Shot a 480 ruger yesterday...

[TonyB]

I shot a buddy's 480 ruger yesterday....holy crap....it's a cannon....not painfull but it does get your attention....blew the crap out of a coffee can..about 12 rounds and I was done....he's using it as a back up for hunting.....all in all a great gun by ruger(not a big surprise)
any advice for my friend on shooting more accurate with it...he 's shooting low....it was a hair low for me....
I suggested he get a 22 to learn the basics of handgunning(the 480 is his first handgun).....he's a little down about his accuracy,but I told him that the 480's a hard one to learn on.....he's considering getting a 22 as I suggested.........I know when I first got my permit ,the last thing I wanted was a little 22(I got a 357) and my secong gun was a 22....which I later sold......but it's still good advice to start out with a 22....anyother advice?

 

[Jim March]

Ehhhh...well a couple things:

1) One thing "wrong" with the 480 as a caliber is that there's no easily available lower-powered practice rounds available, unless you brew your own. Are either of you set up to handload yet? This is one reason some like the 454 flavor of the same gun: it can then eat 45LCs that feel as mild as 22s in a gun that big, all the way up through stuff MORE potent than the 480 (and even nastier recoil) and a lot of stuff in between with factory loads.

2) My opinion is that with any gun, you should try "benchresting it" while dialing the adjustable sights in properly. You take a sandbag or similar and rest the triggerguard area on that, and cock it for each precision shot. That's not how you'll USE the thing in "real life" but it'll show you what the gun is capable of accuracy-wise, and show you where the sights are pointing. Odds are "shooting low" is a matter of a mis-adjusted rear sight.

3) If it's NOT mis-adjusted sights, he's yanking the trigger and lowering the barrel that way. Which isn't that common a shooting mistake, but quite possible. Esp. if he's doing DA fire without a lot of experience with DA triggers. (Most people tend to break the trigger "sideways" versus "down".)

He really needs a DA 22cal to practice with. A Ruger SP101 in 22LR would be perfect, or any number of used pieces, S&Ws, whatever. Best would be to find something that "feels like" the 480...try the Ruger SP101 22LR's trigger, but there's no telling what will approximate the 480 .

 

[Tamara]

1) One thing "wrong" with the 480 as a caliber is that there's no easily available lower-powered practice rounds available, unless you brew your own.

I thought .480 Ruger was the lower-powered practice round... for .475 Linebaugh.

 

[TonyB]

Yeah, we plan on benching it soon at my range...he definatly IS yanking the trigger too.......I saw a MKII for sale locally,`hopefully he'll pick it up soon..thanks..

 

[goon]

Learning with a gun that size is not really a good idea.
I learned with a .22 and that was hard enough.

Still though, that is what he has now. I would suggest alot of dry fire practice and investing in some reloading gear. Not only will it allow him to download it, it will make it a lot cheaper to practice with.

 

[tc300mag1]

Mark Ii is a great gun to pratice with i shoot mine everyday

 

[gbran]

Jim March is right..

Unless you reload, you'll be stuck shooting pretty stout rounds. I have the SRH in 454. I do reload, so I don't shoot the 45LC's, which are shorter and leave a powder ring that can cause excess pressure firing subsequent 454's if not scrubbed out. I don't practice with hot rounds. I make some powerfull, but pleasant rounds that are just a pleasure to shoot. This gun is very accurate and easy to be accurate with. I do use pretty hot rounds for pig and other bigger game. If your friend is going to stay with the 480, he really shoud consider reloading.

 

[tc300mag1]

yes cost alone is for reloading these things cheepest i can find is 25 for 20 local on 454.

 

[gbran]

Gun show ammo

I haven't looked for 480's, but you can get fairly cheap new and even cheaper factory reloads for 454's. So I assume you can for the 480 also. Before reloading, I'd seen factory 300 gr XTP 454 relaods at about $17/50 and new at about $22/50. The hot stuff is usually more.

 

[tc300mag1]

man i cant find it localy for cheeper that 22-25 for 20 anywhere was gonna grab someup before i pick up my 454..

 

[Josey]

I fail to see ANY benefit in buying a Mark II 22 or 22/45 in learning to fire a double action revolver. ? I suggest a GP-100 in 357 Magnum. He can fire SWCs up to 180 gr hunting fodder. The two revolvers could be set up similarly in grips, sights and balance. I suggest a double action revolver with a full size frame from Ruger. Speed Six, Security Six, GP-100 or another of the same in 454/45 Long Colt.

 

[Preacherman]

Actually, Josey, that's a better recommendation than you may realize... The GP-100 and the Super Redhawk share a similar trigger group design as well. This means that with the help of a gunsmith, you could set them up to have very similar trigger pulls. Add a common set of grips to both, and the same type of sights, and you could have a cheaper "practice" version of the heavier .454 for a very reasonable price.

 

[Jim March]

Preacherman is once again correct: *if* you decide that you can live with 38Spl/357 ammo costs as the "understudy round", then this would indeed be a nice "low cost simulator" for the SRH.

Of course, brand new 22LR fodder is far cheaper than even 38Spl reloads.

To cut costs to that point, buy a Double Action 22LR revolver. There are none available that feel quite like an SRH to the degree the GP100 family does, but the 22LR SP101 with a 4" barrel will be among the closer choices and it will at least have a DA trigger you can practice with.

This would be a major jump up in practical training from a 22LR semi-auto with an SA trigger...something I wouldn't recommend as a trainer/understudy for an SRH.

 

[TonyB]

Yeah a GP would be better you're right,but I think money is a factor.....he wants to spend a couple hundred on a gun ,if we could find a GP for 200,I'd buy it for ME
I guess we'll be looking for a DA revolver though......thanks

 

[tc300mag1]

Anything beats nothing though .. shot shoot all single action auto, single action revolver, Da/sa auto.. and Std revolver..And i pratice with mark II everyday it has help so much with the rest of my shooting...

 

[Hutch]

I'm still coming to grips with the idea that the guys first handgun was a .480....

Reckon what genius convinced him THAT was a good idea? Or did he talk himself into it?

Sigh... guess it coulda been worse, coulda been a 329PD or somethin'.