I noticed that Ruger's website no longer lists the 480 as an available caliber, and none of their guns are chambered for it. Has this cartridge died on the vine, or is this an oversight on their part?

rt

It isn't a 500, and the 500 is the gun to have if your a macho handgunner. 480 just isn't big enough, or powerfull enough for shooting cape buffalo and elephant at 100 yards like the 500 s&w can.

I noticed that Ruger's website no longer lists the 480 as an available caliber, and none of their guns are chambered for it. Has this cartridge died on the vine, or is this an oversight on their part?

rt

Yeah, I was just noticing that, and how Taurus has also dropped their own .480 Ruger revolver, yesterday. I was thinking about whether or not I should try and get one while they're still around to be gotten.

I'm with coyote_243 on this one. People with magnumitis are going for the biggest things, and leaving those that are no longer the biggest on the wayside. Besides, since it's a trimmed down .475 Linebaugh, it was overshadowed from the beginning.

Might be so rt. It did seem like a good cartridge for dedicated revolver hunters, but Smith sure did bring out the biggest and baddest. I just got done reading a report on Taurus's new five shot 60 ounce plust 2 and 1/4 inch snubby in 500 S&W.

I think I'll stick to my 38 special snubby til they start making jean pockets the size of knap sacks. The way this race for bigger and better goes it won't be long and we will be seeing the 60 calibers with tail fins. the Retro gun look.

Got to say If I was back in Alaska I'd sure pack the biggest I could shoot, but down here in the lower 48 I'd just as soon shoot a 41 or 44 mag, though my little 34 ounce tracker is right at the edge of durn near to much gun to shoot comfortably.

I heard they dropped it on another board a while back. Too bad; it was a very affordable way to get a real boomer.

Not the gain in power over a properly loaded .44Mag that some had believed. Not near the power of the .454 Casull.

My guess is it's in it's twilight. That's ok by me. I never had the desire to own a weapon chambered in that cal.

Heck,why should I,I already own several .454's which,by the way,will also shoot 45LC's.

No .480 dreams for me.---pruhdlr

My Ruger BH 3-screw 6.5" bbl'd .41 Mag is all the handful I care to shoot. If I need something bigger than that, guess I'll just have to get eaten! :p

Not the gain in power over a properly loaded .44Mag that some had believed. Not near the power of the .454 Casull.

My guess is it's in it's twilight. That's ok by me. I never had the desire to own a weapon chambered in that cal.

Heck,why should I,I already own several .454's which,by the way,will also shoot 45LC's.

No .480 dreams for me.---pruhdlr
The original 325 grain HP from Hornady was too soft and would not penetrate as well as a 45 ACP.A 480 Ruger loaded with a 400 grain Flat point Hard Cast at 1200 FPS is higher on the food chain than any load in a 454,period despite what the FPE may say . The 400 grain at 1200 will out penetrate the 454 and leave a bigger wound channel...And yes I do own a 454 or two actualy 4 of them..............http://i186.photobucket.com/albums/x91/jwp13051/thumb.gif

I think it failed because it was introduced as a "moderate" big-bore round. I can't remember the exact wording of the ads and so forth, but it the lower recoil and pressure were touted, as compared to the 454.

In the shooting marketplace, things that are moderate or medium have a pretty hard go of it, no matter how good they are. I'm thinking here of the .260 Rem, .358 Win, etc. People seem to want the biggest, fastest, and baddest, even if it's not truly more useful than moderate or medium.

You know I think it struggled because of several things. It was not a caliber that many used for actual handgun hunting. I would venture to say most of actual handgun hunting, at least with the folks I know, is done with a .44 mag or a .357. The .454 is also up there but I don't think there are as many. So there are already several very popular handgun hunting calibers. Most handgun hunters I know really like their guns and speaking for me, I just don't want to switch because I am very comfortable with it. That leaves those that carry them in the woods primarily as a defensive weapon. This is the second post of Bob's I am going to quote this morning but he put out some good advice. If I were in Alaska and I was carrying for protection, I would want to use the biggest I could handle, and it would most likely be a .460 or .500 S&W. Down here a .44 is plenty. So there really wasn't much room for the .480 Ruger although it has plenty of merits. Although the .480 and the .475 are good, if you really want a performance jump over the .44 and .454 I think you start talking about the .460 and .500. In the lower 48, the 460 in particular is a great hunting round because of the increased distance. It really takes handgun hunting to a new level. Smith & Wesson also did a much better job of marketing their new calibers when they came out.

Personally I think it would have helped if it was available in a standard Redhawk, instead of just the Super.

I'm thinking that all of you have very valid points on the Ruger round. The unfortunate part of all of this is that the cartridge is/was perhaps the most "well thought out" hunting cartridge of all of the over 44 magnum level stuff!

I didn't buy one either. No need for what I do here in Iowa. If a 41 mag can't do it, I look to the rifle rack.

Cheezywan

Thank you all for your inputs. You guys have made some very valid points, especially about "magnumitis" and using the word "moderate" as a selling point.
I had thought about getting a 480 a couple of years ago, but then I reminded myself how much "fun" a full day of shooting my 44 can be for a skinny guy like myself.
Who knows, maybe the 480 will develop a cult following like the 10mm, which I own and love (and it loves me too).

rt

The official word from Ruger is that they ceased manufacto0ring of the SRH in 480 Ruger because of the case sticking problem....... I don't buy this reason.. I remember at the 2006 shot show in Vegas I talked to Ruger about chamgering the 500 JRH round they were some what interested,but thier reservations were that in bringing out big bore cartridges that thier is a realitively small market for them and that in thier experience the big bores sell well for about a year or so and then the demand for them is full and sales stagnate........

I had thought about getting a 480 a couple of years ago, but then I reminded myself how much "fun" a full day of shooting my 44 can be for a skinny guy like myself.

You know, when I first got my 629 I shot it so much I had an egg-sized knot on my hand. But the more I shot it my technique improved and my grip got much better. Now I can pretty much shoot it all day and love it. There is no handgun caliber I like shooting as much as the .44 mag. Now everything else is like drinking coffee with only one scoop!! I think the .44 is so beloved among handgun hunters that it really takes something else for them to switch. The only one that has really caught my eye is the 460.

Never had a 480 or even shot one. Yet it always struck me as a well thought out design over 45 cal. Despite a lot of the marketing, it will respond to a wide range of loading just like the great 44 mag. I think it's fair to say the cartridge never had a chance to prove itself. I think it's downfall was in being made only in the Super Redhawk. Like Mike said, sure would have been nice to put it in the Redhawk. Ruger simply will not do it but imagine how well the 480 would have sold if in a 5 shot, 4" barreled Redhawk? How about a 5 shot, 5 1/2" heavy barreled Super Blackawk?

No, I believe the failure in the 480 was Ruger's lack of support and belief in the cartridge. They introduced a potentially great cartridge but always put the cart before the horse.

I own a Raging Bull in 480 and I really like it. It's easy to shoot and puts big holes in things. For what it's worth, Field and Stream writer David Petzal picked the 480 number 2 behind the 44 for best hunting handgun cartridges. Describing it's power he said, "If that ain't enough, maybe you should be using a rifle." F+S July 07.