Opinions on the 480 Ruger and Ruger Bisley in 480 Ruger

[osteodoc08]

Title pretty much says it all.

What at am I gaining over say, a 45 colt loaded to Ruger levels out of my 6 shot Bisley?

Hows the recoil and muzzle blast compare to the 454 Casull? Had one in a SRH, but just too sharp and muzzle blast was horrible.

Real world accuracy? How's support with brass and molds and gas checks?

[sixshot]

To me the 454 is a corvette, the 480 is a Bulldozer. I've had both & they are both fine handguns, I much prefer the 480, the recoil is a heavy push, the 454, loaded to the upper levels can be very unplesant. With the 480 & the Bisley grip frame you can use heavy bullets at moderate velocity & take big game with great success, I've done it many times & seen it done many times.
That big flat nose on the 480 carries a lot of momentum & when it connects with muscle or bone it just keeps on coming. Several years ago I took a bull moose with one shot using a Ruger SRH 480 & a 370 gr. softnose cast slug, got complete penetration & a one shot kill at about 45 yds. A few months later a friend borrowed my gun & took a large bison with one shot, same load, same results. This was with a load running about 1050 fps, easy on the back end & a brute out the front! Later I had a cutom 5 shot gun built & my dentist took a very nice bull moose with it using a 385 HP, again a one shot kill at 40-45 yds as we set across a water hole. The bull ran 30-40 yds & nose dived, complete penetration from a load thats very easy to handle. I've sent this same bullet all over the US & many people have used it on all types of big game from large hogs to bears, elk, bison, deer & exotics with great results & moderate recoil. Let the big bullet do the penetration & damage, no need to let heavy recoil beat you to death, thats for the young guys. No need for gas checks in my opinion except for something like the 327 or the 357 Maximum,Others may have different opinions.

Dick

[contender1]

Ok, I have a few Rugers in 45 Colt,,, both OM's & NM's, with & w/o Bisley grips.
I also own a Super Redhawk in 480 Ruger, as well as a FA in 454. I also own the new 480 SBH 5 shot Bisley.
To try & compare the 480 & the 454 in a DA gun,,, you will notice a definite difference in the recoil. The 454 has a sharper, snappier recoil, while the 480 has more of a rolling push.
Next, in a SA,, again, the 454 acts the same way over a 480. I find my 480's are much more fun to shoot.

Now, using the 45 Colt over the 480 Ruger,,, well, I'd say it's like comparing the .357 to a 44 mag in terms of recoil & downrange performance. The 480 is noticeably bigger & heavier to shoot. BUT,,,,, I find it's not bad if you are used to shooting big bores. In fact I can shoot 50-60 rounds at a setting w/o a glove or anything with my 480 SBH.

Ammo, brass, bullets are available,,, but due to the current demands,,, a bit harder to find, and a bit pricey. I just happened to have plenty & haven't had any issues. Plus,,, Miha makes an EXCELLENT mold for casting some really nice bullets. I have one mold that uses a g/c,,, but I've never gotten around to casting with it. Too easy to just use the other one & powder coat my bullets.

[High Desert Hunter]

The 454 has a much sharper recoil, very controllable in my Freedom Arms, but definitely a notch above the 480 Ruger. In the 480 SBH, bullets pushed over 1100fps are very controllable, but they are not pussycats either, I shot all 3 of the cartridges in question yesterday, and the recoil of the 45 Colt pushing a 325gr WFNGC with a max charge of H110 from my 5.5" SS Bisley isn't a pussycat either. I will say that recovering any of the bullets is a difficult task, after 3 feet of digging, I only managed to recover 2 bullets from the 45 Colt, and 1 from the 480 Ruger, didn't recover any of the 454 bullets, which were the same bullet as the 45 Colt was firing. I think this 480 Ruger is going to be an excellent hunting handgun, with good bullets the accuracy is on par with my Ruger 45 Colt, which to me is excellent, but my Freedom Arms is on a whole different plane, usually dropping 5 shots into one oversized hole.

[Lefty SRH]

I finally got around to sizing/lubing and loading some NOE 480-375-FN boolits. They are actually 383gr. I have out of the big bores for a little while. I first tried a bottom end charge of H110 (24.0gr) and found it to be a little too stout for someone who is rusty.
Today I tried some Longshot, HS-6, and some Trail Boss. Haha, Trailboss was just plain fun and EXTREMELY ACCURATE with a single hole group!
I plan to do some work/playing when it warms up. The cold weather doesnt help my hands any with recoil and comfort......lol

I really enjoy the .480 overall. I will have to get used to the Bisley SA in time. My 9.5" SRH I find a lot more controllable, but it is a different kind of animal. I try not to compare my Bisley to my SRH.

Ive hunted with my SRH quite a bit but never had a shot opportunatey. Hopefully that changes soon.

[bearcove]

Done the Big Bore gig and decided for me a 454 loaded to regular magnum pistol pressure is enough. Thats a bit more than 45 colt will do but not much difference. I have rifles and they are much better suited for this power level for me.

The full pressure 454s 480s 475s were just not fun. I'd rather carry a Marlin or Rossi 92 if my 41BH won't get it done.

[Tom W.]

Before I got a wild hair and traded off my .480 for something that I really didn't need, and had an Encore in .454, I really enjoyed the .480. The recoil wasn't much more than my .44 mag ( to me, anyway,) and was so very accurate using cast 400 gr boolits. The .454 had more recoil than I cared for. I kept it two years and sold it. It was accurate, Chronographed loads were in the 1700 range with a 300 gr.cast boolit. But the fun wasn't there anymore.......

[Lefty SRH]

Tom W, what part of Alabama are you located?