And here I am going, “Ouch!” with .44 Magnum loads out of a buddy’s Model 629 some time back haha…

As Inspector Callahan said back in ‘73, “A man’s got to know his limitations,” and that was mine.

Still, the big bores like the Linebaugh and Casull chamberings are impressive.

I came too close to moving to Cody Wyoming years back to work for John. No need to discuss living conditions there and not too long after, he packed up and moved back to Missouri. I feared those big cartridges as John told me I would first be learning to load them followed by a lot of shooting. The .454 I have shot and it is sharp. It produces higher velocities than the .500. Just when you think the .500 Linebaugh is potent, consider this, it is based off a cut down. 348 Winchester rifle case. OAL of the case is 1.400". The .500 Linebaugh maximum is 1.600" OAL. Those will only chamber in a new cylinder, fitted into the old Ruger .357 Maximum wheel gun frame. All sing praise of the Bisley grip frame for recoil control. I cannot agree but have never discharged a single round through a Bisley framed revolver. And, if one just becomes afflicted by magnumitus, there are IIRC, LBT bullet molds up to 600 grain bullet weight. Most definitely a shooting glove is required. I still could never shoot these guns.

I knew John for 35 years. He was an artist with steel and single action pistols.

I once mentioned to him that his pistols should be on display in the Buffalo Bill Center of the West. He said "They are".

When in town, he usually carried a Colt Commander in .45 ACP, inside his waistband.

PC

This message has been edited. Last edited by: PCWyoming,

That looks awful. I thought my 329PD was bad, but while it may bruise your palm at least it doesn't try to smack you in the forehead every shot. I'm willing to shoot just about anything I'm offered, but I might draw the line at that !

quote:

Originally posted by 92fstech:
at least it doesn't try to smack you in the forehead every shot.

Well, you just kinda let it roll in your hand - ask me how I know.........

PC

quote:

Originally posted by PCWyoming:
I knew John for 35 years. He was an artist with steel and single action pistols.

I once mentioned to him that his pistols should be on display in the Buffalo Bell Center of the West. He said "They are".

When in town, he usually carried a Colt Commander in .45 ACP, inside his waistband.

PC

Hamilton Bowen would be more of a metal artist when customizing these big single actions. John didn't even machine his cylinders. He did fit them to the opened up Ruger frames. The .500 in the video Para posted does indeed look like a Linebaugh built revolver with its larger diameter muzzle band. I have machined the same barrels for my own incomplete .500 Linebaugh Ruger. We have at least 1 Member here who shoots the .500 but I believe his revolver was built by another Custom builder, neither John or Hamilton.

quote:

Originally posted by 92fstech:
That looks awful. I thought my 329PD was bad, but while it may bruise your palm at least it doesn't try to smack you in the forehead every shot. I'm willing to shoot just about anything I'm offered, but I might draw the line at that !

A friend tried to get me on the handle of his X frame S&W in .500 S&W and I passed. It, along with heavy scope and base was a chunk for me to hold and steady. I am told it's actually manageable. If I'm all ready applying force, upward to hold the damn thing up, what chance do I have of slowing the recoil ?

John built my .500 with a six-inch barrel in 1978. I knew him fairly well, and was at his home once in Missouri.
John also built a gun for me in .45 Colt, which was fine but I sold it.
The recoil on the .500 is just fine as long as you let the gun roll and let it recoil above your head.
Most owners of these guns have a dent in their foreheads...from the front sight.
At the range, I seldom fired more than about twenty rounds, because later my entire hand would ache.

My .500 from John is a work of art. At an annual Linebaugh shoot in New Braunfels, TX, around 1980, we commonly ran penetration tests for the owners. My gun, chrono'd at 900 fps, fed with 425 gr semi-wadcutters, penetrated 30" of soaking wet newspaper. It's a fine gun and I love it.
p.s. I am also fortunate enough to have a custom .45 Colt revolver made by Hamilton Bowen. I visited his shop in Friendly, Missouri, several times. It is gorgeous. Hamilton fired this model from a rest and got five-shot one inch groups at 100 yards.

Lets not over look John's. 475 cartridges he offered. I believe case lengths were the same as the two .500s. More wrist crankers. I seem to recall a shorter .500 someone built. Shorter case that is. And, Bowen builds the nicest dang half inch gun on the Red Hawk for those who want a double action. Kind of a Python on steroids. Good looking gun.

Local shop has a Hamilton Bowen custom Redhawk converted to .500 Linebaugh on consignment; 4-5/8" barrel and the original skinny Redhawk, "Banana" style wood grips. Looks beautiful and painful all at the same time.

My Linebaugh built .475 has the capacity for as much recoil as you care to experience. So much so that the cylinder pin retaining screw took flight into the oblivion on about my second time out shooting it around 2003.

I sent an email to Linebaugh’s website and about fell over when my phone rang and I was speaking to The Man Himself. (I’m the second owner of this revolver). As a 25 yr old kid I was pretty starstruck to speak to a firearm legend. And he was so kind, pleasant and down to earth. He sent me a complete base pin and screw assembly for free.

I hope he and Mr. Taffin are catching up and sharing some great stories right about now. Rest Easy, both.

A friend of my father-in-law brought out his 454 Casull when we were visiting once & went out to the BLM land to shoot.
Pretty sure they were handloads, plus a large framed/heavy revolver, as it wasn't any worse than my brother-in-law's Taurus 44 [can't remember if they were Magnum or Special].

The .500 S & W cartridge is generally considered to be significantly hotter/higher performance than the .500 Linebaugh cartridge.
Projectile diameter on the .500 Linebaugh is 0.510" while the .500 S & W is 0.500" so ten thousandths of an inch difference, and about inconsequential.
Due to the massive "X" frame S & W revolver and the increased five shot cylinder diameter, it can safely run 60,000 psi chamber pressure and if reloading, 700 grain hard cast projectiles.

The .500 Linebaugh tops out around 40,000 psi chamber pressure because it is generally chambered in normal "working sized" revolvers which are much more suitable for everyday woods carry purposes.
The S & W .500 "X" frame revolvers are an entirely different animal, with a massive increase in physical size/weight. Better for hunting and less suitable for defensive/everyday woods carry purposes.

While the massive "X" frame S & W revolvers are more powerful, the .500 Linebaugh revolvers are much more friendly for long term woods carry purposes.
LOL, even if you do take a front sight blade to the forehead on occasion.

For woods carry purposes today, I seldom exceed .44 Magnum.

Here in upstate NY many years ago, only shotguns loaded with slugs were allowed for big game hunting of whitetail deer and black bear. No centerfire rifles allowed at all back then.
That antiquated regulation is now gone, and rifles using bottleneck cartridges are now legal. I've shot at least one whitetail deer with my .375 H & H rifle.

But back then, when using shotguns/slugs, even sabot slugs/rifled shotgun barrels, and the effective maximum range was 125 yards or so.

Curiously, there was a legal exception to the shotguns/slugs regulation. A handgun, even chambered in a bottleneck rifle cartridge was a legal big game hunting implement.
Most of the handguns used to circumvent the shotguns/slugs regulation are not really considered to be something used for everyday woods carry purposes. They are big/heavy/slow to reload.

But it sure was fun when getting checked out by a NYS DEC Environmental Police Officer (Game Warden equivalent) and be carrying a handgun chambered in a "rifle" cartridge, and not get a DEC ticket!

I've harvested whitetail deer with a Thompson Center Encore pistol chambered in 30-06 Springfield at over 200 yards, but would never consider carrying it for big bear/bison/moose/mountain lion defense.
Obviously, ethical shots at that distance are not "hand held" and fired strictly from a stable rest, as in duplicating "bench rest" firing conditions with sandbags out in the field in a blind.

Smith & Wesson Performance Center .500 with 10.5" barrel. I still have this one and shoot it occasionally. It was purchased and used strictly for circumventing the shotgun/slugs regulation.
Note the attachment points for sling swivels, holster carry for this one is almost impossible. It will shoot five rounds at 100 yards, and the group can be covered with the end of a 12 oz soda can.

IMG_20250110_150547666_HDR by cee_Kamp 32ACP, on Flickr

This one (top revolver in the below photo) is a Smith & Wesson .500 with a 2.75" un-ported barrel. I bought it due to an amazing used price in a Gander Mountain retail store.
It had been purchased new, the buyer had booked an archery Brown Bear hunt in Kodiak, Alaska and then he lost his IBM job, canceled the hunt, forfeited his hunting guide deposit,
and sold it/traded back in at a Gander Mountain store nearby my former location. I was friends with the Gun Department Manager.
Gander Mountain mistakenly put it out in the used handguns glass case for $400 which is likely what they gave the former owner on trade in.

I sold it a decade later when I was able to triple my investment, and had no purpose for it other than a range toy.
It was not very much fun to shoot, except with significantly reduced handloads. A 440 grain hard cast projectile/gas check and a "pinch" of Trail Boss powder, you could see the
sunlight reflect off of the base of the projectile/gas check while in flight if the sun was behind the shooter. Those reloads you could shoot all day, if your wallet was fat enough.

Beauty & the Beast 002 by cee_Kamp 32ACP, on Flickr

I still have the T/C Encore pistol chambered in 30-06 and use it occasionally for deer hunting, but more frequently use it with the muzzleloader 209 x 50 barrel. Fifty cal. and 209 shotgun primers.
It also was purchased for the dedicated purpose of legally circumventing the shotgun/slugs ancient regulation.
It was purchased as a pistol frame, and a separate transaction for the Fox Ridge Outfitters Custom Shop air gauged barrel which will routinely group five shots under an inch at 100 yards bench rested.
The factory "porting" on the Fox Ridge custom shop barrel really "barks" and has removed sheets of steel roofing material before from a covered range firing point due to the insane muzzle blast.
If there ever was a handgun where using ear plugs and muffs was required, this one is it.
Fox Ridge was the factory Custom Shop for Thompson Center back then.

Guns 003 by cee_Kamp 32ACP, on Flickr

Here's the same T/C Encore pistol with the muzzleloader barrel.

DSC00099 by cee_Kamp 32ACP, on Flickr

I also had a Remington XP-100 R repeater bolt action pistol chambered in .35 Remington, and sold it to an acquaintance who wanted it more than I did.
It worked well, but as I had/have other specialty pistols/revolvers, it didn't get much usage, and I didn't miss it after selling it.

Cool!

I happened upon a Magnum Research BFR chambered in 460 S&W for $800.

Seemed kinda spendy until the guy said it also came with 498 rounds and a holster.

Two shots was all they got out of it and they said it didn't want to play nice after that.

quote:

Originally posted by rangemaster:
My Linebaugh built .475 has the capacity for as much recoil as you care to experience. So much so that the cylinder pin retaining screw took flight into the oblivion on about my second time out shooting it around 2003.

I sent an email to Linebaugh’s website and about fell over when my phone rang and I was speaking to The Man Himself. (I’m the second owner of this revolver). As a 25 yr old kid I was pretty starstruck to speak to a firearm legend. And he was so kind, pleasant and down to earth. He sent me a complete base pin and screw assembly for free.

I hope he and Mr. Taffin are catching up and sharing some great stories right about now. Rest Easy, both.

Yes, John was a fine gentleman and friend. I have the similar base pin and screw on my .500.
John's son, Dustin, took over his dad's business after John passed. Dustin favored the .475. I saw a magazine photo where Dustin killed a brown bear with his .475 at 200 yards. I have no comment on that.

I developed a flinch just by watching that video.

Brutal, just brutal.

Not my thing, but glad there are people who enjoy those.

I enjoy watching the videos.

Cee_Kamp, those are some awesome hand cannons, and you absolutely stole that .500 snubby! I've handled, but never shot an X-Frame. I can see the utility for a hunting gun, but agree that they're just too darn big for defensive carry. They are definitely cool, though, and I could see myself owning one some day.

Back when Indiana was shotgun only for deer, we had the same exception for handguns. Contenders in .30-06 and .270 were pretty popular. They're not as common in the shops anymore, but I still see them a lot at auctions. I've never shot one of those, either, but I can only imagine the blast and recoil that such a thing would produce!