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Thread: Top 10 Ridiculously Huge Handguns

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    Guns Network Lifetime Membership 01/2011 old Grump's Avatar

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    Top 10 Ridiculously Huge Handguns

    10. Smith & Wesson .44 Magnum Revolver (Dirty Harry’s gun)
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    True or False: The “giant handgun” craze began with the Dirty Harry movie series. The answer: False. Harry’s use of the outrageously chambered .44 Magnum revolver was widely popularized, leading to the sales of countless Smith & Wesson and other spin-off model .44s. Action sequences in the movie depict bad guys flying backward through windows or spinning in circles before landing flat on the ground after being struck by Harry’s “badass .44.” The simple fact of the matter is that no projectile, short of a 20mm cannon or .50 cal BMG, will cause the human body to fly backwards through the air or even change direction to a noticeable degree. Despite its famed impracticality, the .44 Magnum was not the first oversized revolver and it would certainly not be the last.


    On the list wrongly in my opinion is the S&W 29 in 44 mag. Seems to be just about the right size to my way of thinking.



    9. Desert Eagle .45 Long Colt / .410 Shotgun Load Pistol
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    Somewhere along the line weapons engineers realized that if a shotgun and a pistol got married, they would produce a baby that looked like it was on steroids and who could hold a .410 shotgun shell or a .45 long Colt pistol round. The results were variants on the classic Long Colt revolver like Taurus’ “The Judge” and Desert Eagle’s “.410/.45 Long Colt” revolvers. While the .410 shotgun shell theory has tested well in close quarters scenarios, it is not highly recommended for anyone attempting to engage a target at over, say, fifteen feet. The shotgun blast, since it is spun by the rifling of the pistol barrel, will fly in a circular pattern and spread to the size of a small car after 15 or more yards. Not only will you risk missing your target, you will risk hitting other targets that may not have been targets in the first place.


    8. Desert Eagle .50 Caliber Handgun
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    This baby is quite unique. The Desert Eagle .50 cal. is one of the largest (if not the largest) magazine-fed handguns in the world. Developed for use in the Israel’s military, the .50 caliber projectile packs a massive punch that will tear apart any human target. The gun looks incredibly modern and “sexy” (as some would describe it), thus increasing its popularity amongst gangsters, young people, and crime bosses. The Desert Eagle brand, although they create a multitude of other pistols, has become synonymous to meaning “fifty caliber handgun,” and when a person refers to a “Dezzy” you can bet they mean the .50 cal.


    7. Smith & Wesson Model 460XVR Compensated Hunter
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    Leave it to the hunters to begin making a series of firearms to dwarf anything else on the U.S. production schedule. These moose killing, beer drinking, moonshine stilling, happy-go-lucky animal hunters needed a revolver that would penetrate dense brush, foliage, even small trees, and still bring down a grizzly bear. A 5-shot-wonder, the 460XVR, as its name suggests, will compensate for the hunter’s package size and allow a brief moment of glory in the field comparable only to dropping an atomic bomb.


    6. Smith & Wesson 500 Magnum
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    Read the piece about the 460XVR and imagine adding .04 calibers to the diameter of the round and pinching more powder into the larger cartridge. I once witnessed this projectile strike a deck of Bicycle poker cards at 25 yards. The deck of cards literally, and I mean literally, disintegrated into the air.


    5. .50 Caliber Black Powder Wheel Lock Pistol
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    The .50 caliber flintlock or hammerlock pistols date back hundreds and hundreds of years. The need for the .50 caliber chambering was due to the production standards of the day. A .50 caliber round is exactly one half inch in diameter, making it easy to measure and reproduce accurately by any weapon or ammunition manufacturer. Back in those fabled times, little clamps were produced in the shapes of this common load, meaning that any regular metallurgist could melt down a block of lead or steel and create a projectile for his weapon. It was as easy as using a modern day hole punch. Couple this easy-to-replicate ball projectile (this is not a pointed bullet, rather a ball which is not rifled) with the fact that you can put a whole heck of a lot of black powder behind it, and you have created a weapon which can take down a horse—much less a man—with relative ease. But remember, you only get one shot, and that one shot is not going to be accurate beyond 15 yards and will severely decelerate beyond this distance. Why would you want one for self defense? You wouldn’t. Regardless, they are highly prized collector’s items.


    4. Colt 45-70 Peacemaker
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    At some point during the 1970s some genius was under the impression that the .45 caliber Colt Peacemaker (John Wayne’s gun of choice) did not “have enough stopping power.” How anyone could arrive at this conclusion is beyond sane reasoning, given that discharging the standard .45 caliber load feels akin to slapping a brick wall. American engineering, however, devised a way to make this gun even larger and more powerful. Thus, the 45-70 load, originally developed for use in an infantry and/or “buffalo” rifle, was introduced into the sphere of modern day handguns.


    3. Magnum Research 45-70 Government Hand Cannon
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    Despite what some people will tell you, there are variants on the standard 45-70 government load. Some feel like a jackhammer, while others feel like you’ve pulled the pin on a grenade and forgot to let go. The “Hand Cannon” delivers that good old “grenade-in your-hand” feeling. It is a weapon that should not be fired by the unsuspecting individual, or anyone for that matter. It is utterly beyond practicality in every sense of the word. Certain models measure over two feet in length and are impossible to wield (safely or effectively) with one arm


    2. WTS .50 BMG (Browning Machine gun Cartridge) Pistol
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    Beyond all reasonable doubt, this is the largest and most formidable handgun you could ever actually wield in a gunfight. Following in the footsteps of Hitler’s obsession with giant railroad cannons, the Germans are still producing the biggest, most outlandish crap on the market today. The .50 Browning Machinegun cartridge was designed for use against tanks, airplanes, armored personnel carriers, and in some cases it may be used by high-powered sniper rifles. It is more than twice as powerful as the fabled 45-70 government round, and one can only imagine that shooting it in a pistol format would be painful, unwieldy, and quite hazardous for everyone involved. If a soft target is hit with a .50 caliber BMG bullet, it will be shredded/exploded into pieces. The gargantuan .50 caliber death-monster projectile can fly at a breakneck speed for miles, even after penetrating one or two targets. Discharging it at your common household thief is ill advised… unless you don’t mind the possibility of inadvertently pegging one of your neighbors. Would someone be scared of it? Yes. Would they run away? Yes. Would you be able to use your right hand to jot down the grocery list post-firing? Doubtful.


    1. Pfeifer Zeliska 28mm Revolver
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    The biggest, most worthless manifestation of an inferiority complex ever created by one man. Originally manufactured under the name “Remington Model 1859,” this copy of the formerly U.S.-made revolver was built by Ryszard Tobys and measures 4-foot-(1.26 m) long. To give some basis for comparison, the 28mm projectile is 8mm wider than the U.S. military’s fabled “20mm Cannon,” a weapon used primarily for destroying tanks, sinking boats, or shooting down heavily armored airplanes. While entirely impractical and, one would guess, impossible to use as an even mildly effective tool for any purpose other than felling trees, the 28mm revolver has made its mark as truly being the world’s largest pistol. And simultaneously the world’s most comical waste of lead.


    http://www.toptenz.net/top-10-huge-p...l-firearms.php
    Okay, I am thinking this guy isn't really into guns, some of those listed I would not have put on this list. But then I am sort of a bigger is better kind of guy so I may be biased. Subtract and add to the list as your little heart desires and lets pic apart each others choices. On my list I would have included the gun that never was 'Colt Buntline Special' supposedly specially made and presented to western lawmen but no record of them being made can be found. Since then variations ranging from 10" to 16" have been made in 45 colt and to me they are ridiculously huge.

    On the list wrongly is the S&W M29 in 44 magnum. Seems to me its just about perfect for its caliber and I find the caliber quite practical, pleasing and entertaining.
    Last edited by old Grump; 03-17-2012 at 09:00 PM.

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    Team Gunsnet Platinum 06/2016 ltorlo64's Avatar

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    Anything greater than a .44 mag, I think. This does not mean that I don't think they should be made or that other people should not own them if they wish. I just think they are too big for anything that I would want a handgun for, so I won't be buying one.
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    Senior Member btcave's Avatar

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    My friend Paul had one in .444 Marlin, to complement his rifle of the same caliber. It may have been one of those Magnum Research onse.
    Trying to get on the no fly list, one post at a time.

  4. #4
    Guns Network Contributor 11/2011 insider's Avatar

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    Anything bigger than a .44 magnum is a waste, you might as well get a rifle.
    I sold all my guns and ammo, now I live the quiet retired life.

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    Moderator & Team Gunsnet Platinum 07/2011 O.S.O.K.'s Avatar

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    Quote Originally Posted by insider View Post
    Anything bigger than a .44 magnum is a waste, you might as well get a rifle.
    Other than calibers like 480 Ruger and hot loaded 45 Colt, I agree. 454 Casull is where the line is drawn IMHO.
    ~Nemo me impune lacessit~




  6. #6
    Senior Member raxar's Avatar

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    Quote Originally Posted by insider View Post
    Anything bigger than a .44 magnum is a waste, you might as well get a rifle.
    I disagree, this thing is a pussy cat


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    Member Tracy's Avatar

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    Red face

    I almost bought a Desert Eagle .357 once. However, it is a very big gun and I'm a small man and it would have looked more like an AK hanging on me. I decided to just keep my S&W 9 mm.

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    No rast gasser montenegren??

  9. #9
    Guns Network Lifetime Membership 01/2011 old Grump's Avatar

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    Quote Originally Posted by studmuffin View Post
    No rast gasser montenegren??
    What are you talking about?

    Roman Catholic, Life Member of American Legion, VFW, Wisconsin Libertarian party, Wi-FORCE, WGO, NRA, JPFO, GOA, SAF and CCRKBA


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  10. #10
    Team Gunsnet SILVER 05/2012 deth502's Avatar

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    id never want to buy one, but id love to shoot that 50 bmg pistol... once.

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