Lite loads for the 480 Ruger

[RangerBob]

I have a young (23) friend that recently bought a Ruger Super Red Neck in .480 Ruger.

The recoil is a little much for him, and he needs a light practice load to shoot for a while.

He has some 400gr "Keith-type" cast bullets.

Can anyone recommend a lighter (maybe 800-950fps) load?

Currently available powders: Unique, Bullseye, 2400, Bluedot, Universal, H-110, and Lil'gun. I'm pretty sure that the last two are not suited to reduced loads, but maybe someone has a good load with one of the faster powders.

Thanks for any help!

Bob.

[Dale53]

I'm NOT going to say it! I AM NOT GOING TO SAY IT!! i'M NOT,I am REALLY not going to say it...

Dale53

[44man]

8.5 gr's of Unique is pleasant and there should be a load for HS-6 out there. I shoot full house .475 loads all the time. No need for light loads in a hunting gun. If I want lighter recoil, which is seldom, I use another gun. (But I would rather shoot the .475 then anything else.) You have to get used to what you bought the gun for. It is best to learn to control yourself without resorting to pipsqueek loads because when the time comes to shoot at an animal, the mind will say it kicks and you will flinch. I do not believe in the junk of working up in recoil, shoot what you are going to use.
Learn to shoot with another gun, then apply it to the hunting gun. If fear of recoil persists, the gun is too big for the person. There are some that still think the .45 ACP has recoil when it is just the slide coming back that raises the gun. A .44 mag will turn some guys inside out but then they buy a .480 or larger. You have to learn to ignore recoil, it doesn't hurt you. After a while you will enjoy it and come to hate the light loads.

[475/480]

Hi ,
In my SRH 480 Ruger ------Blue Dot 12.0gr = 940 fps

Sean

[RangerBob]

This fellow is an excellent shot with his 9mm and 357mag. He has tried my .45 Colt with heavy loads (265gr @1150) and didn't have any problem. He has shot my .458 off the bench, and he shoots tight groups with his 12gauge slug gun.

He is not so recoil sensitive that he should have stayed away from this gun. He will soon get used to this recoil level.

However, I do believe that people need to work up to certain levels of recoil. I didn't hand my 11 year old a .458 as an introduction to shooting. It would have been cruel and it would have ruined his shooting (if he ever shot again).

I also believe that a good "plinker load" is a nice thing to have for any gun. That said, 900fps with a 400gr bullet will take any game in North America (short of big bears), and could be used for 50yd deer hunting.

I appreciate the help, but I don't think I'm asking for "pipsqeak" loads . . . just good solid practice loads that run a couple hundred FPS slower than max.

Once again, all of your help is greately appreciated.

[Lloyd Smale]

Im far from recoil shy i shoot many thousand 475s and 500 lines in a year. Alot of them full horse loads. But i doubt if a kid just starting is going to do that. Im a firm believer in working up to heavy loads. I still shoot alot of light loads out of my linebaughs. I think once youve mastered the big loads it sure isnt going to hurt your field accuacy by shooting a few thousand light loads out of your gun to learn to master that particular guns trigger. I also cant see going after something like a whitetail deer with a 400 at 1400 fps. Why? when 1000 fps will kill it just as dead just as quick. Sure i could grab a 41 or 44 out of the safe and use it instead. But I like hunting with my big guns. I like shooting them ALOT too and cant see beating them up with full loads everyday either or for that matter beating myself up. Ive had my middle nuckle operated on twice and have had a corpal tunnel operation on my hand from shooting a ton of big bore handguns and have learned that its silly to hot rod them all the time. Im a big boy but anyone shoots enough 475s or 500s and your asking for problems. Just ask John Taffin what his hands and wrists are like from doing it. Heck even the load dustin linebaugh shot his grizzly with wasnt a full load. It was a 400 at 1100 fps. Ive done enough testing and hunting with big bores to know that you dont need any more then that to take any animal and that isnt even a full power 480 load

[44man]

I think my problem is that I am adverse to launching 400 gr's of lead for plinking. I would rather shoot much less lead and powder for fun shooting, which means a smaller gun.
If your friend is not sensitive to recoil, I see no problems. It is much different then scaring a young one to death with a big bore. Beginners need to work up so they learn the basics. Then when experience is gained, recoil can be elevated. Not so with a man with experience. Just more practice will make him feel at home with the gun. The .480 is not that bad. If he can shoot a heavy .45 Colt, he can surely handle the .480. My Vaquaro with heavy boolit loads for hunting kicks as much as my larger guns or more. My friends won't shoot it but will shoot my .475 and 45-70.
The main thing is that any caliber needs a certain load to be accurate and to shoot with lower accuracy will not improve shooting. I would rather shoot a 1" group at 100 yd's with a hot load then a 3" group at 25 yd's with a light load. I get a lot of pleasure busting a pop can at 100 yd's rather then one at 15 feet.
It is more important to find the accuracy of the gun, then make it shoot that way by getting used to it. Yes, lighter loads are effective on game, but you have to hit where you aim and that is more important then recoil any day. The most important thing is to ignore recoil.

[Dark Helmet]

Work up to 7.5 gr. of Red Dot or 10 gr. Unique.

[PPpastordon]

Rangerbob;
I get 800 fps with 20.0 gr. of IMR-4227 under a 390 grain boolit. Should be right in the ballpark for what you are seeking.

[buck1]

my lot of Wc820 works well.

[454PB]

I don't own a .480, but in my .454's and .44's, I really like Bluedot for less than all out loads.

[RangerBob]

Thanks for the help, guys. You've given us some pretty starting points.

Bob.

[Dale53]

RangerBob;
One thing that I found useful when I was getting used to my .375 JDJ Contender Pistol was to shoot it five times. I would then lay it down and pick up something much lighter in recoil (say a .357 mag) shoot it at a different target (getting my mind and body used to the lighter recoil) then go back to the "big boy". I found that I could get a surprise break for five shots. I could feel the recoil sensitivity building. Then, I would shoot the lighter pistol. When I went back to the "big boomer" I seemed to be starting from "ground zero"and would continue. Using that method, I shot a 100 with 10 "x"s at twenty five yards on the timed fire target with a full house .375 JDJ (270 gr bullet at 1900 fps). That is about my recoil tolerance level (I have no wrist or hand problems and prefer to keep them that way).

I have NOT shot any big game with those level of loads as I find my trusty .44 magnums to be all that is necessary for the deer that I hunt and harvest around here. It IS academically interesting to those of us who really enjoy the cast bullet and hunting to work with the larger calibers.

I must believe that as I recently bought a Taurus Raging Bull in .454 Casull.

Dale53

[BABore]

Good advise Dale.

When I first started shooting my 480 SRH, I would develope an involuntary muscle twitch under my right eye. It would take about a dozen benched rounds for it to start up. Drove me nuts. Here I was trying to concentrate and my whole cheek was a twitching. Luckily it didn't cause any flinching. Setting the gun aside for 5-10 minutes would stop it for another dozen or so. Went away after the first outing. I can shoot it all I want now, with any load. Still haven't killed a deer with it yet, just a couple of bison. Got a nice 375 gr SWC HP awaiting Bambi.

[Crash_Corrigan]

Ok I see two boolits before and after. What made the hole in the paper and what is that round disk on the right? Please capationalize the photo to help and old duffer understand what he is looking at?
Thanks,
Dan

[jim4065]

my lot of Wc820 works well.

That's what I needed to hear! I got a Puma 480 and some 400 grain j-words. My Lee 6 holer is on on order thanks to 475/480. Figured I'd shoot up some j-words just to keep my hand in. SO....

What's a good load for WC820? I haven't loaded anything with this 8#'s yet, and sure would like to burn some - just to be sure it works. :Fire:

[BABore]

I questioned it and I was there.

It was the first time I tested bullets in totally dry newspaper. Couldn't soak it as it was about zero outside. Dry paper is supposed to simulated bone.

That 50/50 WW-Pb alloy, air cooled HP was driven at 1,300 fps and impacted the tightly packed paper at 25 yards. It penetrated only 10 inches, but the wound channel was over an inch in diameter. The newspaper, in the picture, and the stack of round paper disks were taken from the stack I shot at. Those disks were in front of where the bullet stopped. I pulled out a stack of them that went on for 3 to 4 inches. Again, this was in front of the bullet. Never witnessed anything like that before.

[44man]

Isn't it amazing what a wonderful caliber will do? The .480 is great.
I bought the .475 instead and find that .480's are not as accurate from it and have to use the .475 case. The Lee 400 gr and 15 gr's of HS-6 is deadly accurate for a lighter load but it is still heavy enough for anything. The load is close to a good .480 load. Anything slower just does not shoot good.
My friend's .480 doesn't like light loads or light boolits either and we have to get near max for top accuracy.
I can understand where a lot of you like to shoot light loads to get used to the gun but it never works for me, maybe because I like to see holes very close together at long range.
I prefer a light load with a lighter boolit in my Vaquero for close can plinking, since I can't recover the lead on my range, it hurts less. I shoot some lighter .44 loads too, again, less lead lost. If I am going to shoot 400 gr's or more, I want the boolits to do something. I thought it would mean less shooting with the cannon but the thing grows on you so it is the first gun to go to the range. A contradiction maybe, but a few unreal shots makes it worth more then 50 short range tin can shots. Once you find out what the .480 likes and find out what it can do, the tin can will get so far away it is hard to see. That to me is pleasure! If I want to blast a lot at close range just for fun, I will use something cheaper to shoot.
Sorry guys but shooting tiny loads with heavy boolits is like owning a .300 Weatherby and shooting 30-30 type loads. Why not shoot a 30-30 for fun and use the .300 out to extreme range?

[Fumbler]

Sorry guys but shooting tiny loads with heavy boolits is like owning a .300 Weatherby and shooting 30-30 type loads. Why not shoot a 30-30 for fun and use the .300 out to extreme range?

Because I don't have the money to buy a gun between my 357 and the 480.
One of the joys of handloading is you can taylor your loads. If all I ever intended to do was shoot full power loads then I would have bought a 44mag.

What I'd like to do is have a load that I can get a lot of trigger time with.
400gr bullets at 1000 fps will have more recoil than my 357 so it will be good practice.
I'll be loading 400 gr bullets because I have a lot of them on hand.

I don't know a single handloader who only shoots full power loads.
It's not like I'll never load it to full potential. A hundred round or two and I'll be on my way.
Give a guy a break :roll:

[buck1]

my lot of Wc820 works well.

you have mail...

[buck1]

That's what I needed to hear! I got a Puma 480 and some 400 grain j-words. My Lee 6 holer is on on order thanks to 475/480. Figured I'd shoot up some j-words just to keep my hand in. SO....

What's a good load for WC820? I haven't loaded anything with this 8#'s yet, and sure would like to burn some - just to be sure it works. :Fire:


//// you have mail///

[44man]

Fumbler, I see your point. I had to sell a lot of prized guns to get what I now use. Besides, 1000 fps is still a great load.

[Fumbler]

I forgot to ask.
Do you have a favorite primer (magnum and standard)?
I once had a failure to fire with CCIs in my GP-100, so I've always used Winchester.

I don't know if large pistol primers would be similar.

[44man]

I use Federal 155's for slow powders and even HS-6 but never had a problem with CCI. WW's are good. I never shot a faster powder in my .475 even with the .480 brass so I don't know how a standard primer will work. I need the mag primer for my hotter loads or accuracy goes south. Primers are just part of the load development and you should try all of them.
Some think I contradict because my best accuracy with the .44 mag and .45 Colt is with Fed 150's using 296 powder. Not so with the larger bore and 296 that needs the mag primer.
You can run into a bad primer once in a while but I can't remember when I have had one.

[Lloyd Smale]

Ill agree and disagree with 44 man. Ill disagree on the part where its like taking a 300 weatherby and making it into a 3030. As bullet casters I think alot of us do just that with cast in the big bores. Ill agree with the primer thing. The 44 and 45 can get away with standard primmers in about any load including even 110 and ive got some of my best accuracy using standard primers in them with 110 and 2400. H4227 and little gun about allways shine with mag primers. When i loading for hunting season because its usually cold here i like a mag primer with any slow powder. Ive never had a misfire or a light fire with them but better safe then sorry. When you step up to a 480 or 475 454 or 500 You will usually see your best accuracy with any powder hs6 or slower with mag primers. Probably because your lighting off powder in a much bigger case. I would never use a mag primer with hs6 in a 44 but allways do in the big bores. It can shrink accuracy sometimes in half. Fumbler you missfire was no doubt caused by the fact that the cups on cci primers are to hard for reliable ignition even with some factory heavy trigger pulls. All my da guns get a steady diet of fed primmers. Its scary thing for me right now with federal primers sold out everywhere and rummors flying about the future of them. Ive got 3 cases of lg pistol and 2 cases of small left here but that usually last about a year for me.

[Fumbler]

Thanks for the info guys.
The reduced power hammer spring in my GP-100 probably didn't help out with the CCI primers...

Have yall ever had, or heard of, any problems with Remington primers?
The only primers I can find locally are Remington and they'e standard.

I might have to make a trip to the gun show for some magnum primers to use with my Lil'gun...

[Lloyd Smale]

ive had more quality control problems with rem primers then all the others combined. I havent used them in a few years but just go sick of there inconsistant sizes and there the only primer ive ever had not go off that i couldnt blame on the gun.

[PPpastordon]

"One of the joys of handloading is you can taylor your loads. If all I ever intended to do was shoot full power loads then I would have bought a 44mag."

Fumbler;
I am on your side - and I suspect that most persons here are, also: Especially if the shooters fire many cast bullet loads in high powered rifles.
I don't know about in your world, but ion my world it takes more deer than I have ever seen to stop my 380 grain .475's at 800 fps. I once shot a medium sized buck, about 160 pounds, stem to stern and out into the wild blue with a 300 grain from a .45 Colt at 750 fps.
Maybe some of y'all should read John Taffin's article (Taffin Tests) in the Jan-Feb, 2001, American Handgunner about this bullet at 725 fps (17.5 gr. of H-4227). He says it, "certainly would anchor any whitetail or mule deer that ever walked." BTW; the case in this cartridge is only .035" shorter than the .480.
I would not want to hunt dangerous game with it at this speed - but that doesn't mean it is not an effective load.

[leftiye]

Anybody remember the story in one of Elmer's books about the Montana rancher who killed two grizzlies with two successive shots from a Colt .45 SA (head shots)? I'd almost bet that these were the old slow factory lead boolits (1950? or before).

Then he went back to the house and got his dogs and chased down the cub that he'd put the last three rounds into while it ran away! Course nowadays, you're supposed to let the bears kill you or they put you in jail.