The idea of “monster handguns” is a tad baffling. I don't really get the idea of something so big, so heavy, that one can't tote it easily — and that isn't a rifle.
I carry a sidearm routinely when out and about my business in the forest and field; a sidearm, to my thinking, should be something that can be carried in a belt holster all day with minimum inconvenience. If you need more punch, pack along a rifle. A handgun should be just that, a handgun, not a pocket rifle. If a sidearm is too heavy or too cumbersome to carry, the temptation is always there to leave it at home or in the truck, meaning you won't have it when you need it.
So when it comes to the idea of the “monster handgun,” well, they leave me a bit cold. I can’t quite see lugging around a monster-sized wheelgun or semi-auto firing the handgun version of the latest Eargesplitten Loudenboomer Magnum round. I had a Desert Eagle in .44 Magnum for a while, but it wasn’t easily carried in a holster – it required a big shoulder rig – and was just too much. Too much flash, too much bang, too much mass, too much everything – it was just too much. Even here in Alaska, that was just too much, especially given that many of our critters are best faced with a rifle.
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With that said, I’m still a big adherent to my grandfather’s bit of wisdom: Every cat its own rat. These monster handguns can be fun to shoot, but as far as practical everyday use? Too big, too heavy, too cumbersome for a sidearm, and yet not quite a rifle. Was I expecting a level of trouble that would require one of these, well, I’d pack along a rifle.
Still, the market seems to be full of these beasts. They pack some impressive power levels, too, with cartridges like the .480 Ruger, the .475 Linebaugh, the .500 S&W, the .454 Casull, and the .460 S&W. The king of these appears to be the .460 S&W, launching a 360-grain bullet at 1,900 feet per second for a whopping 2,885 foot-pounds of muzzle energy. That also rolls up a chamber pressure of 65,000 pounds per square inch (compared to the .45-70 Government’s 28,000,) requiring a big, beefy gun to handle it.
These are rounds that would be great in a short, light carbine, but in a sidearm? The only word one can use to describe any of these is “handful.” It takes – again - a big, heavy piece to make these usable, and that’s the issue: Many of these pieces aren’t suited for all-day belt carry.
Still, they seem to be holding a level of popularity. Here are five of what appears to be (if my brief foray into the world of online auctions is any indicator) the most popular.
First: The Nosler M48 Independence. Sorry, but this isn’t a handgun. You can’t pack this around in a holster. This is a cut-down rifle. I honestly can’t see the point of this kind of thing; it seems like it would be as much trouble to pack around as a rifle, and with that being the case, why not just pack a rifle? It’s bigger and heavier than the one comparable thing that I actually do keep around, that being a Thompson-Center Contender, and honestly, we rarely use that.
Second: The Ruger Super Redhawk. Now this is at least a handgun, well-suited for holster carry, at least in the shorter-barreled versions. Ruger does produce these in some rather sillier versions, with elongated barrels, muzzle brakes, bipods, and so forth. But in the short-barreled trim, it is at least portable, although in some of the calibers offered, it might be a big handful. Add to that the well-earned good reputation Ruger enjoys; I have several Ruger pieces in the safe right now, rifles and handguns both, and I’m fond of the brand.
Third: The Remington 1911 R1 Hunter. This one is out of production now, but still an interesting piece. Loyal sidekick Rat has a Remington 1911 R1 Carry, and it’s a delightful piece; the Hunter is longer, heavier, and can be had with a more powerful round while retaining all the positives of the 1911 pattern. This is more my idea of a sidearm, and the R1 Hunter can be found in the walloping 10mm round, which doesn’t seem too popular these days but which packs almost a .44 Magnum-level punch. And the 1911 pattern – well, damn few weapons have a better history for durability and reliability, and you just can’t beat a John Browning design.
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Fourth: The Magnum Research BFR. Now, this is a perfectly ridiculous object. Chambered in rounds including the .45-70, .30-30, and .500 S&W, this thing weighs as much as a lightweight rifle and has to be an order or two of magnitude more difficult to shoot. If I need that much power, I’ll grab my Marlin 1895G Guide Gun, also in .45-70, but much more manageable – and only a little bit less portable. Side note: There was an outfit back in the day called, if memory serves, Century Arms, that manufactured a .45-70 revolver, but the couple of examples I've handled were of such poor workmanship that, were I to test one, I think I would prefer to pull the trigger with a string while maintaining a safe distance.
Fifth: The Smith & Wesson 460V. Most of what I said about the BFR applies here as well, but the Smith lacks the versatility of chambering in big-punch rifle cartridges, making it even less versatile and no more portable. But it does have the distinction of chucking out the most powerful mass-production revolver cartridge going, and it would make a certain infamous Inspector Callahan look askance at this monster.
Of the five, only two of them are really handguns, and one of those only marginally – depending on what version you buy.
Long-term readers of these Sunday pieces know my preferences in sidearms. My favorite is my big Smith & Wesson 25-5, mid-Seventies vintage, .45 Colt. This great piece (along with the .45 Colt Vaquero, also pictured) can be easily packed in a belt holster all day, and packs enough punch for most jobs you’d ask of a sidearm. My favored load is a 255-grain hard cast Keith-type slug over 8 grains of Unique – do not try that load in an old Single Action Army, Colt New Service, or anything but a modern revolver – and that will blow through a railroad tie or, from personal experience, lengthwise a big Iowa farm-country whitetail.
That’s enough handgun for just about anything. If you need more whoop than that, best to take a rifle.
