.480 Ruger - Why didn’t it catch on?

[Texas270]

Looking into handgun calibers for hunting and bear defense and the .480 Ruger just seems absolutely perfect for most everything while still being relatively controllable.

Why is it not more successful?

 

[insanelupus]

From years of reading Rokslide. I can only deduce the answer coukd/would be:

1. 'Cause only "Fudds" shoot calibers bigger than 0.264".

2. 'Cause "real" men get it done with .22x-.24x calibers.

3. "Cause everyone knows all you REALLY need for bears is a 9mm!

 

[insanelupus]

Lol, That said, I always found it an intriguing cartridge with limited components and platforms compared to the .44 & .45 options.

 

[MallardSX2]

Shot a ruger one time. It kicked hard. Real hard.

 

[Q_Sertorius]

Looking into handgun calibers for hunting and bear defense and the .480 Ruger just seems absolutely perfect for most everything while still being relatively controllable.

Why is it not more successful?

What makes it “absolutely perfect for almost everything?”

It sounds like a very niche cartridge for someone who wants to hunt with a handgun. Which is itself a bit of a stunt.

As for the self-defense piece…

 

[Slickhill]

It is a very good cartridge, of the real big bores it is the easiest to manage and shoot in a revolver of normal weight and size.

But as Bill Jordan said way back in the 60’s, the 38 special, I’d include the 9mm today, is about the largest handgun cartridge the average guy can master without serious dedication. The bigger stuff takes very deliberate practice to ever be good with and I’d even say there’s an added layer at the 10mm-44mag level and the 480,454,475 etc are a step above that.

Coupled with the fact that handgun hunting isn’t as popular as it were back in the 70’s and 80’s. It’s a specialty cartridge and its special niche/market is growing smaller.

 

[coyotekilla]

Cause just after it was released someone else released the 500 s&w. 99% of these are sold to the guys that want the biggest, and 480 doesn't sound as cool as 500 does...

 

[Texas270]

From years of reading Rokslide. I can only deduce the answer coukd/would be:

1. 'Cause only "Fudds" shoot calibers bigger than 0.264".

2. 'Cause "real" men get it done with .22x-.24x calibers.

3. "Cause everyone knows all you REALLY need for bears is a 9mm!

Waiting for one of the clowns here to recommend a 22lr pistol for bear defense…

 

[Texas270]

What makes it “absolutely perfect for almost everything?”

It sounds like a very niche cartridge for someone who wants to hunt with a handgun. Which is itself a bit of a stunt.

As for the self-defense piece…

I don’t recall referring to the .480 as a self defense caliber, but it would do the job substantially better than most handgun calibers!

 

[Q_Sertorius]

I don’t recall referring to the .480 as a self defense caliber, but it would do the job substantially better than most handgun calibers!

You said it was good for bear defense. That’s a form of self-defense.

 

[Texas270]

You said it was good for bear defense. That’s a form of self-defense.

You’re being facetious. Everyone knows that self-defense most always refers to human on human altercations.

Either way, it would do much better in that category than most. Maybe even better than the .223