Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Handguns Another new thread - 480 stuff

In keeping with Waders request for some new threads I thought I'd post a picture of my 480 with its new grips. They are buffalo horn from Zane Thompson. I'm very pleased with the fit and the look on the stainless.

I have to say the 480 really never was on my radar. I had long wanted a 500 Linebaugh and eventually ended up with a Linebaugh built 500. As nice a gun as it is, I really think I like the 480 better. I shoot it better and I definitely handle the recoil better. I love the 500 L but the 480 really warms my heart.

Like I said it really wasn't on my radar. I was familiar with it because I love big bore handguns but never considered it. I did pick up 400 rounds of once fired brass from a gentleman on the Single Action forum thinking I would turn it at an upcoming gun show. Well prior to the show I stopped at Cabelas in Anchorage one day and they had a Bisley 480. It had a minor cosmetic blemish, a small swirl in the finish near the muzzle that didn't get buffed out. They said they were authorized by Ruger to sell it at a much reduced price because of the blemish. I bought it. Immediately I took a liking to it. I normally prefer a 5.5 inch Bisley but the 6.5 inch handles and caries nicely. Stout loads are very manageable, and reduced loads are a joy. Mine is very accurate.

One of the guys on the single Action forum sold me a Lee six cavity 400 grain SWC mold and a two cavity Mountain Molds 370 grain WLN style mold. I have since added an LBT 400 grain WLN and two MP molds, one for a 420 grain bullet with the HP options and a similar bullet weighing 350 grains with the HP options.

It has turned out to be a favorite among my gathering of Bisleys.

Great gun! Really sweet grips!

I really like that a lot. Prob not much a guy would be scared of poking in the ribs with it either.

Those grips are fantastic.

Really nice. I sold my Bowen Nimrod 500L a few years ago but still have my 475's that see 480 level loads at best. One (Ruger based) resides in Idaho and one (BFR based) here in Texas.

Very fine revolver and cartridge combination.

It rides in this Barranti holster when we go afield.



I wish I had more target pictures to share. I need to remember to take more pictures at the range but these I took when I was first working on loads for it. I've loaded some pretty stiff H110 loads but my heavy load now is a 400 grain bullet over 17.5 grains of 2400. Right at 1100-1150 and very shootable. I have switched back to standard primers with 2400. These were shot at 25 yards from a Ransom Rest.

I'm getting seriously tempted by the 480.


Okie John

I think it is one of the most useful big bore revolver cartridges ever. It can be loaded with some very light 275 grain bullets to a behemoth 460 grain. I think that's a little over the top but apparently a few guys have experimented with bullets that heavy. I think the 480 shines with a 370-420 grain bullet at moderate velocity. A 400 grain bullet at 1100 fps is comfortable to shoot and capable of some heavy lifting. When I pare down the revolver accumulation I will keep a 41 Magnum, 44 Special, 45 Colt and the 480. If I had to pare down further the 41 and 480 would stay but it would hard to part with the 44 Special and 45 Colt.

Beautiful gun. I really need one of them.

Just curious how much did you pay for your 480? I’ve been really itching lately to get a BFR 475 linebaugh. I should have bought a sbh 480 ruger at a gun shop last year. It was slightly used for $575 . I also like the big bores. So much fun to shoot.
Have you been able to take any game with yours?

Mine was new but blemished and marked down to $579. A used one for $575 is a good price.

Haven't taken any game with mine yet but it has been on my hip for several moose and caribou hunts. I am going to look for opportunities this season for a handgun shot on either.

Mine is a SRH, with an Ultra Dot Gen 2 mounted up in factory rings. The Gen 2 has a 2 MOA dot, helpful for shooting at longer ranges. I like the ability to remove the red dot and use the open sights in seconds, if needed.
Have been laoding and shooting 410 gr. Cast Performance bullets, ahead of IMR 4227, for a MV of 1100 fps- very manageable load in this revolver.

I have considered adding a Ruger SBH Bisley also in .480, but with a FA .454 also in the inventory, the big bore single-action end is covered fairly well- although I really prefer shooting the SRH to the FA- less recoil.
I have also shot a couple boxes of Grizzly ammo's 425 gr. WFPGC, with an advertised MV of 1200 fps. Still manageable, and would be a real hammer for big stuff like bison, big hogs, Nilgai, etc.

That's a great looking 480. A real tank. The Super Redhawk can take a lot and in 480 can dish out some serious thump.

If I may ask - why 480 over 454 Casull/45 Colt and how much barrel length is really needed to take advantage of these big bore revolvers?

There are no flies on the 45 Colt or 454 Casull. I find the recoil of the 480 more manageable than the 454 though I have to admit I have never owned a 454 but have fired several and all with heavy loads. Stiff loads with the 480 seem to be a bit less snappy in recoil than the 454. But it operates at less pressure than the 454. I own a couple 45 Colts and love the round. The 480 can run a 420 a bit over 1200fps. That's some thump.

I think the 480 would be fine with anything four inches or longer for hunting. It's tossing a big pill out there so velocity is not as much of a factor as it might be with a smaller diameter bullet. And I'm a cast bullet shooter. My 480 has never seen a jacketed bullet and probably won't. Nothing wrong with jacketed but I can do everything I need with a cast bullet. If I want it to expand, I'll cast it soft and powder coat it. If I want a bear load I'll cast it hard and bump the throttle up a little.

I like a 5.5 inch single action for a packing revolver and four inch in DAs'. Just what I have come to like best over the years. I've thought several times of having my 480 clipped to 5.5 inches but at 6.5" it isn't unwieldy on the hip and carries well.

Handguns to me are a weapon of opportunity. I am not a dedicated handgun hunter so my revolvers need to be comfortably packable in a hip or chest holster, not scoped, and powerful enough to make me comfortable they can handle what I ask of them. Like, "get this bear off me." To me that starts at the 401 Powermag with a 240 grain cast bullet and goes on up to the 500 Linebaugh. If I was going to be strictly a handgun hunter I'd be inclined to scope a longer barreled revolver and go forth. But I am not. A revolver is an adjunct to my rifle or shotgun and needs to be conveniently packable. Long barrels need not apply.

And even the 2.5" Super Redhawks would be fine when used as they are intended as a close range "get me out of this bear's reach", gun.

Thanks Mart - I'm always interested to learn why/what others chose. Particularly with things I don't have experience with.

Happy to share. I'm enjoying the new threads idea Wade started. I think I'll start one on the Herters Powermags.

teal,
I agree with what mart has said, although my needs for big handguns are primarily for hunting. My Ruger SRH wears a 7.5" barrel, and my Freedom Arms Mod. 83 .454 Casull has a 10", MagNaPorted tube.
As a point of comparison, I will shoot full-power loads and heavy bullets thru the .480 and tolerate the recoil, but full-power stuff through the Casull, like a 300 grain jacketed bullet at 1600+ fps, is just painful. I usually load my .454 with 240 gr. Hornady XTP Mag bullets, at around 1400 fps, which I have used on animals as large as red stag, with pass-through results. The longer barrel of the FA gains me around 75 fps over shorter barrels, and it still carries comfortably in a custom shoulder/chest rig, which also works for my SRH.
That said, the Freedom Arms is a beautiful piece of workmanship, accurate as can be, and every bit as bombproof as the Ruger brand, IMO. Due to the cost, I doubt I will own any more FA's!

That's an awesome revolver. Thanks for sharing the picture.

I was just thinking (based only on reading this thread) that a mid lenght 454 C - would be useful due to being able to shoot 45Colt through it and if it can handle the 454 - unlikely to ever wear it out on that diet.

Didn't know where the 480 stacked in there.