Is it worth loading for a 480 Ruger?

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I have a Taurus chambered in 480 Ruger and have been on the fence for awhile about reloading for it. I'm not sure if the cost of the dies and shell holder would be justified vs the cost of factory loaded ammo.

I can get the dies and shell holder for about $90 right now. A box of twenty rounds is anywhere from $30 to $40. I have the appropriate powder and primers stocked, and some brass as well, but would probably buy a bit of brass which would increase my cost. I could load the first box of twenty for about $20 including the cost of the new brass, the second loading would bring my cost down to about $10 for twenty rounds.

My problem is that this gun has probably had 100 rounds put through it in twenty five or thirty years, and may not get that much in the next twenty years. And I still have about twenty five rounds left that I bought at $17 a box.

What would you do? Jump in and load it just to do it and enjoy it, or buy factory ammo knowing you may never recover the cost of the dies?

Thanks,
chris

Considering the round didn't exist until 2003, that would be hard to fathom. It does show, though, that you shoot a little more than you thought you did.
 
Considering that the 480 Ruger was only created 17 years ago...

If you’re not shooting the revolver, don’t load for it.
But if you reload for it you will have to shoot it more! Kinda like a dawg chasin it’s tail!
Your call, but personally I’d love to develop a naked boolit load for it!
 
I’d rather see the guy go shoot it more, and decide whether owning it at all makes sense. If time is at all a consideration, then I’d rather see folks spend more time shooting than reloading, and at this level, the savings wouldn’t yet be a point of discussion. Shoot it more for a while, decide if you want to keep shooting it that much, then decide if shooting at that rate makes financial or performance based sense to reload or not.
 
By all means, reload for it. If you need some brass, I have plenty, just let me know.
P.S. I believe the 475 Linebaugh predates the 480 Ruger.
 
The more rare a cartridge the less you need I load to cover the cost of dies. Factory .480 ammo will run you between $38 on up to over $85. You will pay for Lee dies with only 1 box of ammo. Additional you get to custom craft your load to fit any need.

If you shoot 1 or 2 boxes of 9mm ammo no, don't load them but 2 boxes of .480 Ruger, 454 Casull, 45 Colt and similar are worth loading, especially when all you need are dies.
 
The more rare a cartridge the less you need I load to cover the cost of dies. Factory .480 ammo will run you between $38 on up to over $85. You will pay for Lee dies with only 1 box of ammo. Additional you get to custom craft your load to fit any need.

If you shoot 1 or 2 boxes of 9mm ammo no, don't load them but 2 boxes of .480 Ruger, 454 Casull, 45 Colt and similar are worth loading, especially when all you need are dies.
This.

I only load cartridges that cost over $1 per shot. I'm too busy and would gain little loading 45 acp, on the other side of it, I couldn't afford to keep my 454 casulls fed if I didn't hand load. Not to mention having exactly the ammo I want for every situation , from plinking to shooting length wise through a white tail.
 
I don't own a .480 but since you already reload I would say go for it.
Lee dies are inexpensive and work fine.
Maybe not as nice as some others but perfectly functional.
Probably 30000 rounds on one set of Lee 9mm dies and they still seem to work fine.
The accuracy of the ammo I load with them is not limited by the dies but by the shooter (me).

The Lee dies come with a shell holder so say $40 and you are set.
 
Does Hornady still do a thing where you get free Hornady bullets if you buy Hornady dies? Might make it worth the extra few dollars to buy the more expensive shade of red.
Well, they do. But they only offer a handful of bullet choices. Usually light-for-caliber, and only for the more common calibers. (110 gr .357, 185 gr .45, etc.)

Last time I bought Hornady dies, I don’t recall seeing any .475 cal bullets on the promotion order sheet.

Of course, one could get the dies and then get some other bullets he loads for.
 
I think Buffalo Bore ammo is the exception that proves the rule.
I disagree. Buffalo bore is great ammo, it fits ALL guns in that chambering. Not your exact gun.
When a gun that'll be fired 500 times is in question , bulk or commercial ammo is king. 1-10 shots from a magnum revolver, handmade is king. Every gun is a rule unto itself .
 
A large caliber revolver like your 480 ruger falls under the "never sell if you own it " rule. There are very few guns that this rule applies to, pre 64 '94, mosin, colt 1911 and such. Buy any dies to fit your equipment, buy factory ammo when deals arise. Practice shooting "cowboys to rockets" but keep that gun. There was a reason you got it to begin with, just go with the flow ....:)
 
Part of me thinks anything that is $2 a round for factory ammo is worth reloading for.
The other part of me thinks it isn't worth the trouble for something I'm going to shoot 100 rounds out of in 20 years.
Then there's that part of me that wonders why someone owns a gun that they don't shoot any more than that. But that's personal, and not my business. ;)
 
Then there's that part of me that wonders why someone owns a gun that they don't shoot any more than that. But that's personal, and not my business. ;)
Maybe they like the gun, or maybe it possible it was passed down to them, not up to us to question why. I have many guns that get less than 10 rounds a year. Others get alot more...I clean and take care of them all the same
 
I do not have 480 Ruger but I have a 460 S&W Mag revolver.

I can reload maximum loads lots cheaper than factory ammunition.

But the real joy is I have a light load for my 460 XVR that is fun to plink with. Mine shoots at about 1050-1100 fps. I prefer to shoot 460 Mag cases rather than 45 Colt in my 460.

You cannot buy loads like that. Reloading is the only option and I get to shoot the revolver more often.;
 
I had a 500mag, I definitely shot it much more often once I figured out a good, not quite full tilt load for it than if I only shot factory ammo.

I bet you'd shoot it much more often with a RNFP over Unique than if sticking to full power loads. It'll still bring a big thump even loaded down some.
 
Maybe they like the gun, or maybe it possible it was passed down to them, not up to us to question why. I have many guns that get less than 10 rounds a year. Others get alot more...I clean and take care of them all the same

Yeah, I know.
That's where that "But that's personal" part at the end comes in.
I totally agree.
 
I have a Taurus chambered in 480 Ruger and have been on the fence for awhile about reloading for it. I'm not sure if the cost of the dies and shell holder would be justified vs the cost of factory loaded ammo.
You do realize this is a reloading forum, right? There are a whole bunch of enablers here. Just sayin'. :D

If I had a 480, I would not hesitate to buy the dies for it. In probably 10 boxes or less of ammo, you would recoup the cost. But, you will shoot it, and enjoy it, more.
 
To a hammer, everything looks like a nail.

If a guy is reloading, as most of us here already have thousands of dollars in gear already committed, then starting to reload for 480 Ruger simply looks like $30-50 in dies and $50-250 in brass - and everything else then becomes “negative costs” (positive savings) in our minds because the bullets, primers, and powder all cost far less than loaded ammo.

BUT!!

For a non-reloader, the idea of starting to reload for 480 Ruger looks like a thousand dollars or so wrapped up in a powder dispenser, scale/balance, press, reloading bench, manual, calipers, trimmer, brass tumbler, etc etc, plus the $100-300 for dies and brass listed above.

Naturally, looking at $100-300 investment is a lot less daunting than $1100-1300 investment. Let alone considering the daunting nature of learning a new hobby/skill/craft.
 
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