Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Ask The Gunwriters .480 Ruger Redhawk

Just wondering about brass/ bullet availability.
It sounds like 45/70 the brass might be doable.
It also sounds like a person can load it down successfully with trailboss.
Any suggestions?

There’s 480 brass available on GB and Starline makes it. It’s back ordered right now, just like every other supplier/manufacturer. Most of the cast bullet suppliers have offerings in .475. I don’t pollute my revolvers with jacketed bullets so I cannot speak to the availability of jacketed.

Making brass from 45-70 is certainly doable but a pain in the butt. That’s a lot of trimming. The rim size is larger on the 45-70 so might need to be turned.

I have a Ruger Bisley in 480. It has become my favorite big bore revolver.

If you’re going to own one it would behoove you to cast bullets for it. I like heavy cast bullets in mine. I never got the whole big bore, light bullet thing.

The 480 is a big hammer but a very shootable big hammer.

I own two .480's that I handload for.
My preferred load for both uses Starline brass, Cast Performance 410 gr. hardcast WFNGC bullets, Winchester large pistol primers, and IMR 4227 powder. All of these components will occasionally come up for sale on Midway or Natchez, etc., you just have to keep visiting their sites and jump on the items if the are available. Over the past 4 months or so, I have been able to lay up a good supply of components, hopefully enough to last me a few years. Good luck!!

Lee makes a good mould for this. Inexpensive as heck.

I have one that I use for .450-577 martini rounds. Don’t own the .480 Ruger or .475 Linebaugh yet but have been interested, ever since I walked away from a good used Bisley deal. Gone when I went back.
Darn it!

Anyway this Lee mould has been excellent. Especially considering it’s less than $30.

45-70 is how we made the 475L cases in the 80s. Unless your revolver was built for the large rim diameter the 45'70 then cases made from 45-70 brass will have a rimm diameter that is too large for your revolver.

The rim could be cut down

I asked similar questions when I got my Ruger Bisley 480. I bought a pile of 420 grain WFN from Montana Bullet Works and load it with 10 grains of Unique. As Mart said, it’s my absolute favorite. Pretty danged fun to shoot and I’d bet it’d take a lot of animal to slow it down.

I bought 500 Starline cases back when I got the gun and don’t seem to wear anything out.

I don't know how often Starline makes the 480 brass, but I put in an order for some back-ordered brass directly with Starline just over two weeks ago, and received my brass yesterday. It wasn't 480 brass, but since Starline lets you back-order, you'll inevitably get the brass.

I was over at Starline and many items are not "back-orderable" though my 38 Special was.

The 10 grain Unique load is a favorite of mine with 400 grain cast. I have a 6 cavity Lee 400 grain SWC and a two cavity 400 grain Lee FN. Both shoot awesome with that load. Also have a couple MP molds, a 420 FN and 350FN and a Mountain Molds 385 grain. I need to try them all with that same load of Unique.

What kind of speed does the 10gr Unique load get? I don’t really have a need for anything bigger but a 480 Bisley has been mildly intriguing since they were introduced.

Thanks folks, good info

I haven't chronographed my 10 grain Unique loads but a few friends who are using that load are reporting 925-975 fps. That seems to be right in line with what I would expect.

FWIW, a .475 400 grain bullet at 950 fps would do some serious work with fairly modest recoil. I really enjoy shooting that load.

Same here. 10 grains of Unique is very pleasant in my experience and I’ve done fine plinking steel out to a 100 yards with it just having a blast.

Honestly I haven’t loaded any hotter than that. I think that’d be plenty of bullet to get through about most any big game animal as well.

Got inspired to load some 480 today. I had a bunch of 400 grain SWC's cast, sized and lubed. 315 to be exact. Loaded the whole bunch with the 10 grain Unique load. Gotta get out and do some big bore plinking now. That just doesn't sound right. Plinking with a big bore? Maybe it should be plunking.

Those DO look fun!

Take some water jugs to shoot, those big flat noses look splashy.

Wouldn't take long for them to be ice jugs up here.

Am getting 900-975fps chron'd range in 4.62 and a 6.5" SBH with a 380gn WFN with 10 gn of Unique.

I have used trailboss under a 370 grain powdercoated soft lead, was the max load using the trailboss formula 5.5 grains. Ran it in both my Super Redhawk and my 4 5/8" Bisley. In the Bisley it was like a extremely mild 38 special and accurate. In the scoped redhawk again accurate recoil was zero. Did not chrono the load. Data suggests about 600 fps in a 7 1/2" barrel.

Dang... definitely getting itchy to run the 480 a little.

Do you mean Redhawk or Super Redhawk?
If you have a Redhawk could I ask who did the work?
I have a cylinder and a Redhawk ready.
Thanks