big bore revolvers in a tc encore rifle

[tdoyka]

just to start with in case you don't know me, i've had a stroke and now i'm only left handed, the right arm/leg doesn't have a use, other than now i can take out my polaris utv and hunt with it!

i have a 444 marlin in tc encore with a 23" MGM barrel, that i do enjoy hunting with it(i also have a 45-70 handi that i don't get out much). i also have a 44 mag sbh with a 4 5/8" barrel that is strapped to me whenever i go out hunting. cast boolits are the only thing i shoot out of both of them. i have been wondering/thinking about a BIG(i mean .475-.510") bore pistol cartridge in a encore rifle. a 500 linebaugh (1 in 28" twist/ 30,000psi) has almost been the one( need some help on barrel type and length ). but something else has been wiggling my mind, a 475 linebaugh(1 in 18" twist/ 50,000psi).


what i will do with it is...

deer/black bear hunting out to 100-125 yards(50 yards more than likely).
23" MGM heavy factory barrel with peep sights but is still available to mount a scope(encore weighs about 7 - 7.5lbs).
occasionally shoot bottles/cans/groundhogs and the like with it.
the 500L will probably be a 450gr+/- cast boolit that goes around 1300fps.
the 475L will probably be a 400gr+/- cast boolit that goes around 1500fps.
recoil should be roughly like an '06 using a 180gr bullet for both of them.(i checked)
penatration should not be an issue on both of them.
i will reload, so that shouldn't be a problem either.

i probably will get the 500L, but the 475L is kinda on my mind. what i'm asking should one be better than the other?

[nagantguy]

My best friend loves his 500 smith encore barrel and the deer and hogs hate it! They are a stock item at t/c as well as MGM so it might save ya some pennies! I might be interested in the 45-70 barrel if you sell it to fund this new project!

[mcdaniel.mac]

The Katadyn .460SW barrels would catch my eye, personally! Your area may vary, but I've had better luck finding .454 and .460 components than .500SW, and being able to shoot .45LC is a big bonus. .500 Special was even tougher to find.

I've generally found .475 Linebaugh easier to acquire as well, although I haven't looked since my uncle sold his BFR. The .480 Ruger is a lengthened .475L, correct? I dunno about the .475, but the .480 is very popular in my area as well, and I believe puts out more oomph than the .500 does, so that might factor in. You could feasibly just have a .475 reamed longer, yeah?

[tdoyka]

i have tried a tc encore in 500sw and a 460sw in a katandin rifle. they both are nice but...always a but... i would prefer a 500 or 475 linebaugh. starline does both cases and hornady does the dies. the 500L and the 475L both put oophm in the barrels. i've read that the 500L with 525gr lfn goes thru a buffalo's shoulders at (i think) 1000-1100fps. it should do a deer/black bear if i use 450gr+/- boolit at 1300fps. my guess is that the 475L with a 420gr+/- boolit will do the same. i have done research on the 500L and only a little bit on the 475L. but that little bit does cause me to think.

i know that the 500L uses around 400-530gr cast boolits(.510"), although the 500 alaskan(.510") does do a 750gr boolit. i liked the alaskan, but its just too much for me(recoil-wise and i don't need a 600-750gr boolit).

i would trade my 45-70 handi rifle,but its become my loaner rifle. a 405gr fbfn with a mild charge of h4198 flattens about everything but the shooter. a friend of mine brought his 12y.o. son so he could ask me if i had a loaner. i was going to give him a 30-30 bolt action but instead i gave him the handi rifle. we went outside to the 50 yard target and then began to instruct him. then he fires his first shot. eyes closed, holding on the gun for dear life....he shoots and it doesn't collapse him. the next couple of shots he begins to feel more comfortable. after 30-40 shots he real confident that he can shoot it and he promises me some deer. he got his Saturday afternoon and he did bring me some steaks and the story of how a spike walked into him and the 45-70. i wonder if i have created big bore kinda guy!!!

but anyway, please keep them coming, 500L or 475L?

[curator]

I have an Encore in .500S&W. Recoil with factory loads is substantial! Loaded down with LBT 400 grain LFN boolit to about 1200 fps it is accurate and manageable.

[bigted]

many many tough ol Buff have succumbed to a 50 cal case full of black powder shoving a 450 grain boolit thru em at around 1300 FPS. im bettin your 500L would be just dandy loaded such with the 450 grain bone smasher.

old timer told me once ... "eat rite up to the bullet hole with these ol boomers ... these new fangled fast clippin rifles ruin too much meat". i think he has a good point.

[tdoyka]

many many tough ol Buff have succumbed to a 50 cal case full of black powder shoving a 450 grain boolit thru em at around 1300 FPS. im bettin your 500L would be just dandy loaded such with the 450 grain bone smasher.

old timer told me once ... "eat rite up to the bullet hole with these ol boomers ... these new fangled fast clippin rifles ruin too much meat". i think he has a good point.

i just shot a doe with my 444 marlin. i am using a 275gr ranch dog(coww/ about 12-13bhn) and its going roughly 2000fps. i shot her at 20+/-yards and i believe i had too much meat damage. the onside shot went between both ribs, both lungs and the bottom half of the heart and continues thru the offside shoulder. the boolit had a complete pass thru. when the boolit went into the doe it pulverized both lungs and the heart and then it it took the shoulder to the meat market scraps. i think if i slow it down to around 1800fps then it will look like i can eat up to the hole. i use another ranch dog(165gr rd with coww) that goes roughly 1800fps(30-40 krag) and i do eat up to the hole.

now i do have a 280gr wfn gc(lyman #2/15bhn) that will probably do 2000fps, but thats for next year.

i do like the 500L, its alot better than the 50 alaskan or 500s&w. they have too much velocity/recoil for me. a nice, sedate 1100-1300fps is all i'll ever need.

[historicfirearms]

I had mgm build me a 16 inch barrel in 500 S&W. Shooting it with the synthetic encore stock isn't nearly as stout as I thought it would be. About like a 12 gauge slug with factory loads. I have a fixed power Leupold on mine and it's about the handiest gun I own. It would be a perfect hiking rifle for hunting in the timber. I thought about the 500 L too but brass availability swayed me to the 500 s&w.

[Moonie]

My vote would be for a 500 S&W but then I do have one in a 15" pistol barrel for mine, from MGM.

[str8wal]

The .480 Ruger is a lengthened .475L, correct?

Actually the 480R is shorter than the 475L, same case length as the 45 Colt, 44 Mag, etc. I think the Linebaugh would make a great carbine. Perhaps even better might be the 475 MAXIMUM:
http://www.sixguns.com/tests/tt475max.htm

[tdoyka]

maybe one of these guys chamber a 475L

Lever Action Gunsmiths

[tdoyka]

i think that the 475L goes around 50,000psi and the 500L goes around 30,000psi.

i don't know what pressure is in a lever action in?

[bigted]

The .444 operates at 40,000 CUP

[tdoyka]

The .444 operates at 40,000 CUP

is that marlin or winchester?

i'm guessing because my 444 is a encore, the brass should fail before the encore does. just guessing, i don't know. i don't want to try it either!!! a 2000fps with a 280gr wfn is more than enuff, i plan on taking it down a couple hundered fps.

[Ramjet-SS]

I have a number 1 Ruger in 475 Linebaugh. Probably the first as I borrowed a reemer from John Linebaugh to chamber it. A 420 grain WFN bullet at 1200 FPS shot lengthwise through a 150# doe hit her center chest the bullet exited just to the left of her **** exit. rolled back wards and fell over dead. That same bullet will traverse 4 feet of water soaked news print. The best all around bullet fo the 475 Linebaugh is the 355 grain LFN or WFN at medium velocity or if you are hunting big bears then top load them. Thier are plenty of Jacketed bullets available as well but really no need. I have a great Mihec mold it is HP CG and Imload it over 8.5 grains of Universal for around 950 FPS it is deadly on deer and easy to shoot and very accurate. The real fun is shooting it 200 yards boom then smack after what seems like good deal of time. It is riot to shoot and the HP open up as I cast them soft for those lower velocities.

[bigted]

Did you have a standard#1 bored to the 475 or is it a factory offered rifle?

Been thinking about having my 45-70 bored n chambered to either 50-70 or the 50 S&W

[Ramjet-SS]

I had both a rebarrle number 1 that As I said borrowed a reemer from John. I also had one of the limited edition Number 1 chambers at the factory. You do some searching there is an article out there Triple PPP Rifle.

[bigted]

Cool ... So it were rebarreled rather than bored out factory barrel. I do not know if I have enough meat ion my barrel to go to 50 cal but I betcha it's close.

[Ramjet-SS]

Number 1 is a pretty easy rebarrel job. I think one of the most versitile gun to do such things. But in all honesty I have come to appreciate low to mid range loads in my big bore rifles and handguns. They harvest game effectively are very accurate and most of all fun to shoot all day. I have a 460 SW encore BBl I love to,load mid range 310 grain RF GC from Accurate mold and the gun just stacks them. Top end loads in that gun would be great if hunting the big black buffalo in Africa but not for North American Game. Same with my Linebaugh I have fantastic Mihec HP 370 grain boolit mold I shoot out of my 480 Ruger Levergun and my 475 Linebaugh at 1100 FPS it is easy on me drops deer in thier tracks and is so much fun to shoot.

[smokinfeathers]

Im shooting 20" 500 s&w barrel n love it, shooting lee 440gc but really dont need gc cause just loading 15gr of titegroup for 1200 fps. Very mild but hard hitting!! N can always load full piwer if needed. I found brass easily from starline.