Desert Eagle. -Troy |
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.500 Linbaugh. |
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The .480 Ruger IS NOT in the running for the most powerful handgun cartridge. It's not even as powerful as the .454 Casull. As far as loaded ammunition is concerned (ammo that can be purchased already loaded), the .475 and .500 Linebaugh rank at the top. The BFR 45-70 is right there, too, especially with some of the hot "+P" Garrett 45-70 loads.
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I thought a .50 caliber pistol was some kind of internet hoax by a shooter with Adobe Photoshop.
It's real? Wow. Who has shot one, and what did you think? |
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So you can't buy a TC Contender over-the-counter anymore? I must been asleep or something. I always wanted one in .30-30 or 7.62x39... |
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Didn't some one make a six or five shooter chambered in 45-70?
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i agree with AROK, im a hunter, gun-nut and all around sportsman but i must say. anyone who could pull the trigger on a white rhino is just a prick. it is a rare thing of beauty and i worry about anyone who could derive pleasure from paying a bunch of money just to kill one then posture and prance and pose next to its dead carcass like some candy ass.
"There is no hunting like the hunting of a man and those who have hunted men and liked it have never cared for hunting anything else thereafter." hemingway |
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I have no idea what the most powerful handgun is, but there was this old coot at the range one time that had a Derringer chambered in .357 mag. I like to think I'm a pretty fair shot, but I couldn't come within 5 feet of hitting what I was aiming at with that thing. Talk about recoil!
MG |
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Same place mine does. Better than a .357mag - that's about it. Darn good deer hunting cartridge though. |
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Thanks for all the response ,Bought a Taurus Raging Bull 454 casull 6.6" stainless.
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"Thanks for all the response ,Bought a Taurus Raging Bull 454 casull 6.6" stainless."
This guy sounds like my dad. He was into guns when he was in his 20's. Now he's late 30's and wants a "powerful" handgun for when he's in bear country nad something to play with. (now that his son has quite the collection :0) He looks at .454's and .44's and I TALKED him out of a .454, saying that the recoil will be unbarible, then he gets a .44 SW mountian gun. So we go out shooting his new .44 meg and just abouts shits his pants on the first shot. "I don't remember a .44 kickin that hard!" Heh yea, it does, so dad, how about that .454? HEh |
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Don't forget the Desert Eagle in 440 Corbon |
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It's the 458 Behemoth!!!! Look it up in your Guns & Ammo Library. It is a 458 rifle cartridge cut down for a 500 grain slug. During the tests the guy firiing it had his eyebrows burned multiple times. I don't recall the velocity or power, but, it was a magnitude above 454 and party.
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I already have a ruger red hawk 44mag and can shoot it one handed ,I want something that really rocks so optied for taurus because it has ported barrel to help with recoil.
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While not the most powerful.... the 50AE Desert Eagle is quite a handful and a lot of fun to shoot....
The 454 Rageing Bull heavy frame and porting bring the recoil down to 44 levels. I would never shoot it without hearing protection and glasses. I got hit in the ear with a piece of shaved jacket hard enough to draw blood while shooting a friends RB. As you can tell by my handle...I use the lowly 44mag chambered in a 4 5/8 SBH and a Bianchi crossdraw holster. 300gr HCSWC and a case full of 296 gets the job done. Recoil is robust to say the least. All of the above have taken Africas Big 5 with the proper bullets. |
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The used market in Contenders is excellent. If you want one, they're still out there to be had, and in large numbers. The .30-30 is a very popular barrel. 7.62x39 is a bit harder to come by. |
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You may be thinking of the 500 Linebaugh and .500 Linebaugh Long, both of which exceed the .475, if you load them hot enough. I don't think I'd classify these as "production" firearms, but what the heck. The .480 Ruger is a light-loaded version of a .475 Linebaugh, for those that care. Lets face it, a hot-loaded .45-70 can match some loads in a .458 Win Mag, and as long as we limit the discussion to repeating firearms and no bolt, this is the king. |
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It is. It's from www.birdman.org |
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Most powerful is the DE 50AE. Without a question or a doubt. All other handguns can't compare.
R4M |
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The most powerful handgun cartridge in production (not wildcat) is the .475 Linebaugh. Freedom Arms makes the revolver along with several custom makers. Buffalo Bore makes factory ammo for it.
As far as wildcats and handgun cartridges, John Linebaugh makes revolvers in .475 and .500 maximum, which is basically a just a longer cartridge. They can only be made on Ruger frames originally chambered in .357 maximum. So in order of power, I would say for non-wildcats: .475 Linebaugh, .454 , .50AE, .440 cor-bon, 480 ruger, .44mag, .357maximum, .41 mag, .357 mag I'm sure I missed one or two but I woud say these are in the proper order. |
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Hehe. You guys are very funny. Now I have tested a few of these big revolvers and I would have to add some of my findings. I have a Thompson Contender in a 14" SSK custom, You want to see a fireball at dusk 6 feet long, LOL. It will shoot a 1" group at 100 yards with factory rounds. I also have a Taurus 454, now that is a beast. I have shoot through 3 cinder blocks at 35 yards, also shoot through a 10" oak knot and an 8" oak knot with a cider block behind it.Now that is some power. Now for the biggest and baddest. The Freedom Arms 475 Lin, Hehe, at 25 yards, it will blow a hole through a 1/2" boiler plate. Recoil is not bad.I have a 44 mag and I am not impressed with it at all. You couldn't hit a 8"X11" sheet of paper at 50 yards.
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