480 Ruger vs 475/480 BFR

[blue360cuda]

So go figure, I've wanted to get a Ruger SBH hunter in 44 for a veeeery long time and finally was able to pick on up 4 months ago. Before actually buying it I was doing a bunch of research and really fell inlove with the 480 Ruger. Sadly, only options were a Super Redhawk , BFR or custom. At the time I didn't know much about the BFR but have been reading more and more about em. Now, a few months after buying my SRH Hunter go figure, Ruger releases the 480 and 454 Blackhawk. Grrrr

I'm starting to warm up to the Hunter and do like it, its a really sweet rig and now starting to figure out some loads she likes. I know, I know a 44 mag will most likely do anything a 480 will do, and there's for sure a better selection of boolits available for 44. I'm not a caster as of yet, just reloading.

The bug is biting me though, and I have to ask . . . for those of you who own BFRs what do you think? The most obvious is the bisley vs plow handle grip, which I prefer the latter simply from how the bisley felt when I handled a few but have not shot any personally. What about shooting 480 in the 475 BFR cylinder? Any issues to speak of? Would be pretty cool to have the option of 475 atleast. . . They're within $100 or so of eachother. Hows quality for the BFR vs Ruger? Cylinder / barrel choke? Cyl gap? If I recall the BFR had a little faster twist rifling but not positive.

So who would you rather have Ruger 480 or BFR 480/475 and why?

[44man]

I have the .475 BFR and you will never make me part with it. No, it does not like .480 brass. I hate the Bisley. I prefer the BFR grips.
No revolver ever made has been as accurate as the BFR with proper twist rates and perfect dimensions.
I would want a Ruger Hunter in .480 with a hog leg, never a Bisley. Good caliber in the right gun. The .44 Hunter is prime. Ruger should speed the twist in the .480. The BFR is 1 in 15". I think the .480 should be faster.

[ole 5 hole group]

As for your question - 475 Linebaugh in the BFR, as it's just a better platform in my opinion between the two you mentioned but both are excellent revolvers.

My advice for you would be to settle in with the 44 magnum and become very efficient with it. You appear to me anyway, of possessing early signs of that dreaded disease called "big bore syndrome" where you're on the lookout for something a little bigger & better. The only known cure for that disease is either running out of money or winding up with something you can't handle or would prefer not to shoot on a regular basis.

I wish you the very best in your pursuit of that handgun that might provide a cure to that BBS disorder/aliment or whatever that itch is called.

[blue360cuda]

44 man - thanks as always, much appreciate your insight and experience

5-hole - haha this is true, when I saw that you can order a BFR in 50 beowulf it got me thinking of a companion pistol for my ARES defense lower / DMPS upper 50 Beo, eh hem, 12.7X42mm, i built using the Midway ar-stoner 18" barrel. Now that is a fun rifle! Accurate to boot, solid 1 hole groups at 50 and no problem keeping 1-1 1/2 at 100 yds. Only thing not a fan of for BFR in 50 beo is that long cylinder, don't know, just looks goofy to me, not a fan. I think a black "murdered out" BFR in 475 would be killer. How about a 480 cylinder for the BFR? Do they make such a thing?

[Ramjet-SS]

just get the 475 you can load down to the 480 levels but when you need lotsa power you got it.

BFR are fine handguns well made and tight.

I am loading for my 475 tonight a 400 Grain cast HP over 14.0 grains of unique should be dandy load. A easy on me killer on deer........

[44man]

No need for a .480 in the BFR. Most amazing gun ever made as is.

[dubber123]

BFR's are very well made, and will almost assuredly be a good shooter. Not the best finished,but not bad. They have cheesy sights/grips, but both are easily changed. Will likely need trigger work, but so will the Ruger. If I got the .475, I wouldn't bother with the .480, just download to suit you. I've worked a good bit with 2 different .475's, and they do just fine with reduced loads.

[nockhunter]

I wouldn't mind a BFR in 30-30 win.

Mike

[Whiterabbit]

Only thing not a fan of for BFR in 50 beo is that long cylinder, don't know, just looks goofy to me, not a fan.

It does look goofy. Very, very goofy. The problem is the gripframe is too small for the revolver frame. However, that is rectifiable by using the pao ferro oversized grips.



If you still think it lacks visual balance, then there's not likely anything you can do to fix the goofiness. I find it to be quite proportional (not to mention very comfortable) with these grips.

I think a black "murdered out" BFR in 475 would be killer. Do they make such a thing?

They did for hollywood....

[Lloyd Smale]

ruger is making 480 blackhawks now. You might want to take a look at them.

[44man]

The BFR is just a big Ruger but a better barrel and fit up better.
My favorite Rugers are the SRH and Hunter. I will never part with my SBH though.
I found accuracy of the .475 BFR is better with the longer case so it would be best to stay with that and reduce loads to the .480, HS-6 proved very accurate.
Full power loads can be a beast with a lot of torque from the bench but once you see deer belly up before out of recoil, you will not understand. I expect the .480 to work as well and meat loss is nothing.
I would suggest if you want a .480, just get a pure .480 but you might have trouble getting your hands on the new Ruger and those I seen are Bisley. I have an aversion to that because of my huge knuckle. I shot 82# bows so my knuckle might be 3X larger then most. I would love to see the SRH with a 5 shot cylinder.
I know some hate the rubber BFR grips but they work the best for me.

[DougGuy]

Blue, hold your horses (and your $$) wait until Gary Reeder puts this in a handcannon and buy one:

"Now the biggest of them all, our 610 GNR. This monster killer is based on the 577 Snider case, which is readily available, necked up straight to .620 caliber. It shoots a 550 grain bullet at 1900 fps. More power than the 460 Weatherby cartridge but the recoil of a 12 gauge magnum shotgun. This one is chambered in the Ruger #1 rifle. Dies and data are available"

[44man]

Doug, you make me laugh.

[Lloyd Smale]

anything over 50 cal is considered a destructive device and cant be chambered in a handgun

[44man]

anything over 50 cal is considered a destructive device and cant be chambered in a handgun

Another stupid law Did you see the .600 Nitro Express revolver?
I guess the libtards think recoil will destroy buildings
Watch Russian videos, they can do more then we can. Drones to destroy cars.

[blue360cuda]

haha i don't know if I'll be lining up to buy a 610 anytime soon. . . I was attracted to the 480 since it's a low pressure round and can sling a bigger boolit than the 44 without abusive recoil. Biggest pistols I have fired so far are a 454 Taurus and 45-70 TC encore. They didn't bother me but I'm not interested in 500 S&W or 460. Think the long cyl BFRs look kind of goofy so eventually when I get one it will be either 454 or 480/475, maybe a custom short cyl 45LC. When I finally finish school i may have to save up and treat myself to a freedom arms one of these days. . . one of these days

so far my favorite rounds are 44mag, 45 LC and the 480. I think anything bigger should have a buttstock and i'm not interested, personally.

[DougGuy]

IF and I say IF I get another big bore, it will be a 5 shot in .50 Special on a Vaquero of some sort.

What I really want to do is a fully antiqued 5 1/2" medium framed Vaquero in .45 Schofield, I have some very early Ruger factory ivories and would build the gun just to have something to mount those on.

[Whiterabbit]

Exactly why I bought a pair of vaquero. Hopefully mine can be a 510 flavor above the special though.

I have to say though, after I got the vaquero it is hard for me to feel like the BFR is a ruger with better barrel and better fitup. The trigger, yes. But even that, my BFR does with irons at 25 offhand what hte vaquero does at 10 yards offhand. And half that at 50 yards rested, and same group at 100 yards scoped rested.

not exactly apples to oranges I know, but the apples to apples, I get 2.5 times the distance out of the BFR, and I think that can be increased even more. If the BFR is just a ruger with better barrel and better fitup, then the barrel and fitup account for ALOT.

ALOT alot.

Which is why I would strongly consider a BFR 475 over a ruger 480, even given the ruger comes with the bisley grip (which I prefer as a grip, hate the hammer.)

[shorty500M]

Fitment has much more to do with getting great accuracy! Linebaugh tried a large selection of barrels on a single gun ranging in his words from crudely made home-rifled tubes to the best match grades available once-- the better barrels fouled less but on a properly fitted revolver they all shot good

[Whiterabbit]

Maybe I should try to thread my own barrel then for fun. Find a 45 cal rifle barrel, make a joker-from-batman-1 length revolver out of the BFR...