Sometimes, you just have to go big or go home.
Handgun technology has evolved rapidly over the past seventy or so years, and a major part of this evolution has been the advancement in the sheer size and power of pistol calibers and the guns that go with it.
Every few years, it always seems there’s a new ‘hand cannon’ out that’s meant to be bigger than the one that came before it. But while these massive handguns may initially seem like nothing more than attempts by gun manufacturers to show off, the truth is they serve a very crucial role in today’s world.
That role is as a hunting weapon or as defense against some of the largest and most aggressive big game animals on the planet. In the 1800s, hunters routinely carried the ‘Howdah pistol,’ a colloquial term for handguns with two to four barrels that fired the largest calibers at the time and were ideal for defense in close encounters against wild game.
These modern day semi-automatic pistols and revolvers that also fire massive calibers can be thought of as modern day Howdah pistols in a way. If you’re in the market for such a pistol, you’ll be glad to hear you have plenty of options.
Here are the sixteen most powerful handguns ever made:
1 – Smith & Wesson Model 500 .500 S&W Magnum
The Smith & Wesson Model 500 was the first revolver that S&W made for their new X-frame, which was designed exclusively to handle the new .500 S&W Magnum cartridge that was released in 2003. The .500 Magnum is the most powerful production handgun cartridge in the world and can take down any North American big game, and is often used as a hunting or defensive cartridge for African big game as well. The Model 500 is available in a variety of configurations and barrel lengths as well, ranging from 2.75 inches to 10.5 inches.
2 – Taurus Raging Hunter 500 .500 S&W Magnum
Introduced in 2023, the Taurus Raging Hunter in .500 Magnum is one of the chief competitors to the Smith & Wesson Model 500. Available at a more affordable price than the Smith & Wesson, the Raging Hunter comes with a double lock system where there is a cylinder latch both behind and in front of the cylinder for added support. The revolver also comes standard with a ported barrel to reduce muzzle flip, a Picatinny rail over the top of the barrel for adding scopes or red dot sights, and the trademark cushioned grip that is customary on the big Magnum revolvers in the Taurus ‘Raging’ lineup.
3 – Smith & Wesson Model 460 .460 S&W Magnum
In 2005 Smith & Wesson released the Smith & Wesson Model 460 in the new .460 S&W Magnum cartridge. The .460 round is slightly smaller than the .500 S&W Magnum cartridge but offers greater velocity, and is the most powerful .45-caliber round worldwide. The Model 460 also offers more versatility than the Model 500 in that it can also chamber and fire the .454 Casull and .45 Long Colt cartridges. The Model 460 is available in barrel lengths ranging from 2.75 to 8.375 inches.
4 – Taurus Raging Hunter 460 .460 S&W Magnum
Released in 2021 as a lower cost competitor to the Smith & Wesson Model 460, the Taurus Raging Hunter in .460 S&W Magnum can also chamber and fire the .454 Casull and .45 Long Colt rounds. As with the Ranging Hunter 500 it comes with a Picatinny rail over the barrel, ported barrel, double cylinder latches, and a cushioned grip to reduce recoil. The Raging Hunter 460 is available in barrel lengths ranging from 5 1/8 inch to 8 3/8 inches.
5 – Magnum Research BFR (Big Frame Revolver) .45-70 Government
The Magnum Research BFR (Big Frame Revolver) is an enormous stainless steel revolver that takes its design cues from the Ruger Blackhawk. The BFR was basically designed to chamber and fire rifle cartridges out of a revolver, hence the incredibly long cylinder that helps make the BFR so distinctive. The best-known variant of the BFR is in the .45-70 Government round, which may sound incredible considering how the .45-70 already generates significant recoil out of most rifles, but the BFR gives you the option to shoot this massive caliber out of a handgun if you dare. The BFR is also available in rifle rounds like the .30-30 Winchester, .350 Legend, .444 Marlin, and .360 Buckhammer.
6 – Desert Eagle .50 Action Express
The Desert Eagle, which is also produced by Magnum Research, is one of the most iconic semi-automatic pistols ever made. Featured in countless movies and video games, the Desert Eagle is chambered for the .50 Action Express, which is the most powerful cartridges designed for a semi-automatic pistol. The Desert Eagle is a gas-operated, single-action pistol that was originally developed for the sole purpose of creating a semi-automatic pistol that would reliably cycle and fire Magnum ammunition. It spawned an era where many other manufacturers began making Magnum semi-automatic pistols as well. The Desert Eagle is also available in cartridges like the .44 Magnum, .41 Magnum, and the .357 Magnum.
7 – LAR Grizzly Win Mag .50 Action Express
Another pistol that was chambered for the .50 AE cartridge is the LAR Grizzly Win Mag. Produced from 1983 to 1999, this was a heavily modified 1911 with oversized components so the gun could handle larger calibers. Each of these guns were hand fitted and around 15,000 units were made before production ceased. The Grizzly Win Mag was also chambered for the .45 Winchester Magnum, .357 Magnum, and the .44 Magnum.
8 – AMT Automag V .50 Action Express
Another pistol that joined the .50 AE trend the Desert Eagle started was the Arcadia Machine and Tool (AMT) Automag V. This is a very rare and collectible pistol with less than 3,000 units produced in total. It should not be confused with the similarly named .44 Auto Mag pistol, which was developed and sold by the Auto Mag Corporation. Nonetheless, the two pistols did share the same inventor in the form of a man named Harry Sanford, who initially started the Auto Mag Corporation before opening and closing the company again several more times under several names, including AMT.
9 – Ruger Super Redhawk .454 Casull
The Ruger Super Redhawk was released in 1987 as a larger, thicker, and more sturdy version of their original Redhawk revolvers. The Super Redhawk is designed to handle large calibers like .44 Magnum, .454 Casull, and .480 Ruger, the last of which was designed specifically for the Super Redhawk. The Super Redhawk is also notable because for a time it was the only 6-shot .454 revolver available; all other manufacturers had been using 5-shot cylinders to make the cylinder walls thicker. The gun in the above photo is a Super Redhawk Alaskan, which is the snubnose variant with a 2.5 inch barrel intended for extremely close quarters defense against dangerous big game.
10 – Taurus Raging Bull .454 Casull
Introduced in 1997, the Taurus Raging Bull was designed as a more affordable competitor to revolvers like the Smith & Wesson Model 29 and the Ruger Redhawk. The Raging Bull revolvers are known for their cushioned red strip on the back of the grip and the ported barrel that together help to tame recoil. They also feature a cylinder latch both on the front and rear of the cylinder, meaning that two hands are needed to open the cylinder and reload the gun. The Raging Bull is also available in calibers like .44 Magnum, as well as a .454 Casual/.45 Long Colt/.410 Bore combination gun.
11 – Ruger Super Blackhawk Bisley .480 Ruger
The Ruger Super Blackhawk Bisley is a single action revolver chambered for the .480 Ruger cartridge that was developed by Ruger in 2003. The .480 was designed as a shorter .475 Linebaugh to offer shooters a large caliber hunting cartridge with reduce recoil than other offerings like the .475 or .454 Casull. Ruger originally offered the .480 in their Super Redhawk revolvers, but they also offer it in their Super Blackhawk revolvers as well. The Super Blackhawk Bisley is available in 4.62 or 6.5-inch barrel lengths.
12 – Freedom Arms Model 83 .475 Linebaugh
Considered by many to be one of the finest single action revolvers ever built, the Freedom Arms Model 83 is notable because each gun is built one-at-a-time in the Freedom Arms factory in Wyoming. The tolerances are so tight on the Model 83 that if you want a new grip, you’ll have to send in the entire gun to the factory so they can precisely match a grip for your specific gun. The Model 83 is available in several large calibers, but one of the most powerful is the .475 Linebaugh round. Introduced in 1988, the .475 Linebaugh was essentially a shortened .45-70 Government round that can be loaded to very high pressure.
13 – Wildey .475 Magnum
The Wildey pistol is a gas-operated pistol that from the beginning was designed to fire high-pressure proprietary calibers that were made specifically for the gun. One of these most powerful calibers is the .475 Wildey Magnum, which is not to be confused with the .475 Linebaugh. The .475 Wildey Magnum was designed to be an effective big game hunting cartridge in a semi-automatic pistol. Production of Wildey pistols ceased in 2011, but resumed in 2016 and they are currently produced by the USA Firearms Corp.
14 – Smith & Wesson Model 29 .44 Magnum
Also known as the “Dirty Harry gun” due to its extensive appearances in the eponymous film series, the Smith & Wesson Model 29 in .44 Magnum was for a time the most powerful production handgun in the world. The Model 29 was introduced in 1955 on Smith & Wesson’s large N-Frame, which previously had been used for their .45 revolvers. While it has since been eclipsed by several other handguns like the ones above, the Model 29 remains one of the most classic .44 revolvers ever produced. The stainless steel version is known as the Model 629, and was introduced in the late 1970s.
15 – Colt Anaconda .44 Magnum
The Anaconda in .44 Magnum was released by Colt to compete with the Smith & Wesson 29/629 and the Ruger Redhawk revolvers. Available in barrel lengths from 4 to 8 inches, the Anaconda was initially made until 2003, and then production ceased until resuming in 2021. A variation of the Anaconda known as the Kodiak comes with a magna-ported barrel to reduce recoil; the Kodiak was re-introduced in 2024. Besides .44 Magnum, the Anaconda was also available in .45 Long Colt, but newer production models so far are only made for the .44.
16 – Ruger Redhawk .44 Magnum
The Redhawk was unveiled by Ruger in 1979 as their answer to the Smith & Wesson 29 and 629 revolvers. Upon its release, the Redhawk was immediately noted for its durability due to the triple lock design, meaning the cylinder is locked in place in the rear, bottom, and front; this was a feature previously used in older Smith & Wesson revolvers. The Redhawk was initially only available in .44 Magnum but has since been produced in .357 Magnum, .41 Magnum, and .45 Long Colt. While there were plans to discontinue the Redhawk in favor of the larger and beefier Super Redhawk, these have never materialized as some shooters have been drawn to the slightly smaller size and weight of the standard Redhawk, which is easier to carry.
