M-92 Get the .454 Casull , or .480 Ruger?

[Joe C]

Hi all.
I have been kicking around the idea of picking up another M-92 and i was considering either the .454 , or the .480 Ruger .
I have one M-92 in .357 i bought many years ago , and thought it was time for another .
Anybody have any comments on either of these two calibers in the LSI M-92's....
thanks
Joe.

[Scrounger]

Just an opinion, everybody's got one and you know what they're worth. I'm not impressed with the .480 Ruger as a rifle round, I'm waiting for Marlin or Puma to bring out a lever in .500 S&W.
In the meantime, the .454 loaded down to upper .45 Colt levels will probably give you all the recoil you want.

[BBA]

Get the 454 and let it do the kicking for you.

[6pt-sika]

Winchester a few years back was "supposed" to bring the model 94 out in 480 Ruger and I was all ready to get one ! They showed it in the catalog for two years but never brought it into production !

Later Marlin showed the model 1895RL in their catalog one year and this thing was "supposed" to fire the 480 Ruger and or the 475 Linebaugh and I really really wanted one of these ! But like Winchester they RENIGGED on what they printed !


So by this time and two Ruger Super Redhawks in 480 later I had a bunch of molds bullets , brass and a set of dies .

And I decided to purchase a Puma 92 in 480 ! I like the cartridge well enough and had my dealer special order me the Puma ! When I opened the box at the dealers , lets say I wasn't overjoyed !

I kept that rifle about two years and the entire time I had it , it stayed NIB and unfired ! I just didn't care for the way it looked !

But if you want a Puma in 454 or 480 my preference is for the 480 but I also have no problem with the 454 ;-)

[Joe C]

I haven't handled any of the Puma rifles in years , the one i have , is a 357 that is probably 20 years old.
I do know that it shot better than i ever expected it would .
Back then i had good eyes and with a peep sight on it .
I am "familiar" with heavy recoil rifles................
One of my bolt guns is a 460 Weatherby
and i have a couple 45-70"s.
Just thought i would try something else .
Joe

[Heavy lead]

Winchester a few years back was "supposed" to bring the model 94 out in 480 Ruger and I was all ready to get one ! They showed it in the catalog for two years but never brought it into production !

Later Marlin showed the model 1895RL in their catalog one year and this thing was "supposed" to fire the 480 Ruger and or the 475 Linebaugh and I really really wanted one of these ! But like Winchester they RENIGGED on what they printed !


So by this time and two Ruger Super Redhawks in 480 later I had a bunch of molds bullets , brass and a set of dies .

And I decided to purchase a Puma 92 in 480 ! I like the cartridge well enough and had my dealer special order me the Puma ! When I opened the box at the dealers , lets say I wasn't overjoyed !

I kept that rifle about two years and the entire time I had it , it stayed NIB and unfired ! I just didn't care for the way it looked !

But if you want a Puma in 454 or 480 my preference is for the 480 but I also have no problem with the 454 ;-)

I waited and waited for that Marlin in my second favorite cartridge. It never came.:violin:

[Joe C]

6pt-sika
What was it you didn't like about the Puma . Was it that rifle in particular ?
Or just the 92 style rifles.....
Joe

[dpaqu]

Not to Hijack the thread but I don't see any 480 Ruger revolvers on there site. I wonder if they dropped the cartridge?

[Joe C]

dpaqu
A flyer i have has a Stainless Redhawk , limited run in Target Grey listed for the
.480 , but that seems to be the only one i see in that chambering.
Joe

[Lloyd Smale]

.480 cause they dont make a .50

[NickSS]

I have a stainless Puma 92 in 45 Colt. I love the rifle and have shot it a lot. A few years ago I found some once fired 454 casule brass and decided that the thicker brass was just the ticket to make some hot loads up for my rifle. I trimmed the cases to 45 Colt length and loaded them with 250 gr JSP bullets with something like 31 gr of AA 1680. The results were excellent but the recoil was brutal in such a light rifle with a steel semi cresent butt plate. I decided that that load would make a good deer or elk round but was not for everyday shooting.

[Bret4207]

As the others have said, recoil becomes an issue in such a light rifle. I have some big guns too and I've shot the 458's and 375's enough to have my fun meter pegged right out. Still, my little 44 Mag Puma with full house loads get's unpleasant rather quickly. If you get one of these do yourself a favor and add a recoil pad of some sort. Following advice I got here, I cut some 1" styrofoam insulation to fill the crescent and added a slip on recoil pad. Adds a little length, cut the "fun", adds very little weight and does no lasting damage to the gun.

[Scrounger]

The .454 comes with a recoil pad.

[corvette8n]

I have a 16" large loop carbine in .45 Colt, with .45 Colt +P ammo it kicks pretty good. I shoot .45 Colt Blasers so I don't have to chase the brass, and the +P when I wan't to hunt.
I put a leather lace on pad which helped alot.

I'd say get the .454 you can always shoot .45 Colt.

[kawalekm]

I'd say get the .454 you can always shoot .45 Colt.

I think the .454 is a better choice if you aren't a reloader. You can select light .45 Colt "Cowboy Loads" for plain old plinking. Cowboy loads are so light you'll almost think you're shooting a .38 special.

You can buy .45Colt +P ammo that is powerfull enough to go deer hunting with.

Finally, there are at least two different power levels of .454 Casull ammo that you can buy. The high power load produces abot 2800 foot-pounds of energy. Buffalo anyone?

I also think the .454 is a better choice if you are a reloader. There are many more .45 caliber bullets than .475" ones, and many more bullet molds.
Michael

[helice]

I might as well join in here. I have a SS Puma in 45 Colt. I worked up loads with LilGun to one grain under max. The recoil made me stop. The 45 Puma is really fun to shoot if I keep the recoil to a tolerable level. If I needed anything more that 45 Colt (which I don't) I'd increase boolit diameter before I'd increase case capacity. If you already have a 45 Colt and you need one or t'other of the above mentioned I'd vote for the 480. But if you don't have a 45 Colt---That's the one I'd recommend. Much easier to find ammo. Keep writing. Helice

[454PB]

Get the .454. I have the Puma 92, it's a nice rifle that can be loaded down if desired. I've fired a few hundred 330 gr. 452651 Lymans through it at 1900 fps., it does get to be hard on your neck.

[bigdog454]

I have a Puma .454 and love it. It's not the purtiest thing, but it sure shoots good. Handles 45 colt or .454 interchangably without a hic-cup. I like to shoot .454 cases loaded to 45 colt specs, but with a 300 gr bullet and at 2100 fps It let's you know that you've got a potent gun. Most of my loads are for the 454 SRH at about 1150fps and from the little carbine I gain about 225 fps. It's fun to shoot till ya start pushin the 454 to its max.

[Seafarer12]

I would say go with the 454. You can shoot 45 colts and you have a better selection of bullets.

[NHlever]

If you read all the answers you will see why there is a shortage of Ruger .480 revolvers.

[6pt-sika]

6pt-sika
What was it you didn't like about the Puma . Was it that rifle in particular ?
Or just the 92 style rifles.....
Joe

I didn't think the rifle looked all that great once I pulled it from the box in the dealers shop !

If it had been sitting on his shelf and I looked at it first I wouldn't have bothered with it ! But since I asked him to order it I couldn't very well turn it down ! At the time I think it cost me about $350-360 brand new in the box . So I figured rather then renigging on my deal with the dealer I'd just take it on home and send it down the road later !

[Joe C]

One of the questions i was going to ask , is , what are the velocities you guys are getting with the 454 in a 20" bbl.
I have seen a few replies to give me an idea what you can get with it.

I was wondering if anyone has any numbers for the 480 Ruger out of a rifle ?

I have a couple 44 mag rifles , so that is one of the reasons i was thinking of jumping up to the .480 caliber (would go straight to a .50 cal if i could.....)

Again , thanks for all the responses,, if anyone has any more info on the velocities you can get with the 454 ,and especially the 480 , i would appreciate it .
Joe

PS , Been reloading for 40 years , so factory ammo is not a problem ...........

[Lloyd Smale]

problem with buying a 454 lever gun and expecting it to shoot 45 colts is that it probably wont. My buddys 454 puma would not run 45 colts and would not run 454s with bullets longer then the ones that wont chamber in guns like the fa and small framed rugers. His 480 willl run any bullet. You talking loads out of it that will slightly surpass the 475 out of a handgun and that my friends is a powerful load. The 480 is far from dead. Rugers chambering guns in it right now. Heavier bullets. larger metplats, its a no brainer to me. You want a cute little gun? My buddys got a 16 inch stainless puma in 480. What a truck gun that makes. Ive got a custom marlin 94 done in 475 but because of the inherent weakness of a marlin action he can run his ammo just as stout if not more then i can in the marlin

[joecool911]

I went to the Puma website. I dont see that they make the 454 anymore. Any input?

Also, is the 92 drilled for scope mount and/or receiver sight?

[GSPKurt]

problem with buying a 454 lever gun and expecting it to shoot 45 colts is that it probably wont. My buddys 454 puma would not run 45 colts and would not run 454s with bullets longer then the ones that wont chamber in guns like the fa and small framed rugers. His 480 willl run any bullet. You talking loads out of it that will slightly surpass the 475 out of a handgun and that my friends is a powerful load. The 480 is far from dead. Rugers chambering guns in it right now. Heavier bullets. larger metplats, its a no brainer to me. You want a cute little gun? My buddys got a 16 inch stainless puma in 480. What a truck gun that makes. Ive got a custom marlin 94 done in 475 but because of the inherent weakness of a marlin action he can run his ammo just as stout if not more then i can in the marlin


I own a Ruger SRH in .454 Casull, and recoil is brutal, SOooooo, I reload .454 Casull brass to lower velocities. The bullet doesn't have to jump so far to the rifling.

[Heavy lead]

480 Ruger

[yarro]

I checked with Ruger. No cataloged revolver is available in .480 Ruger. They may still make them for distributors willing to meet their minimum order requirement. So the answer is that .480 Ruger is effectively a dead cartridge. Shame as it was about a powerful as I can comfortably shoot out of a Super Redhawk when shooting full house loads. My buddy's .454 caused me to start developing a flinch. I shot a guy's .480 and found that as long as I did not overdo it, I was fine. I think that a revolver in .480 and a lever gun in the same caliber would be a fine setup.

-Yarro

[Joe C]

Just in case anyone was interested ,thought i would get back on here and let you folks know that i decided on the 480 Ruger caliber.
I haven't shot it a great deal yet , but the few rounds i have tried are showing some promise .
Just got to installing a Lyman reciever sight on it so i can get a better idea of how it shoots.
My eyesight keeps me from doing much with regular open sights.
I did chrono a couple loads out of it .
Using Lil'Gun and a 420 gr Beartooth bullet WFN i get around 1420 fps.
With Lil'Gun and a 355 gr LFN i get about 1730 fps.
Recoil is not bad , but you notice it .
First thing i did , after installing the reciever sight, was to order a different butt stock for the rifle .
Haven't gotten it installed yet, but it is a much straighter,wider and taller , stock with a shotgun butt .
I knew as soon as i looked at the rifle that i didn't like the looks of the factory stock . Too much drop , and kind of skinny , and short . Iknew that it would make the recoil feel even worse than it actually was .
Will report back when i get to do some serious shooting with it .
thanks for the replies .
Joe.

[thor32382]

I had a Puma M92 in .454. It was pretty accurate and the dark Brazilian wood looked really good, and you could load .45LC in it(my wifed loved the low recoil). With that being said, I had the rifle for about a year and the first thing to go wrong was the screw that holds the barrelband tight broke and had to be replaced with a larger screw. The second was the stock just below the comb got about an 8in crack in it. I probably fired 300 rounds out of it carried it for one hunting season. It never got dropped or mishandled. I traded it for an 1895CB. Who knows but, from what I read these are common problems. Its your decision but, I'd buy something different. Hope I helped.

[thor32382]

I guess I should read the entire thread before I post next time.

[helice]

Joe

Congratulations on your 480. If my experiences are any indicator you'll really enjoy that piece. If you'd be so kind I'd like to know where you got the stock. Your loads are also very impressive. You can handle the recoil better than I can. Shoot us a big boar Hog and send us pictures of the wounds and the blood trail and the campfire and the rifle. Again congratulations and thanks for filling us in on your good fortune. Keep writin', I'm learnin'. Helice

[Lloyd Smale]

personaly i think you made the best choise. In my opinion theres not a load you can run in a 454 thats going to kill better then that 420 at 1400 fps. thats stout 475 teritory and nothing that walks on earth cant be killed cleanly with that load. And youll find it just as easy to load down as any 454 is.

[Joe C]

Helice.
I got the stock from an outfit called Precision Gun Works , in Kerrville Tx. They have a website, do an search on line and you can find them .
They were real helpfull on the phone when i called . Talked to Garry James .
ON the website they showed a shotgun style stock (bigger dimensions than the regular 92 stock )
Told him i needed something better for my heavier recoiling rifle and he picked out a piece with nice straight grain for strength .
These are just plain walnut , semi finished stocks looks to be at least 90-95% inletted, and down to where you only need some rough/ final sanding to finish.

The factory Rossi stock is about 1 1/4"wide X 4" high at the butt.
The replacement stock i got is about 1 3/4" wide and 5 1/4 " high at the butt.
At the front of the comb ,it is about 1/4" higher and at the butt is about 1 -1 1/8" higher .
That should make the recoil a lot easier to handle .
My 45-90 rifle has a nice straight stock ,an it is no problem to go thru 50-60 rounds of 540 gr bullets with that rifle .
It kind of pushes you back ,instead of recoiling up into your face.
Give me a week or so and i will let you know just how it works out .
Joe

[Blackhawk]

I've got the 454, and love it. Great gun.

[joecool911]

I am considering a 454 because I have on in a Ruger SRH. 10 rounds in the tube sounds like an assualt rifle to me:Fire:

[freedom475]

I am considering a 454 because I have on in a Ruger SRH. 10 rounds in the tube sounds like an assualt rifle to me:Fire:


Assualt is an action...NOT a device :cbpour:


I really like my 480 92 but it is at the absolute max on dia of the 92's action. Any little burr on the rim of the shell and the shells can/will hang in the magazine tube.
Pretty scary the first time this happend to me...cycle the action four or five times, visually inspect the open action, "yep she's empty" Wrong... bump it on the floor and...wow. "still got 3 rounds left...?


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