Alright. Maybe I watched alien nation too many times as a kid. Maybe the thing just has that ultimate revolver look.

I’ve got most of my grails. This one seems
To elude me.

Thoughts. Especially from owners are appreciated. Is it as nice as I think it is?

What is the intended use? Not that you even need a use. I realize you can shoot lighter loads in the gun, 45 Colt, the 454 seems it would kick a good bit, with blast.

I know a guy with a 480 Ruger, he never shoots it. His only option has been factory ammo, says it kicks to much.

Hunting, obviously.

Also, scratching the single action itch that happens occasionally.

Years ago I knew a guy who bought two .454 Casual revolvers, both Rugers. He had aspirations of using them for hunting. He also purchased hundreds of rounds of ammo and installed a scope on one of the revolvers. Taking the guns out to zero them he didn't finish the first cylinder before packing them up and putting them on consignment. The recoil was tremendous. I don't know what his pain tolerance was but he was taking a lot of classes at the time.Your mileage may vary.

Haven't been able to find one either.

Would up getting a BFR in 460 S&W.

Yeah, the recoil is there and good ear protection is a must, but it also gets things done with 454 and 45LC when plinking.

The down side, other than price, is it will make you realized just how poorly made most everything else you own is.

I've owned a FA in 454 for for getting close to 25 years now. I bought it when I was at "the top of my game", shooting lots of full bore 500 Linebaugh at the time. Even then top end 454 loads weren't terribly fun for me.

Some people buy big revolvers to own, as a novelty, to take out once in a while, shoot them, tolerate them, giggle and curse. Other people buy them to master them and use them. If it's the first you're after, there's cheaper ways to go for sure.

Along the way I picked up a custom 5 shot .45 Colt. Now older with more wear and tear on me, 300gr bullets at 1400+fps I can deal with. 300gr at 1600fps from the 454, I no longer have any interest in shooting. (and those wouldn't even be "top" loads) Now when I shoot it, it's because it's an amazing, accurate gun, with moderate loads. Not because I need/want the performance. At this point I wish it were chambered in just about any other caliber.

Point being, if you're not ready for the 454, or "nearer the end of your journey than the beginning" a different caliber might be a better choice. Down side there is (at least with used ones) 454's are the cheapest, most abundant there are.

Nahhh, just use 45 Colt reloaded to your comfort level and fire five 454’s at the end for fun.

I own a FA Premier in 454 Casull.
I bought it so I could have an example of what a well made revolver looks and feels like.
I have shot maybe 100 rounds through it, some 454, some 45colt.I also bought a cylinder for it chambered in 45ACP. Shooting the 45 acp rounds is fun shooting the 454 Casull is not much fun but certainly not horrible.The 45 colt rounds are very doable.
I own a number of big revolvers, a Dan Wesson in 445 SuperMag, a Dan Wesson in 44 magnum, a S&W Custom shop 460, and a few T/C Contender single shots. I would rank the 454 Casull shot out of the FA to be the most unpleasant of the group because of the sharp recoil characteristics of that cartridge (very high pressure) and the SA design. The Dan Wesson's are much heavier and the
Double action frame seems to stay put in the hand and not roll around like the SA revolver.
When the SA revolver fires and rolls it always seem to find a piece of flesh on my hand to hurt.
The Dan Wesson 445 Super mag feels close to the 454 in recoil but the Dan Wessons frame and weight make it much more tolerable.The 460 S&W has a lot of weight, a great grip, and a good muzzle brake to tame it.

quote:

Originally posted by leonidas211:
Alright. Maybe I watched alien nation too many times as a kid. Maybe the thing just has that ultimate revolver look.

I’ve got most of my grails. This one seems
To elude me.

Thoughts. Especially from owners are appreciated. Is it as nice as I think it is?

I see you're in Fla, if you're in the southeast (I'm in North Broward) Bring ammo and I'll let you have a go with my BFR in .454.

This might come as a surprise to some of my Forum Brethren, but I happen to like single action revolvers . . . especially the Colt Single Action Army

I have five that are chambered in 22 Long Rifle, one chambered in 357 Magnum, five chambered in 45 Long Colt, and one Freedom Arms chambered in 454 Casull

If you are a shooter of the various larger magnum cartridges the 454 will not be a problem for you to handle with some practice

If you are a hand loader then obviously you can tailor the 454 to whatever power level you might want to use

As has already been mentioned, the Freedom Arms Revolver is manufactured to unbelievable tolerances. It is simply one of the highest quality handguns you will ever wrap your hand around

It makes no difference if you ever fire the gun or just put one cylinder through it or shoot the thing until it falls apart . . . If the Freedom Arms is a grail gun for you, do not take anyone else's advice and buy a different firearm chambered for the 454 . . . you will simply not be happy. Buy the firearm that your heart is already yearning for

About 25 years ago I ordered a new Premier Grade Freedom Arms .454 revolver with an aux. .45 ACP cylinder. I did not need a very powerful single action revolver. I'd handled a couple of Freedom Arms revolvers, and was very impressed with the FA build quality. That was why I ordered the FA gun. By far, the finest revolver I've ever owned. I've never regretted my purchase..

Thank you to the member who offered to let me shoot their .454. I will email you separately.

The responses on the casull just solidify what I knew, it’s a tank, built to perfection.

What are the different grades and do they matter?

I had a chance at a 454 FA with scope and stag grips about 25 years ago. The deal didn’t work out but always wanted a 454. Found a Ruger Blackhawk 454 in 6.5 inch years later for a fair price. It’s a boomer for sure. I’m confident of it at iron sight range for just about anything I’d ever hunt in this country.

I’ve shot a FA 454 Casull a couple of times in the past. They are beautifully made firearms, and I didn’t think the recoil was terrible, once I figured out how to hold it and ride the recoil.

The build quality is so much better than Ruger, S&W, Colt, etc.

I am into the single shot T/C Encore system. A few years ago, I purchased a 454 pistol barrel in 12". Shot it twice, sold it a week later, lol. My girlie hands could not hold on to it good enough. Have a 15in 44M that I can shoot all day and still waiting to take a whitetail with it.

quote:

Originally posted by leonidas211:
Thank you to the member who offered to let me shoot their .454. I will email you separately.

The responses on the casull just solidify what I knew, it’s a tank, built to perfection.

What are the different grades and do they matter?

FA offers revolvers in FIELD GRADE and PREMIUM GRADE.

Premium offers very nice wood grips and better fit and finish. The Field grade comes with rubber grips.

quote:

Originally posted by leonidas211:
Alright. Maybe I watched alien nation too many times as a kid. Maybe the thing just has that ultimate revolver look.

I’ve got most of my grails. This one seems
To elude me.

Thoughts. Especially from owners are appreciated. Is it as nice as I think it is?

I don't have a Freedom Arms in 454 but do have a 5 shot BFR chambered for .454 which has never and will never see a .454 round through it because for my purposes it's not necessary to load .45 Colt and .454.

A hot .45 Colt will kill anything I want just as dead as a .454.

You should buy the exact configuration that you desire. Don’t buy anything that is not what you want. Awesome revolver.Just too expensive to upgrade.

quote:

Originally posted by Bruce 45/70:
Years ago I knew a guy who bought two .454 Casual revolvers, both Rugers. He had aspirations of using them for hunting. He also purchased hundreds of rounds of ammo and installed a scope on one of the revolvers. Taking the guns out to zero them he didn't finish the first cylinder before packing them up and putting them on consignment. The recoil was tremendous. I don't know what his pain tolerance was but he was taking a lot of classes at the time.Your mileage may vary.

I bought a Ruger 454 Casull, fired 5 rounds and that was enough for me, recoil was about the most unpleasant I've experienced from any gun. Worse than my 45/70 BFR and worse than my Desert Eagle 50ae. I also owned a Taurus 454 Raging Bull and since the barrel was ported it was much less painful to shoot.

I love single actions and own 5 Freedom Arms. Gave up on Ruger single actions a few years ago . Junk in my opinion .