The Magnum Research BFR is a single-action revolver manufactured by

Magnum Research Magnum Research Inc. (MRI) was an American privately held corporation based in Fridley, Minnesota which manufactured and distributed firearms. The majority owners, Jim Skildum (President and CEO) and John Risdall (Chairman, COO), had been with t ...

. Modelled after the

Colt Single Action Army The Colt Single Action Army (also known as the SAA, Model P, Peacemaker, or M1873) is a Trigger (firearms)#Single-action, single-action revolver handgun. It was designed in 1872 for the U.S. government service revolver trials of 1872 by Colt's P ...

, it is made from

stainless steel Stainless steel is an alloy of iron that is resistant to rusting and corrosion. It contains at least 11% chromium and may contain elements such as carbon, other nonmetals and metals to obtain other desired properties. Stainless steel's corros ...

and chambered for a number of very powerful pistol calibers, such as .500 S&W Magnum, as well as several calibers traditionally used in rifles, such as .30-30 WCF,

.450 Marlin The .450 Marlin is a firearms cartridge designed as a modernized equivalent to the .45-70 cartridge. It was designed by a joint team of Marlin and Hornady engineers headed by Hornady's Mitch Mittelstaedt, and was released in 2000, with cartri ...

and

.45-70 Government The .45-70 rifle cartridge, also known as the .45-70 Government, was developed at the U.S. Army's Springfield Armory for use in the Springfield Model 1873, which is known to collectors as the "Trapdoor Springfield." The new cartridge was a rep ...

. The name "BFR" officially is an

acronym An acronym is a word or name formed from the initial components of a longer name or phrase. Acronyms are usually formed from the initial letters of words, as in ''NATO'' (''North Atlantic Treaty Organization''), but sometimes use syllables, as ...

for "Big Frame Revolver", although other meanings such as "Big Finest Revolver", "Biggest, Finest Revolver", and even "Big Fucking Revolver" have also been used.

Available cartridges

The BFR comes in two basic models, one with a long cylinder for larger rifle cartridges, and one with a more traditional revolver cylinder length (called "short" by Magnum Research). Some models that use identical bores, such as the .45/70 and .450 Marlin, can be made with two cylinders for the same gun. These revolvers were originally made by D-MAX in

Springfield, South Dakota Springfield is a city in Bon Homme County, South Dakota, United States. The population was 1,914 at the 2020 census. As of 2012, about 1,200 of the residents were inmates at Mike Durfee State Prison. Springfield was named on account of there b ...

, until Magnum Research bought them out.

Long cylinder

.30-30 Winchester The .30-30 Winchester/.30 Winchester Center Fire cartridge was first marketed in 1895 for the Winchester Model 1894 lever-action rifle..38-55 Winchester The .38-55 Winchester cartridge (actually .3775 caliber), also known as .38-55 WCF and .38-55 Ballard, was introduced in 1876 by Ballard. It was used by Marlin Firearms from 1875 on for various single-shot target rifles and their 1893 lever-acti ...

(Precision Center Custom Caliber) *

.375 Winchester The .375 Winchester is a modernized version of the .38-55 Winchester, a black powder cartridge from 1884. It was introduced in 1978 along with the Winchester Model 94 “Big Bore” lever action rifle, which was in production from 1978 until ...

(Precision Center Custom Caliber) *

.444 Marlin The .444 Marlin (10.9×57mmR) is a rifle cartridge designed in 1964 by Marlin Firearms and Remington Arms. It was designed to fill in a gap left by the older .45-70 when that cartridge was not available in any new lever-action rifles; at the ...

(Precision Center Custom Caliber) *

.45 Colt The .45 Colt (11.43×33mmR), is a rimmed, straight-walled, handgun cartridge dating to 1872. It was originally a black-powder revolver round developed for the Colt Single Action Army revolver. This cartridge was adopted by the U.S. Army in 1 ...

.410 The .410 bore is one of the smallest caliber of shotgun shell commonly available (along with the 9mm Flobert rimfire cartridge, and the less common .22 rimfire shot shell). A .410 bore shotgun loaded with shot shells is well suited for small ...

(Production Caliber)(Not available in

California California is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States, located along the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the List of states and territori ...

due to legal restrictions) *

(Production Caliber) * .45-90 Winchester (Precision Center Custom Caliber) *

(Precision Center Custom Caliber) * .460 S&W Magnum (Production Caliber) * .500 S&W Magnum (Production Caliber) *

.50 Beowulf The .50 Beowulf is a 12mm caliber rifle cartridge developed by Bill Alexander of Alexander Arms for use in an AR-15 rifle. Design and specifications The cartridge utilizes a rebated rim, sized to match the rim of the 6.5mm Grendel round. The ...

(Precision Center Custom Caliber) *

.500 Bushwhacker The .500 Bushwhacker is a .50 caliber semi-rimmed revolver cartridge developed by TII Armory for the Magnum Research BFR revolvers. It is currently the most powerful revolver cartridge in the world, offering a similar level of ballistic performa ...

(Custom conversion with

muzzle brake A muzzle brake or recoil compensator is a device connected to, or a feature integral to the construction of, the muzzle or barrel of a firearm or cannon that is intended to redirect a portion of propellant gases to counter recoil and unwanted ...

)

Short cylinder

* .22 Hornet (Precision Center Custom Caliber) (discontinued) *

.218 Bee The .218 Bee is a .22 caliber centerfire rifle cartridge designed for varmint hunting by Winchester in 1937. The cartridge was originally chambered in the Winchester Model 65 lever-action rifles, which may have ultimately led to its lack of po ...

(Precision Center Custom Caliber) (discontinued) * .44 Remington Magnum (Production Caliber) *

.454 Casull The .454 Casull () is a firearm cartridge, developed as a wildcat cartridge in 1958 by Dick Casull, Duane Marsh and Jack Fullmer. It was announced in November 1959 by ''Guns & Ammo'' magazine. The design is a lengthened and structurally improve ...

(Production Caliber) *

.480 Ruger The .480 Ruger (12.1×33mmR) is a large, high-power revolver cartridge, introduced in 2003 by Ruger and Hornady. It was the first new cartridge introduced by Ruger, and when introduced, was the largest-diameter production revolver cartridge, at ...

.475 Linebaugh The .475 Linebaugh is a rimmed revolver cartridge developed by John Linebaugh in the late 1980s in response to the scarcity of the .348 Winchester brass required to form his .500 Linebaugh cartridge. The cartridge is based on the .45-70 Governm ...

(Precision Center Custom Caliber) *

.50 GI The .50 GI (12.7×23mmRB) pistol cartridge was developed by Alex Zimmermann of Guncrafter Industries. The .50 GI was introduced at the 2004 SHOT Show alongside the Guncrafter Industries Model No. 1, a variation of the M1911. The round has a ...

(Precision Center Custom Caliber) *

.50 Action Express The .50 Action Express (AE, 12.7×33mmRB) is a large- caliber handgun cartridge, best known for its usage in the Desert Eagle. Developed in 1988 by American Evan Whildin of Action Arms, the .50 AE is one of the most powerful pistol cartridge ...

(Precision Center Custom Caliber) * .500 JRH (Precision Center Custom Caliber)

Gallery

File:Magnum Research BFR, .44 Magnum, Bisely.jpg, Magnum Research BFR in .44 Magnum, with Bisley grips. File:BFR, .50, Revolver.jpg, Magnum Research BFR in .50 AE. File:BFR 30-30, Revolver for Article.jpg, A Magnum Research BFR in .30-30 WCF. File:Wikipedia BFR 30-30.jpg, A .30-30 WCF cartridge being loaded into a BFR.

References

External links

* {{official, https://www.magnumresearch.com/bfr-biggest-finest-revolver/
Owner's Manual

BFR Handbook
.44 Magnum firearms .50 caliber handguns Magnum Research revolvers Revolvers of the United States

Available cartridges

Long cylinder

Short cylinder

Gallery

See also

References

External links