480 ruger Alaskan

[chickenstripe]

A few friends and I get together every year and hunt deer in a remote area. Its a 3 mile boat ride, or a 5 mile+ hike to get to where we put up camp. Where we put the boat in, is 20 miles from the nearest town. So help is a long way away if needed...... (I know this is relative, some of you probably live in an area more remote than this).

We all remain armed because we have food,and sometimes, if we're lucky, we have deer hanging. I personally carry a 4-5/8"SBH in 44mag with the lee310 loaded to 1000fps.

Side Note: That thing looks awesome stoked with this big flat points sitting flush with the front of the cylinder!!!!

Anyway, I recently saw the reintroduction of the 480 in the Ruger Alaskan....... (I think you all know where this is headed)

Any advantage to the 480 over the 44 platform already in my possession? I realize there is no such thing as a stopping handgun, but as a last ditch against 4 legged heavy-haired critters wanting to do me harm..... is there any advantage to the 480? Or is the only advantage deeper penetration into the dirt behind the target? Are there any stabilization issues with the 480 in short barrels similar to that found in the 44 Alaskan (when using heavy boolits)?

That 480 just seems that it would be much more of a thumper...........

[Clay M]

I have a Freedom Arms .454 with a 4 3/4" barrel for a belt gun to carry in the backwoods.It is accurate and I have chronograph it with 260gr win Supreme bullets at 1650

[contender1]

Well, I happen to own several Rugers. Including a few 44 mags & a Super Redhawk in 480. I don't have an Alaskan, but it's only barrel lengths we are mostly discussing.
The 480 is definitely a heavier caliber in all respects than the 44 mag. If I were confronted with an upset 4 lagged heavy haired critter,, I'd feel a lot better with my 480 than a 44 mag.
The 480 is a surprisingly enjoyable caliber to shoot. Accurate, & capable of good things. I have a Lee 400 grn mold & a Mihea custom mold for mine. (Thanks Glenn for ramrodding this one!)
To answer your question, get the 480 & enjoy it!

[Clay M]

In the back country of Montana or Alaska I would want something more than a .44 magnum.I am sure the .480 is a good choice.My cousin lives in Mt and rides horses in Grizzly country.He carries a 500 S&W with a 4" barrel.He can't hit anything with it but he carries it,...hahahaha

[Lefty SRH]

The .480 makes a bigger hole. The SRH platform handles so differently vs. the SBH platform. Get the .480 Alaskan and enjoy it. I have a 9 1/2" .480 SRH and love it. I once owned a .44 Alaskan and it was GREAT too.

[Any Cal.]

I don't have the answer, but always ask myself which shots on a target would be inadequate with the old gun but be a sure thing with the new caliber. Somehow, I don't end up buying much of anything though...

[warboar_21]

The difference you ask is the fact that the Alaskan is a double action revolver vs a single action. I do like my .480 Ruger with 7.5" barrel. With the 400gr Lee pushing 1200fps it is a handful. I can't imagine what it would be like from a 2.5" barrel.

[Clay M]

Any of the big calibers are bad if they aren't ported.
Then they become hard on your ears,even for one shot . If you can find someone who has one you can shoot that will help you decide. That is what I did before I bought my 500 S&W.

Either way with that short barrel , you may never be able to listen to Bach again...:lol:

[historicfirearms]

I can't offer much advice, other than to say that the 480 Alaskan is on my short list of guns I still want to buy. I've got a S&W 629 and would feel comfortable with it in bear country too. For me, the 480 would offer a little more peace of mind.

[chickenstripe]

I expected the comments to go in a different direction. Sounds like the 480 would be a worthy addition.

[randyrat]

I'll go the other way...You won't hit a charging bear so it won't matter which gun you have. Hopefully before the bear malls the heck out of you, your friends will have their guns drawn and the bear will run away...Thank God most black bear charges are false because they are fast.

OK back to the gun I prefer the 44 only because of availability of brass and bullets and the damage is significant enough with the proper loads. That 310 LEE loaded with enough H110 or 2400 will be more than plenty for any black bear or wolf... Have you tried a full bore 310 gr load yet? and compare it to factory loaded 240 gr...It makes the factory load seem wimpy

I can see if I were dealing with Grizzlies I would go with 12 gauge slug and a back up 500 S&W and two friends with guns, grizzlies scare the heck out of me.

[chickenstripe]

I can't recall ever shooting a factory 240gr, but I run 17.5 gr of 2400 under the LEE 310 @1000fps. I don't know if that's a full bore load, but you definitely know the gun went off!!

[gofastman]

the idea behind the .480 was to get the "thump" of a .475 but the shootability of a .44.
yes it should have better terminal ballistics than the .44 on large creatures, and I base that on absolutely nothing ;-)

I am lead to believe the 6 shot 480 Ruger Alaskan is the BEST woods defense handgun available, and I really, really want one!

[chickenstripe]

http://www.gunbroker.com/Auction/ViewItem.aspx?Item=344999800

[warf73]

http://www.gunbroker.com/Auction/ViewItem.aspx?Item=344999800

Thats a custom gun not the Alaskan, didn't someone on the forum do that same exact thing to his 480?

[gofastman]

Thats a custom gun not the Alaskan, didn't someone on the forum do that same exact thing to his 480?
I bet that extra 2" of barrel would really help push a 400 grainer up to speed with out the need for max pressure loads

it also doesnt look that much bigger or harder to carry than an Alaskan

[jlucke69]

Caliber aside, the Redhawk for me is a better choice for a last ditch gun, though would prefer it to be a 3-4" barrel. You pull the trigger and it goes bang. Double action for this situation would allow for a follow up shot without thinking about it. I owned a 480, and liked it to shoot, but decided that since I don't elephant hunt or plan on being attacked by grizzly bears, it was cheaper to sell it and stay with the 44 as I already load for several in that caliber. They are big enough to handle anything in my neck of the woods.

[Lloyd Smale]

yes the 480 will put a bigger thump on something then a 44 or 45. As to recoil ive never shot an alaskan in 480 but owned a 454 alaskan and allways thought it was the mildest shooting 454 ive ever shot. Much eaiser on the hand that my FA guns were. So my guess is a 480 isnt going to be much of a step up in recoil if your shooting heavies in a 44 blackhawk.

[Viper225]

Since you have been shooting 310 grain 44 loads, the 480 Ruger should not be all that much worse on recoil. I have never owned an Alaskan, but I have owned 2 of the 44 Magnum Super RedHawks that I shot 310's in. I currently own a pair of 480 Super RedHawks.
I am a fan of big holes. To me the recoil of the 480 with 385's or 400's is not a great deal more than the 310 grain 44.
The Hogue TAMER Grips really help also.

Bob

[gofastman]

I can see if I were dealing with Grizzlies I would go with 12 gauge slug and a back up 500 S&W and two friends with guns, grizzlies scare the heck out of me.
dont forget to bring one "friend" without a gun, lol :kidding:

[Thor's Daddy]

yes the 480 will put a bigger thump on something then a 44 or 45. As to recoil ive never shot an alaskan in 480 but owned a 454 alaskan and allways thought it was the mildest shooting 454 ive ever shot. Much eaiser on the hand that my FA guns were. So my guess is a 480 isnt going to be much of a step up in recoil if your shooting heavies in a 44 blackhawk.

This is good stuff here, but note the key words:


... if your shooting heavies...

Your current load with the Lee 310's at 1000fps is by no means heavy. Personally, if I were wanting to feel the kick of a 480 without buying one I'd either rent/borrow one and give it a whirl, or more likely, buy a pound of H110/W296 and load up some full-house rounds with that 310gr slug in the 44. Even with the short barrel, they'll probably run upwards of 1300fps. You will certainly see an increase in muzzle blast and kick.

And then you'll have a much better idea of whether or not you want to plunk down the change for a 480 Alaskan.

[Shedhunter]

I had a 480 Ruger when they first came out. Good fun round but I didn't reload back then so I sold due to cost of ammo. I think it was Ruger that said the 480 still had the same power at 100yds that a 44mag does at the muzzle. The 480 Alaskan looks like a fun one.

[starmac]

I am not a pistolero by any means, but have never seen the sense in short barrel big bore guns. If it is just for ease of carry, I just have never had a problem carrying my 44's with the 7 1/2 in barrels when out and about. I think the 480 would have some long range advantages over the 44 for hunting purposes, but wouldn't personally want the short barrel. As far as bear attack distances, I just don't really see the advantages of a 480 over a 44, either of them will seem very inadequate at the time.

[Lloyd Smale]

I wont get into a big long vs short barrel argument but will say this. Ive got two 4 inch 500 linebaughs and have shot a considerable amount of game with them and with the other two 500s I owned which were 5.5 inch and the 4 inch hammers stuff just as well. Ive never had any animal take more then a couple steps after being hit. IMO for what its worth a ruger alaskan shooting a 400 grain cast bullet at even a 1000 fps is a better killer then any 44 mag or 45 colt load.

[starmac]

Quite a bit of difference in shooting a 2 1/2 in and a 4 or 5 in barrel, at least for me. I'm sure it kills stuff deader though.

[chickenstripe]

So, I'm getting the idea that I need to put more powder behind that LEE 310?

I just noticed, when looking for load data........there are 355gr boolits available for the 44mag

[Lloyd Smale]

Ive got two favorite heavys for the 44. The lyman semi wadcutter goes close to 330 out of ww and i have a ballistic cast 340 lfngc mold. that bullet out of my 5.5 inch bisley took 3rd place at the linebaugh seminar one year i was there. I wont post the load as it was hot but it ran 1200 cast out of 5050 ww/lyno out of that gun and beat about everything there except a couple choise 475 loads. What suprised me is that it gave almost twice the penetration of most heavy bullet 45 colt and 454 loads. Only thing i can figure is that was because of its reduced diameter. Its a good bullet though and has proven itself on pigs, deer and bear and my buddy took it to canada in his 444 and killed a couple caribou and said the wound channels were devestating. Nice thing about it is it has two crimp groves so it works in both the rugers seated long and the 444s seated shallow.

[Tatume]

Phil Shoemaker is a very experienced Alaskan hunting guide. He, his wife, son and daughter are all guides. According to Phil, a 357 Magnum revolver is a perfectly fine defense gun for bear country. The way he explains it, when there is no choice but to confront a bear, it is the attitude of the person that makes the difference. If the bear believes the person is going to fight back, it will usually grumble and growl, and eventually leave. The last I've heard, nobody in the Shoemaker family has ever had to actually shoot a brown bear in such a confrontation.

This is not the same as following up on a wounded bear. For that, Shoemaker uses a 458 Win Mag rifle.

I do not live in Alaska and do not have personal experience confronting brown bears. I'm only reporting what I have read.

Take care, Tom

[Mal Paso]

My 4" 44 Redhawk shoots the 340g +P+ Buffalo Bore at 1300 fps with ease for ME of 1290 ftlbs. Elmer's load behind one of his boolits is about 1200 ftlbs from the same gun. I would develop the 44 platform.

Then again there's the New Gun factor.

[dkf]

My 4" 44 Redhawk shoots the 340g +P+ Buffalo Bore at 1300 fps with ease for ME of 1290 ftlbs. Elmer's load behind one of his boolits is about 1200 ftlbs from the same gun. I would develop the 44 platform.

Then again there's the New Gun factor.

I agree. I am not seeing how the .480 is that much superior to the .44mag when you look at those hot and heavy loads. A whopping .046" diameter larger bullet with the .480 whoopty do. Or you could get a .454 and have the option of shooting .45colt.

I would just prefer a single/double action revolver like a redhawk or super redhawk vs a single action super blackhawk.If your hunting deer you'll have a rifle in addition to your hog leg. Maybe pack along a can or two of bear spray. Up to you.

[Lloyd Smale]

yup the redhawks will crank those 44 bullets. Ive loaded mine up even past what youve done. They will give a 454 a run if you got the nerve to do it and leave a 6 shot blackhawk 45 colt in there dust.
My 4" 44 Redhawk shoots the 340g +P+ Buffalo Bore at 1300 fps with ease for ME of 1290 ftlbs. Elmer's load behind one of his boolits is about 1200 ftlbs from the same gun. I would develop the 44 platform.

Then again there's the New Gun factor.

[Lloyd Smale]

shoot enough game with a handgun and youll see that that .046 differnce in bullets is definately enough to see a differnce in killing power or in about any gun. What would you rather have for big bear a 2506 shooting a 120 grain bullet or a 3006 shooting a 180. Not only that but your talking heavys for a 44 going at 340 and heavys for a 480 a 100 grains more. Now take a typical heavy 44 load of a 300 grain bullet a 1200fps and compare it to a 480 that will push a 400 grain bullet to the same speed with a bigger metplat. Im not cutting down the 44 mag. Its hands down my favorite handgun round but it closer compared to the 41 and 45 colt. the 480/475/500s are in a differnt league and are much better for larger animals but only if you are competant enough to handle them. Ive shot NO dangerous game with a handgun unless you are a dreamer and consider black bear or pigs dangerous. I have shot 8 buffalo with various handguns and have witnessed at least a dozen more and ill say flat out that the 475 (and mine is usually loaded to 480 ballistics) is a better killer then a 44 or 45. they all will get the job done but the bigger bullets do seem to hit harder and ill say the same thing between the 475 and 500 linebaughs. Nothing hammers them like a 50.
I agree. I am not seeing how the .480 is that much superior to the .44mag when you look at those hot and heavy loads. A whopping .046" diameter larger bullet with the .480 whoopty do. Or you could get a .454 and have the option of shooting .45colt.

I would just prefer a single/double action revolver like a redhawk or super redhawk vs a single action super blackhawk.If your hunting deer you'll have a rifle in addition to your hog leg. Maybe pack along a can or two of bear spray. Up to you.

[gofastman]

^ hard to argue with that! :drinks:

[Ed K]

I get the 480 being a lot more thump than the 44 or 45. The part I find confusing about the 480 is always the "free lunch": kills like a 475/shoots like a 44mag. If a 475 pushes a 400gr slug with 50Kpsi of pressure (and is known to be quite a handful). How is a 480 pushing a 400gr slug with 48Kpsi of pressure soft shooting? Not a knock on the 480 - just the "free lunch" logic that commonly is applied.

[Lloyd Smale]

your right ed. there is no free lunch the 480 loaded to its potential kicks more then a 44 mag loaded to its potential. It is a step down in recoil from the 475 and 454s though. It lacks that sharp fast recoil they have. Its more like a midrange 500 linebaugh load. but anyone that tells you it kicks like a 44 is either on crack or trying to sell you a gun.

[Tatume]

Ruger made this claim, and it is true. Hornady sells 480 Ruger ammunition loaded with a 325 gr XTP bullet at 1350 fps. Hodgdon lists data for the 44 Rem Mag using 330 cast bullets at 1350 fps. By this comparison and using guns of similar weight, recoil will be the same.

The fact that the 480 Ruger can be loaded with much heavier bullets that generate more recoil does not make the statement false. But, it is misleading to the uninformed.

[Charlie, AKA The Deacon]

I know a couple guy's that have been false charged by Grizzly and blackbear. and both of them said that they never cleared leather!! bears are FAST!!!

I shoot and own both with my 480 I do feel a little more comfort, the 480 alaskan looks like a good one. The only drawback I think to my SRH 480 is the weight it has a 7 1/2 in barrel. but it is a joy to shoot with heavy lead, I run a LBT WFN. and it shoots it well.

[98Redline]

Loaded up to it's potential a 480 is easily knocking on the door of 475 territory, however the price of admission to that club is recoil.

The factory Hornady 325gr XTP loads are quite mild shooting, 420s with a case full of H110.....not so much. That being said, I don't think you need to run a 480 with full boogie loads to be effective, even in a protection capacity. 420 WFN bullets at 1000fps should be more than enough to dissuade just about anything that there are better meals to be had.

If given the opportunity to get a 480 Alaskan, I would jump on it.

[Tatume]

Today I saw a black bear on the move; pretty good sized bear too. He covered 50 feet so fast I didn't have time to point and say to my wife "look!" This bear was not charging, he was traveling. He didn't make a sound either!

[Ramjet-SS]

480 is thumper.

Me I would carry a Glock model 20 loaded with 200 Grain WFN hard cast 14 round mag night sites with fiber optic green for great day sight acquisition.

But that's me your mileage may vary.

[Lloyd Smale]

Ive seen it too. I dont care what any so called expert claims. If one was comming for me id just about rather have some toilet paper a change of underware and a first aid kit then a 357 loaded with ANY load and thats black bear. You wouldnt catch me in a million years walking around in grizzly country with a pop gun. Ive saw a few black bear killed with 357s and if dog hunting where a bear is treed they work pretty well but it many times still takes more then one shot. For any bear hunting my caliber is going to start with at least .4
Today I saw a black bear on the move; pretty good sized bear too. He covered 50 feet so fast I didn't have time to point and say to my wife "look!" This bear was not charging, he was traveling. He didn't make a sound either!

[historicfirearms]

I just read an article in the April 2013 Handloader magazine on bear hunting with a 45 colt. The author said his bear hunting friend didn't have much faith in using a handgun for bear. One acquaintance of his shot a bear with a 357 and wound up getting mauled and had his pants torn off. The authors son did shoot a treed bear with he 45 colt, but it took three shots to do the deed.

I used to work for the forest service in southeast Alaska. When we worked in known bear territory we would carry the governments 375 H&H rifles. Even then I felt like easy prey at times. Pepper spray was also standard issue, but the standing joke was that it was just to add a little spice to the bears dinner.

Generally a grizzly or brown bear is considered more aggressive, but they are defending their territory and usually if you back off they will let you go. If a brown attacks, its best to play possum if you can. Make lots of noise so they hear you coming and nobody gets surprised. Black bears are usually very timid but if they do attack they are looking to make a meal out of you, fight back with all you have.

[Ramjet-SS]

I will ask this not to insult anyone but moment where the "pucker factor" and stress is really high it is imperative you use a gun that will allow shots on target and fast follow up,shots. This is true against two or four legged foe. Those who tout a really hard kicking revolver that puts the barrel in there forehead with every shot is only fooling themselves. This is a statement of reality based on allot of high stress scenario training and real life encounters. Hence the suggestion I made some post ago. But given my druthers I might choose a 12 ga stoked with 00 buck 3" in a short barreled tactical shotgun short of that give me 14 rounds of 200 grain premium grade ammo any day.

Of course this is only my opinion. By the way I owned and shot over 4500 rounds of ammo through one of John Linebaughs first custom 475s. Yea thousands of rounds ever talk to him just ask him he made new cylinder for that gun. Great guns great guy legend. I will still take the 10mm Glock.

[Lloyd Smale]

ramjet you kind of hinted around at a good point. If you are going to use a big gun youd best be honest with yourself on whether or not you can REALLY handle it. Many go out and by guns like the 500 smith 454 ect and think there majicaly all prepared for a bear. In there hands theyd be much better off with a 12 guage or a 357 they can actually shoot. I will argue though that there are people who can handle big guns as well or better then the average gun shoots a smaller gun. they have a charging bear target at the linebaugh seminar. Sure its not a real bear so the pucker factor is a bit less. But still shooting at that charging target with 30 guys standing there watching you is stressfull. Many differnt guns are used and when it comes to the ones there that can really shoot it doesnt matter if there shooting a 357 or a 500 linebaugh and the same about goes for the few that show up with there shinny 10 year old linebaugh that spent most of its life sitting in a display case. They choke with any caliber. I know it were me id much rather stick two good shots with a 500 or 475 in something comming for me the 5 shots out of a 10mm or 357. At least id know for sure that my bullets were going to make it to the vitals if i did my part.

[Ramjet-SS]

Lloyd thats why I like you you have something that is not abundant in allot of folks these days and that is common sense. You have allot of experience with the Big Bore hand cannons so you realize how tough it is too make a shot or multiple shots under stress. In many cases because of adrenaline in a defensive situation you may not even realize the amount of times you shot or even many parts of the event. So the point being whatever you are doing make darn sure you practice and it does nto have to be with full house loads light loads same gun will "condition" you to react accordingly.

But with the many thousands of rounds I shoot I would take my Glock 10MM or good Model 21 in 45 ACP with a Speer Lawman or hardcast bullet over my 457 GNR any day. That GNR just recoils way to too much to accurately put several rounds on target in a stressful situation. You know the old saying keep shooting till the threat is stopped.

Oh by the way lots of stress with 30 of your buddies standing in judgement over you that is for sure. LOL

[Lloyd Smale]

differnt strokes. thats what makes the world go round!