I think the Ruger .480 is going to bomb

robsguns · January 2002

So theres this guy, me, who finally gets to shoot his 454, and now his gut feeling bout the 480 has more merit than just whimsical thinking. I dont see why the Ruger folks made the thing. The 454 isnt such a hard kicker. Why do you want a 480 when the 454 cost less, at least around here, and the 480 cant pack the punch, and doesnt really do much more than the 44? It seems they'd have learned. The 357, 41 and 44, remember that? The 41 is good, I have one, but its just not that popular, and Ruger dropped it from its line up in the Redhawk. Now they've done the same thing, .44, 480 and 454. Theyve done it for the same reasons I believe, how long before the 480 gets dropped from the line up? Any takers? I love Ruger, but I think this was a mistake. I guess I should buy a 480, cause it will probably go up in price like the 41, huh?, when they drop it from the line up? Kind of reminds me of the Hawkeye, hhmmmm.....??

SSgt Ryan E. Roberts, USMC

robsguns · January 2002

So theres this guy, me, who finally gets to shoot his 454, and now his gut feeling bout the 480 has more merit than just whimsical thinking. I dont see why the Ruger folks made the thing. The 454 isnt such a hard kicker. Why do you want a 480 when the 454 cost less, at least around here, and the 480 cant pack the punch, and doesnt really do much more than the 44? It seems they'd have learned. The 357, 41 and 44, remember that? The 41 is good, I have one, but its just not that popular, and Ruger dropped it from its line up in the Redhawk. Now they've done the same thing, .44, 480 and 454. Theyve done it for the same reasons I believe, how long before the 480 gets dropped from the line up? Any takers? I love Ruger, but I think this was a mistake. I guess I should buy a 480, cause it will probably go up in price like the 41, huh?, when they drop it from the line up? Kind of reminds me of the Hawkeye, hhmmmm.....??

SSgt Ryan E. Roberts, USMC

navarian · January 2002

me and four of my friends just ordered the .480's from our local store..so, will see have it performs

cocked,locked and ready to rock with a glock..!!!!!!!!!stand tall, stand proud GOD BLESS THE USA

buddyb · January 2002

I think old Bill Ruger just wanted his name on a caliber.Lets hope it works out for him.

Pelican · January 2002

Except to generate business, I have never understood why gun companies bring out these extreme cartridges. There is only one degree of dead.

"Audemus jura nostra defendere"- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Don't let yer mouth write a check yer body can't cash!

robsguns · January 2002

navarian, So do you have a 454, why did you order the 480? Just curious, if you dont mind.

SSgt Ryan E. Roberts, USMC

will270win · January 2002

The damn PX here in Stumps has a waiting list 20 people long. I'm #16, I hope it's a good un. We'll have to see. I think most folks just like the big number cause the 454 is surely more powerfuller by looking at the ballistic chart.

If you can't fix it with a hammer, take it to a mechanic. will270win@aol.com ~Secret Select Society Of Suave Stylish Smoking Jackets~

robsguns · January 2002

will, you mean Cali. hasnt outlawed it yet, figured they'd think it was the biggest hand gun in the world and ban if for sale there, whats the price with the tax discount anyway?

SSgt Ryan E. Roberts, USMC

Boomerang · January 2002

I have the FA 83 in 454 Casull and .45 acp. It is a wonderful gun. Not sure why the 480 Ruger came out. It is kind of like the 450 Marlin when you already have the 45-70. What is the purpose?Boomer

Protect our Constitutional Rights.

pops401 · January 2002

Hey Rob, did you ever get hooked up with bear on that brass?

pops401 · January 2002

Hey Rob, did you ever get hooked up with bear on that brass?

pops401 · January 2002

Hey Rob, did you ever get hooked up with bear on that brass?

gruntled · January 2002

The .454 has a variety of factory loads& the lighter ones make the .480 Rugertotally unneeded. I expect it will be difficult to find stores that stock ammo.I think the only chance it has to succeedwould be if Ruger also made rifles in this caliber. Of course it would be just as easy to make them in .454.

songdog · January 2002

BOY wouldn't that pistol make a great police weapon. Bullets bigger than the criminals that they are chasing. IT is like using one multi million $ bomb to blow up 2 tali's.I do prefer the 454 casull over most of the bigger goredf pstol calibers out there. I always shoot it first when i go out shooting that way the other pistols that i shoot feel like 22 pistols shooting cb'ssongdog

Be bold in what you stand for, careful in what you fall for.

robsguns · January 2002

pops401, No he didnt have any, if I'm thinking of the right man. I got some from a buddy of the guy who sold me the gun, its enough, about 300 plus cases, I'll not use them all anytime soon, I'm sure.

SSgt Ryan E. Roberts, USMC

aglore · January 2002

Well, when the 454 can start to do what the 480 Ruger can, then just maybe it will be dropped from the Ruger line. Have owned both cartridges, and still own the 480. It will do anything the 454 can do, but much better and with bigger bullets. Afterall, if the 45 Colt was so good, why would we need a 454 Casul. And that is just the problem with the 454 Casul, it will not do anything that a 45 Colt can do when the Colt is made in a revolver like the Redhawk or Blackhawk.

robsguns · January 2002

aglore, I think you lost me, could you elaborate on that one. I have never shot the 480, but from everything I've read, what you say shouldnt be correct, can you give me some for instances on how the 480 is better than the 454, and how the 45 Long Colt will do what the 454 cant, I dont understand, please educate me. As far as bullet weight goes, I know the 454 can be loaded at least up to a 370 gr. bullet, what is available for the 480, I havent checked. Although I dont have any reloading info. on the .480, I do know through experience that a 325gr. factory load of a 480 is not going to have the ability to travel as far as a 300gr 454 either, due to frontal dimension and weight, nor will it have the energy level, even though it is heavier, since its slower, all in all, I am confused as to your statements. The .480 can not use any other cartridge for light plinking, as the 454 can use 45 Long Colt loads, even the .44 can do that. So you see, that is why the 480 to me represents the .41 in its intermediate capacity, without the ability to be used as a dual cartridge, though better than the .44 for sure, a lot better, its not up to the challenge of the .454. Also, I feel confindent that were I up against a big grizzly, I'd feel a lot better shooting the 454 in self defense than the 480, and I'd be happy with the 370 gr. lead load in the 454 while doing it, or the factory 300gr. load from Hornady.

SSgt Ryan E. Roberts, USMC

aglore · January 2002

I shoot 310 to 460 grain cast bullets from my 480. The 310's are the plinking bullets and the 460 are my serious hunting bullets. Energy doesn't really mean a whole hell of a lot. I also used to shoot 370 grain bullets from my Casul chambers in 45 Colt cases. Was getting just over 14oo FPS with them. The 460 grain bullet at 1150 will outperform the 370 from the 454 at any distance. There are 405 grain bullets for the 454, but they will still not compete with the 460 from the 480. The 454 will run out of powder capacity long before the 480 does when using the same weight bullets. I shoot 310's, 390's 420's anf the 460's from my 480. I live and hunt in Alaska and have used handguns for many years for taking big game. Until the 454 Casul came along, the 45 Colt in a Ruger BlackHawk and a 41 Mag in a Ruger BlackHawk were my hunting sidearms. When the Casul came around in a firearm that was affordable, I bought one. But used the 45 Colt case and the 370 grain bullets. When the 480 came along, I just knew that that was going to be the cats meow. Comparing the 454 Casull to the 480 is like trying to compare the 45-70 to the 470 Nitro. Good, but not quite as good.

robsguns · January 2002

aglore, You have said that you used 45 Colt cases, I believe that is the problem, did you use any 454 cases, there is a BIG difference, and I do not think it a fair comparison of the gun when not using the case it was designed for. If you have any info. with the 454 case, then I'd like to hear it also. Rob.

SSgt Ryan E. Roberts, USMC

aglore · January 2002

Ryan, 1400 FPS is 1400 FPS no matter which case it came from. I did notice nothing derogatory towards the 480 in your last post though. Maybe the 480 really is winning the game.

robsguns · January 2002

aglore, I admittedly know nothing of the 480 performance, that is why I am reading your posts so intently. I only know what I have read. I do not agree with you on the case, yes 1400 is 1400, however, I believe that with the larger case you can get more out of your bullet. I also believe that the trajectory and energy levels, which change with velocity, are very important, I do not believe that the 480 is up to the 454, if you were to load the 454 with its proper cartridge I believe you would see the true story. I however can not back much of this up, due to the lack of 480 info., and my limited knowledge of the 454. I just know that velocity and energy are everything as well as trajectory, to most of us anyway. Versatility of the gun is also important, and though I havent said anything neg. about the 480, I do see this as a down side, it doesnt have the dual cartridge role, and that is important when comparing these large cartridges, to me anyway. Ah well, time will tell, I love Ruger's guns, I dont want to see it go, but look to see it happen. Keep the info coming, its how we learn, how I learn. I've already printed your reply to try and compare info. as I get it.A side note: 1780 fps from a 7.5" bbl. 454 with a 300gr. bullet @ 2,111 ft. lbs. will, in my book, outperform a 480 with the 460gr. bullet you have mentioned at the speeds you have listed, in energy which is 1351 ft.lbs. for your 460 gr. bullet, and trajectory, and game killed, within handgun range. If you can get the lighter bullets up over the 454's velocity, then you will have something there, I dont know of its capabilities though, pressure constraints of the cartridge case and all, dunno.

SSgt Ryan E. Roberts, USMC[This message has been edited by robsguns (edited 01-21-2002).]

aglore · January 2002

Ryan, and this is not to be taken negatively, but velocity and energy mean squat. There is a gentleman that post on another forum and he has a real good velocity, energy comparison. The 22-250 with factory 55 grain loads produce more velocity and energy than the 45-70 405 factory grain loads. But which would you really like to have if faced with a charging brown bear. The 454 Casul will not beat the 45 Colt in velocity with the 370 grain bullet to really amount to anything. Maybe 50 FPS more, but that is nothing in the overall scheme of things. Therefore, it can do everything the 454 can do, but do it with less powder. And with less powder, less recoil.Ryan, my first name is Allen and Semper Fi USMC "71-76"[This message has been edited by aglore (edited 01-21-2002).]

RugerNiner · January 2002

When does Elephant hunting season open in your State?

Remember...Terrorist are attacking Civilians; Not the Government.Protect Yourself!

aglore · January 2002

April 1st.

robsguns · January 2002

Allen, You are quite right, when comparing a tiny bullet to a large bullet, the energy levels can be misleading, sometimes but not always, but not when comparing bullets of similar size and mass. The 45 Colt will never be and never was a better gun than the 454 or the 44 mag for that matter, and if you do tests of penetration capabilities, you will see that to be true. Energy and velocity and bullet weight, go hand in hand, without velocity you dont have energy, without energy you wont have penetration, without weight you have neither-to a point, do a test and see what penetrates further and knocks something down harder. Higher bullet weight maintains that energy better, true, but higher bullet weight without energy equals no penetration. The real world means everything, I'd sooner stand in front of you firing your 480 than a 454, even though the outcome would be the same. However, if you had 3 people standing in front of me in a line, I believe my chances of making it out alive would be much better if you shot the 480 at me. The penetration, derived from energy, is meaningful, and does make a difference between dead, and not dead, in bigger animals. I would do the comparisons if I had both guns, but do not have the ability. Incidentally, try shooting a 45-70 and a .338 win mag. side by side, against the same target, say, well anything you can imagine, and I guarantee you that the .338 comes out on top every time, velocity and energy do matter, size isnt always better, you have to see my clear and obvious conclusion here. The 45-70 with a larger bullet, will not do what a .338 with a smaller bullet will, now or ever.See my edit to my previous post.

SSgt Ryan E. Roberts, USMC[This message has been edited by robsguns (edited 01-21-2002).]

Boomerang · January 2002

I am so lost with these posts. Given any equal bullet weight, there is no way the .45 LC can compare to the case capacity of the 454 Casull. No way, No how, PERIOD!!!!!!!! Ryan - Your are rght about the Casull approaching 1800 ME, Fact: the .45 LC cannot do that. The .454 does everything I need it to do and more. I have not shot the .480 so I do not know its potential with hand loading. I only know that loads from the factory are between the .44 and .454 when it comes to energy.Boomer

Protect our Constitutional Rights.

aglore · January 2002

Ryan, I'm glad you brought up two of my favorite cartridges, the 338 and the 45-70. Have shot numerous animals with both. All the up to moose in size. Have never recoverd a 45-70 bullet from anything, but have 338 bullets. I shoot cast bullets in both my 45-70 Marlin and T/C Contender. 405 grain Beartooth hard cast gas checked. Out of the marlin at 1965 and out of the Contender at 1620. Have never recovered a bullet from the 45-70 that was put into a moose. Have recovered 2 bullets from the 338 that were taken from moose.Now back to your scenario of standing 3 people back to front and you wanting to be the last one in the row, you would most definately lose money on that one. I have put cast bullets lengthwise of moose at approximately 60 yards from a 430 JDJ and completely through Musk Ox at 80 yards from a 41 Mag.

robsguns · January 2002

Allen, I'm not standing still for you to shoot at me.

SSgt Ryan E. Roberts, USMC

aglore · January 2002

Ryan here is some info. The first is the 454 Casul launching a 300 grain bullet at 1780 FPSRange Elevation Velocity Energy ETA Drop Max Y 10mph Wind Deflect 0 yds -1.50 in 1780 fps 2110 fpe 0.000 sec 0.00 in -1.50 in -0.00 in 25 yds 0.68 in 1514 fps 1526 fpe 0.046 sec 0.38 in -0.50 in 0.64 in 50 yds 1.89 in 1291 fps 1110 fpe 0.100 sec 1.72 in -0.12 in 2.70 in 75 yds 1.80 in 1124 fps 842 fpe 0.162 sec 4.37 in 0.68 in 6.27 in100 yds 0.00 in 1016 fps 688 fpe 0.232 sec 8.73 in 2.03 in 11.24 inThis is the 480 Ruger launching a 460 grain at 1150. Range Elevation Velocity Energy ETA Drop Max Y 10mph Wind Deflect 0 yds -1.50 in 1150 fps 1351 fpe 0.000 sec 0.00 in -1.50 in 0.00 in 25 yds 11.87 in 1033 fps 1089 fpe 0.069 sec 0.89 in -0.37 in 0.68 in 50 yds 23.22 in 953 fps 928 fpe 0.145 sec 3.81 in 0.42 in 2.53 in 75 yds 32.20 in 892 fps 812 fpe 0.226 sec 9.09 in 1.89 in 5.38 in100 yds 38.48 in 841 fps 722 fpe 0.313 sec 17.07 in 4.16 in 9.17 inAs you can see, the 480 Ruger has more energy at 100 yards, which is in practical handgun ranges.

Allen Glore

robsguns · January 2002

Allen,Ya got me by 34 ft. lbs. not a whole lot, you gotta admit, and only then at the 100yd. range. I gotcha in trajectory, but by more than a little, I kind of got confused with your chart being so small, but I know I gotcha by some amount. I think the only thing left to do is go shoot something with them, which you have, I havent, so.... If everything shot with them ends up as dead no matter which one you use, I'd say the diff. is mute, out to 100yd., except for trajectory, and versatility, you see any other diff.? By the way, my range is going to be less than 100 yd. or I'll be using my rifle, thats just me though. Have we worn this out yet?

SSgt Ryan E. Roberts, USMC

aglore · January 2002

Ryan, the trajectory for the 480 was done with the target range being set for 250 yards, forgot to change it to 100 yards. Once that is done, they will be very close to the same at 100 yards.And that 34 Ft Pounds of energy difference is the reason why I don't get razzle dazzled by foot pounds charts. Too me they mean nothing. The heavier bullet was started out 650 FPS slower than yours and still doing 200 FPS less at 100 yards. Momentum is what helps make them big bullets hard too stop. Been nice chatting with you.If you ever get a chance to stop by and register for my chat room, please do so, we have shooters and hunters from all over the world there and have just finished our 500th member registration drive and working towards 1000. http://64.85.10.126:8252/ Hope to see you there.

Allen Glore

Homer J Simpson · January 2002

Keep going guys, this is fascinating! (I'm not being sarcastic.)I'll throw this at you two. In the grand scheme of hunting big animals, arent all of the big bore cartridges all the same, in terms of humane hunting?(I'm refering to super hot .44 mag., .45LC, .454, .480HeyIOwnAGunCompany, Linebaughs, etc. - at some point it's gotta be academic, and a show of machismo/skill/experience/etc....)Personally, a .454 is too hard for me to handle, and I traded off my FA. Hot .45LC's/.44 mags., are fun, in moderation.

Miss. Creant · January 2002

The way I see it is that Ruger is like Stevens used to be. They make at least one of anything for the average American blue collar guy. They make good quality average no frills gun and make what the public wants. (the new SxS for example)They better be careful or they will have to many irons in the fire and end up like Stevens.

robsguns · January 2002

Homer, Acutally, when things get as big as what we're talking about, you are partly correct. I find the 454 a challenge, but not difficult to manage. I personally want to find my limit, and stick with it, not pass it, I believe this is it. As far as bigger is better theory, I have a lot of confidence in my .44, but wouldnt go after big bear with it, now the 454, I most definitely would, provided I feel comfortable with my capability with it. I need the 454 to feel comfortable with big bear, so yes, its needed, not a macho thing. Its a fun gun to shoot, if feels so cool to harness the energy of a gun that big, its an adrenaline rush for some, better than other highs some people are after, if you know what I mean, and it keeps me out of trouble. I dont think I will be showing any real skill level for a while with this, but I can handle it, and it boosts my confidence with other guns, and that is important to good shooting. I have a 458 Win. Mag. its not for anything, its just a good buy I got, I dont enjoy shooting it, but if I had a need to go after something dangerous, I'd take it in a hearbeat, cause nothing can survive its blow, and my confidence in it is supreme, same for the 454, confidence is everything.

SSgt Ryan E. Roberts, USMC

gruntled · January 2002

What's kind of amusing is that if you could find some of the gun magazines from thefifties you would find all of this type of discussion then about the .44 mag. (Often called the .44 eargesplitenloudenboomer.) There were all kinds of decriptions of hand injuries (as I recall Ruger changed the trigger guard because of complaints about knuckle rap) & it was pretty much assumed this was the limit for handguns.

pistol · January 2002

Great point gruntled.

I think the Ruger .480 is going to bomb

Comments