What happened to .480 Ruger?

[gruesomenewsom]

Browsing thru the store the other day i came across a nice looking gun. There were a couple, so i get them confused, but it was either a blackhawk hunter or a bisley hunter, in no-glare stainless, 7.5' barrel, chambered in .480 ruger. I just checked out the ballistics at federal's website and compared it to that of a .44 magnum and this seems like a great gun to holster when deer hunting! Bullet trajectory was a little better, but the bullet was 50 grains heavier and it had a higher energy and muzzle velocity even at 100 yards. I just cross-referenced ruger's website and they don't offer it anymore. How come? Too much gun?

 

[Redhawk1]

Ruger quit producing the 6 shot 480 Ruger, they had a sticking problem with cases in the cylinders, they are bring out the Ruger 480 again but now in a 5 shot. Also the 480 is made on the Super Redhawk frame not the Blackhawk or Bisley frame. Maybe that's why you could not find it on there web site.

http://ruger.com/Firearms/FAProdRes...ion=Low-Glare Stainless&bct=Yes&type=Revolver

 

[gruesomenewsom]

Maybe that's it, thanks redhawk1. It looks like a helluva cartridge for hunting. I would use my .44 but the whole polished stainless thing with the fixed sights, well it defeats the purpose. That and i want to buy as many big bores as i can comfortably afford in the event that all this microstamping/ammuntion accountability/possible Democrat in office hits the fan.

 

[Redhawk1]

Yea, I have all my big bores covered, Ruger Blackhawk 45 Colt, Ruger Redhawk 44 Mag, Ruger Super Redhawk 454 Casull, S&W 460 Mag, S&W 500 Mag, BFR 500 Mag, BFR 45-70 and a LAR Grizzly 45 Win Mag.
My next gun will be the 5 shot 480 Ruger.

 

[Fumbler]

Yeah, Ruger brought the Super Redhawk back in 480 as a 5 shot due to fired cases sticking in the chambers.

Mine sticks a tiny bit with new ammo, but once it's been reloaded I guess the brass work hardens enough to not stretch too much. Reloads come out easy.

The 480 is a great cartridge. It's for those of us who understand that throwing a really heavy bullet at moderate velocities works just as well as a lighter realllly fast bullet.

BTW, factory loads are mild. You can handload a 400 gr bullet 150 fps faster than factory stuff.

 

[highorder]

+1 on everyones take.


the .480 Ruger wasn't designed to be the biggest banger on the block, so it was overlooked by the gun rags. fear not, those that understand ballistics know the true value of the round.

 

[Redhawk1]

I would love to add a 480 to my handgun arsenal, I need a round the fits between my 44 Mag and 454 Casull.

 

[JackOfAllTradesMasterAtNone]

Fumbler,

What kind of accuracy do you get with your .480 at 50/100yds?

I heard that they weren't as accurate as the .44 or .454.

-Steve

 

[Redhawk1]

I have heard the 480 was very accurate, I know a few guys that shot them, they had to find the right bullet /powder combo, but accuracy was not an issue.

 

[ArmedBear]

I shot a Super Redhawk in .480. Not bad, really. Quite usable.

If I get a monster handgun, that's what I'll get.

 

[22-rimfire]

I have a SRH in 480. It is an excellent whitetail cartridge. I think the 5-shot 480 will be an improvement, not that I have every had any problems with cases sticking and so forth.

 

[Fumbler]

Fumbler,

What kind of accuracy do you get with your .480 at 50/100yds?

I heard that they weren't as accurate as the .44 or .454.

-Steve

I'll be very honest.
I can't hit crap.
I personally would feel confident shooting a deer at 25 yards, but that's it.
At 50 yards resting my arms on a bench I can do around 6" at 50 yards (open sights).
At first I really couldn't shoot it due to having to learn to grip the gun consistently. Now I shoot it as well as my other pistols (which is about 6" at 50 yards).

But...I did let one guy at the range shoot my 480. At 10 yards offhand he put 6 rounds into one hole that measured approximately 1" outside to outside. That was with my handloaded 325gr Gold Dot SP over a close to max charge of LIL'Gun.


The 480 is just as capable of good accuracy as the 44 and 454. However, there are FAR fewer choices in factory loaded ammunition, so that may play a role in finding an accurate load.
For what many 480 and 475 Linebaugh reloaders say, the 480 does best with the heavy bullets driven close to or at maximum velocities.

 

[spwenger]

I'll Defer To The Experts on This...

Mine sticks a tiny bit with new ammo, but once it's been reloaded I guess the brass work hardens enough to not stretch too much. Reloads come out easy.

...but I thought that work-hardening weakened brass and was involved in catastrophic case failures, such as when the bulges in cases fired in Glocks work-harden on resizing and that portion happens to end up in the unsupported area of the chamber.

Until someone shows me otherwise, I'd be very reluctant to fire any high-pressure round in a case that had work-hardened.

 

[Fumbler]

Revolver cases are completely supported.

Every time a case is shot and every time it is resized the case wall work hardens a very small amount.
Yes, work hardening weakens brass and that's why most cases in magnum handguns don't last through more than 5-10 max reloads before it has to be thrown out.

Glock fired brass is different because of the big case bulge in the unsupported part of the chamber. The more you distort the brass the more it work hardens. In other words that bulged spot is going to be more susceptable to cracks than any other part of the case wall.

To sum it up, all brass work hardens. Not all brass work hardens to the point that it's a problem.

 

[bluetopper]

.480 Ruger is my pick of the super magnums. Where the 480 really shines is when you load it with a 400gr bullet. It has less pressure and a larger bore than a 454 which leads to less recoil. I had a 480 in a ported Taurus Raging Bull; awesome gun.
The super magnum calibers are not for extended range sessions I found out.

 

[Redhawk1]

The super magnum calibers are not for extended range sessions I found out

parisite, care to come with me to my range, I was there Wednesday and Friday, I was shooting my 500 Mag with full loads. Both days 80 plus rounds fired. Had fun reloading this weekend.
And I don't have the rubber grips either....

 

[P. Plainsman]

This is a cool development -- I was out of the loop on the new five-shot .480 Ruger models until I read this thread.

Makes a lot more sense.

Since the .480 uses pressures similar to the .44 Magnum, does this mean we can expect Ruger to finally chamber the .480 in (five-shot) single actions?

 

[gruesomenewsom]

I hope so, I like to get one in a blackhawk for deer hunting instead of having to pay $200+more for a redhawk.

 

[Fumbler]

Since the .480 uses pressures similar to the .44 Magnum, does this mean we can expect Ruger to finally chamber the .480 in (five-shot) single actions?

If Ruger listens to their customers then they'd make them.
I'm pretty sure if they made them then more SAs in 480 would be sold compared to the Super Redhawk.

Custom 475 Linebaugh conversions are fairly common in Blackhawks...and they are expensive. Ruger should do what the customers want and gain a fair share in that market.