Years ago, I was at an outdoor defensive pistol shooting class with a colorful native Texan instructor conducting the exercises. As we lined up, sweating in the unforgiving summer sun, he said something along the lines of, “Now, when you hear that signal, I want you to haul them smoke wagons, fast as you can, and get to work!” In the years since, “smoke wagon” has stuck with me. His use of the term then made me smile! Later, I would learn that it’s a bit of Old West slang for the Colt 1873 Single Action Army revolver, which is among the most iconic handguns ever developed.

Somewhere along the way, probably when I started ramping up my research into trail-to-town guns, a question came to mind. If a full-size, big-bore, single-action wheelgun is a smoke wagon, then what kind of moniker could be affixed to the same type of revolver that’s been trimmed down or fitted with a short barrel? The name that came to mind was “Thunder Buggy.” And for better or for worse, this made me smile too! I’ve been looking for the right revolver to apply it to ever since.

Each BFR is assembled to exacting tolerances whether it’s a ‘stock’ model or a custom order.

At the 2023 SHOT Show in Las Vegas, Nev., I had a chance to visit with the good folks at the Magnum Research booth to talk shop. In the course of conversation, they let me know that the 2020 review of the .45-70 Gov’t. BFR “Thunder Snub,” and the subsequent ballistic gel test, had contributed to an uptick in short-barrel BFR sales. Those tests were, and still are, among my favorite projects.

But we agreed that the Thunder Snub only scratched the surface of the features, chamberings and finish options currently available to single-action enthusiasts through the company’s Custom BFR Builder website. The .45-70 Gov’t. is just one of cartridges this gun can be chambered in, and, more recently, new finish options are now available, including case coloring and black nitride. So we made a plan to build a second factory custom 3″ barrel BFR. The project was shelved for a while, and then it took some time for the gun to be crafted. But the plan has finally come to fruition. This evaluation takes a closer look at the one-of-a-kind custom BFR 460 “Thunder Buggy” revolver package.

This is how the revolver appeared at the factory before the additional polishing and nitride finish.

In past years, I’ve worked with Jim Tertin on various BFR-related projects. He has since retired, and we wish him well. These days, Brett Pikula is at the helm of the company’s custom BFR workshop. As production manager and a master gunsmith, he worked his magic on the Thunder Snub project, so I was very pleased to have him on board for the Thunder Buggy. He’s been crafting guns with Magnum research for 23 years, and last year, he was inducted into The Shootists. This prestigious organization only invites the world’s most accomplished shooters and gunsmiths to become members. It’s a real pleasure to experience the results of his work firsthand.

This is the completed revolver with the antiqued finish and a set of Hogue smooth walnut grips.

The single-action, stainless-steel BFR series of revolvers feature free-wheeling cylinders, right-side loading gates, a transfer bar safety system and frame-mounted firing pins. The sighting system consists of a removable ramp front sight paired with a fully adjustable square-notch rear sight. The top strap is drilled and tapped for an aluminum optics rail that ships with the revolver. In this case, the rail was given a black finish to better match that of the frame.

This particular package arrived with a special order, black optics rail, additional front sights of different heights, a pair of cylinders and two sets of fitted grip panels.

This revolver and cylinder set has a special custom finish, one that’s not listed on the website. Brett sent me a picture of one of his guns finished this way, and I was completely sold. In this case, the entire gun and both cylinders have been “antiqued.” The process involves a higher degree of polishing for the components. These parts are then treated with a black nitriding process. The result is a finish that looks like a polished bluing. The final step is to distress the finish at key points with more polishing to create the appearance of a blued gun with holster wear. The result is amazing! It’s subtle, but eye-catching. The photos don’t really do it justice. However, the antiquing process is labor-intensive, which translates to an added expense. Brett let me know that, going forward, they will probably charge around $350 for the extra polishing (before nitriding) and an additional $350 for the antiquing (distressed nitride finish).

Switching the stocks and cylinder noticeably changes this revolver’s cosmetics.

When selecting features online, folks can choose from 5″ to 10″ barrels in the regular menu. The company has added a “C” button, or “Custom Barrel Length,” for any barrels shorter than 5″. This is because an ejector assembly will have to be omitted from the gun. However, the ejector rod port is left on the frame to serve as a guide. A manual ejector rod was not provided (I hope they’ll start including them in the future) but a .22-cal. cleaning rod did the trick when it came time to poke spent cartridge casings out of the chambers.

A snubby 3″ barrel was selected once again because it looks great and balances nicely with the proportions of the Long Cylinder frame. In this case it’s a round profile, straight-fluted barrel with a recessed crown. The cylinder pin is of the standard variety with a rounded, grooved head that is secured to the frame via a single standard screw.

Brett Pikula’s maker’s mark is engraved into both sides of the grip frame.

The primary cartridge selected for this gun is the impressively potent .460 S&W Mag. The chamber markings are engraved in flowing script along the right side of the frame. The left side of the frame is engraved “460 THUNDER BUGGY.” The underside of the frame, in front of the trigger guard, displays the serial number, model and the words “Magnum Research Inc. Pillager, MN.” The cylinder for this caliber is of the traditional fluted variety. Paired with a set of Hogue smooth walnut grips mounted to the Bisley style grip frame, it gives the revolver more of an Old West appearance.

This revolver’s primary chambering, .460 S&W Mag. is displayed on the right side of the frame.

As mentioned in previous evaluations, the BFRs can be multi-cartridge guns, depending on the primary caliber selected. In this case, the bullet size and rifling twist-rate of the .460 S&W Mag. allow for a second cylinder chambered in .450 Bushmaster. This cylinder has the company’s SAF profile with flattened pentagonal sides and oval indentations behind the bolt notches. Installing this cylinder along with a set of Hogue faux ivory grips gives the gun more of a sci-fi blaster look, which I like as well.

The rounded 3″ barrel is fluted and topped off with a removable ramp sight.

There may be some concerns about unintentionally loading the wrong cartridges into a given cylinder since they are similar in size; headspacing is based off of the cartridge rim in typical revolver fashion. Looking at the rear of that cylinder one can see the cutouts for the cartridge rims. However, the .450 Bushmaster is a rimless semi-automatic rifle round that is headspaced at the cartridge mouth. This means there are no rim rings at the tops of that cylinder’s chambers. But out of curiosity, with the cylinders removed from the frame, I loaded each with four correct cartridges and one miss-matched round to see what would happen. The .460 S&W cartridge protruded 0.10″ from the .450 Bushmaster cylinder while the .450 Bushmaster cartridge jutted out 0.95″ from the .460 S&W cylinder. Either way, the cylinders are not going to rotate properly, nor will the gun fire, with the cartridges switched.

The fluted .460 S&W Mag. cylinder (l.) compared to the SAF-style .450 Bushmaster cylinder (r.).

A square profile trigger guard houses a smooth faced, steel trigger. Since this is a single-action revolver, and the hammer must be manually cocked for each shot fired; the hammer’s spur is serrated for improved purchase. A custom-tuned trigger-pull is part of the BFR package. With the hammer cocked, this particular revolver’s trigger exhibits about a 1/16″ arch of travel, a crisp, clean break and a trigger pull of just 2 lbs., 14 ozs.

As shown here, mixing up the ammunition and cylinders will prevent the cylinders from rotating properly in the BFR’s frame. 

At the shooting range, I had an opportunity to use a new-for-2024 Hyskore A-frame style shooting rest (#30327; $90). This simple triangular rest comes with a padded steel yoke, a strapped leather sand bag, a bubble level and three height-adjustable rubber feet. With big-bore revolvers like this one, it provides secure support without anything getting in the way of the gun rolling back due to stout levels of recoil.

When shooting the Thunder Snub revolver, the venerable .45-70 Gov’t. cartridge is available in a variety of loads ranging from blackpowder equivalents up to dinosaur fighter powerhouse rounds. This allows for a range of recoil levels. This is due in part to the .45-70 Gov’t. operating at relatively sedate pressure levels by modern cartridge standards, as shown in the following Sporting Arms and Ammunition Manufacturers’ Institute, Inc. (SAAMI) standard maximum average pressure (MAP) comparison table:

The recoil generated by the relatively slow, but heavy, .45-70 Gov’t. bullets launched from a 3″ barrel was anything but subtle. There were loads that produced some of the most intense recoil I had encountered in my handgun shooting endeavors to that point. However, the .450 Bushmaster’s potential pressure levels are 27 percent higher, and the .460 S&W Mag. operates at close to 57 percent more. So it was not surprising that, even though the bullets were in the significantly lighter 250- to 300-grain range, the felt recoil was right up there in the intense range.

This Hyskore A-frame and sandbag rest was an ideal fit for testing this hard-kicking wheel gun. 

In other words, using this revolver for an extended shooting session was a real workout. The .460 S&W Mag. is designed specifically for use in revolvers, so it kept more of its bullet energy when fired through the 3″ barrel. Of the two, the .450 Bushmaster was the softer shooter. However it generated an impressive muzzle flash. So much so, that I had folks ask me what I was shooting over there! Formal bench rested accuracy was conducted in the same manner for the Thunder Buggy as the Thunder Snub, namely, bench rested five-shot groups fired at 25 yards using the revolver’s iron sights. Two .460 S&W Mag. hunting rounds were provided by Federal Premium and Underwood Ammo while the pair of .450 Bushmaster loads were manufactured by Hornady and Remington. A Garmin Xero C1 Pro chronograph was used to track the bullet velocities. Here are the performance results:

As is most often the case, firing these types of ammunition through a snubby revolver resulted in a notable drop in bullet muzzle velocity and energy when compared to those listed by the manufacturers. The .460 S&W Mag. loads lost the least with a drop in bullet energy of between 12 and 24 percent of their listed bullet energy. The .450 Bushmaster rounds dropped a good deal more, with energy losses of 51 to 52 percent. That being said, useful levels of bullet energy are still present, making this short-barrel single action more than just a fancied-up range toy.

The overall the levels of felt recoil generated by this revolver and ammunition combination stayed in the intense range throughout the course of testing.

I’ve been working with Magnum Research BFR revolvers for over a decade now, and I continue to be impressed with their quality and craftsmanship. These guns are not cheap. But for those who want more from a single-action revolver or to shoot less conventional ammunition from them, the BFRs are hard to beat.

The custom 460 Thunder Buggy turned out even better than I hoped it would. But the best thing about it is that readers can buy one just like it if they want to, but they don’t have to. If the features and calibers shown here are not what you have in mind, then use the Magnum Research website to mix and match until you get the revolver you’re looking for. If you have questions, then give the company a call, and the staff will answer them. Just plan on an 8- to 12-month lead time depending on the features selected. For more information, visit magnumresearchcustoms.com.

Magnum Research Custom BFR 460 “Thunder Buggy” Specifications:
Manufacturer: Magnum Research, Inc., 12602 33rd Avenue SW, Pillager, MN 56473; 218-746-4597; magnumresearch.com
Action Type: single-action revolver
Chambering: .460 S&W, primary cylinder; .450 Bushmaster, second cylinder
Barrel: 3″
Frame: polished stainless steel, distressed black Nitride finish
Rifling: six-groove, 1:16″ RH-twist
Cylinder Capacity: five
Sights: removable ramped front, fully adjustable square-notch rear
Trigger: single-action,  2-lb., 14-oz. pull
Overall Length: 10″
Height: 5.75″ (measured from top strap)
Width: 1.785″ (cylinder)
Weight: 54.9 ozs. (unloaded)
Accessories: owner’s manual, foam-lined  box, two cylinders, two grip sets, two additional front sights, trigger lock

Article by B. Gil Horman

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