480 Ruger worth getting?

Status
Not open for further replies.
stchman said:
I assume people here that say kinetic energy is meaningless are speaking about the T.K.O. - Taylor Knockout Formula for big game.

A .480 Ruger round with a muzzle velocity of 1300fps and a bullet weight of 325gr has a TKO of about 26.46.

By using this TKO formula if I throw a 3(21000gr) pound rock with a 5 inch diameter 10 mi/hr(14.667 fps) it would have a TKO of 220.05.

Is my rock throwing 8.3X more effective than a .480 Ruger round at killing big game? According to the formula it is.
Click to expand...
Not really but i do think TKO is a useful tool in comparing big bore loads using non-expanding solids, to each other. That's the only context in which it is relevant or applicable. Any nonsense about thrown rocks or high velocity small bores is completely irrelevant. It's the only thing sillier than using kinetic energy. :thumbdown:
 
If you judge the 480 by the factory offerings from Hornady (325gr XTP) the 480 comes in around the same as a 44mag. I believe this is where the 480 initially got its bad rap. However handloaded with 400-425gr WFN bullets it is a serious hammer, only falling 100fps or so short of the 475L.

The trajectory is fairly similar to a 44mag, being good out to 120 yards or so, before the drop becomes problematic, but it carries a ton more energy downrange.
 
It may be around the same on paper but not in your hand. I have an Alaskan in .480 and .44. The 325 grain Hornady has more felt recoil than any .44. The only one close is maybe the 340 grain +P+, never tested them back to back though.

Hornady used to make a 400 grain HP for the 480R. I really liked that round and I can't figure why they stopped producing it.
 
I believe the 400 gr XTP is still loaded in their 475 Linebaugh. ...the only offering.
 
The 480 has decent power while still being manageable in a smaller revolver--smaller compared to a S&W X-frame. It is not as popular as the 454 because the 454 has the flexibility of shooting 45 Colt as well. However, if you want a 480, nothing wrong with them.
 
MaxP said:
Those 325 grain loads are perfect for whitetail. There are some boutique manufacturers that have great big-game loads for the .480 like Grizzly Cartridge, Buffalo Bore, etc. but it is always best to handload.
Click to expand...

The 325's work great on whitetail but actually I've even went down to the 275 grain speer for whitetail. More velocity and the hollow point still gives the penetration needed on Whitetail while leaving a massive wound channel. The 325's poke a big hole through them with less damage than the 275.

I actually did it figuring the 325 was overkill and wanted to try and cut back on recoil with my neck and shoulder problems then found the 275's are probably more lethal on Whitetail deer.
 
MaxP said:
A friend had to shoot a grizzly bear that was coming in on their moose kill as they were skinning it out. His rifle was propped up against a tree out of reach. Fortunately he had his .475 on his hip. There is a certain convenience that is undeniable regarding handguns. Plus, it's a truckload easier to take a revolver into your sleeping back with you. I agree that these big revolvers aren't for everyone, but the .480 just makes good sense. They really do kick considerably less then some other big calibers and they are really effective. It's a great round. Here is my Super Blackhawk in .480 Ruger. It's a hard combination to beat.

DSC_2941.jpg
Click to expand...

OOOOooooohhhhh man thats a sexy beast right there.
 
stchman said:
I have never shot an animal with a handgun, but if I were to go bear hunting, a handgun would be my last choice. I would probably use something like a .375 H&H Magnum or a .458 Winchester Magnum rifle.
Click to expand...

Then you are a poor choice to be giving suggestions on hunting/Bear Defense handguns. Folks hunt with handguns not because they have to....but because they want to, all the time. Odds are you'd never hunt bear with bow either....and folks do that all the time also. In the last dozen years or so, when it comes to hunting any big game, my first choices have been handguns and archery, and I want the best tools for the job when doing it. I have killed deer with .357s, .44s and .460 mag. All have worked well within their own parameters, but each have their limitations. For Bear defense, a .480 would have fewer limitations than a .44. While more expensive and harder to find ammo is a limitation, it certainly means little when your life is on the line. Is a handgun the best choice for defense against bear? One only needs to read gun forums a short while to see that is a very argumentative subject. But if one is gong to use handgun for bear defense, they should have something that is effective, they have confidence in and be proficient with it.
 
buck460XVR said:
Then you are a poor choice to be giving suggestions on hunting/Bear Defense handguns. Folks hunt with handguns not because they have to....but because they want to, all the time. Odds are you'd never hunt bear with bow either....and folks do that all the time also. In the last dozen years or so, when it comes to hunting any big game, my first choices have been handguns and archery, and I want the best tools for the job when doing it. I have killed deer with .357s, .44s and .460 mag. All have worked well within their own parameters, but each have their limitations. For Bear defense, a .480 would have fewer limitations than a .44. While more expensive and harder to find ammo is a limitation, it certainly means little when your life is on the line. Is a handgun the best choice for defense against bear? One only needs to read gun forums a short while to see that is a very argumentative subject. But if one is gong to use handgun for bear defense, they should have something that is effective, they have confidence in and be proficient with it.
Click to expand...
And something compact enough to be maneuverable in a bad situation. A vote there for double action. That is where the 44 Magnum and its frame size may be the better choice. But aren't bear defense and handgun hunting rather different? Can one be prepared for either, maybe carrying two guns? Having a 44 rifle on a sling over a shoulder and 44 Magnum as a sidearm would seem like pretty good preparation in dangerous territory. Then there are the extreme shoulder holsters for the big iron that would not rule out also having a sidearm. I just don't see a single gun as ideal for the array of possible situations in the wild.

Which reminds me, I live in the foothills of the southern Blue Ridge, and driving very close to the mountains last night, almost hit what I think was a black bear cub.
 
Aside from Smith & Wesson's rather frail offering, the .480 fits where the .44 Mag does. So, it doesn't require a bigger firearm. The .480 Super Blackhawk is dimensionally the same thing as the .44 Mag. Is hunting different that defense? Sure, but this may only pertain to an optic. I use scopes VERY rarely, but red dots pretty frequently and frankly they are easy and fast to acquire in an emergency. I tend not to load any differently from animal defense to hunting. I still favor solids that penetrate deep in either circumstance.
 
RealGun said:
And something compact enough to be maneuverable in a bad situation. A vote there for double action. That is where the 44 Magnum and its frame size may be the better choice. But aren't bear defense and handgun hunting rather different? Can one be prepared for either, maybe carrying two guns? Having a 44 rifle on a sling over a shoulder and 44 Magnum as a sidearm would seem like pretty good preparation in dangerous territory. Then there are the extreme shoulder holsters for the big iron that would not rule out also having a sidearm. I just don't see a single gun as ideal for the array of possible situations in the wild.

Which reminds me, I live in the foothills of the southern Blue Ridge, and driving very close to the mountains last night, almost hit what I think was a black bear cub.
Click to expand...

As Max said the SBH in .480 is the same size as it is in .44 mag. As for Bear defense as opposed to Bear hunting....I see little difference in choice of firearms or ammo. You still have to have enough and erroring on the side of too much is better than too little. While I agree on the point of SA vs DA for SD, choice of platform is individual. For the most part, it seems the OP already has the basics covered for Bear defense, and is just looking for something different. The .480 Ruger is a legitimate Bear defense round. That should be all that is needed to be said. Where I was going with my original post was that folks without any experience with handguns and their effect on Big Game, are not the first ones to take advice from when one is seeking advice on an effective handgun caliber against Bear. While I too would rather have a rifle in my hands when being charged by a bear, if it was a handgun, I'd want the biggest one I could carry, while still being proficient with it..
 
Ed Ames said:
I've never fired one but my experience with big bore revolvers has lead me to think the .480 is a good idea.

That said, If your interest is a bear protection gun, why a single action? Not saying it's the wrong choice but I have played around quite a bit with an Alaskan in .454 and - whether .480 or .454 - I can't think of a reason I personally would prefer an SBH for a woods gun.

I think the SBH big bores are neat, and if I can find one in a configuration I favor (about a 3-5" barrel) I will probably play around with one of them too, but not for besr defense. I've been to Alaska but the closest I've come to a wild bear was stepping around droppings so I'm no expert on them.
Click to expand...


I have shot a lot of game with big bore revolvers and in my experience effectiveness increases as bore diameter increases.

[URL=http://s33.photobucket.com/user/jwp475/media/00000009.jpg.html][/URL]


The moose and bear on the left were shot with a 475 Linebaugh in 1988 making them the first ever with the cartridge. I was useing a LFN cast from wheel weights water quenched. My mold is by Veral Smith of Lead Bullet Technology. The mold was for 385 grain cast and they chronographed 1350 fps.
 
The 480 Ruger is a real bear. When you load it up with 425 grain hard cast bullets over heavy charges of Win 296 or h-110 or power pro 300 you have a real powerhouse on your hands. Makes a 44 look like peashooter. It hits much much harder and makes a lot bigger hole. It’s not a

475 but with heavy chargers you can safely be nipping at the heels of the 475
 
The .44 magnum can and has killed every game animal on the planet, HOWEVER if your not wanting another one, you dont want a .454 either, youd be hard pressed to beat a .480 ruger, I meself would prefer the .475 linebaugh but .480 is sweet to, Id pick it over the xframe smiths since the SBH is a much more packable gun for an all day outdoor carry piece than those behemoths.
 
If i was already covered in 44 mags, I definitely would not bother with another big bore caliber for bears.
 
I carry a sbh 44 mag 5" for black bears and as a deer close range gun, when the distance is longer or i am dedicated handgun hunting i run my 44 mag Redhawk 7.5" that said, if I was looking for a bear defense only gun for Alaska or the northern Rockies it would be hard to beat the 480. Follow up shots in a smaller gun are exactly what a dangerous bear encounter requires, and the 480 is the most reasonable hitting power in an easily packable handgun. And it makes a much bigger hole than my beloved 44 mag. A 50ae revolver would also be fun, bigger diameter bullets rule for close range stopping guns. Just my $0.02, biggest critter I've shot with a handgun was a 200 lb blacktail..... So far
 
adcoch1 said:
A 50ae revolver would also be fun, bigger diameter bullets rule for close range stopping guns.
Click to expand...
If you are going to go up to a .50 then I would say the .50 JRH is a better proposition in a hard kicking handgun than 50AE.

50AE suffers from the fact that it uses a taper crimp as opposed to the stronger roll crimp. This limits how much recoil it takes to cause the bullet to back out of the case and potentially tie up a revolver.
 
I am in a similar situation as OP except I am probably older than his farther. I have 44, 45, 454 but nothing else. I have only used a revolver to hunt large game for over 40 years and if I were to get another large bore for BIG game it would be a 480, if I wanted something to carry for protection it would be an Alaskan in 480. I am currently looking for another 44 but if a nice used 480 showed up at my LGS it would come home and I would load for the game around here.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.

Similar threads

Tempus Tom
  • Locked
New 480 Ruger
Replies
9
Views
596
Cowhide Cliff
Cowhide Cliff
captain awesome
  • Locked
45/70 bfr, 475 linebaugh, and 480 ruger.
Replies
7
Views
4K
ArmedBear
A
T
  • Locked
480 or 454
2 3
Replies
57
Views
10K
22-rimfire
2
O
  • Locked
Is the .480 Ruger dead or on life support?
Replies
18
Views
3K
22-rimfire
2
D
  • Locked
.454 casull or .480 ruger
2
Replies
42
Views
14K
paul105
P
Back
Top