When I got my 480 the 500 S&W and hence 500 JRH didn't exist. The only option for a 50 was the 500 Linebaugh which was a very expensive custom. I'm not sure which route I'd go today with an affordable 50 as an option.
The only concern I'd have is if you plan to push 400 gr and heavier bullets 1200 fps and the resulting recoil. I wouldn't have believed it if I hadn't shot my 480 and then a friends 475 linebaugh one after the other and chronoed both loads but when you jump from burning 21 gr of H-110 to 25 gr of H-110, recoil jumps dramatically and as I recall his 475 was only 50 fps faster. My 480 does have a 7 1/2" barrel and his 475 had a 5 1/2". Looking at some 500 JRH data, it burns ~28 gr of H-110 to push a 400 gr 1186 fps. For me the 475 linebaugh loads are too much recoil for me to shoot accurately. Sometimes less is more which is why I really like the 480, it's shootable.
That said, 17 gr of blue dot pushes 400's and 440's 1100 fps in the 500 JRH which is awfully tempting.
Wer the 480 and the 475 in the same style revolvers? I’d say the added recoil came from the added 50 fps not a mere 4 grains of powder. In my experience it is a wash with the sam3 bullet at the same speed. I know from experience that the 475 and 500 JRH are easy shooters at reduce velocity.
