.454 casull or .480 ruger

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dsffsll

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Hello,

I am going to be visting Alaska soon and wanted to know which would be a better caliber to carry for self defense against any dangerous animals I come across there.

My choices are between .480 ruger and .454 casull. I already own both guns and basically just want to know which would be better for that area and what types of ammunition would be most recommended to carry in the woods and fishing.

Thanks

dsffsll
 
if you shoot both well...

then take the one that is easiest to find ammo for. Alaskan stores may not stock some hard to find ammo.
 
If ammo isn't an issue then I'd bring the 480 with hard cast 400 gr flat points.

But truely either will work if you can shoot the guns.
What the 480 has in mass the 454 can compensate with velocity.
You want good penetration a hard cast lead bullet in either caliber should work.

Now, if you can't handle the recoil of a 454 then the 480 would be an advantage. A heavyier slower bullet will penetrate just as good as a lighter very fast bullet and won't recoil as much (talking about factory loads).
 
I think Fumbler has it right.
I'd go 480 because it's easier to shoot for me and the second shot will come faster than with the 454


munk
 
454 without a doubt. Lots of ammo choices(online)from wild to mild, plus you can shot 45 Colt in her.

;)
 
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Spent some time in AK and found the sores up there stock big bore handgun ammo. I took a SRH in 454. BTW, you don't even need a ccw to pack there.
 
If both guns were 4" or less, I'd choose the 480. Otherwise, I'd choose the one that is more easily carried.
 
^^^^^^^^ because the 480 is less sensitive to velocity decrease in shorter barrels due to the ability to utilize heavier boolits. Kind of like .357 out of a snub, all blast and recoil.
 
I didn't know that. There's too many factors- the 41 with a factory 210 load was more powerful than a 44 with factory 240 gr loads in a short barrel. Metcalf tested this one year.

I think the Casul has so much powder and pressure that you're right- it takes a longer tube to utilize. I hadn't thought of this in the 480 vs Casul.

The Casul has more energy than the Ruger 480, but the 480 drives a heavier slug and is easier to shoot. It's not that far behind the Casul, is it?



munk
 
Thanks 20Nickels, you answered it better than I could have. I'm really not a fan of the 454 Casull as I just think the round punishes you un-necessarily for normal hunting ranges. I'm not one to shoot low powered rounds in a big bore revolvers in general. If I want to shoot something with less recoil, I just choose another caliber. Maybe everyone doesn't have choices. I have just about talked myself into a BFR in 475/480... it does take some convincing myself that I will actually shoot it versus just throwing it in the safe and saying.... "I have a 475L BFR" because it's cool. Then as mentioned above, the 480 rounds will be the "light loads".
 
The Casul has more energy than the Ruger 480, but the 480 drives a heavier slug and is easier to shoot. It's not that far behind the Casul, is it?
Click to expand...
In the real world I'd rate them both close to the same performace on game.
The 454 has a lot of energy, but the formula for kenetic energy is 0.5 x mass x velocity²
That's biased towards velocity.
Energy has its place. The more you dump into an animal the more shock you get.

But...IMHO you need a boatload of energy, like in centerfire rifles, to have that advantage.

In handguns you can't get that (except with the new S&W Magnums).

If you can't have energy like a large rifle, then you need to replace it with fat heavy bullets.
The heavier the bullet, the deeper the penetration. The larger the frontal area (the meplat or on an expanded bullet), the better you smash up meat and bone.
That's one reason I went with the 480 (the other is because the gun was on sale :p).
You get a heavy bullet with large frontal area at pretty good velocity. The amount of work (expanding gas) needed to drive a bullet faster is exponential. This means you're doing an awful lot to get that 454 to move at those velocities...which leads to more recoil.

Either caliber is good, but yes, the 480 is softer shooting and performance is similar.
The trajectory is better in the 454, but that's a moot point in a self defense gun.
 
Best place in the event of a bear attack is somewhere else.
Invest in some running shoes.
ROFL.

My dad bought the .41 Magnum Ruger Blackhawk as a bear backup when we lived up there.

I carried a shotgun and my bolt action when hunting moose.

44 Mag and 454 Casull are pretty common up there.

Guide guns that are short barreled (lever) rifles in large caliber make a great backup.

Smith & Wesson has those .460 and .500 pistols in bright colors that look pretty good for a carryable backup.
 
The devolopment of the.480 is an interesting read. It was never intended to outperform the .454, but to come close without all the punishment on the shooter and to utililize the Super Redhawk frame to it's potential for larger boolits. We are now realizing it can be every bit as powerfull as the .454.

After reading this (be sure to continue the article in PDF at the bottom of the page);
http://www.john-ross.net/heavymag.php


and this;
http://www.thehighroad.org/showthread.php?p=3941339#post3941339

I am now a believer that the S&W .500 Special is the future of big bore zombie/bear protection and would excell in a Ti/Scan configuration. Glub, glub, gulp (Drinking the X Short frame kool-aid sounds). Nickels
 
Haven't recieved it yet, but I just traded for a Taurus 480 Ruger w/ a 5'' barrel. I wish it was a 7 or 8 inch but it was a heck of a deal and I'm not going to complain. I've never shot a handgun of this magnitude and I'm looking forward to owning it. I've done quite a bit of reading on the 480 the last couple of nights on the net, and like it is mentioned above, a shorter barrel they say, does not hinder it too much. Sounds like a great cartridge.
 
I think I'd go .454 with heavy hard cast pills. It has been proven time and again a very good penetrator.

That said, I'd rather have my 11-87 Police with 3" Foster slugs. If it is feasible to carry a long gun, they definitely hold the edge when defending against big hairy things with massive teeth and claws.
 
Take the 480, or have it bored to 475 Linebaugh.

www.buffalolbore.com has good alaska bear loads. Somebody has to loading punch bullets in 480.

I'd probably like 420's or better for such stuff.
 
WOW, at those prices.
Is there someone who makes a simple cast load. I don't need a high dollar super duper HP train killer bullet? I just want to shoot my gun at the range!!!
 
None of the Grizzly Ammo is intended for plinking -- especially the "Punch" bullet ammo.

The Punch bullet ammo is very specialized -- designed for maximum penetration.

Not much in the way of cheap factory ammo in 454 or 480.

Paul
 
I love my .454 but if i had both i would probably lean towards the 480 ! at close range the heavier bullet i believe would be better , especially at colse (under25 yards)range the advantages of the 454 flater trajectory is not much of an advantage . so since you have both ,get some of the bullets you intend to shoot and try both guns at the range before making your decision !i believe that once you get up to the 360 grain or heavier bullets the penetration is similar ! After looking at the data for both rounds on Hodgdon site > I dont see a lot of difference between them !Kevin
 
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