Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Single Shots Thinking about a No. 1 in .475 Linebaugh

Been reading posts here. Not a LOT (or my search skills are lacking) on the Ruger in .475 Linebaugh.

Reading thoughout the web, that package looks like a "nose in the dirt right now" whitetail round/gun combo for our FINE Indiana "rifle" regs. (joking)

ANY real world experiences on loads, velocities, bullet weights and TRAJECTORY (other than stats I find from what few reviews I find) would be greatly appreciated.

SO FAR......one with a Leupold "Pig Reticle" variable scope, Barnes all copper XPB or 325 gas check cast looks pretty "whitetailable" for my use. Im assuming the XPB is similar to the Banres muzzleloader bullets that Ive shot out of my 54 cal ML, but still and all I liked gas check lead bullets for whitetail out of my Smith 29 when I had it.


Thought Id bother you No.1 fans for advice if any comes to mind.

Still looking at info on the No. 1 trigger. NOT a lover of heavy pull triggers.

God Bless
steve

At some point I will probably get one, if for no other reason than I have a .480 SRH that I like a lot, and the #1 makes a nice companion to it. I may at some point get a .475 Linebaugh single action, or even get a Redhawk converted to the .475.

Speer has a 275 gr Gold Dot which I think would be my choice for deer, out of revo or rifle. The various hardcast WFN's would be good for bigger stuff.

some good reads:

http://www.sixguns.com/tests/tt475.htm

http://www.sixguns.com/tests/tt475max.htm

http://www.gunblast.com/Ruger-No1-475L.htm

http://www.fiveshot.org/guests/475rifle.htm

been shooting the .475linebaugh in a number one for nearly a year....have had some fun with it, does not seem very fussy to load for. using both lil gun and H110 , i tried the hornady and speer 325's with both powders, shot about the same with both, and both to the same POI. got some speer 275's gonna see how well the gun likes those.

never tried 400's in it, i have some but saving those for my .475turnbull, figured the 325's would be "enough"

never tried any long range shooting to comment on trajectories, i use it as a timber gun when i want stuff dead right there. shot a pig and a deer last fall with the .475, bullets sailed on through, and pig was quartering toward me, and the speer kept on plowin, probably went through 2 feet of hog.

i did load some "48 special" loads with 480 ruger brass and cast bullets (lee 400gr) using trail boss to have something that didnt beat the snot outa me. will post some groups when i get back out and launch some. the lil gun/325gr load recoil was about like my 1-s 45/70 stout loads.

i stuck a 1.5-5x Vari-x III on mine, been happy with that one, but the 1-4x leupy pig plex scope seems like it'd be a good matchup.

Thank you, my friends.

Excellent help as always.

I did some major research today here online and came up with some loads for several bullets. Im tickled Lil Gun is one of THE powders since I have most a 4lb jug here lol.

Really hate ordering new guns but my FFL says he can get me one that sounds aweful fair.

Guess its too much to expect but Ive seen the one above here and it would be a blessing to open the box and find grain similar to it. Ive been a woodpecker for rifle stock grain all my 60 years.

Should I find something I feel worthy of sharing when I get the package together.....I'll surely pay it forward here.

God Bles
Steve

Steve...keeping my fingers crossed for you, never know what'll leap outa that box.

would also like to hear how your handloading projects go on that one.

NO worries there. Ill share.

A bit more than a little excited to find a combo with more pizzaz than a 44 mag rifle (much more too).

Ill share loads and us old farts have lots of time to work on such.

Talk to me about the mentioned recoil. Compared to a shotgun gauge? It cant be horrible. My 54 cal ML with 540 grain lead slus ....now THAT will let you know you touched one off. hehe

I'll have to give those "gawd awful expensive" Barnes XPB bullets some chances. I cant imagine that they arent near the same as some 325 grain Expander ML bullets Ive shot deer with. Ive read some bad reports but I literally rolled a buck backwards at 90 yards hitting in front of his left shoulder quartering towards me, and it exited through the last rib on the other side.

I always thought they penetrated a bit more than I expected since the DO....OPEN UP and UPEN UP A LOT.

"Blood trail"? ...5 feet.

God Bless

only comparison i can make with recoil is that my other larger bore #1's, 45/70 and 405, do push me a round a bit, but the linebaugh has a hard fast jab, a sharper "punch".

my .54inlines do kick more overall than the linebaugh, and i shoot sabots with 300 grainers in the .54's.....the .475linebaugh is tolerable.

Here is my 475. Got lucky and found one with real nice wood.Seems like the 475s were either plain as a 2x4 or as good as your gonna get from factory, no in between. I have been very happy with the accuracy of the 275 grain gold dots. At fifty with a peep and a fiber optic sight I can keep things under two inches. Would probable be better with a scope but cannot find one that will work with out extension rings to get the eye relief right. I am running the 275s right around 2000fps with 36 grains of H110. Cast bullets I am thinking might be too tough on deer unless you shoot shoulders. A 410 grain over 26 grains of H110 gets around 1600 fps. At a distance of about 30 yards I put one through about 24 inches of willow stump. Bullet looked new except for losing the gascheck. They are accurate as well about three inches at fifty. I am sure if you punched a deer in the shoulders the cast would but them right down. Through the lungs don't know how much energy they will actually dump into the deer. Think the shock of the 275s would be better.

ok, Thats it. Which one of you is going to sell your No.1 to me. I gotta have that kinda wood. LOL

Sweet.....

I , so far, agree on the 275 but also thinking about the HP cast I saw yesterday and just woke up from a WELL deserved nap (12 hour nigh shifts) and danged if I can think of the name at the moment. Unsure how much a HP would effect a hard cast bullet and at what velocities.

Cast worked gran in my 44M but shoulders were always the target.

The "pig reticle" variable has a LONG eye relief but what's wrong with extension rings? Am I missing something there?



Thanks
God Bless
Steve

Beauty for sure.

Another wood lottery winner.

Congrats.

Nothing wrong with extension rings. Just cannot find a pair that I can stand looking at. Ruger rings are ugly and are heavy. Also with the Ruger style extension no one makes a low set. Only want to do a small low power scope. Just gonna look odd and will have to bob my head around to get a scope picture unless I mount it as low as possible.

I see Leupy has medium extensions, no low that I see.


Leupy's Ultimate Slam 2-7x33mm is starting to look interesting too.
Like the reticle.

K.....Ill shut up now LOL
God Bless

i'm with mike, not a fan of the extension rings myself.

the 1.5-5x i stuck on mine is very satisfactory on eye relief though...it is scooted well back, but eye relief throughout the power range is good.

I got one of the 1.5X5 won't work. Have not compared them but I think the newer 1.5x5s are longer than the one I have. Mine is a early 80s vintage. I am not too upset that I have not found a scope solution. Gun is a very fun perfect handling close range thumper. The NECG peep and a fiber optic front are very fast onto the target.

mike....did the eye relief come up a bit short on the 1.5-5x for you?

been giving serious thought to a NECG myself on my .405.

Yep I really had to lean into. That was without a jacket so for hunting it would just not work. Recoil is not unbearable but it is good sharp punch all at once. This is the only gun I have that I just let roll when it recoils.Figure odds of catching the scope in the forehead were pretty good. If I bear down and don't let it roll and take all the recoil the gun is not much fun to shoot more than a half dozen times or so.