.480 Ruger - Why didn’t it catch on?

[NRA4LIFE]

I shot a friends .454, once. That was enough.

 

[RockAndSage]

I think this is the answer. Practically doesn’t seem to matter with most big bore fans and the more powerful the better. I care about tradeoffs, but the market seems not to.

The .480's a cool round for the reasons you mentioned. That said, for your application, I'd personally go with a .45LC in a revolver that handled well for me, to balance out shootability and ballistics. The stuff @Chris in TN was talking about. You're really not giving up much at all with the .45LC to the .480, accuracy would improve a bit, and you get the extra round. Along with a lot better selection in bullets for different jobs. But if you handload, you could shoot the .480 by the bucket full by coming up with some low-recoil training loads, like with Trailboss or the like, and mitigate the shootability stuff while you bring your skills with the gun up.

 

[Texas270]

The .480's a cool round for the reasons you mentioned. That said, for your application, I'd personally go with a .45LC in a revolver that handled well for me, to balance out shootability and ballistics. The stuff @Chris in TN was talking about. You're really not giving up much at all with the .45LC to the .480, accuracy would improve a bit, and you get the extra round. Along with a lot better selection in bullets for different jobs. But if you handload, you could shoot the .480 by the bucket full by coming up with some low-recoil training loads, like with Trailboss or the like, and mitigate the shootability stuff while you bring your skills with the gun up.

Good post!

For the extra round point, I believe the SRH is 6 rounds.

 

[Choupique]

Practically doesn’t seem to matter with most big bore fans

Think about this - the design parameters for the .45 lc were that it be able to repeatedly fully ventilate a horse at (i believe) 50 yards. That was a black powder load, 250ish grains at 850ish fps. In the 1800's, when being able reliably stop a horse was a very real military consideration, that was deemed adequate. They could have easily made it more powerful but elected not to, because that was enough.

So when you look at .480 ruger, there are lots of things going against it. For most of what it can do, the much more prevalent .44 magnum can do equally well or some cases better. For pecker measuring, there are bigger and more powerful options.

Its a commercialized .475 linebaugh which is super cool. On paper it checks a box. Big bore, enough horsepower to fully penetrate anything, fits in a "normal" sized revolver, lower recoil than the nuclear stuff. Its just that nobody needs that. Its a stab at practicality in a very unpractical market space.

 

[ElPollo]

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?

Ignoring the defense and do-it-all arguments, the answer to this is really pretty simple. I used to know several people who hunted big game with handgun, but don’t personally know anyone who does this today. That is because handgun hunting got pushed into muzzleloader seasons in most states and inline muzzleloaders have taken that over. Few people will bother with handguns or traditional roundball muzzleloaders when you can use a modern inline to take game at longer distances with relatively little practice compared to the other options. Revolvers are also a relatively small market amongst handguns these days and big magnums are a smaller slice of that. So the market economics just aren’t there to support a lot of hard-recoiling >.44 magnum options.

 

[WoodlandCritter]

Genuinely what does it do that cheaper, more readily available, more easily reloaded pre-existing cartridges didn't?

The only way for new handgun super-magnums to see any wide spread popularity is by being the new most powerful. Kind of like how skunks pelts are one of the most stable priced furs. The novelty is the only thing selling it. Anyone using a big magnum for practical purposes will just buy a .44mag or .454cas.

 

[RockAndSage]

Good post!

For the extra round point, I believe the SRH is 6 rounds.

Speaking of the SRH, there's a 45LC standard Redhawk that can also shoot .45ACP from the same cylinder, with moon clips. That could be a pretty optimal setup for practice and power.

 

[PNWTO]

480 is really cool and probably a better fit for most folks than the 500 and 460 S&Ws. (Unless you’re really chasing range and mild TBI, then the 460 is waiting with open arms.)

But, while the 480 was intro’d knowing it would only appeal to hand loaders, S&W took the time to ensure the 460 and 500 would be greeted with a variety of factory loads.

Plus, the general market tends to only look at paper numbers; so the options and intent with the 500 and 460 are more apparent and probably more attractive.

Reloaders can also fine tune their expectations with the 44, 45LC, and 454 guns they already own.

Bottom line, 480 is for the true nerds and has some barriers to entry. The big bore revolver market is incredibly niche in the big picture so the carrot/stick motivation for manufacturers is fairly low.

Nerds that know what they need can most likely get it done with legacy chamberings. The non-nerds can get a 45/44/454 class gun and have a wide variety of off the shelf loads.

And I’m firmly in the camp that a solid autoloader is probably a much better choice for field defense than a revolver for a lot of reasons, but that horse is dead.

 

[Steve O]

I find it awesome that the hand gunners have the best vocabulary on RS. Tagging In for more “big word Friday”!

Ubiquitous!

 

[HandgunHTR]

This is a non sequitur. The premise of my original comment was hunting and bear defense. Both of which don’t typically involve shooting times and distances past 75 yards involving the aforementioned .480.

I care about ballistics first and shootability second. I’m arguing that the .480 seems to be shootable and capable for hunting and bear defense - which begs the question of how it’s not gone more mainstream.

Y’all need to slow down and READ my comments first.

It is in no way a non-sequitur. You stated that the 480 was “absolutely perfect for most everything” specifically in relation to hunting.

Hunting with a handgun has the same constraints in regards to getting into a good field position and with follow-up shots as rifle hunting. So timed accuracy drills are essential practice if you want to be good at hunting with a handgun. I am guessing that you understand those drills to be standing at a firing line and shooting multiple rounds down range and then measuring groups. Those “drills” help your hunting skills about as much as shooting three-shot groups from a bench do with rifle hunting.
As for your comment about “distances past 75 yards”, a good hunting handgun can be effective to 200 yards and beyond, depending on the type of handgun and the chambering. For a good hunting revolver 200 yards is achievable, even with open sights, with diligent practice.

Ballistics mean nothing if you can’t hit what you are shooting at. Just like with rifle hunting.

As for reading, you may want to take a look at screen names before you purport to know more than someone about a subject.

 

[Q_Sertorius]

As for reading, you may want to take a look at screen names before you purport to know more than someone about a subject.

Good points. It’s particularly fruitless to argue about big lead slugs with someone named after a Roman general, who was famous for fighting in Spain, where the sling was a particularly popular weapon. The TKO factor for a one ounce lead projectile is quite substantial.

 

[Texas270]

I find it awesome that the hand gunners have the best vocabulary on RS. Tagging In for more “big word Friday”!

Ubiquitous!

It’s because handguns, particularly revolvers, attract only the most refined Roksliders

 

[Texas270]

Speaking of the SRH, there's a 45LC standard Redhawk that can also shoot .45ACP from the same cylinder, with moon clips. That could be a pretty optimal setup for practice and power.

Good to know. Thanks for bringing that to my attention.

 

[Steve O]

It’s because handguns, particularly revolvers, attract only the most refined Roksliders

I’m discomfited my technical prowess was insufficient to insert this astonishing animation in my original contribution. “File too large” so all I can do is a screenshot…





I’ve only killed one hog with a .44 Mag SBH Hunter; do not have the dedication! I am fascinated with the big bore handguns though. Would like to think in my old age I could find a Freedom Arms and put some time and effort into it.

 

[Jpsmith1]

Because it's not absolutely perfect. It's ridiculously overpowered.

The ideal big game revolver caliber is somewhere in the .41 Magnum to .45 Colt (Ruger Blackhawk level). I chose a .45 Colt (Ruger Bisley) and a couple years into that experience I wished I'd got a .41 instead.

Reality is, handguns are generally going to kill best when thought of, and employed, as glorified hole punchers, and a .41 caliber soft point or not-so-hard cast lead bullet, will punch a perfectly suitable hole in any big game animal, and allow its blood pressure to drop really quickly. And you'll be far more likely to put that bullet where it needs to go, with a .41 or .44 or .45Colt, even with little more than blackpowder level loads, than with a much harder kicking caliber.

Frankly a ~210 or 220 grain .41 or a 240-260 grain .44 or a 250-280 grain .45 bullet, with a decently wide meplat (~72% of bore diameter is close to optimum; larger meplats don't fly well at longer ranges and yes I'm speaking from experience) or even a basic jacketed soft point design or a Hornady XTP, at 1000' to 1200' MV, and no more, will *EASILY* ventilate the typical North American game animal with a big leaky hole. Said animal will then run 20-100 yards and fall dead.

Now, you absolutely can get a revolver (.460S&W for example) that will push a big handgun bullet well up into the good rifle-bullet-killing speed range and yeah, they'll kill like lightning. Like rifles. But you end up needing a halfway specialized handgun to do that, mainly because handguns are hard to shoot well past maybe 50 yards for most of us. When I had better eyesight 100 yards with a revolver was easy. Now, 25 yards is about tops, and I don't hunt with a handgun anymore. If it's something you want to do, do it while your eyes are young.

Everyone here knows the importance of low recoil for rifle practice. I'd argue that it's even more important with handguns, than rifles. Yes, shooting big boomers is fun. Been there done that, got the big goofy smile on my face. But if you want to get good with a revolver, you need practice, and lower recoil helps, and in a defensive situation where you're using something small enough to be easily carried, lower recoil helps with followup shots for sure.

I won't say anything about 9mms for bear defense except to say that's what I carry personally, for bear defense, in places with *black* bears, and I've only been in western grizzly country one time and still carried a 9mm. My intent here isn't to get into that discussion. I'm speaking of revolver cartridges for dual use as both hunting handguns at revolver ranges, and also with a secondary role as defense. Yes, certainly you can take bigger calibers and turn them into longer-range killers, or get fast followup shots with a 9mm, but for the dual-role scenario you mention, the smaller .4x calibers with moderate bullet weights at moderate speeds, kill well enough, and are easy to shoot.

Something like a S&W 657 classic with a 4" to 5" barrel would be ideal for defensive carry, IMO, if you wanted it to double as a hunting handgun. If I wanted a hunting revolver to double for bear defense (same dual role, but reversed emphasis), I'd do the same, but with a 6" to 6.5" barrel instead.

FWIW I've shot a lot of Hornady XTPs and they penetrate very deeply at 1000' to 1200' impact speed but will expand violently once you get them up to maybe 1700'+, which I used to do often with a muzzleloader. On smaller deer at those 1000' to 1200' speeds you might consider Speer Gold Dots if you wanted more expansion but I've always ran under the 'glorified hole puncher' theory of handgun hunting.

The trend among the most successful handgunners today are rapidly expanding bullets like CEB Raptors rathet than the wide meplat, non-expanding style.

I'll be loading 105 Raptors in my .357 for this season. Similar bullets in the 44 contender and 45 Bisley.

Red dots are HUGE for aging eyes. I'm 51 and have a serious case of "old man eyes" but I can still make steel sing to 100 with a wheel gun.