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Field Ethos
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By Chad Adams
I got hazed. There’s no other way to say it. And since we defunded HR around here, there was no help coming. You see, even though I’ve been with FE for a year—and working in this industry forever—the crew still FNG’d me hard during a recent range trip, making me blast away with the Magnum Research BFR in .45-70.
Goaded in front of everyone, and since I wasn’t going out like a punk, I grabbed the big, honking large-cylinder behemoth and approached the firing line, sliding in the massive shells as I went. And yes, I knew exactly what was coming. But hell with it—full send.
The first shot wasn’t too bad. By the third shot though, my grip had completely deteriorated to the point the revolver nearly came back and hit me in the head. That’s more my fault than the actual ability of anyone to handle this rig. My saving grace was losing count and pulling the trigger on an empty cylinder at the end—miraculously without a flinch. Only that bit of fundamentals sort of made up for some embarrassingly weak grip in the middle of the volley. I think I actually hit the steel target a few feet away, but who would know over the booming sound of that hand cannon going off.
Magnum Research’s Biggest Finest Revolver
Ok, enough hyperbole; y’all get the point. The BFR, short for “Biggest Finest Revolver” (even though you know we say otherwise on that middle letter), is a legit bombproof revolver built from the ground up to handle magnum cartridges. This is a hunting machine designed to sling large cast lead or jacketed bullets at big, toothy creatures.
The BFR chambers multiple cartridges/calibers across two frame sizes, comprising the most powerful production single-action revolver on the market. Short Cylinder options include .357 Magnum, .44 Magnum, .454 Casull, .480/.475 Linebaugh, .500 JRH and .500 Linebaugh. Long Cylinder guns chamber .30-30 Winchester, .350 Legend, .360 Buckhammer, .444 Marlin, .450 Marlin, .45 LC/.410, .45-70, .460 S&W Magnum, or .500 S&W Magnum. Short Cylinder variants offer barrel options from 5, 6.5 or 7.5 inches, making this smaller gun much more versatile in terms of woods carry and the like. The Large Cylinder comes with either a 7.5- or 10-inch barrel, more specific to hunting.
The cowardly crew huddles ’round to witness the author’s extreme bravery.
An all-stainless construction with a precision-grade barrel, the BRF is a straight killer of everything from small game to the coastal grizzly.
Magnum Research also offers a really cool custom online builder, enabling full design control on finish, cylinder options, grips, caliber and more. But you will have a hard time outbuilding the FE x Magnum Research BFR collab gun—topped with an ACRO and sporting incredible walnut grips, this build comprises big-bore perfection.
Dropping the Hammer
Despite my range day description, I actually like the BFR, even in .45-70. In .44 Magnum, much like my S&W PC 629, the BFR would be a delight to shoot. To truly turn it into a premium hunting rig in any caliber, top it with a scope, swap out to some Hogue grips and train to shoot it off sticks. Now you’re really in business to take on large game with a unique hunting platform.
So, did any of my hard-charging colleagues go full send with the BFR like me? Oh, you betcha—they were all over the Short Cylinder in .44 Rem Mag. Cowards all … if we ever reinstitute HR, that’s my truth as I’ll report it.
Price: Retail starts at $1,455 (configurations vary).
Pros: When you absolutely want to destroy something big with a handgun, the BFR gets it done. With loads of different chamberings, you can really dial this in for your recoil preferences and game pursuits. I’ve shot several BFRs over the years—never, ever disappointed by the premium build.
Cons: The recoil on the big bangers can truly suck—there’s no getting around that. I’d also like to see a non-custom shop version fully equipped with a long-eye-relief scope, better grips and holster rig—a fully hunt-ready package.
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