Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Handguns The .480 ruger.. yea or nay?

A little bulk is welcome particularly to help tame some of the recoil of a number of big cartridges, so I welcome it to an extent.

The .480 is a great caliber and I think that one day it's going to be a strictly handloading thing. It ain't the most popular caliber in the world but a good one. Pistol loading is actually easier than rifles, especially with straight cases like this. You may never have to trim them for length as long as they are all about the same for crimping. Straight wall pistol cases are easy to load and most of them use carbide dies which cuts WAY down on lubing and prep. The only place that you can get in trouble with a big cartridge like this would be a double charge with a fast powder. That will take a Ruger or any other brand apart in your hand with a few fingers and maybe an eyeball. I would recommend the .454 over the .480 also. It will be around for a long time and the .45 Colt has proven it's ability to hang in there. A stiff .45 Colt load in one of these is an excellent hunting load with a hardcast bullet without all the blast and recoil. My 2 cents.

I think I said nay!

One should also ask what are the intended uses? Not that you can't get a toy now & then. The 454 & handloaded 45 Colt are nothing to sneeze at. As a handloader you could live with about anything, and have a cool uncommon round to boot.

I've put a few rounds through my srh 480, I lost count after about 4000 a few years back. My perspective is based on shooting many 44 mags, 45 colts, 454's, 475 linebaughs and 500 Linebaughs. After that experience I settled on a 7 1/2" srh 480 shortly after they came out, and I've never wanted for another hunting sixgun. Well I still want another srh cut to 5", and and FA mdl 83 w/ a 6" octagon barrel would be pretty slick, but the 480 has never fallen short of what I want in a hunting handgun.

First the bad, the 480 has always been a handloading proposition due to limited availability of factory fodder, and that won't get better.

If you handload, and better yet can cast bullets, then the 480 will offer this: The most power you can accurately shoot in a moderately heavy and sized revolver that doesn't require a muzzlebreak. Yes, there are undoubtedly more powerful handguns, more practicle handguns, and many will say better looking handguns. But I have yet to have a factory mass produced revolver that was so accurate nor one that I'd feel confident using on any NA game. How accurate? Honestly I don't know as I figure I've been the limiting factor, but I have shot countless 5 shot 1" groups at 50 yds with cast bullets from 310 to 460 gr. I even shot a 1 1/2" 3 shot 100 yd group with the 310's, and have no doubt they would grouped at 1" or better if I was able to hold more steadily.

It's a very simple gun to load for, get the hornady 4 die set, some brass, and cast bullets. If you crimp and bell too enthusiastically you'll get split brass, but once you find the right setting, cases will last a long time.

I can eliminate your load work, get a 390-410 gr cast bullet (I've tried 4-5 different designs in this weight range) load them over 21 gr of H-110 lit off with a CCI 350, and they'll clock 1200 fps give or take from a 7 1/2" revolver. All of those bullets grouped into 1" at 50 yds for five shots, and I never tried to find the most accurate chambers in the cylinder. I'd just load 5 cylinders, and take careful aim.

I know much has been written to malign the 6 shooter 480 srh, but I'll chalk it up to people have either never shot the gun, or put a box of factory fodder through it for a gun review and just had to find something to whine about. I have only fired a cylinder full of 325 gr factory fodder through my gun, and extractin was very slighty sticky. That didn't bother me, as my 400 gr 1200 fps loads have always fallen from the cylinder with no hesitation, proof that they were running lower pressure than factory fodder. While working up loads with the 460 gr, I did get truly sticky extraction, but they were clocking 1150 fps. I backed off to 1050 and all was good. Those big slugs also would print 1" at 50 yds. The gun is plenty strong, and as I've proven to myself, will stand up to many, many loads.

If the 45 colt walks all over the 44 mag as a hunting round, then IMHO, the 480 is the nee plus ultra of shootable iron sighted sixguns you can pack on your hip and won't knock your hat off w/ muzzle blast. Unfortunately too many people had to have the biggest and baddest and the best was left out in the cold.

I don't know any 480 shooter who has been disatisfied with the round. It doesn't garner any bragging rights, but it is an outstanding round.

458 Lott, VERY well said!

I couldn't agree more. I load my 475's to 480 levels and it is all one needs in a packable, yet very serious, handgun.

I'm a big fan of the 480, I'm currently shooting a 5 shot Bisley that Alan Harton built for me. Did a lot of long range shooting with it last week, mostly at 412 yds, its a very accurate gun.

Dick

When Ruger does their clean up run of 480 Alaskans I'll be getting one. I can tell you that.