Welcome to John Linebaugh's Custom Sixguns -

We are a sixgun shop dedicated to the serious old school sixgunner. Our theories follow those of Elmer Keith and John (Pondora) Taylor of African Fame which was major caliber and simplicity. We do not believe in gimmicks or gadgets. Just the man and his gun working together We believe in big bore sixguns because the only constants we have in external ballistics are bullet weight and caliber. Velocity is a constantly diminishing variable. A sixgun simply cannot generate enough velocity to shock animals down like the big rifles can. A sixgun is a long-range punch press. The bigger the caliber and the heavier the slug the deeper and bigger the hole we can punch in our target

Rugers. like Colts are plagued with oversize chambers that have come from the black powder era and poor tolerance standards in modern industry. By taking a new Ruger in say a 44 magnum caliber: we rechamber it using our custom reamers to tight 45 Colt specs. Standard SAMMI specs for .45 Colt is .484 minimum to .489 maximum diameter. Our reamers cut a .480 chamber. Average 45 Colt case dimensions are .476 diameter. Our chamber is standard length. This conversion is approximately 86% as strong as a 44 magnum revolver so offers a 100% safety factor to the 32.000 psi level. With this new "tight" chamber and a special custom slow twist barrel fitted properly you can expect the following velocities with a 5 1/2" barrel and safe "full power" loads:

260 gr. cast	1450 fps	24 KO
310/320 gr. cast	1350 fps	26 KO

In our big 45 Conversion we install a new barrel. a steel ejector rod housing with checkered ejector rod button and an oversize 5 or 6 shot cylinder. These are done on Ruger frames only and we suggest the Bisley model for its superior grip and recoil control either in the Blackhawk model with adjustable sights or the Vaquero Bisley. With a 5 shot cylinder and a 7 1/2' barrel you can expect the following velocities (A 6 shot delivers approx. 100 fps less velocity than a 5 shot)

240-260 gr. JHP	1700 fps	27 Knock Out
260 gr. cast	1750 fps	29 KO
310/320 gr. cast	1600 fps	31 KO
340 gr. cast	1500 fps	32 KO
370 gr. cast	1400 fps	33 KO

The 475 is a true big bore that offers real big bore punch and high velocity in a practical, packable, package. This conversion is done on new Ruger Bisley Revolvers ONLY! We fit a new oversize 5 shot cylinder to the Ruger frame with a true .475 bore barrel. Chambers are cut tight like all our guns for a minimum of brass working. Over-all fit is held to a minimum that still allows guaranteed functioning. Cases for the 475 Linebaugh can be made easily from Winchester brand 45/70 cases. Cut and trimmed to 1 400" long finished length the brass is ready to load and fire after minor expanding. The availability of factory brass and ammo from Buffalo Bore Ammo supercedes this wildcat forming operation. Case life has been excellent with this round despite its 50,000 psi maximum operating pressure. With 7 1/2" barrel you can expect the following velocities

325 gr. LBT cast	1700 fps	37 Knock Out
350 gr. LBT cast	1600 fps	38 KO
400 gr.LBT cast	1500 fps	40 KO
420 gr. LBT cast	1400 fps	39 KO

Accuracy to date with this round has been near 1 1/2" at 25 yards. We have obtained 4" groups at 100 yards with machine rest but do not guarantee this type of accuracy to each gun. This is a fairly violent round, and recoil is heavy and very sharp with top end loads. Gun life is excellent if it's kept tight and oiled on each end of the cylinder. Bare steel on steel will batter and soon loosen a gun. Oil on the ratchet and nose of the cylinder will go a long ways toward insuring a tight gun. Fit, finish and function is guaranteed. Load data is supplied with each gun. Hodgdon Powder Co has full listing of load data for this cartridge in their latest loading manual. H- 110 and W- 296 used exclusively for top end loads. Winchester 231 or Hodgdon HS6 is good for medium and low velocity practice loads. The 475 has proven tops for extreme penetration on Australian and African buffalo, and the African elephant. Few bullets are ever recovered. For the ultimate on big game, this packable package in 475 caliber is tops. Prices start at $1,700.00 on your Ruger Bisley Frame. Any major caliber 357, 41, 44. and 45 caliber handguns will work for any of our conversions

The 500 Linebaugh is the top end of the packable, practical big bore punch in a handgun. True, bigger guns and cartridges can be built. But they are not packable or practical. The 500 with a 7 1/2" barrel is only slightly larger than a Ruger 44 magnum and only a few ounces heavier. In the punch department it's tops. Penetration is excellent and the 475 is the only revolver we have tested that will beat it. For "soft skinned" game it is unparalleled. The 500 is built exclusively on the Ruger Bisley and with a 7 1/2" barrel, you can expect the following velocities:

350 gr. LBT cast	1450 fps	36 Knock Out
410 gr. LBT cast	1350 fps	39 KO
450 gr. LBT cast	1300 fps	41 KO

The 500 is a mid 30,000 psi gun. Gun/Case life has been excellent. Case life is excellent with many cases being reloaded over 40 times. The .512" diameter lube size dies are available from RCBS. Accuracy to date has been excellent with many guns shooting near 1" at 25 yards out of our hands. Machine rest accuracy has given us under 3" at 100 yards. Again, we don't guarantee every gun to shoot this good. Load data supplied with each gun. Prices on the 500 start at $1,700 00 for an all blue gun on your Ruger Bisley Frame. Like all of our conversions, built to your satisfaction and barrel length of your choice.

These two new calibers were fully written up in the April, 1991 issue of Guns and Ammo by Ross Seyfried. To build these calibers we located 357 MAXIMUM revolvers, fitted these up with Ruger Bisley parts and installed new oversize 5 shot cylinder. The cartridges are duplicate to our standard 475 and 500 Linebaugh, except for length. Overall case length is 1 600 length. Again, cases are made from Winchester brand 45/70 and 348 brass. Regular RCBS forming dies will work for these long cartridges. No neck reaming is necessary. Both caliber's deliver about 150-200 fps greater velocity over the standard cartridges of the same caliber. These two new calibers are truly the ultimate handgun chamberings. All guns will be top quality, fitted with barrel band, steel ejector rod housing and Micarta grips as standard features. Six inch barrel standard. Prices on this model either caliber, start at $2,900.00. Customer provides MAXIMUM frame to build on.

Call for further details on these and other calibers we are currently working on. Formed brass and loaded ammo available for our 475 and 500 caliber hand guns on special request. Customer must provide Maximum frame to build upon.

.445 SuperMag		.458 Linebaugh (Maximum)
250 gr. 2000 fps	330 gr. cast 1700 fps	300 gr. l700 fps	400 gr. cast 1500 fps
6" barrel		6" barrel

Conversion: $3,500.00

The .38-40 is another "old" cartridge much misunderstood, like the .45 Colt, that can be "woken up" in a strong and modern gun. We had Dave Manson grind properly dimensioned minimum reamers to cut properly sized tight chambers for additional strength and safety. Oversized six shot cylinders are fitted behind a properly dimensioned barrel. Bisley parts are recommended for best shooting control along with Dustin Linebaugh custom grips.

Many will claim, as they did with the .45 Colt, that the case is weak and will not handle the high pressures. 20 years of steady use in our custom revolvers has proven the .45 Colt is amply safe to any reasonable pressure. The 38-40 is an excellent choice for a light game cartridge without the heavy recoil.

Conversion: Price to be announced - please call or check back here for further information

To date we have built over 600 custom sixguns and our products at this time are the best yet. Each sixgun is completely rebuilt throughout. Metal work is standard. Heavy duty Wolff mainsprings are used in every gun. Every action is tightened, aligned, and blocked. Trigger pulls adjusted to minimum amount of creep and let off with insured safety. Grips recontoured and base pin set screw standard in each model. Front sight squared and thinned to 1/10" width. A steel ejector rod housing with checkered ejector rod button is also included. All models have free wheel loading system. This means the cylinder will rotate in either direction silently. Deep blue finish. All Linebaugh sixguns carry a lifetime guarantee.

Dustin Linebaugh is our exclusive custom grip maker. His familiarity with the balance and recoil levels of our custom revolvers gives him a hands-on edge of how perfectly designed grips should be made and feel. If you want custom grips on one of our custom revolvers, place your order through us. If you simply want a pair of custom grips for that favorite old sixgun of yours, contact Dustin Linebaugh direct at: www.dustinlinebaugh.com

Barrel band front sight 5 1/2" barrels only	$300.00
Custom Ivory, Micarta & Fancy Walnut Grips by Dustin Linebaugh	$250.00 (and up)
5 1/2" & 7 1/2" standard lengths, any other length	$50.00
Bowen all steel rear sight	$75.00
High polish metal work	$200.00 (start)
Gold bar front sight	$50 plus $25 per bar
Custom personalized engraving / case hardening	Call for quote
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