Any Big Bore Firearms Fans Out There?

petes03 · Aug 9, 2015

I have many hobbies, pipes, motorcycles, beer, fishing, hunting, hiking, camping, ect. But the one I've had longer than any is guns.

Big or small, I love them all! But in recent years I've really become a big fan of the big bores, wether it be handguns, rifles or shotguns.

I love the experience of pulling the trigger on a ridiculously large firearm, even if it does have punishing recoil and obnoxious muzzle blast.
Currently, the S&W X-Frames (both the 460 & 500) top my list of handguns, but .41 & .44 Mags are up there too. For rifles, big bore lever guns, such as the 45-70 Govt. and 450 Marlin, are a blast (literally) to shoot. I've also had the chance to fire off on a .458 Win Mag, which was very impressive as well!

As for shotguns, not much tops my SxS 10ga!

Even .50, .54, and .58 cal. black powder rifles are a hoot!
If you're a fan too, sound off and tell us about some of your favorites!

seacaptain · Aug 10, 2015

Those S&W X-frames are some serious fire power.

beefeater33 · Aug 10, 2015

I've only one big bore... a .44 mag Ruger Super Blackhawk. My uncle gifted it to me on Christmas day 1983. I shot it quite a bit, took two whitetails with it. I even kept it in my college dorm room in Athens, Ohio as a freshman in 1985. How the times have changed!!

I do still have a few blackpowder .50's, they are fun to shoot.

gloucesterman · Aug 10, 2015

I hunted a lot of geese with my Ithaca Mag 10. And I have a Ruger Super Blackhawk (got it for my trip To Alaska as a bear gun). I usually use a 308 for deer. I don't need a big bore gun here in New England.

petes03 · Aug 10, 2015

@seacaptain. Yep, they sure are! I have the 460 and my Dad has the 500. Both of them will leave you in awe with every pull of the trigger!
@beefeater and gloucester. I've shot several Super Blackhawks in .44 Mag. They're great guns!
@gloucester. Those 10's really put a hurting on honkers don't they? And nothing wrong with a good ole .308. I love .30 cals of all shapes and sizes too! I've shot everything from 7.62 x 39 & .30-30 Win. up through .300 Rem. Ultra Mag.

organizedmadman · Aug 10, 2015

I'm buying a Taurus Raging Judge Magnum .410/44/454 next month. I carry a small S&W .40, but love the complete ridiculousness of the massive RJM, and the option to shoot a variety of ammo.

petes03 · Aug 10, 2015

Despite the criticism they usually receive, I've had decent luck with Taurus.

One of my EDC guns is a Taurus 605 .357 Mag. Also, my Model 44 4" .44 Mag. once saved me from a bear.

They're good guns for the money, IMO.

Now I will say this, after about 1500 rounds of heavy magnums through my .44, I started having some cylinder rotation issues.

But, I sent it back and the gun came back better than it ever was new!

As a matter of fact, the double action pull on it is now better than the one on my Model 29 S&W .44 Mag, and the single action pull is at least as good, maybe even better! I most definitely could not have said that before hand.

petes03 · Aug 10, 2015

Here's a pic for you guys.

Let to right ; 460 XVR, 500 Mag., and Model 29 .44 Mag.

And here's a pic of me shooting the 460.

huntertrw · Aug 10, 2015

Here are my favorite big-bore pieces:

The 16-inch 50-caliber rifles of the Iowa-class battleships of the United States Navy.

jackswilling · Aug 10, 2015

The only big bores I have are 12 gauge shotguns. Have a mold for a 1,000 grain slug that is a freight train

gambit88 · Aug 10, 2015

I don't have much for modern guns but I do have a 58 cal musket thats a blast as well as 10g muzzle loading SxS. I get to shoot a 6lb cannon once a year at 600 yards. Theres no real way to discribe it without being there.

seacaptain · Aug 10, 2015

Here's a great S&W 460 scene. One of my favorite movies.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d0fjcp0aEKA

hierophant · Aug 10, 2015

I've never been a big fan of monster revolvers, rifles on the other hand... .45-70, 50-90 and .375 H&H (I use an empty .375 case as a tamper). If I were rich I'd have a double rifle in .470 NE or .500 NE just because, but I can't see that happening unfortunately.

petes03 · Aug 10, 2015

+1 on the .470 Nitro SxS! I've always wanted one of those myself.
@seacaptain I love that scene as well!
@gambit. Way to go on the black powder boomers!
@jackswilling. Nice!
@hunter. Excellent BIG bores!

aldecaker · Aug 10, 2015

I like the big bores, but anymore, my back and neck sure don't. They just can't hold up to a five or six hour range session with the big stuff like they used to. Had to give up horseback riding completely, which really stunk because I was just getting my kids into it, and it was great father/son/daughter time. They caught the bug, just ride without the old man now.

I do like black powder as well as cartridge arms; currently down to a single 1860 Army repro at the moment, though. I have one .44 Mag SA Peacemaker repro, A Ruger Blackhawk convertible with cylinders in .45 Long Colt and .45 ACP, and a Springfield 1911A1 (because who doesn't, right?). That .45 LC with really wild handloads can get just as frisky as that .44 Mag, so I never use them during the same range sesssion anymore. The rest of my stuff is all smaller bore stuff.

seacaptain · Aug 10, 2015

The largest caliber I've carried is .45. I'm a big fan of 1911's but I've moved away from the platform to Beretta in recent years which is better suited for my purposes.

gambit88 · Aug 10, 2015

This was just with a blank! My wife has been filming us for years and she's got the timing down perfect for the best pictures!

petes03 · Aug 10, 2015

Here's a pick of my American Arms SxS 10 ga.

Here's a pic of my Marlin 1895GS .45-70 Govt. and my S&W 460 XVR.

From top to bottom;

S&W 460 XVR

Taurus M44 .44 Mag.

Taurus 605 .357 Mag.

aldecaker · Aug 10, 2015

That's awesome stuff right there, gambit! I almost get hypnotized watching naval 5"/38's in use. Something about how the turret leisurely poops out the empty brass after each round is just so soothing.

aldecaker · Aug 10, 2015

Nice collection, Petes03. I agree with you on the Taurus appraisal. Owned several over the years, and enjoyed them all. They really turned a corner quality-wise a long time ago; it's unfortunate that some of their very early product issues gave them a persistent "bad name" with some shooters.

Any Big Bore Firearms Fans Out There?

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