I'm interested in feedback from those of you that own and/or have experience shooting a Freedom Arms revolver chambered in .454 Casull. What is the fit and finish like, quality of workmanship, etc? And finally what about the .454 Casull itself, is the recoil tolerable in the Freedom Arms revolver?
Freedom Arms .454 Casull revolver
- Thread starter quaticman
- Start date
The are the Swiss watch of single action revolvers, fit and finish are way up there also. As for the recoil, that will depend on how far you want to take it as the recoil will be from mild to wild depending on what you feed it. The Bisley style grip on them seems to make the recoil more tolerable with the heavy stuff.
As stated above, recoil is very manageable and all depends on your load. You can shoot 45Colt on the light side or if you prefer thunder and a fireshow, load up some full house loads. Our LGS has a beauty for sale(FrArms) complete with dies, ammo,brass etc. Not cheap but a beautifully made gun.
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They are some of the best made revolvers in current production. Fit and finish will be top shelf.
While the shape of the grips will help it roll in your hand, shooting 454 will still be very punishing. Unless you are a hardened recoil junky with strong joints and a healthy pain tolerance, you probably won't want to shoot it much. If you reload however, you can load it down. It is also worth noting that Federal Fusion ammo is not loaded to 'typical' strength, so it will be more tolerable.
You could also purchased one with the additional 45 colt cylinder which makes a lot of sense. Even though you theoretically could, Freedom arms does not recommend going between 45 and 454 in the same cylinder because the cylinder tolerances are very tight.
Also just to point out, Freedom Arms does not use the Bisley grip frame.
While the shape of the grips will help it roll in your hand, shooting 454 will still be very punishing. Unless you are a hardened recoil junky with strong joints and a healthy pain tolerance, you probably won't want to shoot it much. If you reload however, you can load it down. It is also worth noting that Federal Fusion ammo is not loaded to 'typical' strength, so it will be more tolerable.
You could also purchased one with the additional 45 colt cylinder which makes a lot of sense. Even though you theoretically could, Freedom arms does not recommend going between 45 and 454 in the same cylinder because the cylinder tolerances are very tight.
Also just to point out, Freedom Arms does not use the Bisley grip frame.
Let's be reasonable here. Any .454 is only "reasonable" if one considers full power .44Mag guns to be somewhat playful but a little soft. Perhaps it would be more accurate to suggest that the size and mass plus the Bisley grips makes the recoil from full pop .454Casull "manageable"?
I've shot a buddy's Super Redhawk in .454. It didn't break my wrist or anything like that but three or four rounds and my hands were done. A Freedom Arms gun might make it a touch more manageable but it's still going to kick like a mule with attitude.
Years ago, the very first review of the gun and cartridge that I ever read said something like "If Superman owned a handgun, this would be it"
The fact that one can feed it milder than forehead-denting loads combined with a level of quality that rivals custom guns makes it very desirable to me.
It's on my bucket list of guns.
The fact that one can feed it milder than forehead-denting loads combined with a level of quality that rivals custom guns makes it very desirable to me.
It's on my bucket list of guns.
I also have my Freedom Arms Model 97 Premiere Grade in .45 Colt for sale in the EE right now. Since it's NIB, I can't tell you how it shoot but the test target is very impressive. The fit and finish is out of this world, never seen a single action revolver that has these tolerances, you barely see any gap in the loading gate and cylinder lock up is bank vault like.
As I said earlier, I found the Raging Bull much easier to shoot that the FA83, but, the FA83 was prettier. So there you go, 2 different shooters, 2 different experiences.
I have a Freedom Arms M83. It is a big gun and it fits my big hands really well. It is much wider than a Ruger for example. The M97 is a much smaller gun, more like the Ruger Blackhawk. I have barely shot the .454, I'm not a big bang junkie. The big size makes it a little more manageable for me but I don't enjoy .454. I don't have any other Bisley guns so this frame style maybe part of the answer to this. Many of my Ruger Blackhawks I have changed out the grips for rubber grips, I have not had to do this with the M83. I have added a scope to my M83 because I am old and my eyes are not as good as they once were. Mostly I just like big buns with scopes. The sights are great. I have been shooting .45 Colt in the .454 since the beginning and I don't think this is an issue. There is like .1 inch difference between these rounds so the lead isn't floating in the air in the cylinder, the .454-.45 Colt-.45ACP is a different thing. Build quality is great and it is a tank.
