480 Ruger Cast Bullet Diameter

[trapper04]

I have a RUGER SUPER BLACKHAWK in 480 Ruger. I used pin gages in the cylinder throats to check the diameter. A .477 pin gage drops through all of the cylinders but it is not a snug fit, while a .478 will not go through any of the cylinder throats.

What size diameter bullet would you recommend?

Thanks,
Mike

[megasupermagnum]

.477"

[Elmer Fudd]

I have the same gun. My cylinders are .476. Bore has constrictions, but that's going to change. I use a .476 Lathesmith sizing die and this gun shoots as well as my others with constrictions. The lapped bores shoot better, usually by half.

[osteodoc08]

.476-.477 so long as it loads and shoots. I love my Ruger SBH and SRH in 480R.

Which Boolit are you shooting?

[trapper04]

Montana Bullet Works 420 gr wfn gc .477. I just ordered these so as of now I have only shot factory Hornady 325 gr ammo.

[DougGuy]

Most of the later 480s will take a .478" ZZ minus pin. Yours might be an earlier cylinder. They were .477" across the board. I would size to .477" and let these age harden until they are a light drag fit in the throats then load them and shoot them before they grow any more.

[Lloyd Smale]

ive owned a few 475s and never a 480 but have casted for guys who have and 476 has worked well in all of them. Ive never seen an out of spec 480 or 475

[smithnframe]

I size my 400 grain Lee bullets to .476.

[blue32]

My SBH leads with anything under .477.

[DougGuy]

Most of the later 480s will take a .478" ZZ minus pin. Yours might be an earlier cylinder. They were .477" across the board.

In addition to this, the 480 as shipped from Ruger has a very abrupt 45 degree step at the end of the chamber, this works fine for j-words but a lot of guys get lead rings in the chambers shooting cast. I get a LOT of these cylinders sent in for reaming, I had Manson make me a custom reamer that cuts that abrupt step out and reams it to a nice smooth 6 degree 30min chamfer more in line with what you would see in a 357 magnum or 44 magnum chamber, and it gets rid of the lead rings completely.

Stock SBH chambers on left, SBH chambers on right reamed to 6 degree 30min chamfer, throats honed to .478"

269297269298

[black mamba]

Beautiful work, Doug. As the old ad said, "The silly little difference that makes ALL the difference!"

[Wheelguns 1961]

Doug did this to my 480 cylinder. It stopped the rings of lead. Totally satisfied!

[osteodoc08]

Doug did my SRH and now anything I have drops in fine. Previously the horrible “shoulder” prevented loading some of my longer heavier boolits.