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Joined: Apr 2011
Posts: 69,279 Likes: 14
Campfire Kahuna
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Campfire Kahuna
Joined: Apr 2011
Posts: 69,279 Likes: 14 |
454 is about as good as it gets, if you want bigger then move up to the 500 Smith Perhaps on paper... The 480 is the perfect blend of a package that will drive a large diameter heavy hardcast bullet with sufficient velocity to drive clear through with a shootable level of recoil without requiring an overly heavy revolver or a muzzle brake. The 480 is the real world, real deal. ^^^This ^^^ I own Ruger RedHawks in .480, .454 Casull, & 45 Colt. Plus numerous Blackhawks & Bisleys in .45 Colt & 44 Mag. If I could only choose one for Handgun Hunting, I would choose the new Ruger Bisley in .480 hands down and twice on Sunday. I've got one on order with my LGS, and should have it soon! With a moderate handload pushing a 400 grain LBT Hard Cast Lead bullet at 1100 fps, it will easily take any game animal in N. America. And with less recoil and muzzle blast & much more pleasurable to shoot than my .454 Casull.
Last edited by chlinstructor; 02/08/16.
"Allways speak the truth and you will never have to remember what you said before..." Sam Houston Texans, "We say Grace, We Say Mam, If You Don't Like it, We Don't Give a Damn!"
~Molɔ̀ːn Labé Skýla~
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Joined: Jun 2008
Posts: 2,143
Campfire Regular
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Campfire Regular
Joined: Jun 2008
Posts: 2,143 |
Shorter chambered cylinder...more accurately the 45 Colt chambering. Yeah, but why is the cylinder chambered in .454 a drawback. Fits in the same place. My .454 SBH shoots .45 Colts with unbelievable accuracy. Just not sure why you're making the distinction.
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Joined: Jun 2008
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Campfire Regular
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Campfire Regular
Joined: Jun 2008
Posts: 2,143 |
454 is about as good as it gets, if you want bigger then move up to the 500 Smith Not a fan of the .500 S&W. There are better .50s that fit in a revolvers that weigh a lot less than 5-lbs that work as well if not better without the 62,000 psi pressure ceiling. As mentioned elsewhere, the .475s (.480 and Linebaugh) are real, honest, game-getters that can be carried all day every day. JMHO.
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Joined: Feb 2001
Posts: 7,005
Campfire Tracker
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OP
Campfire Tracker
Joined: Feb 2001
Posts: 7,005 |
Guns don't kill people, it's mostly the bullets
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Joined: Jun 2008
Posts: 2,143
Campfire Regular
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Campfire Regular
Joined: Jun 2008
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Joined: Apr 2005
Posts: 30,941 Likes: 1
Campfire 'Bwana
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Campfire 'Bwana
Joined: Apr 2005
Posts: 30,941 Likes: 1 |
454 is about as good as it gets, if you want bigger then move up to the 500 Smith No way in hell would own a bulky X-Frame 500 S&W. No practical reason to do so. I've seen them used in the feild and they are not Amy more effective than a 500 JRH or Linebaugh that fits in a Ruget Bisley and BFR.
I got banned on another web site for a debate that happened on this site. That's a first
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Joined: Apr 2005
Posts: 30,941 Likes: 1
Campfire 'Bwana
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Campfire 'Bwana
Joined: Apr 2005
Posts: 30,941 Likes: 1 |
I got banned on another web site for a debate that happened on this site. That's a first
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Joined: Feb 2001
Posts: 7,005
Campfire Tracker
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OP
Campfire Tracker
Joined: Feb 2001
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My dealer hasn't been able to find one in stock so I guess I will grab one off gunbroker
Guns don't kill people, it's mostly the bullets
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Joined: Jun 2003
Posts: 42,620 Likes: 1
Campfire 'Bwana
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Campfire 'Bwana
Joined: Jun 2003
Posts: 42,620 Likes: 1 |
You guys are a bunch of commie-rats! When I was getting ready to order my Ruger, y'all said the 454 and NOW you're touting the 480??? arrrgh!
A good principle to guide me through life: “This is all I have come to expect, standard lackluster performance. Trust nothing, believe no one and realize it will only get worse…”
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Joined: Jun 2008
Posts: 2,143
Campfire Regular
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Campfire Regular
Joined: Jun 2008
Posts: 2,143 |
You guys are a bunch of commie-rats! When I was getting ready to order my Ruger, y'all said the 454 and NOW you're touting the 480??? arrrgh! I have both, Jorge!
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Joined: Feb 2004
Posts: 17,736 Likes: 1
Campfire Ranger
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Campfire Ranger
Joined: Feb 2004
Posts: 17,736 Likes: 1 |
You guys are a bunch of commie-rats! When I was getting ready to order my Ruger, y'all said the 454 and NOW you're touting the 480??? arrrgh! I had both as well, but since I also have a 45 Colt Bisley 5.5" barrel I decided I didn't need the 454 so I sold it.
NRA LIFE MEMBER GOD BLESS OUR TROOPS ESPECIALLY THE SNIPERS! "Suppose you were an idiot And suppose you were a member of Congress... But I repeat myself." -Mark Twain
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Joined: Dec 2002
Posts: 810
Campfire Regular
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Campfire Regular
Joined: Dec 2002
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Go to Hornady.com. Click on the tab "Ballistic Resources" on the left. The second choice from the bottom in the drop down menu is called HITS, the one you want. Fill in the blanks and not the differences. The number generated is momentum based instead of kinetic energy based. The 480 with 400 grain bullets @ 1200fps hits harder than a 460 S&W's 300 gr bullet @ 1700fps.
Last edited by norske; 02/09/16.
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Campfire 'Bwana
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Campfire 'Bwana
Joined: Jun 2003
Posts: 42,620 Likes: 1 |
You guys are a bunch of commie-rats! When I was getting ready to order my Ruger, y'all said the 454 and NOW you're touting the 480??? arrrgh! I have both, Jorge!
A good principle to guide me through life: “This is all I have come to expect, standard lackluster performance. Trust nothing, believe no one and realize it will only get worse…”
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Joined: Dec 2000
Posts: 39,301
Campfire 'Bwana
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Campfire 'Bwana
Joined: Dec 2000
Posts: 39,301 |
Blackhawk in 45 Colt. It has ben doing the job of a long time and will still be getting it done long after we are gone.
The first time I shot myself in the head...
Meniere's Sucks Big Time!!!
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Joined: Aug 2002
Posts: 12,022
Campfire Outfitter
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Campfire Outfitter
Joined: Aug 2002
Posts: 12,022 |
454 is about as good as it gets, if you want bigger then move up to the 500 Smith No way in hell would own a bulky X-Frame 500 S&W. No practical reason to do so. I've seen them used in the feild and they are not Amy more effective than a 500 JRH or Linebaugh that fits in a Ruget Bisley and BFR. I don't need a reason to buy and/own any firearm I can legally possess. The only criteria is if I want said firearm and I have the means of getting it.
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Joined: Apr 2005
Posts: 30,941 Likes: 1
Campfire 'Bwana
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Campfire 'Bwana
Joined: Apr 2005
Posts: 30,941 Likes: 1 |
454 is about as good as it gets, if you want bigger then move up to the 500 Smith No way in hell would own a bulky X-Frame 500 S&W. No practical reason to do so. I've seen them used in the feild and they are not Amy more effective than a 500 JRH or Linebaugh that fits in a Ruget Bisley and BFR. I don't need a reason to buy and/own any firearm I can legally possess. The only criteria is if I want said firearm and I have the means of getting it. No one said any different, but IMHO a handgun needs to easily handy and IME the X-Frame is too big to be easily handy.
I got banned on another web site for a debate that happened on this site. That's a first
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Joined: Aug 2002
Posts: 12,022
Campfire Outfitter
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Campfire Outfitter
Joined: Aug 2002
Posts: 12,022 |
No one said any different, but IMHO a handgun needs to easily handy and IME the X-Frame is too big to be easily handy. Well, John, I'd be the last guy to deny you your opinion regarding things that apply to you. I have no trouble handling the large X-frame 500 Magnum. I purchased a holster from the S&W Custom shop made for the X-frame revolver. The holster comes with a strap that crosses your body and places the weight of the revolver on the opposite side shoulder and trapezes muscle, not your belt. It has a great piece of padding that fits around that strap, and the padding is covered in synthetic fur to eliminate rubbing from the strap. I've donned it many times and walked around the house for a full day to determine if I could carry it in relative comfort. Guess what; I can.
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Joined: Aug 2013
Posts: 2,466
Campfire Regular
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Campfire Regular
Joined: Aug 2013
Posts: 2,466 |
I suspect when guys say they can't/won't "handle" a .500 S7W, they don't mean carrying it around in a holster, but actually holding and shooting it.
My choice is the .480, also. Never shot or really cared to shoot a .454. I do have, and use, a .45 Colt Blackhawk, but don't try to load it to .454 levels. In my .44's and the .45 I tend to shoot 300+ gr hard cast at +/- 1000 fps, and they really get the job done with less recoil, which is good for my wrists and my revolvers. I look at the .480 as more of a good thing. 400r or heavier hard cast at the same velocity makes a bigger hole and should be hitting "harder". I would probably like to have a .480 Bisley, but my Super Redhawk does a fine job.
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Joined: Jun 2008
Posts: 2,143
Campfire Regular
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Campfire Regular
Joined: Jun 2008
Posts: 2,143 |
Handgun hunters are a fickle group that is very divided on Smith & Wesson's X-frame offerings. Some feel, myself included, that those who embraced S&W's aggressive marketing, were relatively new to hunting with a handgun and had probably never shot, or owned, or used anything bigger than a .44 Magnum in the past. Hence the success they had marketing "2,500 foot pounds of muzzle energy!!!" -- gotta have that, that's somehow significant! Whereas cartridges like the .475 Linebaugh, .500 Linebaugh, .500 Maximum, etc., though largely a handloader's proposition, preceded the big S&W cartridges by decades and those who embraced those cartridges knew that those numbers that look so good and convincing on paper, don't really amount to much with regards to lethality.
But let's take a quick look at how Smith & Wesson got to their impressive numbers. First, they designed two BIG cases, that required a whole new revolver to house, but that was only part 1 of the equation. Part 2 required them to run the pressures really high, leaving only one commercial cartridge with a higher SAAMI maximum, the .454 Casull. So, now you have a scaled up N-frame, with huge by large proportions, that generates an enormous amount of muzzle blast and noise. How attractive.
Now, that is not to say that they have no place in handgun hunting. I know guys with real experience who have embraced them, but they are open minded enough to know that there are other (and sometimes better) ways to skin a cat. If long range is your deal, the .460 is a great place to start. It's a matter of choice. For me, I would rather get close as that is the essence of handgun hunting. But again, that's just me. The .500? Well, I personally feel that the extra 150 - 200 fps you can squeeze out of the S&W over let's say the .500 Linebaugh or .500 JRH, or .500 WE doesn't buy you much of anything in killing power. But it does force you to carry a much heavier and bulkier revolver and you have the noise and muzzle blast now to contend with. So no, I don't think that stepping up to the .500 S&W is somehow moving up to the ultimate or plateau of handgun power. I had one and it really wasn't all that -- but I might not have known that had I not had .475s, .480s, .454s, .500 Linebaughs, etc. in the past and known how they perform on game.
Sorry for the thread hijacking, but I sometimes feel that various members sling commentary out there without explaining what it is they are basing their opinions on. Again, my apologies.
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Campfire 'Bwana
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Campfire 'Bwana
Joined: Apr 2005
Posts: 30,941 Likes: 1 |
Spot on Whit! Those that argue how easy the X-frame is to pack I suspect haven't flown in to hunt Alsaka in a small bush plane and got dropped off. The amount of camp chores make the smaller package so much easier to deal with on a constant daily basis. Not to mention sleeping in a dome tent on the ground in prime bear habitat. The larger the firearm the tougher to get into play if a big bear gets on the tent and you. BTDT
I got banned on another web site for a debate that happened on this site. That's a first
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